As our country pauses and offers Thanks over the next few days- I wanted to give you a quick review of what's open and what's not the balance of this week.

Markets, Banks, Government Offices and the great majority of businesses are off for Thanksgiving day tomorrow- Thursday. Some supermarkets are open at least in the morning for last minute items for your feast- and a few stores may be open to lure you in for a early Black Friday deal- but that is the exception.

On Friday- let the shopping begin (although most Black Friday deals have been on display a lot of November already).

More importantly for us- markets will be open for a half day of trade- that means for Ag Futures- they open at normal times but will close an hour or so early in the noon hour. Banks and government offices will be open on Friday as well.

Livestock auction markets that normally run on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday are largely closed- but check with your local barn for their holiday plans. We have links to Oklahoma National, Tulsa and Joplin that ran this week in our market section.

I do know that OKC West in El Reno took all of this week off and will resume with their cow and bull sale next Monday. Woodward had a cow and bull turn yesterday but will not have a sale on Thanksgiving day. The Southern Oklahoma Livestock Market is closed today and tomorrow.

Finally- we will take a break from publishing our daily email on Thursday and Friday- and will return on Monday, November 27th.

We will be updating our website with any breaking agricultural news- should that happen.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving- and enjoy your families and friends as you gather and eat turkey, ham or maybe a great piece of beef!



The Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program knows this is a hard time for farmers and ranchers. We want you to know we are still open, and we are still here for you. The Ag Mediation program is a free service that provides mediation to agriculture producers who may need help with ag-related disputes.

At Oklahoma Ag Mediation, we have been helping people in agriculture resolve conflicts since 1987. We know firsthand about working together to resolve conflicts, so you don’t have to go through the court systems. Let our professional mediators help you. Mediation is allowed for lease issues, farmer/neighbor disputes, family farm transitions, and more. These services are available at no cost for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers in all 77 counties. For more information, you can go to ok.gov/mediation, or give us a call at 800 248 5465.



OKFB Legal Foundation Files Court Protest Against Minimum Wage Proposal

The Oklahoma Farm Bureau Legal Foundation joined efforts with The State Chamber to file a protest with the state’s highest court Monday, Nov. 20 against Initiative Petition 446, which would establish a state question to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage.

The initiative seeks to double the minimum wage by 2029 and increase it annually beginning in 2030 based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. This change would remove the responsibility of determining a minimum wage from the Oklahoma legislature and instead tie it to national economic projections that do not accurately reflect Oklahoma’s economy.

“Taking a closer look at the CPI reveals it excludes all of rural Oklahoma,” said Steve Thompson, OKFB vice president of public policy. “One of our primary concerns is how the buying power of rural Oklahomans could be affected by an index that does not consider the unique needs of rural life.”

We have two links below- one is to learn more about the protest to the Oklahoma Supreme Court- and the lower an earlier interview we did with Steve Thompson were he explains the position of OkFB taken at their state convention.

He Hasn't Let Us Down Yet- Thanksgiving Thoughts Courtesy of Our Secretary of Ag

We have invited our Oklahoma Secretary of Ag Blayne Arthur to share her thoughts ahead of Thanksgiving on Thursday:

"As we head into this Thanksgiving holiday, I have so many blessings to be thankful for.

"I am thankful for our Oklahoma farmers and ranchers who continue to provide food and fiber for the world. Our agriculture producers always persevere through every challenge that is presented to them. I am thankful to the Lord for sending rain to so many parts of our state after a year of incredibly challenging drought conditions. I was in the Oklahoma panhandle in April of this year discussing the drought situation with a longtime farmer and mentioned that the Lord just needed to send us some rain. The farmer paused and very sincerely looked at me and said, “He hasn’t let us down yet”.  I am thankful every day for the faith of our farmers and ranchers.

"I am thankful that Governor Kevin Stitt has given me the opportunity to serve as Secretary of Agriculture in Oklahoma. I am thankful for the wonderful team at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry as well as the Ag Commodity Groups in the state who work every day to help agriculture thrive. I have had the chance to travel many places in the world and there is no question Oklahoma has the best people and best agriculture producers that you can find. I feel blessed to live in the United States and to call Oklahoma my home. I am incredibly thankful for those who have served and continue to serve this great country to make certain we have the freedoms we enjoy each day. 

"I am so thankful for my family that will be able to gather around the table this Thanksgiving. God has blessed my husband and me with two healthy children who are our greatest joy in life. My hope is that as people gather around their table this Thanksgiving, they take a moment to give thanks and to reflect on the abundant blessings in their life."

As we look forward to the Holiday Season its really one of my favorite times of the year. At 10 years old, I'm proud to say my kiddos are still very naive and believe in all the things.. The Elf on the Shelf, Santa, the Tooth Fairy and more. I'm proud of that. I love that they still see the magic in Christmas and look forward to it every year. I know so many of you have said 'The Days are long, but the years are short." and as the girls get older I start to see that every day with each passing season, and I know there will come a time when they don't believe in all Christmas magic, but since they both gave their lives to Christ last year about this time, I also know they will come to realize the real treasures are in heaven.

This has been such a fun year for us. Crosslee has really flourished in Softball as a lefty Pitcher and its been so fun to watch her find the thing that lights her up. We talked about this the other day and We can look back on every move in her softball career and see where God is working. He's literally been beside us on the ups, downs, and the unknowns, but its been a fun ride the whole time, and I can't wait for the Spring Season! With her new softball team she's won 4 rings! (This season was so much more fun to watch than watching people walk around the bases! lol) The confidence she has found in the pitching circle has just been incredible.

Londyn has also found her talents with singing and playing the piano. She is still working hard on her piano lessons and singing in the Crossings Kids Choir. She was asked to help lead worship at my mom's Church in Sayre a few weeks ago, and she was so relaxed and in charge the whole time she was up there! She was more nervous to sing in front of 200 than 2000 at Crossings, but she lit up like a lightbulb being on that stage and did a fantastic job blessing others with her gift of singing. She will be singing with the kids choir on Sunday the 10th at Crossings for some Christmas magic.

Jordan and I are thankful for our family this year. We both have jobs we love, an amazing Church home, Great friends, great neighborhood and I could go on and on. Blessings are best found in your rear view mirror because you can see the the work he has done. But he's not done with us yet! I'm so excited and grateful for every opportunity thrown my way.. even when it adds more to my plate than I think I can sometimes handle. Being a present, working parent sometimes has its challenges, but I'm blessed to have a spouse by my side that can pick up the responsibilities when I'm called away. I have a blessed life, and hope that today you count your blessings because at the end of the day, your blessings are bigger than your problems. Thank you all for continuing to bless me with your friendship and support! Happy Thanksgiving!

NCBA Continues to Fight for Cattle Produces in Government Regulatory Battles

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am visiting with the Vice President of Governmental Affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Ethan Lane, about regulatory battles that continue in the cattle industry.

Regarding the Supreme Court ruling on the Waters of the U.S. Rule, Lane said the current ruling is a win for the cattle industry and farmers by any measure.

“It eliminates 65 percent of the potential waters, or sandy bottom washes, or prairie potholes that would have been included in that original rule, which are now not included or exempt, given that new definition or new structure,” Lane said.

Despite the wins that come along with the new WOTUS rule, Lane said there are some areas that are lacking.

“That federal nexus component is still a little bit open-ended,” Lane said. “That litigation piece is going to continue in an effort to make sure that refinement happens and that we have an airtight rule that truly can be put to bed, and we can walk off the field on this. We are hopeful we can get that done in the next few months.”

2023 has been a year filled with Thankfulness for Jan and I- and we are grateful for our many farm and ranch friends who have made our year just a bit brighter.

I want to again say thanks for so many of you that contributed to the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program Professorship Fund in my name for my 27 years of service as the Chair of the Advisory Committee- you have blessed me and have given a gift that will support the OALP from this day forward!

Our family grew just a bit bigger in 2023- with the arrival of our tenth grandchild- here's my newest buddy Judah. He is truly a gift from God to his mom and dad- Rachel and Jeremy- but also to his Granddaddy and Gigi.

And each day that I am able to get up- and serve you via this daily email- and broadcast over the 45 radio stations that are a part of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network- that brings me joy and fills my life with thankfulness for each person who is a part of our family of listeners and readers- that's you! My mentor and friend Chester Grubbs always reminded me that if you love your job- it's like everyday is a vacation- well- I've loved my job in serving the ag community in Oklahoma and Kansas for 50 years!

It's my wish that you have a truly great Thanksgiving- and that you have an understanding of what God intends for mankind when we think about being thankful. Paul said it well in his letter to the church at Colossi- using an agricultural metaphor- talking about the One that has never failed that farmer that Blayne talked to in the Panhandle- "let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness." That's real Thanksgiving(and freedom)- if you want to talk about what that can look like- feel free to email me- I'd love to have a chat with you.

Long Thanksgiving Weekend Reading Links of More Ag Stories to Check Out