At the Tulsa Farm Show, I caught up with Oklahoma Farm Bureau Director of Membership and OKBF Foundation for Agriculture Holly Carroll and discussed the farm show and an update on all things OKFB.

OKFB is the lead sponsor for the Tulsa Farm Show, Carroll said, as the show is a great highlight for producers around the state because of the traffic from vendors and visitors from multiple states.

“On Friday at the farm show, we are going to have a members luncheon, so if you are a member and you are here on Friday, come by and join us for lunch,” Carroll said. “We have our Bridge events Friday and Saturday, and then Saturday night, we have an ag defense dinner to help raise some funds to help fight state questions or issues that may arise that we need to put some money towards.”

Carrol talked about some new programs that OKFB has launched to hit more age groups and demographics of members. Carroll said one of those new programs is the Generation Bridge program.

Generation Bridge serves as a stepping stone after Young Farmers and Ranchers with an opportunity for members to get involved in OKFB beyond the county level as they work to develop connections across the state, expand their knowledge of Farm Bureau and create lasting memories.



National Livestock was founded in 1932 in Oklahoma City. National’s Marketing Division offers cattle for sale weekly at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City. The Finance Division lends money to ranchers across several states for cattle production. The Grazing Division works with producers to place cattle for grazing on wheat or grass pastures. 

The newest addition to the National Family is Dakota Moss- and Livestock Risk Services.

National also owns and operates other livestock marketing subsidiaries including Southern Oklahoma Livestock Auction in Ada, Oklahoma, OKC West Livestock Market in El Reno, Oklahoma, and the nation’s premier livestock video sale, Superior Livestock Auction. National offers customers many services custom made for today’s producer. To learn more, click here for the website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.

Slight Improvements Seen in Most Drought Categories this Week

According to the latest Oklahoma drought monitor report, exceptional drought remains at zero, unchanged from the past three months.

Extreme drought or worse is at 1.15 percent, down slightly from last week’s 1.16 percent.

Severe drought or worse is at 10.38 percent, down from last week’s 11.38 percent.

Moderate drought or worse is at 32.29 percent, down from last week’s 33.99 percent.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions are at 57.68 percent, up from last week’s 51.95 percent.

According to the 6-to-10-day precipitation outlook map, the northeast part of the state is leaning below a 33 to 40 percent chance of precipitation through December 16. The central part of the state is at a near-normal chance of precipitation, and the southern part of the state is leaning above a 33 to 40 percent chance of precipitation through December 16.

Merck’s Tim Parks Says Feeder Cattle Success Starts at the Cow-Calf Level

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with Dr. Tim Parks of Merck Animal Health about the health profile of cattle.

This health profile, Parks said, begins at the cow-calf level.

“If we can stimulate the immune system in that baby calf and get it prepared as it starts to develop and move through production cycles, we can start to set it up to where, as we do move through the stocker phase or backgrounding phase and into the feed yard, that immune system is at least prepared for those stresses that are going to come that way,” Parks said.

By vaccinating young calves and stimulating their immune systems, Parks said producers can ensure a better chance of success for those cattle further down the road.

Some illnesses, Parks said, such as Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD), can have lifetime effects

This Week on SUNUP is Oklahoma State University Extension grain market economist Kim Anderson. During this week’s edition, Anderson talks about the latest news in the crop markets. 

Anderson said he believes wheat prices have reached a bottom, as they are at about $5.60 now.

“If you look at the average Oklahoma wheat price, it is $5.85,” Anderson said. “If you look at ending stocks right now for U.S. wheat, projected to be around 700 million bushels, $8.50 is the average.”

Anderson said that the U.S. and the world are below average on wheat stocks, so wheat prices should hold above $5.85.

Looking into the 2024 wheat crop, Anderson said the market is offering close to 20 or 30 cents higher than the current price.

Holiday Season is Beef Season

We can all agree that the holiday season is about being together with family and friends. And no matter who is around the table, moments together are made even better with beef! As consumers count down to the holidays, they are going to be looking for inspiration for their holiday table. This month is the perfect time to inspire and encourage consumers to choose beef as the centerpiece of their holiday table. Read more below for a few ideas to get you started.   

• Share your favorite family dishes, traditions or how your family and friends celebrate with beef 
• Visit the holiday landing page
• on beefitswhatsfordinner.com and share some classic recipes made with beef or some beefy appetizers 
• Highlight the Beef Drool Log (as shown above)and inspire others to let it be the backdrop of celebrations this holiday season 
• Showcase your favorite cuts for roasting, carving tips and how your family is caring for cattle during the holidays   



Let us know what you are sharing this month by tagging Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. on social media!

Craig Cameron Brings a Lifetime of Horse Sense to Tulsa Farm Show

He has spent a part of his December at the Tulsa Farm Show for the past 28 years- and world-renowned horse trainer Craig Cameron says he is still a student. Cameron is back for the 30th Tulsa Farm Show today through Saturday, offering twice daily sessions on connecting with young horses and starting them on the road to being ready to be a part of the ranch- or that rural lifestyle acreage.

“The whole idea with horses and horsemanship is trying to ride better today than you did yesterday,” Cameron said. “That is what we will be doing today is starting some young horses that have never been saddled or rode and showing people how to work with the horse and not against the horse.”

A big part of working with horses, Cameron said, is rewarding the horse when it works well and making it easy for them. The beginning days when working with a young horse, Cameron said, are sometimes the most important.

“Be aware that good horsemanship is an art form,” Cameron said. “It takes time to learn, and again, I would say maybe the best advice I could give anybody is to be patient with yourself and be patient with your horse.”

More Stories to Check Out This Weekend