Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is talking with Congressman Frank Lucas about the latest movements in politics, the presidential campaign, farm bill, and more.

“This is kind of the ‘triple witching hour,’ so to speak, when you have a presidential campaign, you have a third of the Senate, and you have the entire House of Representatives on the ballot,” Lucas said. “That just creates all manners of chaos, and this is a different sort of a campaign than we have typically had in most of my lifetime.”

As the government is narrowly divided at the moment, Lucas said there have been numerous issues when it comes to funding the federal government.

“The federal government should have been funded in October 1st of 2023 to fund the fiscal year that runs to the end of September of 2024,” Lucas said. “Right now, we are looking at running out of money starting this Friday.”

There has not been time on the floor to move forward with much farm bill progress, Lucas said, because of the focus on the appropriations process for funding. To make the safety net as strong as it was in 2018, Lucas said there needs to be more funds.

“I think most of our producers would agree that many expenses have gone up, perhaps in some industries, as much as 70 percent over what they were in 2018, and with inflation, the buying power of things we are selling, may have gone down as much as 30 percent,” Lucas said. “We are in a real squeeze on having a valid safety net.”

Lucas said he believes between 70 and 100 billion dollars will be needed in the next farm bill to ensure a strong safety net.

“Once we get past this chaos of funding the government, we have to know how much money we have to work with, and then I think we can move forward to complete our work,” Lucas said.



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Farm Director, KC Sheperd is talking with the treasurer of the United Soybean Board, Philip Good, about the soybean industry. Good raises soybeans, corn, cotton, cattle and catfish with his son near Macon, Mississippi.

“One of the things I am excited about is how much production has increased,” Good said.

When he began his career, Good said 30-bushel fields of soybeans were considered a good yield. The progress made over the years has been tremendous, Good added, as this year, there were fields yielding nearly 90 bushels.

“It is an exciting time to be a soybean farmer,” Good said. “Production is absolutely amazing.”

Good said he is looking forward to more success with soybean exports, promotion, and research.

“There are a lot of new things that are helping us on water efficiency, and there is some new genetics that we are excited about that we are tying in some of our new seed as well…There are more tools in our toolbox than ever before,” Good said.

Fourth Cattlemen’s Congress Saw Success with International Presence

At the 2024 Cattlemen’s Congress, I had the chance to talk about a review of the show with Cattlemen’s Congress consultant, Erin Dorsey. Before her time with Cattlemen’s Congress, Dorsey worked with the National Western Livestock Show.

“We have grown, we have progressed, we got our schedule down pretty solid this year, and it has been a really good show,” Dorsey said.

In fact, Dorsey said she believes 2024 has been the best year yet for Cattlemen’s Congress. When comparing Cattlemen’s Congress to the National Western Livestock Show, Dorsey said Cattlemen’s Congress caters to the cattlemen and does not include other attractions.

“My passion here has really been the international program, and I absolutely love the people,” Dorsey said.

In her time working with Cattlemen’s Congress, Dorsey said she has traveled around the world to different livestock events.

“People do not realize the number of imports and exports, semen, embryos, and just livestock that go out of the U.S. and Canada to Mexico, Argentina, the UK, even Singapore and Australia,” Dorsey said.

John Deere Announces Strategic Partnership with SpaceX to Expand Rural Connectivity

Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) announced it has entered into an agreement with SpaceX to provide cutting-edge satellite communications (SATCOM) service to farmers. Utilizing the industry-leading Starlink network, this solution will allow farmers facing rural connectivity challenges to fully leverage precision agriculture technologies. This partnership, an industry first, will enable John Deere customers to be more productive, profitable, and sustainable in their operations as they continue to provide food, fuel, and fiber for their communities and a growing global population.

“The value of connectivity to farmers is broader than any single task or action. Connectivity unlocks vast opportunities that were previously limited or unavailable,” said Aaron Wetzel, Vice President of Production and Precision Ag Production Systems at John Deere. “For example, throughout the year, farmers must complete tasks within extremely short windows of time. This requires executing incredibly precise production steps while coordinating between machines and managing machine performance. Each of these areas are enhanced through connectivity, making the entire operation more efficient, effective, and profitable.”

The SATCOM solution will connect both new and existing machines through satellite internet service and ruggedized satellite terminals. This will fully enable technologies such as autonomy, real-time data sharing, remote diagnostics, enhanced self-repair solutions, and machine-to-machine communication, all of which help farmers work more efficiently while minimizing downtime.

Yesterday, Governor Kevin Stitt called for a special session of Oklahoma’s 59th Legislature beginning January 29, 2024, to seek a .25% reduction in the personal income tax for every Oklahoman.

“From day one, I’ve called on the Legislature to give Oklahomans a much deserved tax cut,” said Governor Stitt. “With record-breaking savings and a strong economic outlook, there’s no time like the present to deliver a pay raise to all Oklahomans. Let’s get this across the finish line before we head into regular session.”

The Board of Equalization delivered good news at the end of 2023, demonstrating strong fiscal practices that confirmed the state’s predictions for 2024 and a bright outlook for 2025. With $5.4 billion in savings, a strong economy, and fiscally conservative policies, Oklahoma is well-positioned to reduce the personal income tax burden on all four million Oklahomans.

Executive Order 2024-01 can be found here.

House Democratic Leader Responds to Governor’s Call for Another Special Session

Oklahoma House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson, D-OKC, has issued a statement questioning the Governor’s fiscal responsibility after his latest political "stunt" calling for another wasteful special session.

“The Governor’s call for a Special Session to cut income taxes is just his latest political stunt, and it is not a genuine attempt to lower costs for Oklahoma families. We have not even completed our agency budget hearings to gain a comprehensive understanding of our state’s fiscal picture, including the potential loss of federal dollars post-Covid.

We will have four months beginning February 5 to deliberate fiscal and policy ideas. Our job as legislators is to work through these important issues, as we are called to do every year. Instead, the Governor is asking us to waste time and taxpayer dollars by throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks. It is unwise and fiscally irresponsible to ask the Legislature to haphazardly cut revenue.

Why does the Governor insist we keep doing what we’ve been doing when it hasn’t worked? It is time to invest in Oklahoma.”

BASF introduces new FiberMax and Stoneville seed varieties for the 2024 season

BASF is further expanding its FiberMax® and Stoneville® cotton seed industry-leading portfolio with the addition of four new varieties for the 2024 growing season.

With these strong additions, the FiberMax and Stoneville cotton seed portfolio includes a total of 18 varieties. All new varieties feature Axant™ Flex herbicide tolerance technology, cotton’s first quad-stacked herbicide trait**. 

“The addition of these new FiberMax and Stoneville varieties provides growers numerous versatile options to support high-yield potential, excellent fiber quality and strong insect and weed control,” said Bryan Perry, Head of Seeds and Traits for BASF. “We understand a successful season starts with a high-performing seed, and we are excited to share these new varieties with growers to help provide a strong foundation for their cotton acres.”

BASF is committed to ongoing investments in the cotton industry to best meet the needs of its growers doing the Biggest Job on Earth. FiberMax and Stoneville cotton are regularly enhanced with trait development to ensure cotton growers can effectively manage their crops and get the most out of every acre. To learn more about the best cottonseed varieties for your field, talk with your local retailer or a BASF representative, or visit FiberMax.comor Stoneville.com.