As the 2024 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show approaches, I am talking with the Executive Vice President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Michael Kelsey, about some of the top ideas of conversation that the convention will focus on.

Kelsey said animal disease traceability will be a topic of discussion, as the National Animal Disease Traceability Taskforce will be bringing some of their policy to the convention that will consider how to institute disease surveillance on a national level that includes not only older and more mature cattle but also younger cattle. OCA President Troy Shelby has served on that taskforce.

Aside from disease traceability, Kelsey said there may also be discussion regarding beef sustainability.

“To make sure we are part of those conversations wherever those conversations may occur,” Kelsey said. “If they are at the state level, if they are at the national level, even if they are at the international level, we need to make sure beef is positioned positively. Sustainability, whether we like it or not, is a topic.”

Oklahoman Jimmy Taylor will be in the spotlight on the Beef Checkoff side of things, on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Taylor has been chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board for the past year.



Oklahoma Farm Bureau works to improve the lives of all Oklahomans by supporting our state’s agriculture community. As Oklahoma’s largest general farm organization led by Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, OKFB takes grassroots values and advocates for agriculture at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C., to ensure our way of life continues for generations to come. Farm Bureau hosts leadership events, supports our state’s agricultural youth and connects consumers with agriculture in order to build a brighter future for our state. Become an OKFB member today online at okfarmbureau.org/join. Together, we are rural Oklahoma.



Well, we have finally seen winter weather across the state, as December was the 4th warmest record (dating back to 1895), according to State Climatologist Gary McManus. He says we will see temps in the 60s as we get into next week.

“In the case for next week, the trends in weather will greatly overcome climate and give us highs 10+ degrees above normal," McManus said.

However, this latest trend is not moving in until Monday, and we will continue to see cloudiness and rain over the next few days. Parts of Western Oklahoma did receive additional rain showers this morning as they moved in from the Texas Panhandle.

Oklahoma Wheat and Cattle Producer Tom Cannon is Featured in US Wheat Video Stories of Stewardship

Episode 2 of the U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) “Stories of Stewardship” series has been released and this episode features Tom Cannon, a wheat farmer and cattle rancher from Blackwell, Oklahoma. Cannon, who operates Goodson Ranch with his family, went “all-in” and became a 100% no-till farmer 25 years ago. Cannon and his family have worked to adopt new technologies and processes to protect the land.

One of the soil health practices that Cannon describes in the video is the idea of having a live root in the soil year round, which has led him to aggressively utilize cover crops on his wheat acres between crops.

The Oklahoma Wheat Commission sponsored and worked with US Wheat Associates on this video. You can watch Episode 2 by clicking on the video below:

“Consumers around the world want to know how their food is grown and U.S. wheat is definitely a food ingredient,” said USW Vice President of Communications Steve Mercer. “Here at home, we know U.S. farmers work every day to nourish and improve the land and produce a sustainable source of high-quality wheat. The purpose of the Stories of Stewardship series is to share this information with international buyers, millers, wheat food processors, and consumers who value the quality and reliability of U.S. wheat.”

Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Intern, Maci Carter, is visiting with the outreach specialist for the National Farm Medicine Center, Melissa Ploekelman, about prioritizing safety on the farm.

The National Farm Medicine Center is located in Central Wisconsin, and researches incidents and fatalities that occur on farms and how to prevent them.

“After we do that research, we give resources back to farmers,” Ploekelman said.

Statistically, Ploekelman said 33 children sustain serious injuries on farms every day.

“We just need to make sure we are supervising them when they are out on the farm,” Ploekelman said. “We also know that children learn a lot when they are on the farm, and they learn all about animals, and how life works, and they learn a good work ethic, so it is important for us to let our youth grow up on the farm. We just have to make sure that we supervise them when they are out there.”

Ploekelman said resources can be found at https://cultivatesafety.org/ to help farmers cultivate safety on the farm.

“Maybe we say, at 16 years old, they can drive a skid steer on a farm, but are they really ready to do that,” Ploekelman said. “It is important that we make sure that task is appropriate for not only the age of the child, but also the ability level of the child.”

“Just a Cowboy”

Noble Research Institute guest author and rancher James A. Stuart shares his appreciation of how those who work cattle are an important influence on the well-being of livestock, land and livelihood.

Over the past 20-plus years, my family and I have been fortunate to work on ranches from Nevada to Florida and from Montana to Mexico. I have gained an appreciation for good stockmen in all parts of the country and have learned much from the way they care for their livestock and the range.

In many discussions with these men and women, I have heard a common, self-effacing phrase. “I’m just a cowboy,” they say, in a manner that sells themselves short of their true role and abilities. My purpose in writing this article is to help all of us who care for livestock on the ranch or farm reflect on the value of our daily duties and expound on the great good that our complex efforts produce.

There are three aspects of sustainability that must be considered to assure the future of a livestock operation: namely ecological, financial and social. The ability to find balance between and progression within each of these three aspects determines in large part the viability and long-term success of any agriculture and livestock production.

ICYMI-Panda BioTech Incentivizes Farmers to Grow Hemp to be Processed for Fiber

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is visiting with the Executive Vice President of Panda BioTech, Scott Evans. BioTech is working with producers to grow a particular variety of industrial hemp which is then processed at the Panda High Plains Hemp Gin in Wichita Falls, Texas.

“Panda BioTech is developing a large industrial-scale help processing center where we process industrial hemp,” Evans said.

In a process called decortication, Evans said the green outer part of the hemp stem, called the bast fiber, is separated from the rest of the plant. Once the outer bast is separated from the plant, Evans said the inner woody core of the stem, called the hurd of the plant, will remain.

Evans said the bast fiber is similar to short-staple cotton but it has a few different properties.

“It is a very strong fiber and antimicrobial, and the list goes on,” Evans said.

After the decortication process at Panda BioTech, Evans said the fiber produced is sold downstream to other manufacturers for use in various applications.

“It is a great crop; it remediates soil, it is low input, doesn’t use a lot of water, it is a tap root crop, it will go down there, break down the soil, and look for water,” Evans said.