At the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Leadership Conference, Oklahoma Farm Reporter Maci Carter had the chance to visit with the Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Blayne Arthur, about some of her biggest priorities at the federal level.

“I would say number one, certainly, is the farm bill,” Arthur said. “That has been on everyone’s mind for a long time now, and we are appreciative of the extension but hopeful to get some resolution to that this year.”

Within the farm bill, Arthur said she is paying close attention to matters that will be important for producers in Oklahoma, including agricultural research, animal health, conservation efforts, and more.

“It is a little bit of a stalemate at the federal level,” Arthur said. “I think we are very fortunate in Oklahoma that we have someone like Congressman Lucas who is absolutely the expert on the farm bill and those programs and how they benefit producers. We are hopeful that compromise will happen in D.C. It is important to all of our ag producers because, living in Oklahoma, the weather can be very challenging, so if it is on the livestock side of things or the crop production side of things, a lot of those safety net programs in the farm bill are incredibly important, and we hope we get to a good place with this farm bill.”



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At the American Pecan Council Board Meeting in Dallas, I caught up with Pecan Council Board Member and Oklahoma pecan producer, Mike Spradling.



The first in-person meeting of the American Pecan Council was held in 2016, Spradling said, and the group is now the oversight of the federal marketing order for pecans. The American Pecan Council represents 17 states in the United States.

Spradling said most of the pecans in the world are produced in the Southern U.S.

“There are probably over 50 marketing orders for all commodities in the U.S., and pecans are one of the newest ones,” Spradling said.

Because the American Pecan Council oversees federal marketing for pecans, Spradling said the group did not have the power to assess foreign markets. Because of this, the American Pecan Promotion Board was developed to provide a Checkoff for domestic as well as for foreign pecans entering the U.S.

One thing that is being marketed aggressively, Spradling said, is the health aspect of pecans. There has been research that shows that pecans lower the A1C levels for individuals with diabetes, as it has already been proven to lower those levels for animals with diabetes.

NCBA’s Mark Eisele to Producers- Get Serious about Transition Planning

At the 2024 CattleCon held in Orlando, Florida, I talked with the President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Mark Eisele. In this episode of Beef Buzz, Hays is back talking with Eisele about his priorities for the next year.

Our coverage from the 2024 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Orlando is being powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater.

“I really want to focus on this tax issue,” Eisele said. “The estate tax and the death tax, and the elimination of some of the deductions and the write-offs that we currently use. Those are valuable not just for producers obviously, but also local economies…”

Eisele said he is encouraging producers to get serious about their estate planning and their transition plans, which may mean getting in contact with professionals to help with those processes.

“You can’t be reactive to this,” Eisele said. “You have got to be proactive.”

Oklahoma Farm Bureau Award Ten Lawmakers With Their Champion Award

Ten Oklahoma lawmakers were honored last night with the 2023 Oklahoma Farm Bureau Champion award at the organization’s annual leadership conference in Oklahoma City.

The OKFB Champion award is presented to state lawmakers who serve as exemplary advocates for Oklahoma agriculture, going above and beyond for the state’s farmers and ranchers during the 2023 legislative session.

Champion award recipients were Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall, Atoka; Rep. John Pfeiffer, Orlando; Rep. Dell Kerbs, Shawnee; Rep. David Hardin, Stilwell; Rep. Anthony Moore, Clinton; Sen. Brent Howard, Altus; Sen. Lonnie Paxton, Tuttle; Sen. Darcy Jech, Kingfisher; Sen. Chris Kidd, Waurika; and Sen. Chuck Hall, Perry.

“As Oklahomans, we are fortunate to have state legislators who understand the important role agriculture plays in our state,” said Rodd Moesel, OKFB president. “We are proud to honor these individuals for their service to agriculture and rural Oklahoma through their work at the state Capitol.” Award winners were nominated by county Farm Bureau members and the OKFB board of directors. Recipients received a plaque in recognition of their services to agriculture and rural Oklahoma.

Today, John Deere and GUSS Automation debuted the world’s first and only fully electric autonomous herbicide orchard sprayer, Electric GUSS, at the 2024 World Ag Expo in Tulare, California. Building on the success of the autonomous GUSS herbicide sprayer launched in 2023, this fully electric and autonomous sprayer enables growers to control multiple sprayers from a remote source. The intelligent sprayer increases productivity, optimizes and upskills labor, and enables farming operations to meet their sustainability goals with lower emissions and enhanced application precision.

“This launch with GUSS Automation reaffirms our commitment to helping high-value crop growers meet their needs through innovative solutions like electrification and autonomy,” said Sean Sundberg, John Deere business integration manager. “The all-new electric GUSS will provide farmers with reliable and powerful performance, with added benefits to help increase productivity and profitability.”

The newly unveiled machine includes a spot spraying weed detection system that identifies chlorophyll in the weeds and only sprays where they are detected. This detection technology significantly reduces the overall application amount used, resulting in up to 90% savings in materials depending on weed pressure. It also leads to decreased operating costs, reduced material drift, increased sustainability, and contributes to enhanced employee safety.

Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, offers herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner,” published electronically by Dr. Peel, Mark Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today, Johnson talks about when to assist with calving.

There are three stages of bovine parturition. Stage 1, dilation of the cervix is variable in length and can occur over hours or days. During Stage 1, you may or may not notice a mucus string hanging from the vulva, cows with less appetite or cows separating themselves from herd mates. Stage 2 is the delivery of the calf. Stage 2 officially begins with the appearance of the placenta (water bag) at the vulva. Deciding when/if to provide assistance to a female is based on what you observe at the onset and during stage 2 of the birth process. Stage 3 is the delivery of the placenta or afterbirth, typically happening within a few hours after delivery of the calf. Understanding the birth process, the normal timelines associated with Stage 2 and what a normal presentation of the calf fetus looks like are all critical in making the judgement call of when to offer assistance during calving. Intervening in the calving process too soon or too late can lead to a bad outcome. Unusual disturbance or stress too early in the process can slow down contractions and delay calving. Don’t jump the gun! Give the natural birth process time to run its course before intervening. By that same token, waiting too long to assist can lead to weakened or dead calves.

Oklahoma CattleWomen Promote Beef At Tulsa Women’s Expo

The Oklahoma CattleWomen (OCW) participated in the Women’s Cares Expo at the Tulsa Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was a packed weekend with over 3000 in attendance who were eager to ask questions and learn where their food comes from.

The event offered the opportunity for the Oklahoma CattleWomen to visit with urban consumers to help promote beef while sharing the nutritional values that beef has to offer.

The mission of the Oklahoma CattleWomen is to promote efficient production of beef, educate consumers on the nutritional values of beef, and communicate goodwill within the communities and state. Participating in these types of events is the very heart of what OCW does and our members enjoyed speaking one on one with our industry’s consumers.

OCW president Connie Tabor and Ashley Lawson took to the chef’s stage on Saturday to showcase a beef recipe that highlights the ease of preparation and delicious, nutritious protein as part of a well-balanced diet.

OCW is looking forward to presenting another cooking demo in March at an OHCE event in Glenpool, as well as participating in Ag Day at the Capitol in April.