At the OCIA/OGI Meeting in Oklahoma City, Farm Director KC Sheperd had the chance to catch up with regents professor and wheat genetics chair in the Oklahoma State University Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Dr. Brett Carver.

In a panel discussion at the meetings, Carver discussed how being different can add value to the wheat produced here in Oklahoma.

“There are a lot of people producing wheat outside of America, and we have some pretty stiff competition,” Carver said. “The only way we are going to top that competition is to be different. Be yield relevant, but different.”

Being different, Carver said, means having the ability to connect to a consumer base that wants to see something different in the grocery store. Carver said one area for growth in the consumer connections department is on the gluten side of things.

“We are not changing the gluten to make it less problematic to those who are sensitive to it,” Carver said.

While conversations surrounding gluten are a big trend, Carver said the biggest trend is conversations about the carbohydrates found in wheat products.



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.



At the 2024 CattleCon held in Orlando, Florida, I had the chance to talk with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall. In part 2 of the conversation, Woodall talks about anti-animal agriculture groups and more.

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

“What they do is try to convince the average American that they are helping local pet shelters, that they are helping dogs and cats, and they are not,” Woodall said. “If you take ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), for example, their commercials are on television every single day. Less than two percent of the money they raise actually goes to helping local shelters.”

Using the “one bite at a time” strategy, anti-animal agriculture groups have made it their mission to chip away at animal agriculture.



“That is why they supported Prop 12, that is why they supported Waters of the United States because they knew if Waters of the United States was going to go through, it was going to make it harder for us to actually do what we do,” Woodall said.

Lucas Stands Up for Oklahoma Beef Producers

On Wednesday, Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) joined an effort to halt the Biden Administration’s rule allowing for the importation of fresh Paraguayan beef, which has historically been affected by the viral foot-and-mouth disease. The USDA’s most recent inspection of cattle in Paraguay was nearly a decade ago. 

Congressman Lucas (OK-03) joined Rep. Ronny Jackson’s (TX-13) joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act today to halt the rule. In December, Lucas also joined Rep. Tracey Mann (KS-01) and others in sending a letter urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to pause the implementation of this rule until more recent data is procured.

“The Biden Administration is irresponsibly allowing the importation of fresh beef from a country historically plagued by foot-and-mouth disease. We must protect the American cattle herd from devastating foreign diseases, which is why I’ve called on the USDA to use recent, reliable data in its decision-making,” said Rep. Frank Lucas. “Until then, this reckless rule must be halted immediately in order to protect not just our Oklahoma beef producers, but the entire American beef industry.”\

Farm Director KC Sheperd visited with the CEO of the United States Meat Export Federation, Dan Halstrom this week, about beef and pork exports in 2023 and an outlook for 2024.

“We ended out the year with a real boost in December both on beef and pork,” Halstrom said.

Although export numbers were down year over year on the beef side, Halstrom said December was the largest month since August at 108,000 tons.

“We had the usual momentum around Latin America that we have had for several months now,” Halstrom said. “Mexico was up big, Central America was up big, so Latin America continues to really hang in there and do quite well on the beef side.”

Halstrom said there were a few markets in Asia that rebounded. He added that Korea was up 15 percent, China was up 20 percent on value and up 16 percent on volume.

“It was quite encouraging on the beef side to see some activity or some renewed energy,” Halstrom said.

Although Covid has ended, Halstrom said many Asian countries are still seeing the impacts.

“In China and Japan in particular, I don’t think the consumer is by any means back to normal at food service,” Halstrom said. “Tourism, while rebounding, is not back to normal yet. We could see some tailwinds, I think, on demand. We hope that we see some tailwinds here in 2024 when we get a little bit extra boost from the food service segment.”

Plan the work, then work the plan to achieve more on your regenerative ranch.

Most ranchers carry a good grazing plan in their heads, executing with a combination of intuition built on experience, an understanding of regional trends and an adaptivity to circumstances.



But if you need to solve a significant problem or are ready to take aim at a new ideal like regenerative or adaptive grazing, it’s time put a proactive grazing plan on paper, Noble Research Institute Regenerative Ranching Advisor Steve Swaffar says.

“There is a heavier commitment to reach a goal you’ve written down,” he says. Writing a grazing plan on paper can feel uncomfortable, but “frankly, a good goal should make you nervous.”

For a more experienced rancher, building an ambitious grazing plan may be the slight push you need to make progress in the year ahead. For a beginning rancher or someone grazing a new piece of land, it’s an offensive plan to help navigate the unknown.

Either way, Swaffar says, “When you start putting the plan to paper, it opens all these ‘ah-ha’ moments.”

ASA Survey Paints Harsh Reality of ESA Herbicide Strategy on Soy Farmers

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed pesticide registration plans to meet its Endangered Species Act obligations that could significantly affect farmers’ livelihoods. With U.S. soybean farmers concerned over the impacts of these proposals, which include the Vulnerable Species Pilot Program and a draft Herbicide Strategy, the American Soybean Association sought a clearer picture of the potential costs the Herbicide Strategy could have—both financially and otherwise—if left unchanged. In Dec., ASA conducted a survey of its farmer board members and a sample of soy growers from affiliate state soy organizations, analysis of which can be found in this Economist’s Angle by ASA Chief Economist Dr. Scott Gerlt and Director of Government Affairs Kyle Kunkler, and summarized below.

EPA’s proposed Herbicide Strategy is meant to bring herbicide registrations into compliance with the Endangered Species Act. While the agency’s proposal provides a framework for this goal, it does not estimate the ability of producers to comply with potential regulations. Similar to the VSPP, the picture painted by the ASA grower survey clearly indicates the Herbicide Strategy’s requirements for pesticide application most likely would vastly and negatively alter agricultural production.

National Cotton Council Names 2024 Directors Includes Joe Gribble of Altus

The National Cotton Council directors for 2024 were announced at the NCC’s recent 2024 annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. Elected to the NCC Board during segment caucuses were:

Producers – David Dunlow, Gaston, N.C.; Lewis Everett, Capron, Va.; Gerald Rovey, Buckeye, Ariz.; Nathan Reed, Marianna, Ark.; and Jon Whatley, Odem, Texas.

Ginners – Steve Sterling, Tuscumbia, Ala.; J. Bradley Williams, Burlison, Tenn.; Larry Black, Roscoe, Texas; Tom Pires, Riverdale, Calif.; and Richard Lindsey, Centre, Alabama.

Warehousers – Coalter Paxton, III, Wilson, N.C.; Ray Doroff, Memphis, Tenn.; Joe Tillman, Cordova, Tenn.; Eric Wanjura, Lubbock, Texas; and Robert Swize, Corpus Christi, Texas.

Merchants – John C. King, III, Richardson, Texas; Ernie Schroeder, Bakersfield, Calif.; Azeez Syed, Richardson, Texas; Tommy Hayden and Krista Rickman, both of Cordova, Tennessee.

Cottonseed – Aaron Pena, Harlingen, Texas; Fred Serven, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Joe Gribble, Altus, Okla.; John Chisum, Lubbock, Texas; and Brad Chapman, Tipton, Iowa.

Cooperatives – Jeff Thompson, Prattville, Ala.; Kevin Brinkley, Lubbock, Texas; Paul Bush, Glendale, Ariz.; Wayne Boseman, Garner, N.C.; and David Camp, Greenwood, Mississippi.

Manufacturers – Anderson Warlick and James Martin, both of Gastonia, N.C.; Dan Sistrunk, Spartanburg, S.C.; William Bowen, Jr., Inman, S.C.; and Marc Doyon, Salisbury, North Carolina.