On Tuesday afternoon, I talked with Tyler Norvell, President of OYE about this year’s Oklahoma Youth Expo. As swine exhibitors have already begun moving into the barns in preparation for the upcoming livestock shows that will take place over the next two weeks, Norvell talked about the generous rewards and scholarships that will be given out, scheduling, and more.

“This year, we expect to award kids with over 3 million dollars between scholarships, premium sales, and the breeding sales that we do,” Norvell said. “Put that into comparison back when I started in 2012, that was about a million and a half, and back when I was a senior in high school in ’02, that was about $300,000.”

Thanks to the help of numerous sponsors, Norvell said OYE has the opportunity to generously award the exhibitors at the show for their hard work. That includes Title Sponsor (again) McDonalds and the 2024 Presenting Sponsor, Oklahoma’s Oil and Gas Industry, plus so many others in and out of agriculture.

One of the newest elements of OYE is the Ag Mechanics contest, which has grown each year- it has been moved to the opening weekend on Saturday, March 16th. Norvell says he has had tremendous interest from the business community about this show. “Talking to industry, that’s the one where people ask, can we come watch that? We wanna see that- they want to be a part of that because they know that those are the skill sets that needed in the workforce.” The Ag Mechanics Contest starts at 8 AM Saturday morning in the Pavilion.(straight across from Barn 3 and the Super Barn)

Our coverage over the next ten days of the Oklahoma Youth Expo is being powered by Hilliary Communications.



Dating back to 1891, Stillwater Milling Company has been supplying ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients. Their full line of A & M Feeds can be delivered direct to your farm, found at their Agri-Center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 125 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas. We appreciate Stillwater Milling Company’s long time support of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and we encourage you to click here to learn more about their products and services.

Associate Farm Editor Reagan Calk recently talked about how producers can be proactive with the Partnership and External Affairs Manager at the Nature Conservancy, Clay Pope. Pope also authors the Southern Plains Perspective, which covers a variety of information for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities interested in agriculture, climate change, and natural resource challenges.

“The information is pretty undeniable that we are seeing an increase in overall temperatures, and that is affecting a lot of other things,” Pope said.

“We are seeing changes in our rainfall patterns.”

While the state is receiving roughly the same amount of rainfall each year, Pope said these precipitation events are coming at different times and heavier rates, which leads to runoff, soil erosion, and more.

Based on comments from Oklahoma State Climatologist Gary McManus, El Nina (the dry season) is on its way back, temperatures have been increasing slowly over the years, and precipitation events have been more spread out. The biggest takeaway for producers, Pope said, is to be aware of the changing conditions going ahead and to prepare accordingly.

“We are looking at a situation where there is no normal anymore,” Pope said. “We have got to keep our eyes open and both hands on the wheel because I do think we need to understand there are some twists and turns ahead.”

NCBA’s Kent Bacus Encouraged by USDA “Product of USA” Rule Finalization

I am talking with National Cattlemen’s Association executive director of government affairs, Kent Bacus, about the USDA finalizing the rule to align the voluntary “Product of USA” label claim with consumer understanding of what the claim means. 

“Initially, we are glad to see USDA take some action,” Bacus said. “This is an issue that we have been wanting to see resolved for several years. This all goes back to a grassroots-led committee that went and looked at all of the issues we were fighting with these Product of USA labels.”

“There is going to be a lot of questions and this is going to be something we are going to have to look into,” Bacus said. “The compliance date for this is January 1st, 2026, so there is quite a long lead-up until this would actually go into effect. There is a lot to unpack here. At the end of the day, we are still going to be focused on finding those solutions that provide opportunities for producer premiums.”

Bacus said Product of USA labeling is a marketing issue, not a food safety or animal health issue. Bacus added this is a delicate situation because there is a lot at play, but it is an opportunity for U.S. cattle producers to differentiate their products in a way that is trade-compliant and yields premiums for products.

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 purchasing bulls for your herd.

Sneak Peak!

The bulls are all spring yearlings and will be approximately 15 months of age at turnout and accordingly should be expected to cover 15 cows this year. All the bulls have passed a Breeding Soundness Exam and sell with a registration paper and a Breeding Soundness Warranty. So the buying decision boils down to identifying the right bulls for this operation. The right bulls to buy are the ones most capable of adding value to the calf crop sired relative to their purchase price. In order to do so the bulls need to:

• Complement the females to which they will be mated
• Offer genetic values of economic relevance to the marketing endpoint of the calves they will sire.

This operation intends to use the bulls as terminal sires on spring calving cows, four to six years of age. After weaning, the calves will run on cool season grass until marketed as yearlings. In this operation the trait of primary economic importance is Yearling Weight (YW).

Most ranchers are skilled at spotting the types of plants they don’t want – the invasives or non-desirables – from a mile away. But Noble Research Institute advisors challenge land managers to instead start looking for the plants they do want, and then manage for more.

“Our plants tell us a lot about the management that has occurred on the landscape,” Noble regenerative ranching manager Josh Gaskamp says. For better or worse, “If we have a deeper understanding of the types of plant we have, we have a fuller picture of if our management is leading us in a good direction or not.”

Gaskamp and Noble regenerative ranching advisor Will Moseley say that being able to identify the species and functional groupings of the plants you have on your ranch is key.

“If we want to get closer to grazing 365 days a year – with the aim to be more self-sufficient, reduce costs, become more profitable – we have to be able to identify and manage for the kinds of plant species we really want out there,” Gaskamp says.

Biden Administration Partnering with Choctaw Nation to Bring High-Speed Internet to Le Flore County

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and Rural Development Oklahoma State Director Kenneth Corn announced today at the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas that USDA is making a $22 million grant investment to provide high-speed internet to Choctaw Nation in Le Flore County, Oklahoma.

During the summit Secretary Vilsack also announced a $34.7 million grant investment to the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota for high-speed internet and a $772 thousand grant investment to the Yomba Shoshone Tribe in Nevada for improvements to bring clean drinking water to the tribal community. A description of the $57,817,354 in grant awards announced at the summit can be found here.

The projects are being financed through the ReConnect Program and the Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks on Tribal Lands Program. This funding will advance President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to grow the nation’s economy, create jobs and spur economic growth across the nation, in even the most remote parts of the country.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is committed to Tribal economic development and removing barriers for Tribal nations,” Secretary Vilsack said. “When we invest in modern infrastructure for people who live in Tribal communities, we create a ripple effect that impacts everyone.”

An OYE Tradition- The Stomp!!!

The Stomp is a tradition at the Oklahoma Youth Expo in the Barn 6 Performance Arena show ring. After the ring is totally set up and ready for the breeding gilt shows that help kick off OYE annually- hundreds of 4-H and FFA kids gather and have a blast! It has been happening for 15 years(give or take) and it's a time to celebrate just ahead of the show-

I had heard years ago it was a way to help pack down the shavings in the ring- from the sift area up the hill to where the best two dozen or so best pigs in each class are then placed. A lot of the kids you see in the main show ring "up the hill" won't make it with their pig- but they are having a great time celebrating for a few minutes on the Tuesday before the start of the competition with their friends doing the Stomp.

Enjoy!