I am talking with Oklahoma Farm Bureau Vice President of Public Policy Steve Thompson about the latest from the 2024 state legislative session. 

“It was a very busy week at the State Capitol for Farm Bureau and really all of the ag groups,” Thompson said.

Thompson underscored the significance of House Bill 4118 for OKFB, which aims to establish liability protections and introduce practical amendments to the law for poultry growers. HB 4118 passed the Senate Ag Committee last Monday by an 8 to 1 vote.

“We have seen a number of egregious lawsuits against growers and companies that were doing what the Department of Ag asked them to do but still got drug into court and had a lot of trouble,” Thompson said. “We saw some questionable things happen from a judicial standpoint, so we are seeking to establish a principle that should have been common sense in the way the law was applied all along.”

Thompson said Poultry growers who are following nutrient management plans and are in compliance with the Department of Agriculture, and inspections should not be sued for anything that happens outside of their control.

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Wildfires that scorched the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles in late February ravaged livestock forage, destroyed homes, barns and other structures, and killed hundreds of animals.

Oklahoma State University Extension specialists and members of the Disaster Assistance Response Team have gathered data over the past month to grasp the impact of 16 fires that burned within three days.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire claimed an estimated 1,059,570 acres in Texas and Oklahoma and was the largest recorded fire in Texas history. It burned an estimated 31,596 acres Roger Mills and Ellis counties. On the same day, the Catesby Fire scorched 90,699 acres in Ellis County, and the Slapout Fire burned an estimated 26,048 acres in Beaver County. Total damages from all western county fires are estimated at $32.9 million.

“These damages are mainly focused on land that is currently in agricultural use, and Ellis County had the highest number of burned acres,” said Amy Hagerman, OSU Extension specialist in agriculture and food policy.

One of the largest cost categories is the cost of fencing, and Hagerman said about $6.7 million in fencing repair and replacement costs is expected for Ellis County.

February Pork Exports Remain Robust; Strong Month for Beef Export Value

Fueled by growth in the Western Hemisphere, South Korea and Australia, U.S. pork exports posted another excellent performance in February, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Beef export volume was slightly lower year-over-year, but export value climbed by 10%. 

February pork exports increased 14% from a year ago to 250,930 metric tons (mt), while value jumped 15% to $685.1 million. Through the first two months of 2024, exports increased 10% in both volume (502,354 mt) and value ($1.37 billion). 

“Coming off a record value year, it’s great to see broad-based momentum for pork exports continue globally into 2024,” said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. “While Mexico is certainly at the forefront, we are seeing excellent growth in markets like Colombia, Chile, El Salvador and the Caribbean, and demand has rebounded impressively in Korea and Australia.” 

Beef exports reached 103,883 mt in February, down 1% from a year ago, but export value increased 10% to $830.4 million. January-February exports were also down 1% to 203,647 mt, with export value climbing 9% to $1.59 billion. 

The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), in partnership with the Oklahoma Ford Dealers is preparing for the 40th Annual OCA Ranch Rodeo on August 16 and 17 at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla. Today, OCA is announcing the teams that will be competing in the event. The OCA Ranch Rodeo consists of twelve ranch teams of ‘real ranch’ cowboys that compete in five different events mirroring many of the activities of daily ranch life. 

The 2024 participating ranches include: A Bar Ranch, Claremore; Barron-Highsmith Cattle Co. & Short Ranches, Oologah; Drummond Land & Cattle Co., Pawhuska; Stuart Ranch, Waurika; Daube Cattle Co. & 3C Cattle Co., Ardmore; McPhail Land & Cattle Co., Medicine Park; Buford Ranches, Hominy; Gray G Bar Ranch, Shidler; Quarter Circle 99 Ranch & Double R Operations, Loco; Lazy Rafter Slash Ranch, Lenapah; Trentman Ranch & Steirwalt Ranch, Pawhuska and Shidler; Whitmire Ranch & Sumner Ranch, Delaware(the 2023 overall Champs).

The competition is fierce, but the cowboys do not take home much more than bumps and bragging rights. They participate with one goal: to support the Children’s Health Foundation (CHF). 

Grower and industry groups from across the country have joined together to support a new coalition, the Modern Ag Alliance, to protect American farmers’ access to critical crop protection tools farmers need to ensure a robust and affordable food supply. Working alongside federal and state policymakers, more than 60 diverse agriculture organizations, led by Bayer, have aligned to voice their support for legislative solutions that ensure consistency in labeling and the continued domestic availability of innovations for farming.

The Modern Ag Alliance is working with agricultural partners and policymakers across the country to reinforce the importance of science-based regulation. Specifically, the need to ensure any pesticide registered with the EPA – and sold under a label consistent with the EPA’s own determinations – is sufficient to satisfy requirements for health and safety warnings.​

“We need to protect the critical role safe, approved crop protection tools play in sustainably feeding a growing world. Farmers need legislative certainty that enables them to have confidence in the access of these important crop protection tools. While states have the option to build on the federal government’s baseline regulations, we’re looking to ensure that any provisions do not directly conflict with the scientific findings of the EPA,” said Renee Fordyce, President of the Missouri Soybean Association.

American Farmland Trust today calls for agricultural influencers working in corn, soy, wheat, cotton, and dairy systems to apply for the opportunity to attend AFT’s Advanced Soil Health Training, a one-year training course, made up of four two-day in-person in-region training sessions in the Midwest, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, New York, and New England.

Influencers are soil-health successful farmers and other agricultural professionals who are ready to become Soil Health Advisors to farmers looking to implement climate-smart practices on their farms. The goal of the training is to scale up adoption of climate-smart practices by establishing trained leaders in farming communities who can provide trusted technical guidance and facilitate peer-to-peer learning and networking whereby information gets shared broadly over time and support mechanisms facilitate successful adoption.



Such influencers will be selected with a specific focus on identifying and engaging underserved producers and will include soil health successful farmers, retailers, consultants, trainers and community leaders, non-profit staff and other agricultural services providers.

Congrats to Dr. Brad Morgan- Honored by OSU Animal Science this Past Weekend

Dr. Brad and Missy Morgan were honored on Saturday as the 2024 OSU Animal Science Alumni Association Chairback Honorees during the Animal Science celebration in Stillwater.

Watch the video Brad and Missy and others that showcased his journey in the world of meat science.

Is your Farm or Ranch Secure for This Afternoon's Eclipse?

While the path of total darkness from the eclipse only cuts through a small part of Little Dixie- a large part of Oklahoma will be almost blacked out for a short time between 1:40 and 1:55 PM this afternoon.

Idabel, Broken Bow and even Hugo are in the path of totally- with Idabel set to experience just over four minutes of blackout from 1:45 to 1:49 pm.

With central Oklahoma set to have 93% darkness in that time- will lots of "outsiders" cause trouble on your farm or ranch?

Well- while there's not a lot of time to finalize your security plan- we have posted a list from Ag Daily of things you should be doing to lock down your operation ahead of eclipse craziness.

Stay safe- make sure you have proper eye protection and enjoy the show.