U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, released the following statement after unveiling the Senate Republican-drafted framework answering the call for a farmer-focused farm bill. 

“From the onset of this process, we have sought to draft a farm bill that reflects the needs of stakeholders. The world has changed dramatically since the 2018 bill became law, and the unprecedented challenges and economic uncertainty that farmers face now are only projected to get worse in the coming years. 

This is why producers have been calling on senators to put more farm in the farm bill.

Our framework released today meets that call by modernizing the farm safety net, facilitating the expansion of access to overseas markets, fostering breakthroughs in agricultural research and growing the rural communities our farmers, ranchers and foresters call home – all while making a historic investment in conservation and protecting nutrition programs that help Americans in need..."

National Livestock was founded in 1932 in Oklahoma City. National’s Marketing Division offers cattle for sale weekly at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City. The Finance Division lends money to ranchers across several states for cattle production. The Grazing Division works with producers to place cattle for grazing on wheat or grass pastures. 

One of the newest additions to the National Family is Dakota Moss- and Livestock Risk Services.

National also owns and operates other livestock marketing subsidiaries including Southern Oklahoma Livestock Auction in Ada, Oklahoma, OKC West Livestock Market in El Reno, Oklahoma, and the nation’s premier livestock video sale, Superior Livestock Auction. National offers customers many services custom made for today’s producer. To learn more, click here for the website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.

Below is a statement from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association:

NCBA welcomed the Farm Bill framework released by Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR). Included in the framework are top priorities for cattle producers, similar to the bipartisan House Farm Bill, such as funding to protect the U.S. cattle herd from foreign animal disease, continued support for voluntary conservation programs, and other critical food security provisions.

“Thank you to Ranking Member Boozman for building on the successful, bipartisan work of Chairman GT Thompson, to put forward a Farm Bill that cattle producers across the country can proudly support,” said NCBA President and Wyoming rancher Mark Eisele. “This Senate Farm Bill framework understands the full threat of a foreign animal disease outbreak on U.S. soil and acknowledges that cattle farmers and ranchers carry out vital work, through voluntary conservation programs, to preserve our Nation’s natural resources. NCBA welcomes this positive step forward and urges the Senate to follow the Ranking Member’s lead, as the policy ideas in this framework have already received bipartisan support in the House.”

To read more reactions, click individual group names below:

• National Sorghum Producers
• National Milk Producers Federation
• National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
• National Association of Wheat Growers
• National Pork Producers Council
• American Farm Bureau Federation
• Agricultural Retailers Association

Red Angus Association Works to Utilize More Gene-Editing Applications to Promote Herd Health

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am back talking with the CEO of the Red Angus Association, Tom Brink- this time focusing on gene editing.

According to Brink, the Red Angus Association has already moved forward with some applications for gene-edited animals within the breed registry. Like other breeds of cattle, Brink explained there is still work to be done regarding registration logistics.

“A lot of us are trying to figure out exactly what is the right way to handle this new technology, and to potentially bring some of those animals into our database,” Brink said. “We have decided at Red Angus that we are going to look at this new technology one gene edit at a time, and each one will be evaluated on an individual merit.”

Currently, Brink said the naturally occurring slick gene and black-to-red gene edits have been approved by the Red Angus Association. Brink said the black-to-red gene edit is especially useful in hotter climates as there is an 11-degree difference in black-hided cattle compared to red-hided cattle.

As there have been a few new changes to the Livestock Risk Protection Program (LRP), Farm Director KC Sheperd is talking with the Vice President of Operations at Farm Data Services and Oklahoma cattle producer Clay Burtrum about an update.

Burtrum explained that the new changes to LRP allow producers to ensure unborn cattle and expand the limits of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He emphasized the importance of LRP as a form of insurance to protect against unpredictable market fluctuations.

“One of the big changes is that billing is not due until after the end of the insurance period,” Burtrum said. “You can ensure unborn cattle. Many of us will be pregnancy-checking our cattle later this fall and you can ensure those calves on the cow. You can ensure cattle from 100 pounds to 599 pounds under Weight 1. Weight 2 is 599 pounds to 1,000 pounds. This is just so important when you look at the cost of cattle we are dealing with right now.”

Regarding expanded limits of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Burtrum said when looking at feeder cattle, the current limit was $8.25. The newly expanded limits for one-day trading are now $13.75 per cwt.

The Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma have joined forces to support the Oklahoma State University New Frontiers campaign to help build a new home for OSU Agriculture.

American AgCredit, Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma and Oklahoma AgCredit collectively contributed to the effort and chose to fund the media wall.

“The Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma believe that partnering with OSU Agriculture in their roles of teaching, research and Extension is a new way to support agriculture and rural America,” said Dan Childs, member of the board of directors for the Farm Credit Council and Oklahoma AgCredit. “This partnership will allow the Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma to advocate for agriculture and rural communities in a way that has not been possible in the past.”

The media wall will be located close to the seating area of Larry and Kay’s Dairy Bar in the cutting-edge facility for the Ferguson College of Agriculture, OSU Ag Research and OSU Extension.

Noble Research Institute Hosts Noble Grazing Essentials in Miami, Oklahoma, this June

Noble Research Institute, the nation’s largest nonprofit agricultural research organization, will host its next Noble Grazing Essentials course at the Miami Nation in Miami, Oklahoma, on June 18-20, 2024.

The Miami course, facilitated by Noble’s regenerative ranching advisors and ag experts, Devlon Ford and Travis Jones, will lead attendees through techniques to revitalize their grazing lands’ natural resources for improved soil health, increased drought resistance and increased biodiversity. Developed with both classroom learning and hands-on application, attendees can take the knowledge they gain from the classroom and engage in practical activities in the field.

“I enjoyed going out in the field work and being able to ask questions on the spot,” said James Pratt, a previous Noble Grazing Essentials attendee. “Being able to actually reach into the ground, pull things up, look at things, and be able to make those comparisons to your own property and have an idea as a watermark on what you need to do for the connections.”

Today Through Saturday- Livestock Market Association Gathers in Oklahoma City

The LMA Convention & WLAC is happening in Oklahoma June 12-15, 2024. The convention will be held in Oklahoma City at the Omni Oklahoma City Hotel, and the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship will be held at the Oklahoma National Stockyards. As the trade group that represents the livestock market companies in the US- LMA advocates for the livestock marketing industry and provides a voice on state and federal legislative and regulatory issues. 

Chelsea Good is Vice President of LMA- and ahead of the start of meetings the next couple of days- she sat down with me to talk about some of the issues important to the group and their membership.

Check out our visit by clicking on the blue button- and click here for more details from their website about the convention and 60th WLAC that happens this Saturday at the Oklahoma National Stockyards. By the way- the truck pictured above