While at the Oklahoma State University Agronomy Research Station, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays got to talk with the Dean of the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources at OSU, Dr. Jayson Lusk, about the Agronomy Research Station’s importance, not only to the OSU campus but to the agricultural industry.

“The varieties we produce here are grown on about seventy percent of all wheat acres in Oklahoma and about ten percent of wheat acres across the United States,” Dr. Lusk explained. “The research done here goes into adding bushels in the field, dollars in farmer’s pockets, and ultimately, food in consumer’s bellies all over the world.”

While the program is impactful, it relies on 1940s and 1950s-era infrastructure, so to maintain that impact, it must be updated. “We are looking towards the future and there is a lot of momentum in thinking about how we can move forward. Now that we have the New Frontiers Campaign building on campus, we are starting to look for what is next,” he said.

That "next" is to replace the aging greenhouses at the OSU Agronomy Farm- and the announcement last Friday of $6 million dollars being committed by the wheat industry is a great start to that becoming a reality- which will support the work of Dr. Brett Carver and his wheat breeding team. Click here for our earlier story featuring that gift and the plans for establishing an Agronomy Discovery Center on Highway 51 on the west side of Stillwater on the OSU campus.

Midwest Farm Shows is proud to produce the two best Farm Shows in the State of Oklahoma annually- the Tulsa Farm Show each December and the Oklahoma City Farm Show each April.

The Tulsa Farm Show is Oklahoma’s premier agricultural and ranching event- and returns to the SageNet Center (Expo Square) December, 12-13-14, 2024. 



Now is the ideal time to contact the Midwest Farm Show Office at 507-437-7969 and book space at the 2024 Tulsa Farm Show.  To learn more about the Tulsa Farm Show, click here.  

At the recent Livestock Marketing Convention, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays caught up with Joel Leftwich, the Chief Strategy Officer for Kansas Farm Bureau, to talk about staying ahead of activists against animal agriculture. This is the first in a two-part discussion so watch for the second part to be posted tomorrow.

According to Leftwich, it is time for producers to push back, and many of the policy challenges are being seen in state and county ballot initiatives. He said, “The voices out there who are opposed to animal agriculture are strong, well-funded, and finding new ways to challenge the system. We, as an industry, need to look for new ways to fight back against them. We need to make sure that we are partnering with the right voices at a local level to help fight in the jurisdictions where the other side is bringing the fight to us.”

Leftwich described aggressive new players on the other side with a lot of influence. “It’s everyone from national organizations to micro-local organizations that have the same funding source. They will have a donor in a state on the other side of the country that comes in to set up a county animal agriculture citizen’s concern group where 95 percent of the funding isn’t coming from a local concerned citizen’s group, but it is coming from a large outfit.”

He advised those in the fight to leverage the credibility that the agricultural industry already has, which is the trust that voters have in farmers and ranchers, knowing that their life’s work is to produce safe, affordable, and delicious food.

Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat Talks about the Mason Treat Act

Farm Director KC Sheperd spoke with Greg Treat, President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate about the Mason Treat Act which was recently signed into law by Governor Kevin Stitt.

The act is named after Treat’s son who was injured in a car accident on January 5th and spent five days in ICU and another 15 days still hospitalized. The accident was caused by a man driving across the country without adequate sleep, but it was Oklahoma’s tag laws that put Mason in harm’s way.

“We had purchased the vehicle from a private individual,” Treat explained. “In Oklahoma prior to this law being signed, you legally had up to sixty days without a tag on your car.”

The Treats had purchased the Dodge Charger for Mason, and he was driving it to basketball practice on the morning of the accident. He was pulled over by a Sherriff’s deputy for not having a tag on his car.

We are in Denver this morning- being invited to take a deeper look into the world of research that is conducted using beef checkoff dollars- as administered by researchers at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Topics like nutrition and what consumers need to know about beef as a healthy part of their diet(the takeaways above from a session with Dr. Shalene McNeill), Sustainability and the research being done to show why beef is the answer and not the problem in climate discussions, Product Yield and how we can measure it and more are on the agenda.

The conversations of this week while here will be turned into Beef Buzz segments on our radio network, on our website and of course- featured here in our daily email.

The research being worked on can not be done in a few weeks or months- but is often a two or three year process of doing the research- developing the data into conclusions, getting peer review and then turning that information into useful takeaways for producers to improve their bottom line and/or for a consumer to have confidence that beef should be a part of their diet and in the meals they serve their family.

As opposed to creep feeding a traditional grain-based diet, creep grazing has potential to be a more cost-effective solution. There are many ways to adapt this system to each individual situation, but the bottom line is that it must be profitable.

Most forages can be used for successful creep grazing as long as they are high in nutrient quality and readily available. Time of year will affect which forage is used for creep grazing. During the cool season months, annual grasses like rye, oats, wheat or ryegrass will be used. During the warm season months, most producers will use legumes, Bermuda grass, pearl millet, or sorghum-sudan grass. With the potential of high nitrate millet or sorghum-sudan grass due to heat stress and spotty rainfall during the Oklahoma summer of 2024, calves are a safer bet to utilize those standing forages than cows. If you have done a forage analysis on millet or sorghum-sudan, you have likely seen the following information regarding the safest way to utilize these forages based on nitrate levels.

This year’s American Farm Bureau Convention will celebrate the most important position in Farm Bureau – The County Farm Bureau Leader!

At Convention, we’re going to celebrate the challenges that you turned into opportunities for your county. You’re going to hear from experts and share ideas with other county leaders to take your leadership and your county to the next level. And, you’re going to learn how you can Step Up and Drive Forward our mission through your county’s grassroots efforts.

Please listen as American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall tells you more about this upcoming event in this video, and contact your state Farm Bureau to tell them you’re ALL IN for the American Farm Bureau Convention 2025 in San Antonio. We’ll see you there!