The National FFA Organization has named the finalists in 45 Agricultural Proficiency categories- and Oklahoma FFA has taken the second most finalist slots of any state in the US- behind only Ohio who has claimed 20 finalists.

Other states with the most finalists include California with 18, Georgia with 17 and Texas with 15.

The National Champions in each category will be announced during the 2024 National FFA Convention in Indianapolis October 23-26, 2024.

Oklahoma has the distinction of having the two chapters in the US with the most finalists- Hydro- Eakly with 8 finalists and Stillwater FFA with 4.

We have the complete list of the Oklahoma FFA members that are finalists in the Ag Profiencies for 2024- the list is available on our website.

Oklahoma AgCredit supports rural Oklahoma with reliable and consistent credit, today and tomorrow. We offer loans for land, livestock, equipment, operating costs and country homes (NMLSR #809962) to farmers, ranchers and rural businesses across 60 counties. As a cooperative, we are owned by the members we serve. Through our Patronage Program, we have returned more than $74 million to our members since 1997.

For more information on our services or to find a location near you, visit our website here.

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays caught up with Gene Lowrey, General Manager of XIT Feeders and Chairman of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, to talk about the Secure Beef Supply (SBS) Exercise held at the feedyard this past week.

XIT Feeders hosted a Secure Beef Plan Exercise on Thursday with approximately 100 stakeholders involved in walking through what might happen if a foreign animal disease like Foot and Mouth Disease was discovered somewhere in the United States. The exercise was designed to help the cattle industry know what a lockdown for such an outbreak might look like in real-time. 

If there were a disease outbreak in the US, the SBS plan gives them written protocols to continue operations while preventing further spread of the disease.

“We’ll have a diagram of flow for employees, cattle, grain, and other feedstuff coming in and out,” Lowrey said. “Cattle have to move. That’s a huge part of our business and if we can keep things moving, we are going to be in a lot better shape.”

The exercise kicked off with remarks from Lowrey as well as from TCFA President and CEO Ben Weinheimer. 

“Discussions related to foreign animal disease outbreaks here in the U.S. trace back to the early 2000s when the UK had a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak,” said Weinheimer. “In 2001 the discussions started from scratch on the preparedness of the U.S. to respond to FMD, a disease that was stamped out in the U.S. in 1929 and one that we hope to not ever revisit.

"Nonetheless, as we observed what the UK experienced, we realized we needed to invest considerable time, resources and energy in planning and preparing for something like the reintroduction of FMD.”

Daube/ 3C Ranch of Ardmore Claim Team Championship at 2024 OCA Ranch Rodeo

The 40th Annual Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association (OCA) Ranch Rodeo wrapped up this past weekend, with the winner being decided on the last run of the final event. After two nights of competition, the Duabe/3C team emerged as the champion, while the Whitmire/Sumner team claimed the runner-up spot in a fierce and competitive field.

The event at the Lazy E Arena featured eleven Oklahoma ranch teams competing in five events to raise funds for the Children’s Health Foundation (CHF).

The five events were action-packed and featured outstanding competitor skills and horsemanship. Individual event winners included:

-         Saddle Bronc - Duabe/3C

-         Stray Gathering - Lazy Rafter Slash

-         Team Penning - Barron/Highsmith/Short

-         Team Branding - Gray G Bar

-         Wild Cow Milking - Whitmire/Sumner

Individual awards were also a highlight of the event. Tristan Gratham from the Duabe/3C team was honored with the Top Hand and Top Horse awards, a testament to his exceptional skill and the performance of his equine partner. Brad Eason was recognized as the Tough Hand, a tribute to his endurance and resilience throughout the competition.

On Saturday evening, our own KC Sheperd talked with the long time Rodeo Announcer for the Ranch Rodeo, Lynn Phillips. Listen to their conversation by clicking on the Blue Button below.

Two years ago, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in climate action and clean energy in world history. Key to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, this transformative law is lowering energy costs, creating new income streams, and tackling the climate crisis. The Inflation Reduction Act has given the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) historic resources to better serve communities nationwide.

“Through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden-Harris Administration ushered in a new era of innovation, prosperity for rural communities, and climate preparedness,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The historic resources it provided have helped USDA meaningfully improve the lives of every American by lowering energy costs, reducing wildfire risk, and bringing more farmers into our high-demand conservation programs, and more.”

Combined with President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, American Rescue Plan, and other investments already underway, the Inflation Reduction Act makes a once-in-a-generation investment that supports rural communities and their infrastructure needs, while adapting to the climate crisis and creating better health outcomes for rural communities. Across USDA programs, the Inflation Reduction Act increases access to lower-cost clean energy, and climate-smart agriculture and conservation while creating good paying jobs. The legislation also protects communities from the increasing risks of wildfires and extreme heat.

These investments are contributing to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 initiative which aims to ensure 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

NPB initiated the Production Benchmarking Analysis to give you, the pork producer, access to vital data that can help evaluate productivity across all phases of your operation. By comparing your farm’s performance with the insights provided in this report, you can identify key productivity indicators and implement strategies to boost your profitability. 

This analysis is designed with your success in mind. It highlights areas where improvements can be made and guides the direction of Checkoff-funded programs and research to ensure they address the most impactful aspects of farm productivity. This is your opportunity to leverage industry-wide data to drive your farm’s performance forward and contribute to broader industry advancements. 

Read the report.

Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with Bayer WestBred Southern Region Commercial Manager Lance Embree to talk about how the various wheat varieties have performed this season.

Despite the unusual weather conditions this year, and the outbreak of stripe rust seen in North Texas and Southern Oklahoma, Embree says that he was pleasantly surprised by the performance of nearly every variety of wheat he sold. “Usually, I feel like I can predict yield fairly well, but this year, I was completely shocked by how some of these yields were coming in,” he admitted.

Westbred 4401 and 4699 were the stars of the show in the central and eastern parts of the plains. They handled the disease pressure and still produced exceptional yields. In the western part of the plains, a top pick for Texas A&M, WB4792 continued to shine just as it has since it was released in 2019.

Moving into the next planting season, Embree said that producers need to consider their end goals to decide which varieties to plant and when they will be planting.

The Big Event- a Seven Million Dollar Sale for Express Ranches

Insurance agent James Bessler travels to and documents many of the biggest and best purebred cattle auctions around the US- and he usually stops a couple of times a year in Yukon, Oklahoma for the two major Express Ranches sales.

He was there this past weekend for The Big Event- a two day Production sale that produced world class results. Here's his comments from his Facebook post:

"The huge crowd gathered early on Saturday morning for day two of The Big Event at Express Ranches. The morning breeze kept it cool for those evaluating the offering presale. Things heated up as the sale started with feature lots including donors and other elite heifers out of the best genetic lines at Express. Demand for the offering was exceptional as 297 lots grossed $5,816,500 to average $24,751, which brought the two day total on 477 lots to $7,336,250 for an overall average of $15,380.

"The high selling female was a January daughter of FIREBALL, with breed leading carcass genomics; the winning bidder on Lot # 16A, EXAR RITA 4021 doubled the bid to acquire full interest in the heifer for $250,000. The Lot # 4 donor, RSA FOREVER LADY 9204, was the dam of the popular sire TRUE BALANCE, whose first daughters have been in strong demand at the early fall sales; this daughter of MONUMENTAL sold for $225,000.

"Congratulations to the Bob Funk family and their Express team including Donnie Robertson, Kevin Hafner and Mark Squires on another exceptional Big Event."