The August 2024 runoff races for Republican incumbents did not turn out well.

House Appropriations and Budget Chairman Kevin Wallace was defeated by challenger Jim Shaw in a high-stakes race that saw over a million dollars spent on advertising. The seat, representing Lincoln, Logan, and Payne counties, was one of the most closely watched contests of the evening. Wallace, who has held the position since 2014, lost by approximately 1,500 votes. The voters in the district choose to give up the leadership role and instead send a fresh face to the state Capitol in Shaw.

In Senate District 3, which includes Tahlequah, incumbent Senator Blake “Cowboy” Stephens was unseated by newcomer Julie McIntosh. The district had the highest voter turnout of the night, with more than 9,000 ballots cast. McIntosh’s victory was fueled by a strong grassroots campaign and widespread dissatisfaction with Stephens’ legislative record.

Representative Dean Davis also appears to not be returning to the Capitol to represent House District 98. Unofficial results indicate Davis lost to Gabe Woolley in the Republican runoff. Woolley garnered 50.56% of the vote to Davis’ 49.44%. With a total of 2,480 votes cast, 28 votes separate Woolley from Davis. Democrat Cathy Smythe will challenge the winner in the General Election.

Meanwhile- If you are headed for a meeting in Oklahoma City- and will be staying overnight in a local hotel- it will cost a bit more. Oklahoma City voters approved raising the local hotel occupancy tax Tuesday in an attempt to generate more funding for tourism promotion.

Effective Oct. 1, the tax will go from its current rate of 5.50% to 9.25%. The hotel tax increase is in addition to the state’s 4.5% sales tax, the current 5.5% hotel charge, and the city’s 4.125% sales tax, resulting in a total room tax of 17.875%. The Oklahoma City increase makes the OKC tax rate for a room comparable to other cities in the region.

It will generate money to continue to improve the fairgrounds for livestock and equine shows and also further improve the OKC Convention Center in downtown.

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. 

Yesterday, August 27, 2024, the USDA approved the deregulation of the HB4® drought-tolerant trait from Bioceres Crop Solutions. U.S. Wheat and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) commended the decision.

“Wherever wheat is grown in the world, drought takes its toll on yields and quality, so an innovation like HB4 holds a lot of interest for growers like me,” said USW Past Chairman and Okarche, Okla., wheat grower Michael Peters. “With global demand for wheat hitting new records almost every year, there is concern about variable production. A drought-tolerant trait offers more stable, sustainable production. At the same time, it is important that customers who have specific purchase preferences understand the industry supports their ability to purchase the type of wheat they want. That remains our policy after more than 16 years.”

NAWG is also thankful for the USDA’s decision to provide a robust, science-based process that affords a pathway for the cultivation of the HB4 trait in the United States, which has the potential to benefit both farmers and consumers. Access to drought-tolerant wheat like HB4 could help with global supply challenges and further enhance the sustainability of wheat by using less water and other inputs.

“As a wheat grower who has experienced drought firsthand, it is exciting to see a regulatory pathway where drought-tolerant wheat might be available to producers in the future,” said Oklahoma wheat farmer and NAWG President Keeff Felty. “Over the past few years, wheat producers across the major wheat producing regions have had to grapple with intense drought, and continued innovations like HB4 can be a tool that helps growers protect and stabilize their yields.”

Cooler Temps May Arrive with a Cold Front Next week Says State Climatologist Gary McManus

Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with Oklahoma State Climatologist Gary McManus to talk about the weather, and McManus provided the news that all Oklahomans have been waiting for.

“I’d be a fool in Oklahoma to confirm any good news on the weather,” McManus said with a laugh. “It does look like we will be on the downward slide with temperatures.”

A slight cold front is expected to move into the state on Thursday or Friday, but the big news is the major cold front set to appear early next week dropping temperatures to the upper 70s and lower 80s, with lows possibly in the upper 50s.

“A lot of that depends on what sort of rainfall we might have with it,” he said. “That could keep temperatures down in some parts of the state. In general, it’s going to be cooler as we go forward.”

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays sat down with Dr. Jessica Lancaster, NCBA Senior Director of Product Quality Research, to talk about the increasing carcass weights and what it means for beef production.

Lancaster says carcass weights have experienced an annual 5-pound increase over the past thirty years. Carcass weights are now at levels that earlier experts would have never thought possible, and NCBA is working hard to ensure that the quality of the product being produced isn’t lost with the increased weights of the carcasses.

“All the cuts are getting bigger, so it’s figuring out how the products are changing,” Lancaster said. “For example, how does seam fat change if we have cuts that are too large for the center of the plate? How do we go about merchandising those, so that we can ensure that we are still meeting our consumer needs?”

She said that the yield grade is the best determinant of the overall product yield, but the challenge lies in the fact that today, it doesn’t align with the cattle population, so NCBA is working to provide a feedback mechanism to help them target product yield. The goal is to better understand how the current cattle herd and the herd of the future can be represented for the true yield and value that they are providing for the industry.

Over many years- Tom Royer was the highly respected captain of the IPM OKLAHOMA! ship. He joined OSU Extension in 1997, starting as the IPM program coordinator in 2006.

“Dr. Royer opened up the IPM program to researchers in other areas, and it broadened the impact of the IPM program and brought it up to the level it’s at now,” said Justin Talley, head of the OSU Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. “His impact on IPM programming and how he leveraged IPM funds allowed other scientists to garner over $10 million in IPM funding. That means $4.17 from every $1 invested in the IPM program came back to the program.”

Royer’s approach involved working with OSU Extension specialists in the OSU College of Education and Human Sciences to develop several programs related to IPM for homes and schools.

“Royer has had a big impact on the state, and not just in a single area,” Talley said. “He was never focused on one general commodity. Through his efforts in the IPM program, he broadened the scope and impacted cattle, wheat, sorghum and many other industries.”

Dr. Royer retired last year- and while he has left big shoes to fill- Ashleigh Faris, the new OSU IPM program coordinator, has wasted no time continuing Royer’s legacy in her first year on the job. She has attended field days and tours and conducted a survey to determine Oklahoma wheat producers’ biggest needs with IPM.

In case you missed it, Congressman Josh Brecheen announced the following in-person town halls on Friday, August 30th. Constituents are invited to attend and share their thoughts and ask questions on policy issues impacting Washington, D.C. and Oklahoma.

Congressman Brecheen has so far held 102 in-person town halls during his first term in office, visiting every county in Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District.

If you are a member of the media and would like to attend any of the in-person town halls, please RSVP to Ben Decatur at ben.decatur@mail.house.gov.

Schedule (all times Central):

Friday, August 30 

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Madill Town Hall

Madill City County Library Meeting Room

500 W. Overton St.

Madill, OK 73446

10:00 am – 11:00 am

Durant Town Hall

Donald W. Reynolds Library

1515 W. Main St.

Durant, OK 74701

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm 

Broken Bow Town Hall

Broken Bow Library Meeting Room

404 N. Broadway St.

Broken Bow, OK 74728

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Idabel Town Hall

Museum of the Red River

Mary H. Herron Community Conference Center

812 E. Lincoln Rd.

Idabel, OK 74745