The Tulsa State Fair night of champions did not disappoint as sponsors and exhibitors alike gathered to see who would selected as the best animals at the 2024 show. This event showcased over 150 of the top-placing market animals from the Fair.

Your Grand Champions in the five market animal divisions include:

Grand Champion Steer- Hadlie Bell, Bristow FFA

Reserve Grand Steer- Kelton Arthur, Ripley FFA

Grand Champion Barrow- Claire Voss, Chisholm 4-H

Reserve Grand Barrow- Neely Pritchard, Weatherford FFA

Grand Market Lamb- Saye Allen, Canute FFA

Reserve Grand Market Lamb- Javen Sparks, Hartshorne FFA

Grand Champion Goat- Sayde Allen, Canute FFA

Reserve Grand Champion Goat- Baylor Pearson, El Reno FFA

Grand Champion Broiler Pen- Alton Fuse, Tipton 4-H

Reserve Grand Broiler Pen- Cassie Rae, Hinton FFA

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. 

The Oklahoma Best Beef Competition, to be held in the Oklahoma City Stockyards on October 19, is about to hold its third annual event where local Oklahoma ranchers will grill steaks to compete for the title of having the Best Beef in Oklahoma or the coveted People’s Choice award. Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with Kelli Payne to hear all about it.

The premise of the event was the awakening after the isolation brought on by the COVID pandemic caused people to be more curious about where their food comes from. “We seized on that opportunity,” said Payne. “What better way to celebrate Oklahoma’s ranchers and invite the public to come and sample their product and meet the producers face to face?”

The event will be held next to Langston’s in Oklahoma Stockyards City in conjunction with the Stockyards Stampede, an event that has been running for almost 30 years. The Slash O’ Ranch Longhorns will be paraded down the street at around 10 a.m., and then be held just behind the location of the Best Beef Competition. The grills will be fired up at about 11 a.m., and an independent panel of certified judges will choose first through third places, but all in attendance can place their votes for the recipient of the People’s Choice Award. Stick around until 4 pm to find out who won during the Awards Presentation.

NCBA Seeks Market Access for Quality Beef Through British Embassy Cook-Off

Recently, a friendly Beef Cook-Off was held at the British Embassy between the U.S. and the U.K. in an attempt to convince the British to offer access to U.S. Beef in the British market. Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, caught up with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association executive director of government affairs, Kent Bacus, who was involved with the competition.

“Right now, we don’t have a lot of exposure, there,” Bacus said. “We’re limited to only a few menus at London steakhouses. We see the U.K. as not only a good place to sell high-quality beef but to backfill some unmet demand within their market.”

According to Bacus, the U.K. is a culture that likes beef, which holds a traditional place at their tables. Currently, they use their domestic product and some Irish imports.

“I think we could grow beef demand and target some under-represented areas,” said Bacus. “However, building trust with those consumers will take time because we have had very little access.”

Marketing to a hesitant consumer base isn’t unusual for the NCBA team, as they have already won over Japan and Korea in similar situations.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is announcing Friday, November 1, 2024, as the first batching date for applications submitted for Fiscal Year 2025 funding through either the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) or Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

“NRCS-Oklahoma is wasting no time in FY25 connecting landowners with our most popular conservation programs,” said State Conservationist Jeanne Jasper. “CSP, RCPP, ACEP and EQIP are cornerstone programs for NRCS, and it’s important that we provide landowners with financial and technical assistance.”

NRCS uses batching dates for CSP, RCPP, ACEP and EQIP as a tool to review, approve and fund applications. NRCS accepts applications on a continuous basis, and applications received after a batching date will automatically be considered during future funding cycles. This and future batching dates will include conventional funding and/or funding through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to include variances of the programs referenced above. An example being applications for EQIP, EQIP IRA, or EQIP Conservation Incentive Contracts (CIC).

Livestock owners can save money and time with an awareness of the economics behind harvesting, buying and selling hay.

Eric DeVuyst, Oklahoma State University Extension agricultural economist, said producers should compare the costs of baling hay or paying someone else to harvest it.

Summer Hay production breakdown

Opportunity cost

DeVuyst recommends factoring in the custom rates of the area: baling a 5-foot-by-6-foot hay round at 1,400 pounds would cost around $28 for custom cutting, raking and baling. Producers should also consider a land charge. Even if the land is owned, not rented, DeVuyst said landowners are actually paying rent to themselves internally for about $20 to $30 per bale.

Noble Research Institute, a trusted resource for farmers and ranchers since 1945, and Certified Angus Beef, a brand known for its commitment to quality beef, have partnered to develop and deliver Land Stewardship, an educational course designed for livestock producers worldwide. 

Land Stewardship, set to launch in November 2024, is an extension of Noble’s educational curriculum and offers an introduction to the six soil health principles and how they work with the ecosystem processes. Available fully online, and free, the program provides participants with accessibility and the ability to complete it at their own pace. Producers of all sizes and locations will gain insights into improving their land management for healthy soil, better grazing animal performance and a more resilient and profitable operation. 

Noble provides U.S. farmers and ranchers with a research-backed suite of educational programming covering all aspects of farm and ranch management. The organization’s curriculum offers the tools needed to restore their land, improve their grazing, increase profits and gain long-term success for their operations. 

Oklahoma’s Electric Co-ops Send Mutual Aid Crews to Assist Georgia Following Hurricane Helene

Five electric cooperatives in Oklahoma collectively sent more than 30 lineworkers to assist sister cooperatives in Georgia following unprecedented damage and historic flooding in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Helene made landfall late on September 26 at Category 4 intensity packing 140-mph winds, plowing into Florida with catastrophic storm surge and damaging winds and dumping profuse rainfall over the Southeast. Helene was the strongest hurricane on record to landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region.

Electric cooperative officials say this will be a multi-week restoration effort and devastation in some areas is unprecedented due to extreme flooding and impassable roads. Nationwide, cooperative crews account for more than 6,400 personnel including lineworkers, support staff, right-of-way contractors, warehouse staff, safety employees and command center staff from more than a dozen states, according to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with our sister cooperatives in all states on the path of the destructive Hurricane Helene,” Chris Meyers, general manager of the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, said. “We commend our lineworkers for selflessly leaving their homes to help our neighbors in Georgia. We pray for their safe journey and safe restoration efforts.”

Crews from Oklahoma’s electric cooperatives, standing on the principle of Cooperation Among Cooperatives, are prepared to rotate as needed to ensure power is restored in hurricane-stricken areas.