Oklahoma legislators are in the midst of more than a hundred interim studies, and Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays caught up with Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association’s Executive Vice President, Michael Kelsey to talk about the ones that may impact cattle producers.

Kelsey listed several interim studies that OCA is watching including some concerning water, taxes – namely one related to ad valorem tax, cattle theft, and an interesting one that was just completed regarding type two diabetes in Oklahoma and how beef can be beneficial to those suffering from it.

“Representative Clay Staires, of Skiatook, wanted to look at how much type 2 diabetes is costing the state of Oklahoma, and potential solutions that we are already good at,” Kelsey explained. “We are good at the beef industry here in Oklahoma, so if people could incorporate beef into their diets appropriately, could that be positive towards type 2 diabetes?”

He detailed how water would be a big issue in the upcoming Winter Policy Meeting, with plans to tweak the current policy to reflect a landowner’s perspective better. Alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar, specific to tax policy will also be topics of discussion.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau works to improve the lives of all Oklahomans by supporting our state’s agriculture community. As Oklahoma’s largest general farm organization led by Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, OKFB takes grassroots values and advocates for agriculture at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C., to ensure our way of life continues for generations to come. Farm Bureau hosts leadership events, supports our state’s agricultural youth and connects consumers with agriculture in order to build a brighter future for our state. Become an OKFB member today online at okfarmbureau.org/join. Together, we are rural Oklahoma.

Farm Director KC Sheperd is talking with American Farmers and Rancher’s Zane Blubaugh and Callie Price about what they experienced at the invitation-only Farmers & Ranchers in Action Event, held in Washington D.C. The invited ag groups had the option to take a tour of the White House in the morning before hearing from top administration officials, and then going to the USDA’s headquarters for more talks.

The event allowed producers to advocate for important issues in agriculture and rural development. At least 15 members of the National Farmers Union joined the event.

The AFR Young Farmers group in attendance expressed concerns about the lack of progress on the farm bill and the need for reform in the USDA’s processes.

Despite the pessimistic mood surrounding the issues related to the pending Farm Bill, they found some officials to be more optimistic than expected. Blubaugh described, “The National Farmers Union people were able to have a more private, sit-down discussion with Undersecretary Xochitl Torres Small, and that was much more productive because we were a group of people who were all on the same page, and there were only fourteen or fifteen of us in that room, versus ninety or so in the big room. Among other things, we talked about the issues that young people are facing.”

Coy Davidson of Elgin FFA to Speak About Agri Cybersecurity in Next Week's National FFA Prepared Public Speech Contest

Earlier this month- Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays talked to Coy Davidson, who will represent Oklahoma in the speech competition at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, October 23 – 26.

Hailing from Elgin, Oklahoma, Davidson has been preparing for the National FFA Convention since May after winning the state contest. He said, “I will be talking about cybersecurity and espionage in agriculture. I will speak on the threats that agriculture faces due to these attacks and how more people need to know about this. This is a large issue that is at stake right now.”

He said that national security could be impacted if the agricultural sector doesn’t stay vigilant against these threats against genetics (both plant and animal), agricultural equipment, and any other data that gives U.S. producers the proprietary edge in world markets.

During his research on the subject, Davidson realized that there are multiple entities already at work to protect U.S. Agriculture from cyber-attacks. “This is already a huge issue and a lot of people are already starting to work for it. This has helped me get in contact with a lot of these people who are at the top of advancing cyber-security in Oklahoma and in some very large companies. It has been really neat to interview some of these people and learn what our state and nation are doing to protect the agricultural industry,” he stated.

Oklahomans are definitely ready for fall, as October has brought us almost 100-degree days for the past few months. According to State Climatologist Gary McManus says, “We’re officially at the 4-way stop of seasons in Oklahoma when we can get Summer, fall, spring, and summer fighting it out to see who takes control. We had the summer this weekend with darned near 100 in SW OK, the 2nd-highest temperature ever recorded for Oct. 12, and more sun than you could handle. Now, some would say we get our first freezes (and frosts) in the fall, so it should be fall.” Cooler temps will undoubtedly be welcome, and we will see those throughout this week with Wintery morning highs in the 60s across the state. A beautiful Start to your Monday morning with highs in the 70s, light winds, and mostly sunny Skies. This morning, we saw lows in the 40s and some 30s across the state. Tomorrow, another cold front will move in, ramping up some north winds.

The Coldest air of the season will arrive on Wednesday morning, with a light frost and maybe even a light freeze possible. The Portions of the State in the possible Frost outlook for Wednesday Morning are the Alva-Enid-Stillwater-Tulsa area, while the “Freeze” portion would be Ponca City-Bartlesville. The rest of the state looks clear for now.

McManus says the big need right now is Rain. With Wheat planting being behind throughout the state, he says the high plains may see some moisture, ‘Right now, it’s starting to look like a High Plains event mostly.” We will see a slight chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday.

What happened: NPPC and a coalition of livestock and farm groups filed a Motion for Summary Judgment asking a federal judge to reject activist challenges to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations exempting livestock farms from filing reports on routine air emissions associated with manure storage and handling. This comes a week after NPPC successfully defended the pork industry against activist attempts in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to force permitting requirements on livestock farms under the Clean Water Act.

In a nearly 16-year battle over air emissions reporting, the latest development stems from a challenge to EPA rules established after Congress passed the Fair Agricultural Reporting Method (FARM) Act in 2018. The law, which had strong bipartisan support, exempted concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) from reporting routine manure emissions to the Coast Guard’s National Response Center under the Superfund Act (CERCLA).

Congress acted after a 2017 federal court ruling that required farmers to calculate, document, and report their farm emissions. The EPA then issued a rule under the FARM Act, exempting these emissions from mandatory reporting to local emergency response authorities, as the requirement under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) only applies if reports are required under CERCLA.

Activist groups challenged this EPA rule during the Trump Administration. After President Biden’s election, the litigation paused while the EPA reconsidered its stance. Activists resumed their legal challenge when the Biden Administration ultimately supported livestock farmers and upheld the previous EPA rule.

Southern land-grant scientists are utilizing artificial intelligence to help farmers save on labor costs and time through research on precision spraying, disease detection, food quality control, animal health and wheat production.

Oklahoma State University

ExtensionBot, a chatbot app developed by Oklahoma State University Agriculture and the Extension Foundation, launched in September to provide the public with Extension information in community health, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth development, and agricultural and natural resources. Its narrative interface combined with AI technology improves accessibility and use of Extension content that currently exists online.  

Another OSU app in the beginning stages of development is BudgetBot, an AI-powered advisor that simplifies decision-making for underserved, small- and medium-sized agricultural producers by providing easy access to research-based information. Using advanced AI software, BudgetBot connects to structured and unstructured data sources, delivering clear, actionable insights in text and visual formats. Designed to overcome complex, hard-to-use farm budgeting solutions, the app offers real-time data on commodity prices, production inputs, and performance metrics. 

Finally, researchers in the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences are in the testing phase of a variety selection tool for wheat producers. Although such tools already exist, OSU researchers are throwing AI into the mix to increase the tool’s efficiency. Wheat producers can ask questions about specific production systems and manipulate wheat harvest data to illustrate production systems.

OSU Agriculture celebrates distinguished alumni and champions for 2024

Oklahoma State University honored an exceptional group of individuals who have brought distinction to the Ferguson College of Agriculture and demonstrated a continuous commitment to agricultural sciences and natural resources.

OSU Agriculture, comprised of the Ferguson College of Agriculture and two state agencies – OSU Extension and OSU Ag Research – held an Honors ceremony on Oct. 11 to recognize the recipients of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni and Champion for OSU Agriculture awards. 

“The awards celebrated during OSU Ag Honors are the most prestigious honors the division can bestow on an individual,” said Jayson Lusk, vice president and dean of OSU Agriculture. “From supporting the New Frontiers campaign, creating scholarships benefiting students, excelling in their career field, and serving as champions and advocates for the agricultural industry, this year’s recipients are an incredible group we are proud to recognize.”

Jami Longacre of Kellyville, Oklahoma, Ed Moydell of Cleveland, Ohio, Rob and Mary Shuey of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, and Carl Thoma of Dallas, Texas, were honored as the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients.