The final curtain has dropped on the 97th National FFA Convention and Expo with 71,096 FFA students and guests in attendance, according to the number reported by 2023-2024 National Secretary Grant Norfleet of Missouri on Saturday afternoon at the 7th General Session of the organization. That included around 2,000 from Oklahoma- and FFA members from our state are bringing home lots of honors for their accomplishments.

The picture above is Coy Davidson of Elgin FFA who became the 11th Oklahoma FFA member to win the National Prepared Public Speech Contest. Our other two national speakers representing Oklahoma also made the final four in their respective categories- the first time in recent memory that has happened- with Cooper Kline of North Rock Creek placing third nationally in the Extemporaneous contest and Cierra Collins of Frederick placed fourth nationally in the Creed Contest.

Oklahoma FFA also had five National Proficiency Award titles and two National Agriscience Championships for 2024!

We have a really comprehensive review of all of these awards and more from this past week in Indy- click here or the blue button below to read more and listen to our interviews from this past week.

Our thanks to Oklahoma Farm Bureau for powering our coverage of the 2024 National FFA Convention- it's an amazing event- and life changing to so many of the young people who are able to attend- if you supported your local chapter and helped members from your hometown go- you have invested well- they will take those memories and the inspiration of the week with them for years to come.

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New dietary guidelines are released every five years, and the preview report from the Advisory Committee on the next set of guidelines included a surprising proposed recommendation for people to reduce red meat consumption in favor of beans, peas, and lentils.

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays is visiting with the Executive Director of Nutrition Research at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Dr. Shalene McNeill, about the committee that came up with the new dietary recommendations. This is the second of a two-part conversation. The first can be found here.

“I don’t think that science is driving this process,” McNeill said. “The committee has looked at the evidence, but when it comes to red meat, they aren’t looking at a complete body of the evidence.”

Scientific evidence has proven that beef is part of a healthy diet, and millions of Americans are already eating it regularly. McNeill worried that members of the committee are somewhat out of touch as a scientific community, which she admitted is easy to do.

Brent Haken’s Vision for CareerTech: Transforming Student Opportunities in Oklahoma

While attending the 97th Annual National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays caught up with Oklahoma State Director for CareerTech Brent Haken who was presented with an Honorary American FFA Degree at the convention.

Before taking the State Director Role in 2022, Haken served as superintendent of Morrison Public Schools from 2019. Before that, he served the same district as high school principal from 2016, and elementary assistant principal and special education director from 2015, but before moving to Morrison, he taught agricultural education in Wellston and Stillwater.

Haken decided to pursue the role of State Director for CareerTech because he wanted to make a difference for the organization and the students who need it. He said, “I want to find a way to pour back and show our state how vital CareerTech organizations and experiences are for students because there is nothing like it. There is no other way for students to show off and build leadership, and career opportunities, and make a difference in their own lives. If not for FFA, I wouldn’t be here today.”

This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for eight or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.

Sustainable aviation fuel could emerge as the next opportunity for substantial growth in U.S. biofuels production with proper market and regulatory incentives. Agricultural feedstocks are poised to play a leading role in the supply chain for domestic SAF production. However, any meaningful growth opportunities will be largely dependent on favorable policies and adequate incentives for farmers and the wider biofuels industry.

According to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, the anticipated guidance for the 45Z tax credit, also known as the Clean Fuel Production Credit, will be a determining factor for the extent of agriculture’s role in SAF production. Authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act, the 45Z tax credit is intended to encourage domestic production of clean transportation fuels. It replaces the 40B tax credit for SAF production and is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2025.

“The 40B tax credit guidance for SAF fell short in effectively incentivizing farmers to adopt the prescribed set of on-farm conservation practices required to be eligible for the credit,” said Jacqui Fatka, farm supply and biofuels economist with CoBank. “Farmers are hoping the new guidance offers more flexibility to employ practices that are applicable to their individual operations. The 40B guidance reflected a one-size-fits-all approach, which is certainly not the case for farms spanning the entire country.”

Just off Route 66 in northeast Oklahoma, the Miller Pecan Country Market greets travelers entering the town of Afton.

A sprawling storefront welcomes visitors, travelers and locals, enticing them to step inside the store, which features a wide array of pecans, candies, snacks, Made in Oklahoma products and more.

As shoppers browse their way through the market, enjoying the pecans and products the Miller family has carefully curated, they are unaware of the flurry of activity happening just down the hallway where the Miller family and their employees are busy sorting, cracking and processing pecans that will not only be featured on the shelves of their own market, but will also be shipped across the country for families to enjoy.

Brothers Jared and Justin Miller have built the sprawling pecan processing plant and storefront that complements their own pecan grove in a short 10-year span. The Millers created a state-of-the-art facility that transforms pecans from fresh-off-the-farm nuts to pecan halves and pieces that are used in confectionery items, baked goods and even enjoyed by the handful.