Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays was asked to moderate a panel of five industry leaders on Wednesday at the 2024 National Association of Farm Broadcasting Annual Convention in Kansas City. Included in this panel- Rob Larew, President of the National Farmers Union, Ethan Lane, Vice President, Government Affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Sam Kieffer, American Farm Bureau’s Vice President for Public Policy, Dr. John Newton, Executive Head of Terrain and longtime National Corn Grower Association executive Jon Doggett, now running his own consulting firm, Camas, Creek Consulting.

Hays led these industry leaders thru their takes on the impact of the 2024 election that has resulted in a trifecta for the Republican Party- as they will control the White House, US Senate and the US House in early 2025.

They also looked at the Lame Duck session now underway and the three major groups represented agreed it’s now or never for getting a new five year farm bill now.

And- they spent some time looking at what 2025 may look like for the ag industry with the new players that are expected to be in place.

We have the complete panel discussion for you to hear- click hear to check it out.

**********************************

After the panel- Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with the president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), Rob Larew to discuss lots of topics being covered after the presidential election.

“There are so many unknowns right now,” Larew said. “For farmers and ranchers, I think there is a lot of hope and optimism about what could be, and also some concern about some negative consequences out there. With all that uncertainty, the one thing that we know is that we continue to face high input prices, low prices for our goods, and so many challenges out there. We are looking for relief and certainty, so we are hoping to get a farm bill done by the end of the year.”

Click on the Blue Button below to listen to KC and Larew dig into the 2024 election and what it may mean for farmers and ranchers.

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. 

A special session on livestock disease training was held at the beginning of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters Convention. Its focus was on a foreign animal disease outbreak and included an exercise that utilized a theoretical swine disease outbreak. Attending farm broadcasters were filled in on how they could help in getting the news of such an outbreak out to the general public. After the presentation ended, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays spoke with Kansas State Veterinarian Dr. Justin Smith to review what was discussed.

There are three main disease concerns in the swine industry. They are foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, and Classical swine fever. Thus far, the U.S. has not had to deal with those diseases, and through diligent and intentional effort, hopes to maintain the trade status gained from that record.

No other livestock species is susceptible to African and Classical swine fever, but foot-and-mouth disease can affect multiple species with cloven hooves including both beef and dairy cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats.

The hypothetical disease outbreak used in the exercise was foot-and-mouth disease, so Dr. Smith detailed how his office would handle such an event. He said that they would first send out a foreign animal disease diagnostician to take samples and verify the disease. Once the disease is confirmed, the facility will be quarantined and a statewide stop-movement order will be issued. USDA will likely issue its own stop-movement order in tandem.

How Genomic EPDs are Shaping the Future of the Cattle Industry

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays is talking with Kelli Retallick-Riley, president of Angus Genetics, Inc. (AGI) about genomic expected progeny differences or EPDs and their uses in the cattle industry today.

Retallick-Riley said, “We are in an interesting place right now with herd rebuilding. We have a lot of people thinking about starting with the end and understanding what the consumer needs are while making sure we have that quality packed in.”

She also described the evolution of the cow herd citing accelerated growth rates, quality carcass characteristics, and the balanced structure of maternal traits which allows the females to thrive while producing productive calves.

“There is a lot of information out there and you are getting a lot of market signals from different places,” Retallick-Riley admitted. “We try to help distill down that information. When you are looking at that big buffet of tools that we have available for Angus seed stock producers and commercial users, a lot of people start with those dollar values, those economic indexes. With that, they can refine it for specific traits to address issues they are having in their herds.”

The United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP) is pleased to announce that four new forms of sorghum have been officially added to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central Database. This significant milestone ensures that the most up-to-date nutritional information on commonly used sorghum products is readily available to consumers and food companies amid growing demand for sorghum.

In collaboration with USCP, USDA collected samples from sorghum farms across the United States, gathered metadata and conducted nutrient analyses. The newly updated sorghum forms now available in FoodData Central are:

• Whole grain
• Pearled grain
• Pearled flour
• Bran

“This is a pivotal step in making sorghum information more accessible and understood by both consumers and the food industry,” said Lanier Dabruzzi, MS, RD, LD, Director of Nutrition & Food Innovation at Sorghum Checkoff. “We are excited about the potential growth this brings to the sorghum market.”

USCP will continue working with the USDA’s Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory (MAFCL) to include data on cooked grains and popped sorghum varieties.

At the National Association of Farm Broadcasters Convention, Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with Kim Atkins with the U.S. Soybeans Export Council whose strategic goals are to differentiate the U.S. soy from other origins, elevate demand for U.S. soy, and to obtain market access.

Brazil is a top competitor with U.S. soy, but according to Atkins, U.S. soy is the most sustainable, has the lowest carbon footprint, and the most nutritional advantages. She said that the U.S. is the supplier of choice.

Atkins explained, “We have a variety of options for buyers of soy from around the world, and we look forward to being the most reliable and consistent supplier.”

Atkins admitted that she would like to see the U.S. get more active in negotiating new free trade agreements to help expand market access.

Today, the Animal Agriculture Alliance released a new report detailing U.S. animal agriculture’s contributions to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to the report, U.S. animal agriculture is actively contributing toward all 17 of the SDGs, including Zero Hunger, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Climate Action. The SDGs will be a central focus of the U.N.’s annual climate change conference, COP29, taking place now through Nov. 22.

The U.S. animal agriculture community is a world leader in sustainability efforts and has a proven track record of continued progress in environmental stewardship, food security, and more. Meat, dairy, poultry, eggs, and seafood are at the heart of healthy, sustainable diets, playing a vital role in meeting nutritional demands and closing gaps in nutrient deficiencies. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has concluded that, “Livestock serves as a crucial source of high-quality protein and essential micronutrients, and is vital for normal development and good health.”

This new report, U.S. Animal Agriculture and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, highlights examples of contributions being made toward each goal.