Dr. Rod Hall, D.V.M., Oklahoma State Veterinarian issued the following statement on Tuesday morning warning of the prevalence of highly pathogenic Avian Influenza:

I’d like to make everyone aware that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is very prevalent in the USA in general and in Oklahoma and our surrounding states specifically at this time. Here in Oklahoma, we’ve had one backyard flock in Roger Mills County and two commercial flocks in Adair County become infected in the past month. There have been more than 30 cases confirmed in the U.S. in the past week. Many of those have been small backyard flocks, but many have been commercial flocks, one in Iowa with 4.2 million hens. Poultry that become infected either die or are euthanized to help prevent the spread of the disease.

Due to the warmer-than-usual fall, the migratory waterfowl are still migrating south, and from reports we’ve received, there are still a lot of birds north of us that will be coming through Oklahoma in the next few weeks. Many of those ducks and geese are carrying and shedding this virus. 

Please advise your clients, friends, relatives, and stakeholders to be aware of the danger to domestic poultry and institute the best biosecurity they can for the next several weeks. This includes keeping poultry penned away from waterfowl and water where waterfowl gather, not allowing waterfowl to approach domestic poultry spaces, and changing clothes and shoes before going to your domestic poultry area after being in locations where waterfowl have defecated. 

This virus is very transmissible, which is evident by the fact that commercial poultry operations that have good routine biosecurity become infected from exposure to waterfowl and by the introduction of the virus on people and equipment.

Here is a link to the OSU Fact Sheet on biosecurity for backyard flocks: afs-8301-small-flock-biosecurity-for-prevention-of-avian-influenza.pdf.

P&K Equipment is the largest John Deere dealer across Oklahoma, with 18 locations, as well as an additional two locations in Arkansas. We are proud to serve our communities & the surrounding areas. P&K is committed to keeping your equipment running strong.

In these colder months, sign up for our P&K Advantage maintenance & inspection specials. And year-round, it’s easier than ever before to buy genuine John Deere parts online at GetGreenParts.com. Pick up your order in stores or have it shipped directly to you! P&K Equipment is committed to taking care of you long after the sale.

The House Democrats selected Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) today as ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee for the 119th Congress. In response, several ag groups and representatives issued statements.

Rep. Craig’s roots in Northeast Arkansas, where she was born in West Helena, attended high school in Jonesboro and graduated from the University of Memphis, provide her with a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities in Southern agriculture. Rep. Craig has been serving in Congress since 2019, and is currently in her fourth term as a U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s 2nd congressional district. Her background ensures she is well-equipped to advocate for policies that support our farmers and rural communities.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr., National Cotton Council (NCC) Chairman Joe Nicosia, and  Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor all issued statements congratulating her.

The Heartfelt Mission of Jon Fort and the All American Beef Battalion

UPDATE- National Livestock's Debbie Wedel reports that the final dollar amount raised in the Monday sale and resale of the calf at the Oklahoma National Stockyards for the All American Beef Battalion topped $60,000- all to be used to for their efforts to "Feed Steaks for Troops."

Jon Fort, is the Senior Vice Chairman of the All American Beef Battalion devotes much of his time to the All American Beef Battalion helping with planning, organizing, and producing steak meals for troops and their families. This organization hits close to home for him, as his youngest brother served in the Marines during Dessert Storm.

“We have a wonderful support group here with National Livestock and all of the buyers who genuinely care about our service men and women,” Fort said. “We are very fortunate to have them donate to what we think is an extremely worthy cause – serving our service men, women, and their families, and wounded warriors an eighteen-ounce ribeye and shake their hands and say, ‘Thank you for your service.’”

He noted the great group of volunteers who helped with the fundraiser and others like it. The AABB has no paid employees and is run completely by volunteers and has sponsored steak feeds in 29 states.

“We are going to finish this year out feeding a little more than 450,000 service men and women,” Fort said. “Our first event was April 26, 2008, and we are still going.”

House Speaker-Elect Kyle Hilbert announced this week a change to the House committee structure that will allow for more time and deliberation of bills at their initial consideration.

House committees will now have a two-tiered structure with committees and oversight committees, which will allow legislation to be more thoroughly vetted and deliberated at the committee level before bills reach the floor. The process will now be similar on the policy side as to how the committees are currently structured for appropriations.

“Each year, the Legislature considers thousands of bills and committees are where the majority of deliberative work should be done to build consensus around language and needed changes,” said Hilbert, R-Bristow. “The more thorough work we can do at the beginning of a session, the more likely we are to have a clear, transparent process that allows good bills to become law.” 

New Ag Committee Chair for 2025 is  Rep. Kenton Patzkowsky, R-Balko while the Vice Chair is Rep. Rick West, R-Heavener.

Hilbert announced the committees, including chairs and vice chairs- you can see the full list by clicking on the Blue Button below.

Oklahoma Farm Reports Maci Carter caught up with CASE IH Oklahoma Harvesting Product Marketing Manager Ryan Lepp about what the “Year of the Combine” means for the company and producers.

“It really comes down to having eight combines in our product lineup,” Lepp explained. “We have a 6160 and our 7160 combines for smaller scale farms. Then we jump up to the 7260, 8260, and 9260 combines for mid-size to large-scale operations. Then, our AF series, including our AF9, AF10, and AF11 combines, were built from the ground up for large-scale farmers.”

The AF series is new this year for Case IH and is hinged on capacity, throughput, and acres per hour – essentially efficiency. They are larger combines that include many of the features from the 260 series such as the CVT drives, which allow the reversal of the rotor from the cam. From the feeder house to the spreaders, there is an additional 3.5 feet of rotor width when compared to the 9260. As for the spreaders, they can distribute materials up to 61 feet adding even more efficiency to the operation.

“One great feature that we have is the Harvest Command,” Lepp detailed. “It allows the combines to automatically make changes to adjust for changes it detects in the field. It has been around since 2019 and is included in all eight of our models.

Senator James Lankford (R-OK) has released the following statement after the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the proposed Delta-Plains Electric Transmission Corridor in Oklahoma would not be included as DOE moves forward.

“My team and I have been in contact with the Department of Energy and received the welcome news that the threat of federal eminent domain to Oklahoma landowners is gone. The Biden Administration has worked against landowners in Oklahoma for years and I’m pleased to see that our efforts to push back on their terrible policies are working. This is a huge win for Oklahoma landowners,” said Lankford.

Background:

• In 2021, the Democrats passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which gave authority to the Department of Energy to start the rulemaking process to designate National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors. 
• There was an initial selection and announcement of 10 proposed corridors made in May, 2024 that have now been narrowed down to three proposed corridors.
• While the Department of Energy is no longer considering the Delta-Plains Corridor, the Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor is still being considered. That Corridor would follow many existing transmission tracks but would touch the western edge of the Oklahoma panhandle between New Mexico and Colorado. Following the Department of Energy’s announcement today that the Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor is still being considered, the 60-day public comment period begins today and will run until February 14, 2025.
• On January 15, 2025, the Department of Energy will host an informational webinar on the Southwestern Grid Corridor at 3:00 PM Eastern. The registration link is here.
• According to the Department of Energy, a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor does not result in immediate transmission construction, eminent domain proceedings, taking of land, or impacts to existing land.

Chairman Thompson Announces Republican Agriculture Committee Roster for 119th Congress

Today, the House Republican Steering Committee selected the Republican members who will serve on the House Committee on Agriculture for the 119th Congress. Former Chairman of the Committee, Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas remains as the number two Republican on the Committee in 2025.

Following the announcement, Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) issued the following statement:

“I’m excited to welcome this strong and diverse group of legislators to the House Committee on Agriculture for the 119th Congress. This is a pivotal time for our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities, so we’ll hit the ground running with rigorous hearings and oversight, all to ensure we deliver legislative victories for rural America and the farm families that guarantee our nation’s food security.”