Seth Locke is a Texas Longhorn breeder from Bristow, Oklahoma whose animals are exhibited at the Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City. He and Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays discussed the breed and marketing avenues for breeders.

Locke has been raising longhorns for about 12 years mainly because he finds them fascinating. “We have three categories of selling longhorns,” Locke shared. “We have people who want yard ornaments, so they like the color of their hides because they come in every color – brindle, brown, black, white, gray, and gruellas which are the hardest to produce.”

Another category is animals for show, and industry which is broken up into two different areas of focus: horns and beef production. Locke said that his animals focus more on beef, conformation, and structure but have adequate horns as well.

“At a lot of the horn shows, you will have breeder judges, and at a lot of the beef shows that we go to, you will have your academic judges,” he explained. “Cattlemen’s Congress is now the largest beef expo in the world. It is a big platform for us to be on.”

The vision of the Oklahoma Beef Council is to be a positive difference for Oklahoma's farming and ranching families and the greater beef community, and its mission is to enhance beef demand by strengthening consumer trust and exceeding consumer expectations. 

To learn more, visit www.oklabeef.org. Also, don't forget to like its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oklabeef for stories on Oklahoma's ranching families and great beef recipes. 

And Check out this video below that helps you learn more about the Beef Checkoff.

Jack Hubbard is an owner and partner at the Berman and Company PR Firm. He previously served as Chief Marketing Officer and later Chief Operating Officer at American Humane, where he helped drive unprecedented growth in revenue and program impact. He was later honored with the organization’s prestigious National Humanitarian Medal.

He studied political science at Davidson College in North Carolina and has served on several Boards including the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs. He regularly provides advice and counsel to CEOs and senior executives seeking to “Change the Debate” on key industry issues.

At the most recent National Association of Farm Broadcasters Convention, he was part of the panel dubbed Agriculture Under Attack. Oklahoma Farm Report’s Stevie White is featuring Hubbard’s comments from that discussion.

Hubbard’s experience in Washington, D.C. has given him a firsthand look at how groups like the American Humane Society and PETA, are infiltrating policy. The well-funded and intricately organized groups are single-mindedly working to put farmers out of business.

Day Three at Cattlemen's Congress

Mini Herefords were in Jim Norick arena on Monday at Cattlemen's Congress- one of six breeds showing on Day two of the largest Beef Cattle breeding animal show in North America.

Day three will feature Limousin/Lim Flex, Gelbvieh & Balancer, Red Angus and Black Hereford.

The Black Hereford Show will start an hour earlier than was listed in earlier released schedules- here's the latest schedule- they will kick off at 2 PM this afternoon.

Our latest Cattlemen's Congress Conversation Podcast was released yesterday- it includes stories from Seth Locke of Bristow, Oklahoma and his Texas Longhorns- Nick and Lily Judd from Kansas who will be showing Gelvbieh/Balancers today and Australian British White breeder Makayla Saunders- click here to check it out or where ever you get your Podcasts.

One reminder for those that may be interested in the Commercial Heifer Sale on Thursday- it's set for 1 PM in the Super Barn Sales Arena- click here for details on the consignments



In southwestern Oklahoma you can find squash plants and radishes growing in the middle of December in a greenhouse found at Navajo Public Schools.

Navajo STEM teacher Tana Curry was able to purchase a 10 x 20-foot greenhouse with the help of the OKFB Foundation for Agriculture Growing with the Foundation for Agriculture Grant.

Navajo Public Schools received one of the $10,000 Greenhouse Grants in 2023 from the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture.

“With us being a small rural school we wouldn’t be able to have this opportunity if it wasn’t for the Foundation for Agriculture Greenhouse Grant,” said Curry.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) commended President Biden for signing into law the Beagle Brigade Act, which provides statutory authority and reliable funding to the National Detector Dog Training Center. 

“Pork producers employ a variety of biosecurity measures to keep foreign animal diseases, like African swine fever, out of our herds. Further away at our nation’s ports of entry, the Beagle Brigade helps ensure these diseases don’t travel past our borders,” said Lori Stevermer, NPPC president and pork producer from Easton, Minnesota. “As pork producers, we are grateful the Beagle Brigade Act will continue to keep our food supply safe and more secure for everyone. We thank Senators Warnock and Ernst and Congressmen Bishop and Ferguson for their leadership on this legislation.”

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) trains beagles and other dogs at U.S. ports of entry to spot contraband fruits, vegetables, and meat products in international passenger baggage, mailed packages, and vehicles entering the United States. The “Beagle Brigade” agriculture canine teams bolster national security by performing critically important inspections at ports of entry. 

NPPC led a coalition of 50+ groups in pressing Congress to pass this bipartisan legislation.

Will a second administration of President Donald Trump bring progress on trade negotiations with key global partners? U.S. Meat Export Federation Vice President of Economic Analysis Erin Borror says exporters will be watching discussions with all trading partners, but two key regions stand out: 

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is slated to be reviewed in 2026. Borror notes that USMCA delivered tariff-free trade and minimal sanitary and phytosanitary barriers across North America. The trade agreement was negotiated in the first Trump term and needs to be preserved and strengthened when it comes up for review.  

She also explains that the U.S. and United Kingdom held significant trade talks during the first Trump administration. That could signal an opportunity for an early trade win, particularly for U.S. beef and pork. U.S. red meat currently has virtually no market share in the UK, according to Borror.