Superior Livestock’s Bellringer Video Auction is underway being broadcast from the Embassy Suites in downtown Oklahoma City and Superior Livestock President Danny Jones was on hand to tell Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays all about it.

“Prices continue to be strong,” Jones said. “It is the beginning of 2025, and numbers are down and the demand is certainly there. Beef is moving well, and we are excited for a great year.”

Bellringer was named because of its prominence early in the year and was originally heavily associated with the National Western Livestock Show, but now coincides with Cattlemen’s Congress.

More than 100,000 head will change hands over the three days of the sale taking place today, through Friday, January 10, 2025.

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State Treasurer Todd Russ is excited about the future of Oklahoma. Despite a minor revenue dip, Oklahoma’s financial standing remains remarkably strong compared to the past decade. Its investment portfolio, meticulously managed, yields significant returns, exceeding the previous year’s performance.

“I manage about a sixteen-to-seventeen-billion-dollar investment portfolio for the state of unspent money,” Russ said. “The year before I became State Treasurer, they generated about seventy million dollars on that. For 2024, my office generated 376 million dollars on that, and that number has gone up as far as investment numbers. These are historical, out of the park, record-highs that we are seeing happening out of the treasury right now.”

December’s gross receipts, though slightly down, paint a picture of an overall positive trajectory. As the new year approaches, Russ’s confidence in Oklahoma’s financial future is unwavering.

Treasurer Todd Russ commented on the report, stating, “While the state’s revenue trends may seem wobbly, this is typical for the current economic conditions caused by Fed adjustments.”

Unveiling the Maine-Anjou Advantage: Insights from Blake Nelson

At the fifth annual Cattlemen’s Congress, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays got to talk with another cattle breed representative, Blake Nelson, Executive Vice President of the American Maine-Anjou Association.

Nelson has been a part of the show from the beginning as a member of the board of directors, but even he never dreamed it would reach the heights that it has. “Initially, when we did it during COVID, it was just an event that we knew we needed to do for the sake of the industry. I don’t think we ever dreamed it would become an annual event, and the premiere cattle show in the seedstock business like it has grown to be.”

The success of that first show was great, but so was the marketing opportunity for cattlemen through the multiple sales held throughout that first event. “Nearly every breed had some of their best sales ever,” Nelson said. “We are in the heart of cattle country here in Oklahoma, with Texas and Kansas on both sides and with the internet, we can go nationwide when it comes to marketing.”

Speaking for his breed association, Nelson says that it has been a phenomenal year with breeders keeping high standards of versatility for both commercial and show purposes.

According to the National Weather Service in Norman- The Winter Storm Warning has been expanded. Average snowfall accumulations of 3" to 7" in the warning and 2" to 3" in the advisory.

Locally higher amounts are possible in any heavier bands of snow and some locations may receive less if between bands of snow. The graphic above shows western and central areas of the state. Panhandle is handled by the Amarillo NWS and they are thinking one to three inches in that area.

The graphic below is from the Tulsa NWS which is eastern Oklahoma- except for McCurtain County which is under the watchful eye of the Shreveport NWS- McCurtain County could be dealing with six inches of snow and icing as well(a third of an inch of ice may be in the mix.)

According to State Climatologist Gary McManus, “This possible snowstorm is going to continue to evolve right up to the point where it possibly starts snowing. Possibly. Not that this is much different than any wintry weather forecast…they’re infamously difficult to pin down, given the intricate details that allow snow to actually form, then fall undisturbed (as in unmelted) through the column of the atmosphere above you, and hit you in the face. So many things can screw this recipe up, especially that vertical profile of temperature in the atmosphere, as we’ve shown before.”

Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) condemned the Biden Administration’s irresponsible use of the Antiquities Act to create the Chuckwalla and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments.

“There are 13 days left in the Biden Administration and once again, the Antiquities Act is being recklessly applied to nearly 1 million acres to create tremendous uncertainty for rural communities that rely on responsible resource management. President Biden’s unilateral action to create new monuments this late in his term shows that these monuments are politically motivated and devoid of resource planning for the future,” said NCBA Executive Director of Natural Resources and PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover. “The record is clear: monument designations at the eleventh hour jeopardize rangeland health, threaten local economic stability, and unnecessarily make these areas political pawns during a transition period. NCBA and PLC strongly oppose this declaration and will work with the Trump administration to limit abuse and bring common sense back to this process.”

Article provided by NCBA.

Join the Society for Range Management (SRM) for their 78th Annual Meeting on February 9- 13, 2025. Each year, the international group convenes individuals who manage, conserve and enjoy rangelands for several days of educational workshops, technical tours, awards ceremonies, and committee meetings in which direction is set for the Society’s year ahead.

This year’s theme, “Healthy Rangelands – Sustainable World,” defines the focus of the event. “Healthy Rangelands” are emphasized, and particularly the ecosystem services they provide as recently summarized by SRM in the document, Rangeland Ecosystem Services: Connecting Nature and People. A “Sustainable World”, one in which people thrive well into the future and meet the characteristics outlined in United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, is another cornerstone of the meeting. The agenda features technical sessions and oral and poster presentations with these themes, and their intersection, in mind. Further expanding on the theme of a ‘Sustainable World,’ a film festival will be hosted on Sunday, February 9 that will feature shot films from around the world focused on international rangelands.

Serving a diverse cross-section of rangelands stakeholders, there are topics of interest for ranchers, scientists, range professionals, and students alike thanks to the presenting sponsors, United States Forest Service (USFS), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

This year, the annual Producer’s Forum will be held on Monday, February 10 at 10:20 a.m.. Speakers of note include Allan Savory (virtual); Alejandro Carrillo, and John Lundgren. The forum will feature conversation about the science, practice and application of holistic and regenerative land management. Producers are encouraged and welcome to attend this one-day forum.

Cattlemen's Congress Dealing With Possible Snow

The folks at Cattlemen's Congress have communicated a plan to the exhibitors showing cattle today and tomorrow to help make sure that moving cattle from the barns to the show ring is safe for cattle and exhibitors.

"In the event of inclement weather, please follow the designated cattle movement routes to ensure the safety of all participants and animals:

• Cattle may pass through the barns using the designated routes.
• Cattle are strictly prohibited in any tradeshow area.
• Cattle may only enter Barn 3 through the west door.
• For exhibitors in the west barns, mulched pathways will be available across barn row for easier navigation.

"We ask for your cooperation in adhering to these guidelines to maintain a safe and efficient process."

The announced schedule continues today- that includes the 11 AM Hereford Pen Show that coincides with the Certified Hereford Beef Lunch in the Performance Arena- followed by the Cattlemen's Congress Commercial Heifer Sale at 1 PM.