Breaking- Senate Ag Committee Schedules Vote for Brook Rollins for USDA Secretary

The Senate Ag Committee has set a Business Meeting for this afternoon at 5:45 PM Eastern to consider the nomination of Brooke Rollins as Donald Trump's Secretary of Agriculture.

Based on the confirmation hearing- there is little doubt that the Committee will vote to confirm her and move that on to the Senate floor vote in the near future.

The much anticipated USDA NASS Cattle Inventory Report was released on Friday afternoon. Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays caught up with Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Dr. Derrell Peel to discuss its findings and their implications for the beef cattle industry.

“This is the biggest report we get all year in the cattle industry,” Peel said.

According to USDA, nationally, the January 1 cattle inventory is down 1 percent.

All cattle and calves in the United States as of January 1, 2025, totaled 86.7 million head, 1 percent below the 87.2 million head on January 1, 2024.

The US Beef Cow Herd also dropped by about a half a percent- 50,000 fewer beef cows across the US versus last January. The top three Beef Cow states remain the same as a year ago- Texas with 4,075,000, Oklahoma with 1,950,000 and Missouri with 1,864,000 and all three had slightly larger beef cow herds than in January 2024. These three states had 122,000 more beef cows as of January first versus a year ago.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau works to improve the lives of all Oklahomans by supporting our state’s agriculture community. As Oklahoma’s largest general farm organization led by Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, OKFB takes grassroots values and advocates for agriculture at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C., to ensure our way of life continues for generations to come.

Farm Bureau hosts leadership events, supports our state’s agricultural youth and connects consumers with agriculture in order to build a brighter future for our state. Become an OKFB member today online at okfarmbureau.org/join. Together, we are rural Oklahoma.

President Donald Trump took action Saturday to impose new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, which could have a sweeping impact on the American economy.

The additional tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods will be 25 percent, although only 10 percent on Canadian energy. The new tariff on Chinese goods will also be 10 percent, as Trump indicated earlier. They are set to go into effect on Tuesday, according to the executive order for the Canadian tariffs that Trump signed. The graphic below shows that we are talking historically large tariffs by the Trump Administration. The US Stock Market futures have signaled a sharply lower day ahead.

We have initial reaction from agriculture on our website- House Ag Committee Chair GT Thompson defending President Trump- and some worry from farm country about the plan.

Farmer-rancher interests worry about potash and nitrogen from Canada- among other things.

Both AFBF's Zippy Duvall and NFU's Rob Larew are concerned about how this will impact farmers- click on their names for their Sunday react-

Late Sunday- China said they would be retaliating in the trade war, but not much detail has been given.

Food costs could rise rise as well, with Mexico supplying over 60% of fresh produce to the US.

Mexico and Canada have signaled that they will retaliate with 25% tariffs on US goods coming into their countries.

One thing is certain- this is a fluid situation- things will be much different by the end of the week- and perhaps in another 24 hours.

Dr. Jim Hess on the Path Forward for Improving OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine

OSU’s Vice Provost Dr. Jim Hess provided an update on the probation status of the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine during the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Winter Policy Meeting. Farm Director KC Sheperd spoke directly with Dr. Hess to bring you the details of that update.

According to Dr. Hess, the initiatives to improve the College of Veterinary Medicine are three-fold. One is the ability to recapitalize the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Stillwater which is currently operating in a 43-year-old facility in need of significant improvements.

“What we actually need is a new facility to create a training environment that will attract students and faculty members,” he said. “A new veterinary teaching hospital is critical for the college, but also critical for food-animal producers so we can place new large animal veterinarians in rural Oklahoma.”

The new facility is projected to cost around $295 million. Opportunities for financing from the Oklahoma State Legislature are being considered.

CattleCon Happening This Week in San Antonio

Oklahoma Farm Report's Ron Hays is headed to San Antonio for CattleCon and there will be no shortage in things to talk about and cover this week.

The Trade War, a New USDA, New Congress, a 2025 Farm Bill, New World Screwworms, Tax Policy, Beef Demand, New Food Guidelines, Brooke Rollins, RFKJr and the list goes on and on.

Our thanks to Burtrums and Farm Data Services in Stillwater for once again sponsoring our coverage of this week's events.

Watch for our coverage on our radio network, website, this email and of course on social media- CattleCon has arrived!!!!

The Rural Gone Urban Foundation invites you to a night of Wanderlust on February 15 at the Will Rogers Theatre in Oklahoma City.

Featuring Straight Tequila Night, an original ‘90s Country Tribute Band, guests will enjoy their favorites from '90s FM radio with a band that’s already sold out Oklahoma music venues three times this year. In addition to enjoying great music, the evening will feature a steak dinner prepared by legendary chef Kurt Fleischfresser which makes this night an all-in-one Valentine’s date night.

The Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to supporting strong rural women doing brave things and is guided by three pillars: no-gpa-required scholarships, small business grants, and judgment-free grants, aka love bombs, for women in the ring with cancer.

“As a first-generation college student, rural small business owner, and 2x cancer alumni I’m honored to be here leading an organization that supports the gritty and hardworking rural women who make immeasurable impacts in their communities,” says Brooke Taylor, Rural Gone Urban Foundation board chair. “It is my life’s work, through the Foundation, to support other women who have been knocked down, underfunded, or told you can’t.”

Brightly colored candies, cookies and cupcakes have long been sweet treats, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is removing a specific color due to health concerns.

Red No. 3 dye, also known as E127 or erythrosine, gives some beverages, candies, cupcakes and icings their bright red appearance. It was approved for use in food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals in 1969, but some studies show it may cause health risks.

Red No. 3 first caused concern in the 1980s when some animal studies showed a link between the dye and thyroid tumors in male rats. The FDA then banned Red No. 3 in some external-use products such as cosmetics in the 1990s; however, Red No. 3 was still permitted in some foods.

Christi Evans, Oklahoma State University Extension food safety specialist, said manufacturers have until Jan. 15, 2027, to reformulate their products and remove Red No. 3 from their ingredients. Products imported from outside the United States must also abide by the new regulations.

The following article was written by Jack Hubbard, executive director of the [/]Center for the Environment and Welfare (CEW), and an owner and partner at Berman and Co., and originally appeared in the Washington Times.

Some companies rebrand in the aftermath of the scandal to rebuild trust in the eyes of the public. The name change of the private military contractor, Blackwater, after the deaths of civilians overseas, is one high-profile example. But the latest entity to deploy the strategy might surprise you. It’s one of the country’s most well-known national animal charities.

The Humane Society of the United States announced that in February, it will change its name to “Humane World for Animals.” The decision is curious given that the organization rakes in roughly $170 million a year in donations — a hefty chunk of change that could be compromised from weaker name recognition.

So, the question is: Why? One reason may be because this animal group has been dogged by scandal.

In 2010, Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle told the media that he thought convicted dogfighter Michael Vick “would do a good job as a pet owner.” The comment, which understandably sparked backlash, came after Mr. Vick’s post-prison employer, the Philadelphia Eagles, made a $50,000 “grant” to the organization.