At the 2025 AFR Convention held in Norman this past weekend. Congressman Frank Lucas set in on a Panel with National Farmers Union President Rob Larew to talk about current issues farmers are facing throughout the Nation. After the panel, Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with Congressman Lucas to talk about the upcoming March 14 deadline to fund the government, USDA cuts, and more. Lucas emphasized the challenges of navigating a politically divided Washington while striving to support agricultural producers. 

With critical deadlines approaching on March 14th, Congress faces the daunting task of passing a budget resolution and a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government until the end of September. Lucas acknowledged the difficulty of this task, stating, “The struggle it will face this week when we go back to Washington DC is to pass a budget resolution and the CRCR to fund the government for the rest of the year till the end of September.”

He highlighted the importance of these measures, not just for agriculture but for all essential government functions. “It’s important not just for ag, but defense – everything – we need to not have a shutdown on March 14,” he stressed. Despite the potential for gridlock, Lucas, a Western Oklahoma wheat farmer, remains “eternally optimistic.”

The Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association is the trusted voice of the Oklahoma Cattle Industry. With headquarters in Oklahoma City, the OCA has a regular presence at the State Capitol to protect and defend the interests of cattlemen and cattlewomen.

Their Vision Statement explains the highest priority of the organization- "Leadership that serves, strengthens and advocates for the Oklahoma cattle industry."

To learn more about the OCA and how you can be a part of this forward-looking group of cattle producers, click here for their website. For more information- call 405-235-4391.

We continue to share comments from the Director of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program Edmond Bonjour as Class XXI travels across parts of Kenya for their International Capstone study experience.



“Monday morning saw the OALP visiting the Mountain Oil Canola Factory which produces oil under the brand name Pure Mountain. The factory is owned by Agventure, a food production company that uses sustainable farming practices. They use a hot press process for removing oil from canola, sunflowers, and flax. There are ten large farmer shareholders and about 500 small farmers. They are currently receiving about 50 tons of canola seed per day which will yield 20 tons of oil. 

“The OALP then toured Madrugada Farm, also part of Agventure, which is at an elevation of 1.900 meters. They showed us so old and current machinery before going to the field. The farm boasts extremely fertile, porous soil from using a rotational system. They have 3,000 acres and grow wheat, barley, corn, sorghum, canola, peas, lupine, and sunflowers, all using the zero till method. They have been using this tilling method since 2010.

As Class XXI continues to travel across Kenya- the application for Class XXII is now available on line at the OALP website. Click here for that application– which is due by May first, 2025. In person interviews will happen in June and the XXII will meet for the first time in August of this year.

Dr. Shalene McNeill Challenges Dietary Guideline Committee’s Proposal to Swap Beans for Meat

During CattleCon 2025, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, caught up with the Executive Director of Nutrition Research at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Dr. Shalene McNeill, to follow up on a previous discussion about USDA’s recommended dietary guidelines.

Coverage of CattleCon 2025 is powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The scientific committee has made its dietary guideline recommendations to USDA and has stepped back. It is now up to the new Trump administration to review the recommendations and decide whether or not to use them in the final guidelines to be released at the end of 2025.

Dr. McNeill noted that the initial report was both surprising and disappointing. She said, “This committee wasn’t as transparent as committees that we have seen in the past, so we got some surprises towards the end about how far they were going to go with this idea that the American population would be better off if we swapped meat out for beans, peas, and lentils.”

Oklahoma residents are experiencing a brief respite from the frigid temperatures that have dominated much of early 2025, but State Climatologist Gary McManus is urging caution, reminding everyone that “false spring” is a familiar and often deceptive phenomenon.

“Any Okie worth their salt (I prefer pepper) knows not to fall for false spring #2,” McManus stated, referencing the early February warm spell that was quickly followed by another blast of winter. He noted, “See, we had false spring #1 back in early February, and then the winter hit the fan again. Now that I look at that it appears 2025 has been mostly pretty darned cold.”

The recent Arctic blast, which saw temperatures plummet to record lows, left a lasting impression. McManus detailed the severity of the cold, saying, “Nobody wants to revisit last week’s Arctic blast, so I will. Miami was the last Mesonet site to break back above freezing, right at about 113 hours.”

The numbers paint a stark picture. “And it got cold, ladies and gentlemen (and most of the rest of ya). How cold, you ask? Well, the statewide average temperature on Feb. 19 was 9.6F, which is the 33rd-coldest day on record in Oklahoma, dating back to at least 1920,” McManus explained. He also compared it to the extreme cold of 2021, saying, “Of course, that pales in comparison to Feb. 16 and 15, 2021, which came in at -0.6F and -0.2F, respectively, to take the top-2 spots.”

Tuesday, February 25th 6:00 – 7:00 CST

Creating and managing a biosecurity plan in a stocker operation requires a collaborative team effort to effectively address both financial and health risks. By working together, team members can anticipate and mitigate potential threats to cattle health and business stability.

Dr. Kenny Burdine will discuss business considerations for risk programs and Clay Burtrum will provide experience from a stocker operator perspective. Dr. Misty Edmondson will discuss why biosecurity planning and the Secure Beef Supply are important to the cattle industry from a state veterinarian’s perspective.

The Quartermaster Creek Spring Bull Sale is slated for Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. at 19564 E. 840 Road, Leedey, Oklahoma 73654.

Selling 150 Two-Year-Old Bulls, Commercial Two-Year-Old Pairs, and Open Yearling Heifers carrying QC Genetics.

For More Information, call or email Mike Switzer at 580-445-8275 or mike@quartermastercreek.com or Annie at 580-374-4170 or annie@quartermastercreek.com or visit the website at www.quartermastercreek.com to view the catalog.

If you cannot attend the sale, view and bid online: CCI.LIVE

Rural Afairs Group Cries Foul- Calls on Congress to Help

The Center for Rural Affairs calls on members of Congress to uphold federal funding obligations. Last month, President Trump ordered a federal spending freeze that halted payments for federal grants and loans, jeopardizing the financial stability of agencies, organizations, programs, and projects that serve rural communities across the country.

Despite a judge’s order stopping the freeze, many organizations such as the Center remain unable to access contracted funds, creating major disruptions to their work that supports family farms, small businesses, civic infrastructure, and economic development in rural areas.

“These dollars have been appropriated by Congress and have far-reaching impacts for rural communities, including access to health care, supporting infrastructure projects, bolstering agriculture and conservation, and ensuring citizens have reliable and affordable electricity,” said Brian Depew, the executive director of the Center. “The funds are under contract and have been legally obligated. Congress needs to ensure those monies reach their intended purpose.”

Administrative actions have resulted in freezes, delays, or even cancellations of grants and loans awarded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.