The top 130 gilts of the over 3,000 that showed up and were evaluated in the Crossbred and Purebred divisions of the 2025 Oklahoma Youth Expo will be sold at the Night of Stars Gilt Sale tonight.

Show manager Blake Kennedy with Kennedy Ventures is excited that another great set of gilts are ready to be sold in a hybrid sale where you can bid in person at the OKC Fairgrounds or participate online at CCI Live. A total of 70 crossbred and 60 purebred gilts will be offered. More details about the OYE Purebred Gilt Show are available here while the Crossbred Gilt show details are available here.

Kennedy says that in the show swine business, “I would say that if you don’t know about the Night of Stars Gilt Sale in Oklahoma City, you may be living under a rock.”

He adds, “There is a sale order posted online but to be honest with you, the order does not actually determine the quality of the animals.”He reminded everyone that “It takes just 2 people to be interested in the same one to really push the price up.”

Lots 1 and 2 will be the Supreme Champion Purebred gilts- the Champ and the Reserve Champ Duroc. Kennedy says there has been a lot of buzz around the top Duroc shown by Maverick Mosteller of Ft Gibson 4-H(pictured above) and he would not be surprised that if this gilt does not challenge the record price for a purebred gilt we have seen at previous Night of Star sales.

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- 

According to the latest Oklahoma Crop Progress and Condition Report, Winter wheat jointing reached 10 percent, up 10 points from the previous week but down 5 points from the five-year average. Conditions were rated 46 percent good to excellent, 25 percent fair, and 29 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 46 percent good to excellent, 33 percent fair, and 21 percent poor to very poor.

In Kansas this week, the 2025 wheat crop stands at 48% good to excellent, down 4 percentage points from last week.

In Texas, winter wheat headed reached 15 percent, up 2 percentage points from the previous year but down 3 points from the five-year average. The wheat crop conditions are now at 28% good to excellent, unchanged from last week.

Pasture and range conditions in Oklahoma rated 29 percent good to excellent, 45 percent fair, and 26 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 33 percent good to excellent, 42 percent fair, and 25 percent poor to very poor.

The Texas Pasture and Range conditions for this week are at 9% good to excellent, unchanged from last week.

Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam on Gene Editing

Dr. Alison L. Van Eenennaam is a Cooperative Extension Specialist in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis and runs the Animal Genomics and Biotechnology Laboratory. She recently spoke about gene editing at K-State’s Cattlemen’s Day. Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays is featuring comments from her conversation with K-State’s radio network after her presentation.

Dr. Van Eenennaam explained gene editing as altering the DNA within an animal rather than introducing transgenic DNA. “You are, maybe, inactivating a gene that makes an animal susceptible to a disease,” she detailed. “That is an example being put through the regulatory process at the moment.”

She described pigs resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) as no longer having the protein that the virus binds to in order to infect the pig.

Alternately, adding genes can be equally beneficial. She described replacing alleles, or gene variants from one breed to another. For example, introducing the polled gene from Angus cattle to horned Holsteins without crossing the two breeds or diminishing the Holstein’s strength as a dairy animal.

It was the biggest Legislative and Celebrity Showmanship ever for the Oklahoma Youth Expo- and the night was filled with laughter and the sounds of honest farm animals as members of the Oklahoma Legislature, a member of the US Senate, State Elected Officials and Sponsors and Supporters of 4-H and FFA across the state all interacted with Oklahoma youth at the 2025 OYE Legislative and Celebrity Showmanship Contest.

The final count of those showing on Monday night was 148- more than a dozen more than a year ago.

Lawmakers and others had the chance to show a barrow, a lamb, a goat or a steer- and the winner in the four categories competed by showing steers to be selected as the Grand Champion of the evening.

Winning the Grand Championship for 2025 is the current Senate Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton. Senator Paxton represents District 23 and calls Tuttle, Oklahoma home.After his win- KC Sheperd caught up with him and visited with him for a few moments.

In our story linked below- we have pictures of the other lawmaker winners for the night in the various species- and ahead of the show- Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays caught up with the Oklahoma Speaker of the House- Kyle Hilbert of Bristow. Hilbert won the Legislative Showmanship Contest in 2023. He is one of several products of the FFA now serving in the State Legislature- and he talked with Ron about the value of the show program to 4-H and FFA members- why lawmakers are pleased to have the chance to interact with these students and the value of theses students to the future of our state. Hilbert also offered a quick update on the legislative session to date- and even offered a bit of advice to novice showmen and ladies- “pay attention to what your student tells you to do with your animal and keep your eye on the judge.” 

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced new actions to reduce burdens on the U.S. pork and poultry industries, allowing for greater efficiency while maintaining food safety standards. The directive instructs the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to eliminate outdated administrative requirements that have slowed production and added unnecessary costs for American producers.

“America leads the world in pork and poultry production, and we are committed to ensuring our producers remain competitive on a global scale without being held back by unnecessary bureaucracy,” said Secretary Rollins. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are cutting unnecessary red tape, empowering businesses to operate more efficiently, and strengthening American agriculture –all while upholding the highest food safety standards.”

Under the new policy, FSIS will extend waivers allowing pork and poultry facilities to maintain higher line speeds, ensuring they can meet demand without excessive government interference. Rulemaking to formalize these speed increases will begin immediately. Additionally, FSIS will no longer require plants to submit redundant worker safety data, as extensive research has confirmed no direct link between processing speeds and workplace injuries. These reforms will strengthen U.S. food production, reduce costs for producers, and support a more resilient supply chain.

Broadcasting live from the Oklahoma Youth Expo, Farm Director KC Sheperd visited with JanLee Rowlett, Deputy Commissioner at Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry, about how ODAFF’s Year of Youth in Agriculture is playing out at the 110th event previously known as the Spring Livestock Show.

“We are very excited about 2025 being the Year of Youth in Agriculture in Oklahoma, but we invite anybody that wants to participate around the country to join us,” Rowlett said.

The year’s distinction was the brainchild of Ag Secretary Blayne Arthur who hopes that by elevating and encouraging future generations of ag leaders and producers, the public will become more aware of the ones who will help feed, fuel, and clothe them in the future. Governor Kevin Stitt made the official proclamation earlier this year.

“We are thrilled to have the support and partnership with 4-H and FFA here in the state as well as Oklahoma Youth Expo to help us highlight the opportunities that there are for our youth in this state and in this industry,” Rowlett stated. “We also want to take this opportunity to talk about careers in ag and getting those kids back in rural Oklahoma to continue to be involved in ag.”

OYE Tuesday Schedule - CareerTech Day - Barrows Kick Off Market Animal Show and Night of Stars Gilt Sale

Today is known as CareerTech Day at the 2025 OYE. After a day full of showing market goats, sheep, and mini cattle, the Night of Stars Gilt Sale will begin at 6 p.m in Expo Hall, then at 6:30 pm, in Barn 8, the OCA Futurity Steer Sale will be held.

8:00 a.m. MoorMan’s ShowTec Market Barrow Show – Barn 6 Performance Arena Berkshire, Duroc, Hereford, Spotted, Yorkshire

1:00 p.m.-3 p.m. ExpOSUre: Livestock Docs

2:00 p.m. Champions’ Tribute Market Goat and Market Lamb Show – State Fair Arena Ring 2

MoorMan’s ShowTec OYE Sheep Showmanship (immediately following Champions’ Tribute) – State Fair Arena Ring 2

AFR Sheep Showmanship (Immediately following OYE Sheep Showmanship) – State Fair Arena Ring 2

OCA Futurity Steer Show – State Fair Arena Ring 1

Pre-junior Mini Hereford Steer Show (immediately following OCA Futurity Steer) – State Fair Arena Ring 1

Pre-junior Mini Hereford Heifer Show (immediately following steers) – State Fair Arena Ring 1

3:00 p.m.-5 p.m. This One’s for the Girls – Barn 3 Sales Pavilion

6:00 p.m. Night of Stars Gilt Sale – Expo Hall

6:30 p.m. Purebred Shorthorn Steer Show – State Fair Arena Ring 1

6:30 p.m. OCA Futurity Steer Sale – Barn 8