After sixty years of livestock shows in the Jim Norick Arena- the Grand Champion drive of the four market species at the 2025 Oklahoma Youth Expo wrote the final chapter of the storied facility. And the final species for the 2025 show, as usual, was the market steer show. The lead judge for the steer show, Bob May of Wisconsin, called it the greatest set of steers he has ever seen in a single show- and he then proceeded to walk up and down the line of the ten breed and Crossbred champions before walking up to the Crossbred Champion and pointing to and congratulating Madilyn Norvell of Amber Pocasset FFA for showing the final Grand Champion Market Steer to ever show in the Norick Arena.

Earlier- the Market Barrow Grand Drive led off the evening of picking the top markets animals for the last time in the Norick Arena- and at the top of 1750 barrows shown this week- the judges selected the Champion Hampshire shown by Kaleb Dorr of Wagoner FFA to be the 2025 Grand Champion.

The Grand Champion Market Goat was shown by Sayde Allen of Canute FFA while the Grand Champion Market Lamb was shown by Skylar Dooley of Lomega 4-H.

We have lots more details about the Grand Drive- and the Sale Lineup for the OYE Premium Auction that is set for 4 PM today in the Big House.

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According to the latest Oklahoma drought monitor report, exceptional drought remains at zero percent, unchanged from the start of the calendar year.

Extreme drought or worse conditions remain at zero percent, unchanged since the week of October 29, 2024.

Severe drought or worse conditions have increased to 13.6 percent, up from 0.33 percent which was set on January 2.

Moderate drought or worse conditions have increased to 42.48 percent, up from 32.13 percent last week.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions have decreased to 73.22 percent, up from 71.07 percent last week.

As for our neighbors, During major dust storms on March 14 and 18, wind gusts in Lubbock, Texas, were clocked to 82 and 78 mph, respectively. The March 14 gust was a spring (March-May) record for Lubbock—and marked the highest non-convective gust on record in that location. As the dust blew, numerous wildfires raged in numerous areas of southern Kansas and the northern panhandle of Texas.

In Kansas, expansion or introduction of dryness (D0) and moderate to severe drought (D1 to D2) resulted from mostly warm, dry, windy weather. 

Kansas Drought Monitor shows Moderate Drought increased from 28.24 percent last week, to 48.56 percent. Texas Drought ratings increased from 53.72 percent a week ago to 62.46 percent. As the dust blew



Click here for the Kansas Drought Monitor Page and Click here for the Texas Drought Monitor Page.

Click here for the US Drought Monitor details for this week.

Understanding the Impact of the Sackett v. EPA Decision on WOTUS with Mary-Thomas Hart

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is continuing his conversation with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart about EPA’s intent to revise the Waters of the U.S. rule and conform it to align with the intent of the Supreme Court’s Sackett v. EPA decision. To see the first part of their conversation, click here.

 “If you have owned or managed land since 1972, the year the Clean Water Act was passed into law, you have now dealt with fourteen regulatory iterations of a WOTUS definition,” Hart pointed out. “That is no way to manage a business. That is not a tool that anyone can use to effectively plan future land management decisions.”

She emphasized the necessity of a clear regulatory standard when land management sustainability decisions are being planned. She revealed that the 2006 Rapanos v. United States decision sent the EPA on a mission to create a regulatory definition for WOTUS.

“We started with the Obama rule in 2015. It was obviously a significant federal overreach. We saw a lot of dryland being regulated as WOTUS or potentially regulated as WOTUS. That rule was pulled back by the Trump administration during his first term and replaced with the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. That rule was pulled back by the Biden administration and I would say the Biden WOTUS definition tried to find some middle ground between the Obama and Trump rules, but in the end, didn’t provide the regulatory clarity that landowners need.”

Broadcasting live from the Oklahoma Youth Expo, Farm Director KC Sheperd visited with State FFA Secretary Cooper Kline whose mother has been involved with the show for many years.

“I’ve been coming here since before I could walk,” Kline said. “The Oklahoma Youth Expo has been a really big part of my life. I have gotten to exhibit show animals here and I have gotten to watch people exhibit animals that I raised, whether that was in the sheep or the hog barn working alongside my family there. This place really has a lot of core memories within our family. It is something that is really near and dear to my heart and I’m really happy that I get to give back a little bit on the staff side this year.”

A North Rock Creek High School Graduate and Chandler resident, Kline currently attends Oklahoma State University. Many of his fellow students hailing from the Midwest or California or other areas of the United States are seeing OYE for the first time and according to Kline, they are astounded by the experience.

“Normally, you have one species in the barn at a time, and we have the world’s biggest junior livestock show, and we are doing it all at once and it is extremely functional,” he said. “They think it is truly an amazing time.”

Applications are open until May 1 for Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program Class XXII.

A maximum of 30 professionals from across the state in production agriculture, agribusiness or other ag sectors are selected to participate in the 20-month program featuring the following components: 10 three-day seminars and study tours within Oklahoma, one three-day seminar in northern Oklahoma and Kansas, a seven-day seminar in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., and a two-week international experience.

For more than 40 years, OALP has enhanced knowledge and leadership skills for Oklahomans involved in agriculture. Applicants must be at least 25 years old and are chosen for the program based on their potential to serve as an agricultural leader in the state. 

“Experiential learning is a key part of our program,” said Edmond Bonjour, OALP director since 2010. “Participants enjoy increasing their knowledge about agriculture in the state, nationally and internationally, and incorporate what they learn into their operations or businesses.”

It's a tradition that started well before the the name and structure of the Oklahoma Youth Expo came into existence early this century.

The OYE- and before that- the Oklahoma Junior Livestock Show and before that- the Oklahoma City Spring Livestock Show- were honoring men and ladies who have invested their time and resources and helped make the show each March a success.

The Sirloin Club is the group that spearheads this annual selection and recognition- and has since 1969.

Thursday night- just ahead of the Grand Drive- two men who have helped OYE run bigger and better were named the 2025 Show Honorees.

Dusty Birchfield, who has been at the spring show each year since almost at birth, was named Show Honoree- since the early days of OYE in the early 2000s- he has been the driving force behind the lights, fireworks, videos and more that are a part of the Grand Drive.

Also named as a 2025 Show Honoree was Guy Shoulders, who has spend much of his life as a Ag Educator or working with Ag Educators at the State level in Oklahoma and Kansas.

We talked with both Dustry and Guy on Thursday just ahead of them getting their Blue Sport Coats signifying their induction into this special body- listen to their stories by clicking on the Blue Button below