The 21st Annual Oklahoma City Farm Show, featuring the latest in agricultural machinery, equipment, technology, and services, is set for April 3-5, 2025, at the OKC Fairgrounds. This year’s event will showcase more than 1,000 products and services from hundreds of exhibitors, filling both the indoor Bennett Event Center and the outdoor exhibition area directly in front of it. Admission to the show is free, and ample free parking is available at the OKC Fairgrounds complex.

Show hours are 9 am to 5 pm Thursday and Friday- and 9 am to 4 pm on Saturday.

This year, the 279,000 square foot building is full with 94 new companies added this year. In addition to over 150,000 square feet of agricultural and ranching exhibits, the show will offer a variety of activities and amenities. Complimentary coffee and rolls will be served each morning until 10:00 AM, thanks to Purple Wave Auctions.

Midwest Farm Shows- which operates the Oklahoma City Farm Show as well as the Tulsa Farm Show- is one of our original sponsors of our daily farm and ranch email that we publish daily. We invite you to check out more of our sponsors of the daily email and the radio network that are exhibiting at the 2025 show- here are their booth numbers:

Radio Oklahoma Ag Network 6032

Oklahoma Ag Credit 2087

National Livestock 4083

Great Plains Kubota 6083 (and also outside- 915)

P&K Equipment 6057

Oklahoma Farm Bureau 4035

Stillwater Milling 4055 and 4048

Western Livestock Commission, Comanche and Woodward Livestock Markets 5100

Stockman Oklahoma Commission and Apache Livestock Markets 5058

Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association 5102

The Oklahoma Pork Council, a farmer-led organization, represents the interests of all Oklahoma pig farmers. From large-scale commercial operators to first-time 4-H and FFA exhibitors, our mission is to positively impact every Oklahoman who raises pigs.

At Oklahoma Pork, we focus our efforts within four strategic intentions to serve our farmers: foreign animal disease preparedness, workforce at all levels, image enhancement, and freedom to operate. Learn more by visiting okpork.org.

Oklahoma’s weather is taking a dramatic turn, shifting from severe storms to a late-season winter resurgence. State Climatologist Gary McManus warns of continued turbulent conditions, including tornadoes, freezes, and even snow.

“The Winter streak is back,” McManus declared, highlighting the abrupt change in weather patterns. He detailed the immediate threat: “We’ve had at least two damaging tornadoes overnight up in NE OK, and it would be nice if we could call it a day. Unfortunately, the unpleasantness continues, and will continue for the next couple of days.”

The severe weather isn’t confined to a single region. “And southeastern OK needs to stay weather aware for through Friday,” McManus emphasized, indicating a prolonged period of potential danger.

Following the storm threat, a sharp temperature drop is expected. “After that, the NW half or so of the state needs to be FREEZE aware (You shouldn’t have planted those flowers!) this weekend. Monday also has a risk,” McManus cautioned, advising residents to protect sensitive plants.

Michael Kelsey on the Screwworm Threat and Tariff Negotiations

Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays talked with Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association who recently returned from Washington, D.C. where he discussed many topics with legislators, one of which was the New World Screwworm’s northward progress. Hear more about his work on Capitol Hill in yesterday’s BeefBuzz.

“What we learned while we were there is the fly continues a very slow trek north,” Kelsey cautioned. “It is further north today than it was yesterday. We’ve got to stop it!”

In order to do that, Kelsey and his team requested funding from the federal government for more fly breeding facilities. Mexico lost one of its facilities, which leaves only one in Panama. The fly-breeding facilities produce sterile male flies to be released into existing screwworm populations so that they may be bred into extinction. It has proven to be the single best option for eradicating the pests. The fly larvae infest living tissue in warm-blooded animals and cause infections.

The requested funding would be used to help Mexico reopen its fly breeding facility and perhaps to build a new facility in South Texas. Click here to read and listen to a previous conversation between Hays and Kelsey regarding the New World Screwworm.

A unique opportunity is on the horizon for young agricultural enthusiasts: the EPOS (Episode Ag Experience) technology in agriculture camp at Oklahoma State University. Farm Director KC Sheperd visited with Matt Oakes, the driving force behind this initiative, about how this camp is bringing a fresh perspective to agricultural education.

“This is an EPOS Ag Experience,” Oakes explained, detailing the camp’s origins. “We’re a nonprofit. We’ve been doing sports camps over the last five years, we’re getting ready to do our sixth one at OSU.”

Drawing from his background in both sports and agriculture, Oakes recognized a need. “I wanted to put an agriculture camp on to give these ag kids the same experience that we were giving our sports kids.”

This year marks the inaugural overnight camp at OSU. “It’s not sponsored by Oklahoma State, but a lot of the teachers on campus are going to present some of the labs for us, so it’s pretty exciting. I’m excited about the lab structure and the information technology that these kids are going to get that involves agriculture today,” Oakes stated.

Weekly, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist Paul Beck offers his expertise on the beef cattle industry. This is part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner,” published electronically by Dr. Derrell Peel, Mark Johnson, and Beck. Today, Beck talks about enhancing meat quality before a calf is born.

Meat quality is influenced by various factors that affect the consumer’s eating experience, including tenderness, marbling, and fat composition. While many factors contribute to the final product, beef producers play a key role in shaping meat quality through their management and nutritional decisions, even before an animal is born.

Production systems vary widely based on climate and economics, but management choices made before birth can significantly impact meat quality. Key decisions include breed selection and maternal nutrition.

Breed type affects meat quality. Bos taurus breeds, such as Angus and Hereford, tend to have higher marbling scores than Bos indicus breeds. Crossbreeding beef and dairy genetics can optimize efficiency and carcass quality, with research ongoing to determine the best breed combinations for superior meat characteristics.

Built by, for, and with women, Dovetail Workwear, is teaming up with John Deere to develop a collection of apparel and gear specifically designed to address the needs of women in the agricultural industry. This collaboration is inspired by their shared commitment to celebrating women’s immense value and contributions in agriculture. Together, the two brands are focused on developing products that support and empower female farmers, crafts and tradeswomen, and small-scale homesteaders.

The John Deere x Dovetail Workwear collection was developed through close collaboration with female farmers, ensuring their voices and needs are represented at every stage, from product design to wear testing. Design prioritizes fit, performance, and durability on the farm, with features like high-stretch, midweight fabric and a split hem for a smooth fit over boots.

Throughout history, women have grown, sourced, and harvested food alongside their male counterparts. In times of war, they even replaced their jobs in the field. While women haven’t always been recognized for their pivotal role in agriculture, their influence and impact has continued to grow steadily.

Fake Meat and the Free Market

Op-Ed By Gene Copenhaver, NCBA President-Elect:

NCBA’s membership is made up of tens of thousands of cattle producers from every corner of the country. No two families raise cattle exactly the same way, and our association runs on the wide range of different ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives that our producers bring the table. But there are two things that unite each and every NCBA member and set our course in Washington, D.C. — our grassroots policy process and our conservative values.

One of the building blocks of conservatism is belief in the free market. Our members believe in strong private property rights, individual freedom, and fair market competition on a level playing field. We don’t want the federal government to tell us what we can buy, eat, or do with our business, and we don’t want those burdensome, bureaucratic restrictions put on our neighbors either. This is reflected all over the policy book that directs NCBA’s work in Washington — everywhere from our policies on trade, to environmental management, to how we handle competitors in the fake meat business.

Plant-based and lab-grown protein products enjoyed a moment in the sun several years ago, but it didn’t take long for the free market to kick in and push these companies down a very steep decline. From Beyond Meat to SCiFi Foods, we have seen stock prices fall, employees laid off, plans for new facilities cancelled, and in some cases companies have gone out of business altogether. We know — and recent history has proven — that when given a choice, American families will choose real, wholesome beef. Our customers trust farmers and ranchers. They trust the nutrition, taste, and quality of the beef we produce. They trust the safe and responsible way you raise cattle and care for the land. And they don’t want to turn their back on a delicious, proven winner in favor of untried, untested, ultra-processed goop that a Silicon Valley company cooked up in the vat of a bioreactor.

Ag Groups Weigh In Wednesday Evening on Latest Trump Tariffs

President Trump announced on Wednesday a new 10% across-the-board tariff in addition to reciprocal duties that will apply to specific trade partners, including China, the European Union, India, Japan and South Korea. This is in addition to the tariffs currently in place on Mexico and Canada.

Ag groups seem to fall into three categories as they react to this latest round of tariffs imposed by the White House. Those categories include:

Alarmed and worried

Wait and See

Giddy with delight

Five groups that reacted last night to the latest tariffs are linked below- I will let you sort their reaction as you read them and see if you agree with me about the categories:

American Farm Bureau National Farmers Union

National Cattlemen's Beef Association

American Seed Trade Association

R-Calf USA