During the Chickasha Wheat forage and field day, OSU Wheat Breeding specialist Dr. Brett Carver provided an in-depth look at the university’s extensive wheat breeding nursery. Speaking with our own Maci Carter, Dr. Carver shared insights into promising new varieties, the challenges of breeding for Oklahoma’s unpredictable climate, and his dedication to enhancing wheat for consumer health.

Dr. Carver emphasized the significance of the Chickasha site for evaluating advanced breeding lines. “Well, from the wheat breeding standpoint, we saw a very big wheat breeding nursery. I mean, this is one of our bigger sites, and we include a lot of the germplasm that’s close to being released, and close to me means one to four years out. So just about 90% of that material is located at Chickasha.”

He recalled the valuable disease pressure from the previous year, stating, “Last year we got a super look at that germplasm because we had two diseases, leaf rust and stripe rust, that I could use to make some of the most important selection decisions I’ve made in a long time. Rarely do we get both of those in the same place.” While disease pressure might be lower this year, Dr. Carver acknowledged the benefit for farmers, quipping, “The farmers will love that, but, as a breeder, I need it sometimes.”

Midwest Farm Shows is proud to produce the two best Farm Shows in the State of Oklahoma annually- the Tulsa Farm Show each December and the Oklahoma City Farm Show each April.

The Tulsa Farm Show is Oklahoma’s premier agricultural and ranching event- and returns to the SageNet Center (Expo Square) December, 2025. 



Now is the ideal time to contact the Midwest Farm Show Office at 507-437-7969 and book space at the 2025 Tulsa Farm Show.  To learn more about the Tulsa Farm Show, click here

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays is attending the 10th Annual Hemphill County Beef Conference in Canadian, Texas, and had the chance to speak with Atmospheric Scientist Matt Makens who provided a weather outlook for attending producers. Hays found one excerpt of the conversation to be particularly interesting regarding the abnormal amounts of rainfall the Southern Plains have received this month.

Makens has presented thousands of weather forecasts and outlooks to dozens of industries since the 1990’s; however, his company, Makens Weather, LLC., specifically focuses on providing actionable long-term seasonal forecasts and short-term weather hazards for the agricultural community. It serves global clients from Australia to Canada and throughout the United States; notably CattleFax and NCBA.

Hays pointed out the limited amount of rainfall received from January until March across the state of Oklahoma and compared it to the record and near record amounts falling during the month of April, and asked what changed?

Makens explained, “We have talked about catching these elements in their transition. As it is flowing from one thing to another, there is a moment when that transition covers you. November was another transition. Now, we are transitioning a seasonal change, and we are caught in this transition again.”

Introducing Gage Long of the Adair FFA Chapter, Your 2025 Northeast Area Star in Agricultural Production

This week, our coverage of the 2025 Oklahoma FFA Star Award Finalists continues with Agricultural Production competitor Gage Long of the Adair FFA chapter representing the Northeast Area.

“My Star farm presentation is my purebred cow calf operation,” Long shared. “I have grown up in this industry. Right now, I have 56 head of registered purebred cows, including Angus, Sim-Angus, and some purebred Simmental females. I’m part of a production sale held in the spring and fall that includes three producers: L Bar R Ranch, Harley Creek Ranch, as well as myself. Through that sale, I am able to market my offspring from my cows, as well as some of my older cows that I’m selling, to purebred and commercial cowmen across the country.”

Long feels like the Sim-Angus crosses add value through the black hides of the Angus cattle combined with the muscle, bone structure, and rapid growth of the Simmental breed.

Long shared that joining FFA in the eighth grade wasn’t even an option for him. He began horse and livestock judging in the third grade, and began Speech contests once he was officially in FFA. He continues to judge horses and has competed at the National Horse Judging Contest in Indianapolis, Indiana. His goal is to win a state title in Livestock Judging.

A professor of precision livestock management at the School of Medical and Applied Sciences at Central Queensland University in Australia, Dr. Mark Trotter, has been researching smart e-tags, which are an emerging technology in the beef cattle industry.

Trotter was a speaker at the recent Oklahoma Beef Cattle Summit in Ada, and Oklahoma Farm Report’s Stevie White interviewed him prior to his presentation. Friday’s BeefBuzz included discussions about what e-tags are and do. In today’s BeefBuzz, Ron Hays is featuring comments from that conversation in which Trotter gets more in-depth about the practical use of the tags in a herd.

He pointed out that it often isn’t necessary to tag every animal in a herd. He suggested tagging a handful, then deciding if you like the results before going all in. Applications such as ensuring cattle are in the pastures they should be in, determining grazing habits, or detecting predation would only require tagging five to ten percent of a herd, which would save money for the producer.

“Those more efficient, lower-cost deployments are something that people should be looking at as well,” Trotter advised. “For some smaller producers who might be working off farm, these tags can provide really important information because you aren’t around and available.”

American Farmers and Ranchers (AFR) Day at the Capitol was about six years ago when Scott Blubaugh became president of the organization. AFR members are invited to attend and learn about the ins and outs of the legislative process, as well as advocate for the positions of policyholders and members at the annual convention. Oklahoma Farm Report’s KC Sheperd attended the event this year and got to speak with Blubaugh.

“This is a great opportunity for folks to come up here and meet their legislators,” he said. “Many of them don’t know who their Senator or Representative is, so we get them introduced and let them talk about the things that are important to them and AFR.”

He mentioned the added benefit of showing the legislators that AFR is a prominent organization with 60,000 members who pay attention to what is happening in state government. This makes it easier when the organization’s leaders and lobbyists advocate for legislation at the State Capitol.

Also improving the relationship between legislators and AFR were the Oklahoma Certified Beef burgers being served during the event! “Our legislatures passed that law a few years ago, during COVID, and we administer that Oklahoma Certified Beef program, so we are always glad to share that to remind them how important Oklahoma beef is and how important our farmers and ranchers are to the state as an industry. It is also the very best you can buy, too!”

Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, offers herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner,” published electronically by Dr. Derrell Peel, Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today, Johnson compares sweep tubs to bud boxes.

In a cattle working facility, the function of the crowding area, often called a “tub” is to funnel cattle into alleyway on the way to the squeeze chute or loadout. The crowding area must be designed and located so cattle can be easily moved into this area from a common sorting alley that is fed by holding pens. There are two commonly used systems that offer differing advantages which we cover this week.

The circular crowding area of a sweep tub, with totally enclosed sides and crowding gate, is effective because the only escape route visible to the animal is through the alleyway leading to the squeeze chute or loadout. 

The Bud Box is a rectangular pen in which the alleyway leading to the chute is placed at a right angle at the point of entry. The design is simple and with proper handling techniques can be highly effective.