Farm Director KC Sheperd is attending the Lahoma Wheat Field Day, where producers are gathered to learn about wheat varieties, breeding, fertility, disease, and pest and weed management. She got the chance to talk with Dr. Scott Senseman, associate vice president of research for the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

Senseman provided an update on the status of the new agronomy farm campaign to replace OSU's dated agronomy facilities in Stillwater. The first priority is upgrading the greenhouses and accompanying facilities. Next, the construction of a conference facility is sought, but so is a soil, water, forage testing, and plant diagnostics lab.

Oklahoma AgCredit supports rural Oklahoma with reliable and consistent credit, today and tomorrow. We offer loans for land, livestock, equipment, operating costs and country homes (NMLSR #809962) to farmers, ranchers and rural businesses across 60 counties. As a cooperative, we are owned by the members we serve. Through our Patronage Program, we have returned more than $74 million to our members since 1997.

For more information on our services or to find a location near you, visit our website here.

Oklahoma State University has been asking state lawmakers for a $295 million appropriation to help build a new veterinary teaching hospital to replace the 40-year-old facility currently being used. The goal is to attract better faculty members and students to mitigate the shortage of rural large animal and food animal veterinarians in the state.

Governor Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma legislature have reached a deal to provide $250 million for the construction project, adding to the $78 million appropriated by the state in 2023. OSU also awarded eight such scholarships through the Lee Denny Scholarship program last fall, and has more to give next fall, thanks to a legislative increase from $600K to $1.2 million in appropriated funding for scholarships. 

Senator Marshall Advocates for Farmers Amidst Trade and Economic Challenges

Senator Roger Marshall recently met with farm broadcasters, sharing his unique agricultural background and discussing key issues facing American farmers, including trade, mental health, and economic pressures.

Addressing the current challenges facing farmers, Marshall emphasized the critical issue of mental health. Marshall also addressed the pressing issue of trade, particularly tariffs, and stressed the importance of finalizing trade agreements with Mexico, Canada, and Japan, noting their significance to the cattle and dairy industries. He further advocated for policies to support domestic agriculture, including year-round E15, a strong farm bill, and the 45Z tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Regarding labor issues, he highlighted efforts to eliminate taxes on overtime pay.

Farm Director Maci Carter recently spoke with Christy Seyfert, the President and CEO of the Farm Credit Council, gaining insights into Farm Credit’s top priorities for the upcoming farm bill and their broader support for agricultural communities.

Seyfert began by emphasizing the urgent need for a new and improved farm bill. Beyond the farm bill, Seyfert stressed the critical need for tax extenders legislation to pass. Another significant concern for Farm Credit is the mental health crisis within the agricultural community, and how it is also actively working to improve access to capital, particularly for young and beginning farmers. 

During last Thursday's 2Q 2025 earning’s call, John Deere chairman and CEO John May announced a bold commitment to invest $20 billion in the United States over the next 10 years, underscoring the continued dedication of John Deere to American workers, communities, and manufacturing. John Deere has helped build America since 1837 through U.S. manufacturing, jobs, and community growth. This announcement reinforces the company’s ongoing commitment to strategic investments both for today and the future.

Through these efforts, John Deere continues to build strong local economies, expand career opportunities and support the people who build the country from the ground up. To learn more, please visit https://about.deere.com/en-us/us-impact.

On Wednesday, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee approved its portion of the budget reconciliation bill. The focus of the markup was on provisions that made changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These changes are based on the savings required by the House Budget Committee’s reconciliation instructions for the House Agriculture Committee (reduce deficits by $230 billion over 10 years), and were also used to fund farm safety net, crop insurance, conservation, trade, and other farm program provisions.

In response, NFU President Rob Larew gave the following statement:

“We appreciate that the House Agriculture Committee recognizes the financial pressures facing family farmers and ranchers. Proposals to strengthen crop insurance, bolster the farm safety net, and maintain voluntary conservation programs are important steps toward securing the future of our food system.

But this is not the best way to produce a meaningful farm bill. Our members know that the process matters. Pitting farm and nutrition priorities against one another creates unnecessary division and weakens the broader effort. A strong farm bill—however it comes together—must reflect the full scope of challenges facing agriculture and rural communities, and it must work for everyone it touches: farmers, ranchers, and families across the country.”

RFK, Jr Says Next Dietary Guidelines Will Be a Four Page Plan for Americans to Eat What's Good for You

From the website ZeroHedge- we can get a look at what Robert F Kennedy , Jr is telling Congress what's coming in the upcoming Dietary Guidelines:

“We are about to reissue the dietary guidelines, and we’re going to do it very quickly. We have until January, but ... I think we'll have it done even before August,” Kennedy said in Washington while testifying to a House of Representatives committee.

The current dietary guidelines, published in December 2020, run 164 pages. They say that people should eat a healthy diet and limit sugary foods and drinks.

Health and agriculture officials in late 2024 received a draft of updated guidelines from an advisory committee that spans 421 pages and proposed instructing Americans to eat less meat, avoid full-fat dairy products, and ingest more plant-based proteins such as lentils.

Kennedy said last week that the 2024 update was “clearly written by industry” and driven by the “kind of carnal impulses that put Froot Loops at the top of the food pyramid.” In the past, some members of the advisory committee have been found to have links to corporations, including Kellogg.

Kennedy told lawmakers: “We are changing that. So we’re going to have four-page dietary guidelines that tell people essentially, ‘eat whole food, eat the food that’s good for you.’”