U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced on Thursday the release of Congressionally mandated Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) payments to cover grazing losses due to eligible drought or wildfire events in 2023 and/or 2024. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is leveraging existing Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) data to streamline payment calculations and expedite relief. Emergency relief payments are automatically issued for producers who have an approved LFP application on file for 2023 and/or 2024, and do not have to contact USDA to receive payments. For more info- check with your local FSA Office.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) thanked Secretary Rollins following the announcement. Read that statement here.

Dating back to 1891, Stillwater Milling Company has been supplying ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients. Their full line of A & M Feeds can be delivered direct to your farm, found at their Agri-Center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 125 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas. We appreciate Stillwater Milling Company’s long time support of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and we encourage you to click here to learn more about their products and services.

Following a significant visit with Scott Mason, the 14th regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) South Central Region, Oklahoma Ag Secretary Blayne Arthur shared her insights on the crucial dialogue that unfolded with Oklahoma agricultural producers. 

Secretary Arthur expressed deep appreciation for Administrator Mason’s willingness to come to Oklahoma and engage directly with the state’s producers. “We were really appreciative that the administrator made time to come to Oklahoma and sit down and talk to our ag producers,” Arthur stated, highlighting the rare opportunity for such a candid exchange.

Lee Leachman on Improving Beef Quality Through Technology

Lee Leachman is the CEO of Leachman Cattle, based just North of Cheyenne, Wyoming, but with land in Colorado as well. Leachman Cattle markets over 2,000 bulls annually and is currently one of the five largest seedstock breeders in the US. Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays had the chance to interview Mr. Leachman during the recent Hemphill County Beef Conference, and they covered many topics, including how technology is improving the cattle industry.

Leachman recounted milking robots and automated feeding machines in dairies. “It’s not going to be long before these feed lots are using automated feed trucks to deliver feed,” he said. “I think we are going to use cameras to detect sickness. We are going to use artificial intelligence anytime we are looking at massive amounts of data. For me, that is usually involved in a breeding decision.”

The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) announces they are planning to once again collaborate with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to offer the Rancher Resilience Grant to 73rd Annual Convention and Trade Show attendees. This partnership will be made possible by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation and Cargill Protein.

This grant is intended to help cattle producers attend important educational events. Members can receive the grant to cover the cost of registration and hotel for the event. The Rancher Resilience Grant application and information is available at www.ncba.org, under the “Education & Resources” tab. The application must be submitted at least 21 days before the event.

The American Feed Industry Association is committed to ensuring its members’ voices are amplified, interests are represented and opportunities for engagement are limitless. Farm Reporter Maci Carter got the chance to speak with its Director of Global Affairs, Mallory Gaines.

Gaines detailed that most pet and animal feeds used domestically are manufactured in the United States, but some ingredients, such as vitamins, are imported from other countries so tariffs could have an impact on pet and animal feed prices over the coming months.

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, he discusses enhancing pastures with annual clovers.

Annual clovers offer significant benefits to forage systems across Oklahoma, including improved forage quality, extended grazing seasons, and reduced fertilizer costs. These legumes naturally fix atmospheric nitrogen, enhancing soil fertility and boosting livestock performance—all while lowering input expenses.

MAHA Efforts on Pesticides Could Cost Farmers

In response to the recent release of the Making America Healthy Again report, which raised unfounded questions about the safety of pesticides, the National Corn Growers Association has released a report that speaks to the economic impact of widely used technologies, like atrazine and glyphosate.

Farmers would face at least a 60% increase in cost if they were to switch from glyphosate and atrazine to alternative herbicides, according to the report. Similarly, a recent North Carolina State Extension analysis looking at the potential short-term economic impact of losing glyphosate in North Carolina estimated a 73% increase in costs for corn. Farmers have said that without pesticides, they have limited options for addressing weed and pesticide control. That assertion was echoed by the NCGA report.