Howdy Neighbors!

Oklahoma has qualified the most Proficiency Award National Finalists of any state in the US for the 2025 National contest-with National Champions to be named in all of the categories at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in October.

Oklahoma has qualified 22 National Finalists, tying Ohio with 22 and ahead of California with 21- the fourth highest state in the Proficiency Award finalists is Georgia with 16. Oklahoma has six chapters that have at least two national Finalists with Inola having three. Among the Oklahoma finalists is Kyriana Beard of Stillwater FFA, who was named the 2025 Oklahoma Star in Ag Placement this past May in Tulsa.

Agricultural Proficiency Awards honor FFA members who, through supervised agricultural experiences, have developed specialized skills that they can apply toward their future careers.

Nationally, students can compete for awards in nearly 50 areas ranging from agricultural communications to wildlife management (see areas below). Proficiency awards are also recognized at local and state levels and provide recognition to members who are exploring and becoming established in agricultural career pathways.

Meg Greski with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission discussed an upcoming event with Farm Driector, KC Sheperd, focused on regenerative ranching with sheep and goats, co-hosted by the Oklahoma Grazing Lands Coalition and Noble Research Institute. “In addition to working for OCC, I’m also on the board of the Grazing Lands Coalition,” Meg explained. “We are teaming up with Noble on September 25 at Noble’s Oswalt Ranch in Marietta, Oklahoma talking about how sheep and goats can be used to accomplish soil health and regenerative management goals.”

An exciting feature of the event will be discussions about livestock guardian dogs. “It’s my first year having goats, and the goats have been easy, but the guard dogs are what has given me some moments that I pulled my hair out,” she shared. “Since I got my guard dogs, I have not had one single loss, and that’s the most important thing.” She emphasized the value of hearing from producers who’ve had long-term success managing predators with these dogs.

Greski also highlighted the common challenges of fencing goats, noting their reputation as escape artists. “Goats are notorious for getting out,” she said. “This is the solution that I have found — virtual fence collars.” She explained how the system works: “I can put them anywhere I want, just with a couple of clicks… on my phone. And I also can see where they are in real time, because each collar shows up as a GPS beacon.” However, she noted, “The virtual fence companies say that it’s not meant to be used as perimeter fencing.”

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays speaks again with Jennifer Nealson, Vice President for Global Marketing and Research, who emphasized that beef has a compelling health message that resonates with consumers. “Beef is so nutritious,” she said. “We also know from the market research that we do over time that most people do perceive the value of the protein component of beef. But one of the things that we continue to work on is people to also perceive it as healthy.” She noted that a recent federal health initiative recognized beef’s value: “We were one of the only studies cited and that was a great honor.”

Nealson also discussed the success of digital and e-commerce marketing efforts supported by the Beef Checkoff. “We just wrapped up a campaign with a major retailer,” she explained, referencing a $400,000 investment that resulted in $23 million in incremental beef sales. “It was $59 per dollar spent in advertising. So we know that these programs are returning.” The data, she explained, showed that consumers exposed to the ads were significantly more likely to purchase beef.



The industry’s shift to digital advertising has been driven by tighter budgets and the need for efficiency. “As everybody knows, there’s just not as many cows anymore, and so that means a reduction of the checkoff dollars,” Nealson noted. “To do that, we work very closely with the state beef councils and we can do that much more effectively online.” Digital targeting allows them to reach more specific audiences while stretching limited funds further.

Associate farm reporter Carli Davenport spoke with Dana Zook, OSU Northwest Area Livestock Specialist, who emphasized the critical role of hoof health in cattle, comparing it to the well-known horse world adage: “No hoof, no horse.” She agreed this saying holds true for cattle as well, stating, “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of the hoof structure and hoof health to just general productivity over beef cows.” Recognizing the essential role hooves play in cattle productivity, Zook shed light on how producers can identify and manage hoof-related issues, particularly foot rot.

When discussing foot rot, Zook noted that it typically presents as a “sudden onset of lameness” and is usually isolated to “just one or two feet.” She pointed out that one of the key diagnostic signs is “even swelling around the coronary band of that foot.” She stressed that this even swelling is significant because “we have tons of other things that can cause lameness, and foot rot is just one of them.” Being able to distinguish foot rot from other lameness issues helps ensure more accurate treatment and management.

To prevent foot rot, Zook offered practical management tips, particularly relevant during the summer months. “One thing in particular in the summertime is cows standing in ponds, wet muddy areas.” While acknowledging that wet conditions are sometimes a blessing—”we thank the good Lord for that rain”—she explained that these environments soften the hoof, making it more vulnerable to injuries like punctures from “sticks, stones” and providing entry points for harmful bacteria. Additionally, cattle seek out these muddy areas to escape “stable flies that are very painful,” exacerbating the issue.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen A. Vaden hosted the fifth day of the Great American Farmers Market on the National Mall with an evening celebrating the beauty of our nation’s land, people, and agriculture. 

Yesterday was themed “America the Beautiful Day” and the programming featured remarks from Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden, a speech by “George Washington” sharing about his 250-year-old cherries, connecting our agricultural past to the future of food and farming.

The program also featured the People’s Garden on USDA’s lawn for hands-on tours, a Rainfall Simulator showing how healthy soil helps protect our land from erosion and runoff in real time, Tractor Supply Company’s Barnyard Bash to meet a Highland Cow, and the USDA’s Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) booth to learn about Tribal agriculture, traditions, and resources.  

Growth Energy—the leading voice of America’s biofuel industry—is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which opened fuel markets to competition from homegrown biofuels produced from U.S. farm crops. Joining Growth Energy in celebration of the August 8th birthday are leaders from across the heartland, who have helped to make the RFS America’s single most successful policy for increasing U.S. energy security, holding down fuel costs, reducing emissions, and strengthening the farm economy. 

Since the RFS became law in August 2005, American biorefineries have produced more than 250 billion gallons of ethanol. In that same time period, American ethanol plants have purchased 92.7 billion bushels of corn, driving more than $425 billion of revenue to American farmers. As a result of these benefits, the program is supported by a broad, bipartisan spectrum of stakeholders. 

“The RFS is the foundation of America’s bioeconomy,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “It supports hundreds of thousands of rural jobs and has shielded an entire generation of drivers from volatility in global oil markets. More than 10 percent of U.S. fuel supplies now come from renewable sources like ethanol, representing billions of gallons in savings. And it’s still fueling growth. As part of a drive toward U.S. energy dominance, the U.S. EPA recently proposed to set biofuel blending at the highest volume in the history of the program. Those numbers aren’t yet final, and the EPA still needs to address petitions from refiners seeking to skirt the RFS, but if we remain on a growth trajectory, the benefits to American motorists and farmers are overwhelming.”  

The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced a one-time Congressionally mandated payment to Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) administering eligible crop insurance contracts for 2022 and 2023 reinsurance year specialty crops through the Additional Payment Program II (ADD PAY II) to provide additional compensation to those on the front lines delivering crop insurance to America’s farmers. 

The total funding available for ADD PAY II is $30 million, and RMA will distribute to AIPs proportionally based on their respective liabilities for eligible crop insurance contracts for 2022 and 2023 reinsurance year specialty crops. Funding for ADD PAY II is provided through the American Relief Act, 2025. 



“This additional payment recognizes the great services Approved Insurance Providers and crop insurance agents provide America’s farmers,” said RMA Administrator Pat Swanson. “We look forward to continuing our progress expanding crop insurance to specialty crops by engaging directly with crop insurance agents who service these growers. The program works best when we listen to those on the ground.”  

Last week, President Trump signed an Executive Order modifying reciprocal tariff rates on most U.S. trade partners. For countries or trade blocs that have already reached or announced agreements, the tariff rate remains unchanged. For countries that have not yet agreed to trade frameworks with the U.S., this EO informs their new tariff rate for goods entering the U.S. These new tariff rates went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 7.

• For all countries that did not receive specific tariff rates in the new EO, the baseline duty is 10%.

• The EO also established a 40% tariff on any goods that Customs and Border Protection determines to be “transshipped,” or goods that are shipped from one country to another, modified in some way, and then shipped to the U.S. to avoid higher tariff rates.



• Find the full list of new tariff rates here.

Take note: While these tariff rates are greatly reduced from the higher levels announced on April 2, the new rates represent the highest U.S. tariff levels since the mid-1930s, according to The Budget Lab at Yale University.

Checking the Markets...

Fed Cattle prices rose in the southern plains this past week- Texas Cattle Feeders report fed steer prices in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico were up $1.03 to $236.03 and fed heifers were 42 cents up to $235.42,

On Friday, August 8, 2025, the Choice boxed beef cutout closed at $378.84/cwt, down $0.10 from Thursday’s $378.94 but $15.62 higher than last Friday’s $363.22.

The Oklahoma National Stockyards had 4,847 head on the yards at 9 PM last night. The sale will start at 8:00 am. We are expecting to start with 5,000 to 5,200.

OKC West is our Market Links Sponsor- they sell cattle three days a week- Cows on Mondays, Stockers on Tuesday and Feeders on Wednesday- Call 405-262-8800 to learn more.

Click here for our Markets Page on OklahomaFarmReport.Com- there you will find many of the reports we have linked on the right hand column found on the previous format of our email.

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