Category: Ag News

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 08:58:22 CDT

This coming Friday- the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association will honor six alumni of OSU with their 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award. This award recognize alumni who attain distinctive success in his or her chosen field or profession, perform outstanding service to their community or both. Service and contributions to the advancement of the university, the OSU Alumni Association or both may be considered.

The 2022 honorees will be recognized at a public reception Friday, September 9 inside the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center. All are welcome to attend, and registration is requested- click here to register.

The Ferguson College of Agriculture is well represented as three of the six honorees are from the College of Ag. One of the six is Dr. Robert Eugene Walton, who grew up in Shattuck, Oklahoma..

Dr. Robert Eugene Walton Sr. graduated from OSU (then Oklahoma A&M) in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in dairy science. He went on to receive his master’s degree in animal breeding and genetics from OSU in 1956 and his doctorate in animal breeding, genetics and statistics from Iowa State University.

During his time at OSU, Walton worked at the OSU Dairy Farm. He was elected as chancellor of Alpha Zeta, was a member of FarmHouse fraternity and competed on the dairy cattle judging team. Walton also attended Royal Agriculture College in Sweden as part of an exchange program.

Dr. Robert E. Walton served as president and general manager of American Breeders Service (ABS), De Forest, Wisconsin from 1967 until 1992 . Walton joined ABS in 1962 as a dairy geneticist. In 1965, he was named director of the marketing and breeding division. He was promoted to his current position in 1967. Prior to joining ABS, he was an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky and also while still in college he worked as estate manager for Westhide Farms, Hereford, England. At ABS, his original responsibility was to design and implement the first progeny-testing program for dairy cattle. This included the selection of sires and dams for 100 young sires each year. The program also included the sampling of young sires in 800 herds, representing 100,000 cows in 25 states. The final phase was the selection of the top 20 percent of the program graduates, based on genetic transmitting ability for higher levels of milk production.

Walton also developed the original ABS Program -Estimated Daughter Superiority System. Subsequently, in 1965 USDA adopted the same system. It was renamed Predicted difference and is used nationwide by the entire A.I. industry. Walton vigorously promoted the use of frozen semen as a means of making good genetic material available on a massive scale including remote areas where normal technician service was not economically feasible. This promotion led to the development of A.I. training schools and direct sales of semen to cattlemen and ranchers who breed their own cows. While at ABS, Walton was responsible for the design and implementation of the Genetic Mating Service (GMS). This professional computer application for commercial dairy herds determines and manages the specific genetic inputs for each herd. The ABS program grew to include the annual enrollment of more than 500,000 dairy cows.

Walton has earned many accolades throughout of his career. His most notable accomplishments include receiving the OSU Distinguished Animal Science Alumnus Award, founding director of Holstein Foundation, founding director of World Beef Expo, Distinguished Service Award from Wisconsin FFA, World Dairy Expo Industry Person of the Year, Distinguished Service Award from the American Dairy Science Association, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Cattleman’s Association. Walton also received the Iowa State Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2022.

In 2021, Dr. Walton finished part one of this autobiography, View from the Bull’s Eye.

Walton is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association.

Sun, 04 Sep 2022 09:17:44 CDT

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Former Secretary John Block – “Mother Nature”

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Fri, 02 Sep 2022 15:22:00 CDT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture are now putting the Daily Cash Grain Report into a PDF format – we are saving that PDF and archiving them for today’s specific report. To see today’s update, click on the PDF report link at the bottom of this story.

In addition to the PDF of the daily report, you can also listen to the Cash Grain Report by calling 405-621-5533. Push 2 for the grain report.

Click here:

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 14:11:59 CDT

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Listen to today’s report with Justin Lewis, by clicking or tapping on the LISTEN bar

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 11:48:36 CDT

This morning, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced the Tulsa Regional Advanced Mobility (TRAM) Corridor as one of 21 winners of the $1 billion EDA Regional Challenge. The EDA’s Regional Challenge awarded approximately $39 million in grants to the TRAM Corridor, led by the Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG) and Oklahoma State University (OSU), to advance aerial mobility technology in northeast Oklahoma.

“Oklahoma has a proud and longstanding history in aviation, aerial mobility technology, and manufacturing, which has allowed northeast Oklahoma to harness the region’s innovative capabilities and lead in the development of next-generation unmanned aerial systems,” said Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03). “The Economic Development Administration’s $39 million award is a welcome and exciting investment that will cement Oklahoma as a hub of transformational aerial mobility research and development. I commend the work of INCOG, Oklahoma State University, the Osage Nation, the City of Tulsa, and all other regional stakeholders who have forged a pioneering vision for the future of unmanned aerial technologies and manufacturing in Oklahoma. By investing in this critical industry, and our local and state economies, we will continue to increase America’s technological competitiveness across the globe.”

“The Economic Development Administration is proud to support the bold vision of the TRAM Corridor,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This EDA investment diversifies the Tulsa regional economy to create new opportunities for innovation, leading to good-paying jobs and a resilient economy.”

EDA funding will invest in key assets, enabling the region to compete in a rapidly growing advanced mobility, automation, and unmanned aerial systems industry. Oklahoma State University (OSU) will partner with the Osage Nation to stand up a 114-nautical mile “beyond visual line-of-sight” flight test range for advanced aerial mobility technologies. OSU will also establish the LaunchPad Research and Technology Center in Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood to increase research capacity for established firms and potential entrepreneurs.

“Quality partnerships open the door to new possibilities,” OSU President Kayse Shrum said. “Oklahoma State University has seen incredible success in other Tulsa-area partnerships, and we’re delighted to be a key stakeholder in this coalition. OSU is the state’s leader in aerospace and aviation, with specialized infrastructure dedicated to the research and design of unmanned systems. As a land-grant university, we’re committed to using research to address society’s most pressing problems, empowering Oklahoma’s workforce and providing access to a quality education. This partnership will improve life for Oklahomans in tangible ways. The benefits will expand beyond our borders and will have an influence on the nation and more importantly, the future.”

“This is a game changer for Oklahoma and OSU. While Oklahoma is already a leader in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), this grant will provide new capabilities, expanding OSU’s role in AAM and attracting new companies and projects to the state,” said Dr. Jamey Jacob, Director of the OSU Unmanned Systems Research Institute. “This award, the first for OSU’s new Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE), exemplifies and cements OSU’s leadership position in aerospace and aviation at the state and national levels.”

In March, Lucas led a letter of support of the TRAM project in partnership with INCOG and OSU.

Additionally, the EDA awarded a $35 million grant to the Oklahoma Biotech Innovation Cluster, led by the Oklahoma City Economic Development Foundation, to expand the biotechnology industry in the Oklahoma City region.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 11:41:05 CDT

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KC Sheperd, Farm Director, is visiting with Bob Rodenberger with Stockman’s Livestock Marketing giving an update of the current trends he is seeing in the cattle mark…

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 10:51:36 CDT

The Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding recently approved numerous projects to be considered when the Legislature reconvenes it’s special session to appropriate American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Among the projects approved is $12 million in funds matching tribal contributions to create new water infrastructure in rural Oklahoma communities in need of system upgrades. This will provide safe and reliable drinking water and wastewater systems for those living in rural areas.

Another project will allocate $50 million to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to create grant programs for the support and enhancement of water infrastructure across the state:

· $25 to assist small communities/rural districts with infrastructure needs
· $20 million to mid-large system construction
· $5 million to support dam rehabilitation efforts

“This funding will not only benefit the people in my House district,” said Rep. Judd Strom, R-Copan, “but people throughout the state who live in rural areas that are struggling with aging infrastructure made worse by our current drought. Offering relief to those who need access to clean drinking water and waste disposal is essential to the quality of life of our rural residents.”

Strom represents a rural district in the state and has a water project in his district that could potentially qualify for the assistance being proposed.

The Waxhoma Lake Spillway Project at Barnsdall, is just one of many projects that could benefit from these funds, he said. After flood waters flowing over the Lake Waxhoma Dam cut into the spillway, subsequent floods threatened to destroy the levee. The city of Barnsdall and the surrounding area rely on Lake Waxhoma as their water supply. ARPA dollars have eased the concerns of hundreds of citizens in the city that, without these funds providing for repairs to the dam, would have very few viable options for clean drinking water, he continued. Repairs to the dam also will mitigate flood damage to hundreds of homes and businesses downstream that rely on the dam to slow flood waters into Dog Thresher and Bird Creeks.

The two water projects are among nine proposals to be considered when the Legislature reconvenes the Second Extraordinary Session of the 58th Oklahoma Legislature, which was called for the purpose of evaluating ARPA projects advanced by the joint committee.

The overall goal is to determine projects that will result in the greatest benefit to the state. The committee considered public input and took the recommendation of working groups to determine its final project list.

The nine new proposals are in addition to projects passed by the Legislature during special session held in June.

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 09:54:26 CDT

Although I was called back to Washington for a few days due to votes in the U.S. House of Representatives, I was still able to spend much of August in Oklahoma for the customary monthlong district work perio…

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 09:31:11 CDT

The Animal Agriculture Alliance’s annual College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship competition kicks off in less than two weeks on September 12. Participants will have the opportunity to network and lear…

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 09:09:10 CDT

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While attending the Women in Agriculture Conference, Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Intern, Cheyenne Leach, had the opportunity to visit with Loyd Lasley of Lasley Farms in Eakl…