Category: Ag News

Today, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the award of $15 million in new technical assistance grants as continued funding to nearly 500 conservation districts in 49 states and territories.
The Technical As…

Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) will hold town hall meetings in Creek, Osage, Kay, Pawnee, and Payne Counties on Monday, August 22nd and Tuesday, August 23rd. Residents around the locations are invited to attend and share their thoughts on …

Six students recently received 2022 Accelerating a Generation Syngenta Scholarships. These students, who are acquiring degrees focused on agricultural pursuits, will each receive a $2,500 scholarship.

A talented group of students applied for the 2022 scholarship program, which is a partnership between Syngenta and the National FFA Organization (FFA).
“These students give us confidence that the agricultural industry will continue to enjoy strong leadership,” says Pam Caraway, communications lead for Syngenta.

As part of their award packages, the scholars individually selected agriculture-related nonprofit organizations to receive $500 gifts on their behalf.
The selected winners and their designated charities are:

• Taylor Baggett from Jay, Florida, a sophomore at the University of Florida ? Farm Aid
• Regan Draeger from Lindsey, Ohio, a senior at The Ohio State University ? The Roper’s 4-H Club
• Luke Heupel from Kalispell, Montana, a sophomore at Montana State University ? Field of Hope
• Johanna Hooten from Red Bud, Illinois, a senior at Murray State University ? The Arboretum at Murray State University
• Deziree Lee from Coffeyville, Kansas, a freshman at Kansas State University ? Montgomery County 4-H Fair
• Ashlyn Persyn from Hondo, Texas, a freshman at Texas A & M University ? Medina Valley FFA Boosters

Hooten, a first-generation college student majoring in horticulture, says agricultural scholarships like this are “a true blessing” because they are helping her remain debt-free while she pursues her degree.

“I continue to study agriculture because it truly is my passion,” she says. “I have always been fascinated by specialty crops such as pumpkins and watermelons, so I decided to get a degree in horticulture. It brings me great joy to teach others about the agriculture industry, and I know that the only way to give others reliable information is to learn it first myself. That is why I felt it was important to continue my education in an agriculture-specific major after high school.”

Likewise, Heupel sees agriculture as a way to help better the planet and its people.

“The world’s population is increasing, and its amount of usable farmland is decreasing,” he says. “Things need to be done to ensure that farmers will be able to feed the world. I believe that a degree in agriculture will allow me to do my part in helping to feed the world.”

The recipients say they also appreciate the opportunity to give back to their community as well with the $500 gift that comes along with the scholarship. Hooten will give back to her university’s arboretum, while Heupel will donate to Field of Hope, a charity that works with developing countries to increase their agricultural stability.

Draeger says she is happy to help the 4-H club that she has been a member of since age 11.

“This club provided me with opportunities to become involved in my community and develop essential life skills,” Draeger says. “These 4-H members are invested in their community, and this donation will allow them to continue serving their community to the best of their ability. It will enable these members to continue developing as the future generation of agriculturalists.”

Those interested in applying for the scholarship for 2023 can visit the FFA Scholarship portal. Applications open in November.

For more information about Syngenta, visit www.Syngenta.com. Join the conversation online ? connect with us at Syngenta-US.com/Social.

As the importance of agriculture continues to be a focus throughout the world, students around the country understand the vital role it plays in everyday life. No more is this more evident than in the growth of membership in the Natio…

The 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show is headed to the Big Easy, and funding is available to offset some costs for producers. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is offering a variety of scholarships and g…

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KC Sheperd, Farm Director, got the chance to visit with country music singer and songwriter and the newest brand ambassador for Case IH, Lee Brice. Sheperd and Brice talk about his new song, “Farmer” which recognizes those working in the agriculture industry to provide for the world.

With over 3 billion on-demand streams, and over 3.6 billion spins on Pandora, Brice continues to enjoy massive success at country radio, digital streaming services, and on the road. Lee is also a GRAMMY nominee, a CMA and ACM award winner, and he’s taken nine radio singles to Number One: “A Woman Like You,” “Hard to Love,” “I Drive Your Truck,” “I Don’t Dance,” “Drinking Class,” “Rumor,” “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” “One of Them Girls,” and “Memory I Don’t Mess With.”

Growing up in South Carolina, Brice said he was raised with a family in agriculture and has always had a deep appreciation for the work farmers do. Because of his background, Brice said it was important to him that his children grew up the same way.

“I was able to get a small farm out here south of Nashville,” Brice said.

Instead of his children asking for an iPad or another electronic, Brice said he wanted his kids to spend time outside learning how to work and figure things out.

“Learning on your own and being out and exploring- that is something that I don’t think a lot of kids these days are getting, and I feel like it’s a real-life lesson later down the road,” Brice said.

The song “Farmer”, Brice said, is written specifically to lift up the farmers who work hard so that people can go to the grocery store and find the things they need for their families- something many take for granted.

“People don’t realize how hard folks work and how much they do,” Brice said. “No farmer is running around being a millionaire. They are working, and we appreciate them.”

The new song reinforces the mission of Case IH’s Built by Farmers brand campaign, which highlights the deep ties between Case IH employees and their collective farming backgrounds. Case IH’s employees and their families farm nearly 1 million acres of land across North America. It is this passion for the industry that drives the company to design, engineer, build and support equipment and system solutions that meet producers’ needs.

Watch KC Sheperd’s conversation with Lee Brice below!

For more information about the Case IH Built by Farmers campaign, click here.

To listen to Lee Brice’s new song, “Farmer” on YouTube, click here.

Click the LISTEN BAR below to hear the audio of KC Sheperd’s conversation with Lee Brice about his new song, “Farmer”.

Click here to listen to audio

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is featuring comments from Kansas State University Extension Livestock Market Economist, Dr. Glynn Tonsor, talking about profitability and demand. Tonsor&…

Oklahoma Teachers!

Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year!

Oklahoma AITC would like to invite you to participate in our, “Read and Accurate Book Week?” September 6th through the 9th.

Do you already have your favorite read aloud book(s) planned? Are you new to AITC and need suggestions? We are here to help!

Our goal is to educate schools, teachers, faculty and students about the importance of accurate information of where our food comes from! We want to put accurate agriculture books in our libraries, classrooms, and homes. Are you ready to support our AG week of READING?

Don’t know how to get started? Here are a few suggestions:

Teachers /Librarians/Early Childhood Centers etc. – register to read to your classroom, snap a picture, post on social media #okagclass & #readagbooks2022, or email a picture

Parents – ask to register the teacher of your child, kindly ask to be a guest reader, or ask a community member to read

Schools – read an accurate agriculture book week “school wide,” bring in community members to read, SRO school resource officers, retired teachers, FFA members, High Schools groups, or request a guest reader

Classrooms – Register and join a ZOOM “reader” we will spotlight during the week.

We will have a drawing for bushels of books for those who complete the steps below!
(2 classrooms, 1 FFA Chapter, 1 4H, and 1 FCCLA)

1. Register @ https://forms.gle/3Q6ZHFhzB61DU7Qs5
2. Read an “Accurate Ag Book”
3. Post a picture on FB/Insta using
#okagclass & #readagbooks2022
OR email, emily.ague@ag.ok.gov

Register @:
https://forms.gle/3Q6ZHFhzB61DU7Qs5

Educators, Did you know you can schedule a mobile Dairy Experince for your classroom?

Southwest Dairy Farmers is an alliance of dairy farmers from Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina. These producers …

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RON’s Dave Lanning has a pre-opening look at today’s agricultural Markets.

Click the audio tab below for today’s report.