Category: Ag News

As farmers ready their combines to roll, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) reminds them of one important step – submitting yield results of your contest entries in the 2022 National Corn Yield Contest. While harvest may see…

Peter Laudeman has joined U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) as Director of Trade Policy. He is a government affairs professional with more than four years of experience in trade association and corporate policy advocacy. He joined USW August 20,…

Weekly, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist Paul Beck offers his expertise on the beef cattle industry. This is a part of the weekly series known as the "Cow-Calf Corner" published electronically b…

Hay is getting tighter. Farmers and hay producers are beginning to get creative with baling up their milo, soybeans, and corn stalks. The rain did come across the parts of the state which brought cooler temperatures and which we might possi…

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Farm Director, KC Sheperd, visited with OSU Extension Specialist, Courtney Bir, about how to start your own beekeeping operation.

“We have a really great fact sheet that is available online that…

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Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, visited with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Director of Animal Health and Food Safety Policy, Chase DeCoite, to talk about a possible m…

By Kirsten Hollansworth

When Joel Jackson was hired as the meat pilot plant manager at the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center, his goal was to open a Cowboy Meats Retail Store. Available to the public, the Cowboy Meat…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced an additional $21.9 million of funding is being awarded to 111 grant projects through the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant Pro…

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

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U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), Arlington, Va., has hired Ralph Loos as Director of Communications. He comes to the organization with nearly 14 years of experience in agriculture communications, serving both the grain and livestock industries. He replaces Amanda Spoo who left USW for another position in July.

“Ralph’s experience working with USDA Foreign Agricultural Service cooperator organizations and his enthusiasm for the marketing communications profession is a great fit for U.S. Wheat Associates,” said USW Vice President of Communications Steve Mercer. “I think the wheat farmers we represent in overseas markets, our state wheat commission members and his colleagues are going to be very pleased with his work.”

Raised on his family’s farm in southern Illinois, Loos paid his way through college as a newspaper reporter and editor. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from Southern Illinois University in 2008.

Loos began his ag career as Communications Specialist for the U.S. Soybean Export Council. He then worked as Editor and Communications Manager for the American Sheep Industry Association, where he produced a monthly magazine for sheep producers and helped launch the association’s social media platforms.

In 2015, Loos joined the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) as its Communications Director. Along with creating written content, Ralph worked closely with USMEF staff around the world to produce video segments for the organization’s internal and external audiences.

In August 2021, Loos took a year-long leave from ag communications to work as Communications Manager for a Denver-based healthcare startup that specializes in staffing public health departments and setting up emergency COVID testing and vaccination clinics.

“While I valued the healthcare communications experience, I am happy to return to my roots and look forward to doing what I can to help support the U.S. wheat industry,” Loos said.

U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) is to “develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers.” USW activities in more than 100 countries are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. USW maintains 15 offices strategically located around the world to help wheat buyers, millers, bakers, wheat food processors and government officials understand the quality, value and reliability of all six U.S. wheat classes. For more information, visit www.uswheat.org.