The National FFA has announced the sixteen young men and ladies who are the best of the best for 2016- the national FFA website saying these 16 have risen to the top among thousands of American FFA Degree recipients. Finalists for the four awards have mastered skills in production, finance, management and/or research.

Oklahoma, Minnesota and Texas each have a pair of Star Finalists this year- and for Oklahoma, our finalists come in the Star Farmer and Star in Agribusiness categories.

The American Star Farmer is the granddaddy of all of the Star Awards- with its history stretching back to the early days of the Future Farmers of America. Considered the highest recognition in the nation for an aspiring young farmer, the award recognizes achievement in both career and leadership development.  Oklahoma's finalist for this award is Tyler Schnaithman of Garber, who was the Star Farmer of Oklahoma in 2013- and later that year won the National Prepared Public Speaking Contest in Louisville. He will compete this fall in Indianapolis at the National Convention against FFA members from California, North Dakota and Ohio.


Meanwhile, the Oklahoma national finalist for Star in Agribusiness is Garret Yerigan from Pryor.  Garret won a national Proficiency Award in 2012- click here to read our story with him back then- and his agribusiness is truly unique- Yerigan has been traveling the rodeo circuit all his life and became enamored with the role of the announcer. With this passion, he began Lightning G Announcing & Sound, his own business offering his announcing services to rodeos and other agricultural shows.

In addition to working on his communication skills as an announcer, he's also developed marketing strategies, ensuring that his business gains new customers throughout North America.

At Indy in October- Garret's Rodeo Announcing business will be judged versus Agri-Business programs from FFA members in Kentucky, Minnesota and South Dakota.

Click here to see the complete list as released by the National FFA- and remember- we will have complete coverage again from the National FFA convention in Indy this coming October!

Roy Lee Lindsey, executive director of the Oklahoma Pork Council, says the pork industry is in a period of transition. With the construction of several new processing plants underway, he says there is likely a lot of change to eventually come.


As it stands right now, USDA numbers show that Oklahoma is on track to becoming a sow state, with the potential to become the fourth overall sow state in the nation according to Lindsey. He explains that with the plant in Guymon, Okla. operating at full capacity, it makes sense for farmers to make a shift, converting existing hog farms to increase sow herds for production. Lindsey says slaughter hogs will be shipped to the Midwest where grain and processing is centered.


Lindsey says these are all changes stemming from a response to a growing international demand for pork. Which is good for the industry. He says pork often experiences seasonal pushes, during holidays or for summer barbeques. The rest of the time the industry relies on bacon to sustain value.


Lindsey admits to enjoying a steak as much as the next person, but encourages people to try a pork chop, perhaps, the next time they fire up the grill. He says to season and cook it just as you would a steak and promises a great dining experience for a fraction of the cost.


Listen to Lindsey talk more about current trends in the pork industry.


Be sure to catch Roy Lee as he joins me for the weekly In the Field segment on KWTV News9 in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday morning at 6:40 a.m.

Representatives of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP) visited China last week to provide technical information on sorghum use to key customers and document the success of sorghum exports there.


Since 2014, China has been the largest importer of U.S. sorghum. USGC and USCP began working intensely in China in 2011 when market conditions indicated an opportunity for increased exports. Promotion activities in 2012 led to initial exports in 2013 and larger exports in 2014 and 2015. The Council's continued engagement with traders, end users and other stakeholders reflects its efforts to maintain this critical market.


The recent mission included as participants Dale Murden, former chairman of USCP and current board member for Texas Sorghum, as well as Jennifer Blackburn, USCP external affairs director. Alvaro Cordero, USGC manager of global trade based in Washington, D.C.; and Bryan Lohmar, USGC director in China; and Junyang Jiang, USGC assistant director in China, accompanied them.


Stops included visits to port facilities, feed mills and duck farms, where participants gained insight into import and production processes and learned more about supply, demand and quality characteristics. The tours gave industry leaders from the United States the opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge on how end users are using sorghum and provided an opportunity to discuss current crop conditions and address concerns.


The group also participated in a conference put on by the China Chamber of Commerce of Foodstuffs and Native Produce (CFNA), with Lohmar moderating a panel at the event and Murden and Cordero presenting on the current crop year progress in the United States. Conference attendance exceeded 400 participants and addressed important topics in food safety, inspection management methods and sustainability in China.


Participants closed out the week with a visit to the State Development and Investment Corporation (SDIC) in Beijing, a trading organization that imports both sorghum and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), to gain insights into regulatory constraints facing continued exports of U.S. sorghum.


Click here for a link to more information about the Council's past programs in China.