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Three outstanding FFA members were recognized yesterday for their achievements at the FFA State Convention.   Tyler Schnaithman was honored as the state's Star Farmer, Chance Imhoff was named the winner of the Star Agribusiness Award, and Carson Vinyard received the Star Placement Award.  Click on the award-winners' names below to read more about them, to listen to an audio interview and to see a video feature about them.

Garber FFA member Tyler Schnaithman began his custom hay bailing business with his brother at an early age, and has grown his operation that now includes farming 925 acres of cropland, a herd of 50 heifers, and flock of 35 ewes.

His supervised agricultural experience project was rated the best agricultural production program among the 715 FFA members who received the State FFA Degree during the 87th State FFA Convention on May 1.

Prague FFA member Chance Imhoff used his knowledge of the goat industry, his background in agriculture and his drive for success in the show ring to build his unique business, Chance's Clipping LLC.  Imhoff produces and distributes videos on how to successfully show goats.  His DVDs have sold in two countries and 34 states.

Agricultural roots run deep in Altus FFA member Carson Vinyard who continues to carry on the family business.  Vinyard has assumed many responsibilities including managing some of the operation's employees and improving the efficiency of their irrigation system. 

"Irrigation is the lifeblood of our operation.  In the past few years, irrigation has been very limited in southwestern Oklahoma, however, in our operation, we have been able to expand in our cattle operation, we have been able to implement more acres in no-till, more acres in drip irrigation.  We have been able to improve our irrigation so when the drought does pass and we do start experiencing adequate rainfall and good crops again, we will be prepared and won't have to be scrambling to get ahead."

Steven Verkony of Byng to Lead State FFA Officer Team in Coming Year 

Steven Vekony, member of the Byng FFA Chapter, will lead the more than 24,000 members of the Oklahoma FFA Association for 2013-14. Members elected the 18-year-old to his presidential position during the 87th Oklahoma FFA Convention on May 1. He is the son of Kent and DeeAnn Blevins.

"Considering I have already been blessed this past year with the gift of time, another year is the greatest blessing anyone wearing the jacket could ever ask for," said Vekony, who is an animal science and agricultural education major at Oklahoma State University.

Seven additional FFA members will join Vekony on the 2013-2014 Oklahoma FFA officer team: Tyler Schnaithman, Garber FFA, secretary; Josh Haven, Cheyenne FFA, reporter; Garret Reed, Locust Grove FFA, northeast district vice president; Lawson Thompson, Deer Creek-Lamont FFA, northwest district vice president; Allison Christian, Duncan FFA, central district vice president; Desiree Masterson, Spiro FFA, southeast district vice president; and Bray Haven, Cheyenne FFA, southwest district vice president.

Eighteen-year-olds Bray and Josh Haven of Cheyenne are the first set of twins to serve together as Oklahoma FFA officers. Bray is the older of the two- being born four minutes ahead of younger brother Josh. 

Click here for our story on the State officers and a chance to see their first official group photo.

Oklahoma Wheat Crop Estimate Down 45 Percent from Last Year

Estimates of this year's wheat crop can be summed up in a single word: dismal. Attendees at the annual Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association Annual Meeting at the Oklahoma City Marriott heard the sobering report from representatives of nine different areas of the state.

All totaled, Oklahoma producers are expected to harvest 85,583,000 bushels of wheat this year. That's a 45 percent drop from last year's harvest of 154.8 million bushels.

This estimate is based on 3.362 million acres harvested with an annual yield of 25.45 bushels per acre

Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association members polled after the report session estimated the size of the 2013 crop at 88.022 million bushels based on 3.46 million acres and a yield of 25.44 bushels per acre.

You can hear an interview with Kim Metcalf who surveyed the North Central East Region and read more of this story including a breakdown of the numbers by region by clicking here.  

Panhandle Wheat Harvest Could be 90 Percent Below Average, Kochenower Says

While this year's wheat harvest may turn in a dismal performance statewide, Rick Kochenower says in the Panhandle it will be even worse. He has toured area and reported on the crop's condition at the 2013 Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association Annual Meeting.

He spoke with me at the meeting and didn't express a lot of optimism about the four counties he reported on: Harper, Beaver, Cimarron, and Texas Counties.

"Between drought and the late freezes we had here in April, it's basically... I'm hoping. I know I reported two million bushels today, I think I was being way overly optimistic.

"I toured Cimarron County yesterday and I think 95 percent of it won't be cut. If it doesn't rain in the next three weeks, the only thing we'll be cutting will be irrigated and some of it's got freeze injury on it.

"There's kind of a dividing line along Highway 54 which runs kind of northeast to southwest through the Panhandle and west of that line it's all drought driven. East of that line it's more freeze-injury driven where we're going to lose our yield."

You can listen to our conversation or read more of this story by clicking here.

 

Weed-Free Certification an Option for Wheat Crop Damaged by Recent Freeze

Recent freezes throughout the state may have some Oklahoma wheat producers opting to bale their fields for hay. The low temperatures that hit late in the season have damaged some of the wheat crop to the point that cutting for hay can be a better option over grain harvest. Producers looking to bale their crop can pursue weed-free certification through Oklahoma's certified weed-free forage and mulch program.   

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry has developed a certification process for forage and mulch products. Hay and grain fields can be inspected and once a field passes this inspection, bales from the field can be labeled as "certified weed-free" and will be issued a transit certificate. The certified status can be listed on the ODAFF Hay Directory for prospective buyers. Details about the agency's weed-free program are available at http://www.oda.state.ok.us/cps-weedfree.htm.

This year, ODAFF has been contacted by several pipeline construction contractors in search of a list of weed-free forage producers. State and federal agencies require certified weed-free mulch for highway, right-of-way, restoration and reclamation projects. These contractors intend to purchase as much local weed-free forage as possible; promising news for Oklahoma producers in need of a market for baled wheat. 

Click here to read more.

 

Environmental Working Group Asserts Taxpayers Pay Too Much for Crop Insurance Programs

The following is a news release distributed by the Environmental Working Group:

A new analysis commissioned by the Environmental Working Group debunks the myth that federally-subsidized crop insurance will save taxpayers money and protect farmers from crippling losses when natural disasters occur.

The study, by agricultural economist Bruce Babcock of Iowa State University, has concluded that during last year's drought, crop insurance payouts will exceed $16 billion, almost 50 percent more than 2011.

"Crop insurance as it is currently structured and marketed is a bloated, taxpayer-funded income support program that in many cases allows growers, particularly the industrial-scale operations that have been enjoying record profits, to make more money from insurance payouts than they would from a healthy harvest," Babcock writes. 

Click here to read more.

 

This N That- Superior Sale This Week a BIG One, Nasty Day for National Range & Land Judging and How Cold Tomorrow Morning?

This Friday's Superior Video Auction is going to be a really BIG show (our apologies to Ed Sullivan) as Jim Odle and his team will be offering over 42,000 head with the live sale set to begin at 8 AM central time.

They have a great group of Florida calves that will be offered- 8,000 weaned calves are on the sale docket, along with 12,000 calves on cows- and 1,700 bred heifers, bred cows and cow/calf pairs.  Click here for the Superior Video website- or call them at 1-800-422-2117 to find out exactly when specific lots of cattle will be selling.

Superior is proud to be able to bring the auction to you.

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Today is the day for the 2013 National Land and Range Judging contest- and it's cold, windy and wet- after practice day was beautiful.  Oh well, there was never a promise that the quest for a national championship would be easy- Contestants will be headed out to the contest site south of Oklahoma City- 32 states are represented and the winners will be presented with their awards this evening at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum- looking forward to celebrating with them!

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Finally- just how cold could it be early Friday morning?   Well, the latest overnight "lows" map found on the Oklahoma Mesonet shows that no- one in the main body of the state will be below freezing- will get down to around 33 degrees in the northwest but that's it.  Click here to take a look. However- the National Weather Service has a "freeze watch" for much of the state of Oklahoma out of the Norman, Oklahoma office- it reads as it pertains to temperatures overnight- "

GENERALLY 28 TO 32 DEGREES...BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES MAY PERSIST UP TO 6 HOURS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING." CLick here for the watch to see exactly what is covered by this NWS update.

For northeastern Oklahoma- the NWS in Tulsa says that temperatures will be approaching freezing levels- but seem to be discounting the prospects in Green Country a hard freeze.