In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Michael Kelsey, executive vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, who shares a cattle industry perspective on an unusually early state budget agreement and what it could mean for agriculture.
An Unprecedented Early Agreement
Kelsey says the timing alone makes this budget deal stand out at the State Capitol.
“This is really early, in fact, since I’ve been here, this is the earliest it’s ever been,” Kelsey said. “I was over the capitol this morning talking to a couple of lobbyists that are pretty long in the tooth and they can’t remember a budget agreement before Easter. This is kind of unprecedented. We’re in new territory.”
With leadership aligned, Kelsey believes the process is moving quickly toward completion.
“It looks like we’re kind of on a fast track now to sine die, potentially a month early, which is just wild, if you think about it,” he said.
What’s Inside the Budget
At a high level, Kelsey describes the proposal as relatively steady, with a few key areas drawing attention.
“There’s some education funding to increase some teacher salaries… and pretty broad based budget cuts, like 2% on higher education,” he said. “For the most part, somewhat of a flat budget.”
While there aren’t major surprises, Kelsey notes that the early timing is the biggest headline.
“I don’t see a bunch of huge surprises in a budget… other than it’s just so early,” he added.
Push for OSU Agronomy Facility Funding
One item not directly included in the budget bill is a priority for the cattle industry: a new agronomy facility at Oklahoma State University.
“OSU needs a new agronomy facility and we really need that,” Kelsey emphasized. “That agronomy facility there at OSU is responsible for the vast majority of our wheat varieties.”
He highlighted the direct connection to cattle production across the state.
“We know the value of wheat pasture to the cattle industry here in the state of Oklahoma, so we’re certainly supportive of OSU,” he said. “It’s about $40 million for that agronomy facility, and the state can certainly afford it.”
Industry Encouraged to Engage
Because the funding would come through a standalone bill, Kelsey says there’s still work to be done—and possibly a need for grassroots support.
“We might need some of our rural folks to call in to their rural legislators and just reinforce it,” he said. “It’s a standalone… so we might need to do that.”
Still, he remains optimistic about its chances.
“I really do think it’s possible. It’s very, very important. We need to update that agronomy facility. It’s long time overdue,” Kelsey said. “I just can’t imagine what we can get done in terms of wheat research if we do that, based upon the fact that they’re working on a 1950s facility right now and producing some of the best genetics and best varieties that we have in the country.”
A Shortened Legislative Session Ahead?
With a budget agreement in place so early, Kelsey says lawmakers could wrap up significantly ahead of schedule.
The deal could allow the legislature to “declare victory and go home to campaign” weeks early—potentially wrapping up by May 1, several weeks ahead of the normal timeline.
For cattle producers and agricultural stakeholders, that means key decisions could be finalized sooner than usual in what Kelsey describes as “new territory” for Oklahoma’s legislative process.
For cattle producers and agricultural stakeholders, that means key decisions could be finalized sooner than usual in what Kelsey describes as “new territory” for Oklahoma’s legislative process. Kelsey will cover several of the key issues that the cattle industry is tracking in part two of their conversation in the next Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
