In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Michael Kelsey, who highlights a successful legislative session and the continued importance of connecting Oklahoma’s beef industry with state leaders during Beef Day at the Capitol. Kelsey tells Hays that the lawmakers are on track to effectively end the 2026 session this Thursday, but will not officially sine dei until the end of May.
A Tradition of Beef Advocacy at the Capitol
Kelsey says Beef Day at the Capitol has become a meaningful tradition for the industry, offering both great food and valuable face time with lawmakers. “This is so much fun… we started this tradition a good handful of years ago, Beef Day at the Capitol—just an opportunity to highlight the beef industry.”
This year’s event featured a strong partnership to help serve up a crowd favorite. “We do ribeye steak sandwiches. This year, we’re partnering with Certified Hereford Beef… they’re helping with the ribeye steaks.”
Beyond the meal, Kelsey emphasized the deeper purpose of the event. “Gives us an opportunity… for our members to come in and talk to legislators about the importance of the beef industry. It’s just an awesome day.”
Legislative Wins for Cattle Producers
As the session nears its conclusion, Kelsey describes it as a productive one for Oklahoma cattle producers, despite an unusual pace at the Capitol. “This has really been a pretty good session for us, they finished the budget so early, first time in my history that they’ve ever finished it before Easter.”
He noted that the accelerated timeline and election pressures contributed to a faster-moving session. “A lot of folks up here have drawn an opponent… so they want to be home campaigning… I think that has incentivized this early session.”
Among the key wins for the industry were protections and policy advancements tied to land and resources. “We’ve gotten some things done on produced water… very important to surface owners… also regarding mineral rights… and some private property rights we’ve protected.”
Property Tax and Water Take Center Stage
Kelsey says water policy and property taxes emerged as major issues during the session, with long-term implications for rural Oklahoma. “Water has been a big issue… maybe the biggest issue is property tax.”
He pointed to an upcoming ballot measure aimed at limiting property tax increases while maintaining funding for essential rural services. “What’s going to be on the ballot is something that’s going to reduce the maximum annual increase… so that’s good for us… preserve some of those funding mechanisms… such as sheriffs, roads and bridges, schools.”
Investment in OSU Agronomy a Big Win
Another highlight for the cattle industry was funding support for improvements to agronomy facilities at Oklahoma State University, which play a critical role in wheat pasture and grazing systems. “That agronomy center… needs to be updated… in Oklahoma, we’re so blessed to be able to graze that wheat… we bring in a lot of cattle into this state to graze our wheat pasture.”
Kelsey expressed strong support for the investment and its future impact. “We were highly supportive… and we saw that go through, and we’re just tickled for it.”
He also praised the work being done by OSU researchers to advance wheat genetics. “What he’s able to do is almost nothing short of miraculous… now we can start to see some facility upgrades that will… make that even more robust and more competitive.”
Wrapping Up a Strong Session
With the legislative session nearing adjournment, Kelsey says the cattle industry is in a solid position thanks to key policy wins and continued engagement with lawmakers.
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.
