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 says excitement is building as OCA prepares for its 2026 Annual Convention and Trade Show in Tulsa on July 24-25.
Kelsey said the convention will be held in a newly renovated facility and will offer a strong lineup of educational programs alongside its sold-out trade show. “We’re really excited about going to Tulsa,” Kelsey said. “We’re going to be in a facility that’s brand new, renovated. It’s going to have a new look, and it’s a big facility. I’m really excited about this convention. There’s going to be some stellar communication and education opportunities for members.”
Screwworm Takes Center Stage
With concerns surrounding New World screwworm continuing across the southern U.S., Kelsey said the convention’s opening general session will focus on preparing Oklahoma cattle producers for the possibility of the pest reaching the state. “We’re going to spend our opening general session really focused on screwworm, talking about and helping producers understand what’s going to happen when and if it comes to Oklahoma,” Kelsey explained. “Specifically to Oklahoma in general, but also if my ranch is in one of those infected zones and I’m under either surveillance or some type of restricted animal movement.”
Weather, Markets, Fire and Water Rights
Several familiar speakers will return to the convention, including weather expert Matt Makens and Derrell Peel. “Matt Makens with weather—he’s going to give us his weather forecast, and holy smokes, he’s about as good as they come in terms of being able to predict pretty reliably and accurately what the weather’s going to be,” Kelsey said.
He added that Dr. Peel’s annual market outlook continues to be one of the convention’s biggest attractions. “Dr. Peel on Saturday morning, that’s a staple of ours, and he is fantastic and always draws a standing-room-only crowd.”
Kelsey is also looking forward to two additional educational sessions on prescribed burns and water rights. Discussing the prescribed burns session led by John Weir, Kelsey said, “What we’re asking John to talk about is, okay, help somebody who hasn’t ever used prescribed fire get comfortable with using it. I think that’s going to be a really good session, even for those who have used it before.”
Another session will focus on groundwater, produced water, and landowner rights. “We’re really excited about having Garrett Reed and some of his folks over at McAfee Taft to talk to us and walk us through that, educate us on what we have as rights regarding and ownership regarding waters.”
Scholarships, Trade Show and Networking
Beyond the educational sessions, Kelsey said attendees can expect scholarship presentations, industry awards, learning lounges, and valuable networking opportunities. “We’ll hand out probably close to $20,000 in scholarships to junior members,” he said. “We’ve got some learning lounges… they’re kind of mini educational sessions that are very specific to an issue, and those have been very, very popular within our trade show.”
Kelsey also emphasized that one of the convention’s greatest benefits is simply bringing cattle producers together. “You can’t ever underestimate the value of the networking—just visiting with like-minded cattlemen and women who are in one place,” Kelsey said. “Who knows the amount of trade and how many head of cattle have been traded in the hallways of the convention over the years.”
Registration is now open for the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association Convention, scheduled for July 24-25 in Tulsa. Producers can register and find additional information through the OCA website.
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.
