Category: Ag News

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 10:35:47 CDT

Pork producers are invited to register and tune in as experts share insights generated from menu modeling research funded by Pork Checkoff dollars.

Webinar: Insights from Food Modeling Research — Putting the Thrifty Food Plan into Practice

When: Sept. 22 at 11 a.m. CT

Can’t make it? Register anyway, and we’ll share a recording afterwards.

To register, click here.

With food inflation, hunger and nutrition insecurity at all-time highs, low-income families are challenged to keep nutritious meals on home menus while staying within their budgets.

In August of 2021, the USDA announced a 21% increase in benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The extra benefits are based on USDA’s review of the Thrifty Food Plan, which estimates the cost of a healthy diet to feed a family of four.

This means more families will have better access to foods that satisfy their nutritional needs. NPB is working to ensure protein-packed pork is at the top of their grocery lists.

Pork has a huge role to play as a high-quality, affordable and nutrient-dense protein that satisfies many taste and cultural preferences.

NPB has assembled experts with roles in academia, government-adjacent organizations, and non-profits in the food policy sector to update dietitians and others in health professions.

They’ll talk about what it takes to put an optimized, affordable and nutrient-dense eating plan into practice and what this increase in benefits means for their patients and clients.

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 10:34:04 CDT

Water and sewage projects in Oklahoma City, including relocation of a water transmission main that supplies drinking water near Tinker Air Force Base, are among recommendations to receive American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds by the Oklahoma House and Senate Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding. The committee proposes spending $35 million for partnerships with municipalities, cities or tribes to coordinate on the projects.

The projects, along with others, will be considered when the Legislature reconvenes it’s special session to appropriate ARPA funds.

“This necessary infrastructure investment is important to the multitude of people that call Oklahoma City and its surrounding communities home,” said Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon. “It particularly impacts those living near the largest Air Force base in our state, which is a key economic driver and employs thousands of Oklahomans.”

The portion of the project near Tinker became necessary after the city of Oklahoma City closed a two-mile section of Douglas Boulevard for base security. A portion of the water main is now inside the base security zone and must be rerouted. In the event of a break, security levels at the base would delay emergency response time, impacting public health, safety and water service to area residents.

Baker is co-chair of the Economic Development and Workforce Working Group that recommended the project to the joint committee, of which she also is a member.

Rep. Ryan Martinez, R-Edmond, is vice chair of the House Appropriations & Budget Committee, a member of the joint committee and a lawmaker whose district includes parts of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. He said these water and sewage projects are necessary to protect public health and safety in the area.

“The Oklahoma City metropolitan area is the most populated area in our state,” Martinez said. “In terms of total land area, we’re considered the second largest capital city in the world. It only makes sense that we make use of this funding to strengthen our infrastructure for those who call this area home and those who visit or hope to relocate here, including members of our military.”

The water and sewage projects are among the proposals to be considered when the Legislature reconvenes the Second Extraordinary Session of the 58th Oklahoma Legislature, which was called for the purpose of evaluating ARPA projects advanced by the joint committee.

The overall goal is to determine projects that will result in the greatest benefit to the state. The committee considered public input and took the recommendation of working groups to determine its final project list.

The new proposals are in addition to projects passed by the Legislature during special session held in June.

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 09:40:02 CDT

Weekly, Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, offers his economic analysis of the beef cattle industry. This analysis is a part of the weekly series known as t…

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 09:22:03 CDT

Hello Oklahoma! I am Brandon Bishop, the Acting State Conservationist for Oklahoma. As some of you are aware, Gary O’Neill retired and I am honored and humbled to have this opportunity to serve in this role. I am originally from Arizona but have called Oklahoma home for about eight years now.

NRCS is adopting a new approach, the Great Plains Grassland Initiative (GPGI) to address woody plant encroachment. This threat of plant encroachment puts pressure on working rangelands by decreasing livestock production and increasing wildfire risk as well as harming grassland biodiversity and increasing threat to animal species living in this biome. The initiative is part of the NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) framework calling to conserve the last remaining iconic grassland regions in the Great Plains.

Producers in targeted rangelands are eligible to receive Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding related to addressing woody plant encroachment. Please contact your local NRCS office for assistance on this initiative and others that assist on your operation.

– Brandon Bishop, Acting State Conservationist

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 09:16:05 CDT

AgriWebb Land Monitoring and Profiting from Good Land Stewardship: Part 1

WHERE: Zoom
WHEN: September 29, 2022
TIME: 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

With all of the conversation surrounding land monitoring, the…

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 09:08:58 CDT

5 State Beef Conference

DATE: Tuesday, October 4

TIME: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

LOCATION: Beaver County Fair Building in Beaver, OK

**Registration starts at 9:30 a.m.

Program

Ranching Made …

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 08:40:18 CDT

According to State Climatologist, Gary McManus, we are having a hard time letting go of summer around here! We did have a slight “fall” about the third week of August, but thats about it so far. McManus says we we will get a couple of cold fronts through here, first on Thursday and again late in the weekend, but don’t expect much of an actual cooldown just yet. The second front over the weekend could stick around for a day or three, but we zoom back up later next week.

Temperatures will climb higher as we head toward the end of the week with highs in the upper 90’s, and very few chances of rain over the next couple of weeks. McManus says we “MIGHT” see a little bit of rain with the second front that moves in over the weekend, but it looks mostly dry into the end of September.

McManus says This is classic drought behavior for Oklahoma, where we see longer periods without appreciable rainfall, then a hope-inducing bout with moisture for a few days, some drought improvement, then back to the longer period without rain. These maps are by and large gonna get worse…much worse…before they get better.

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 08:32:09 CDT

It was the fundamental fallacy that launched a thousand news articles: Dairy was dying as consumers were switching to plant-based beverages. That was always a lie – but at least from a certain angle, it coul…

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 08:20:18 CDT

It was the fundamental fallacy that launched a thousand news articles: Dairy was dying as consumers were switching to plant-based beverages. That was always a lie – but at least from a certain angle, it coul…