At the Oklahoma Sorghum Producers meeting in Enid, Oklahoma, Associate Farm Editor, Reagan Calk, got the chance to visit with Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Blayne Arthur, about what she looks forward to in her next term as Secretary of Ag and adding value to commodities in Oklahoma.
“Very excited to be working with Governor Stitt again,” Arthur said. “We have a lot of things on our ‘to-do’ list, certainly. One thing we are really going to spend a lot of time on is our value-added products in the state of Oklahoma and really trying to access some of those international markets. We think there is a lot of opportunity there for Oklahoma producers and a lot of opportunity to really increase some rural development and just economic development in general in the state.”
Arthur talked about highlights from her previous term as Ag Secretary.
“One thing I am very proud that we have seen here in the state of Oklahoma is we have seen a tremendous increase in our meat processing capacity in the state of Oklahoma, and we continue to see growth in that industry,” Arthur said.
Arthur said she is also looking forward to more of the expansion of local products in Oklahoma.
“These consumers that really want to meet those producers, we have seen an expansion in farmers markets in the meat processing sector, direct-to-consumer sales, and I think we will see continued growth there, and that really gives a lot of opportunity to producers on their margins and the opportunities that exist for them,” Arthur said.
Aside from beginning another term as Secretary of Agriculture in Oklahoma, Arthur has recently been named President of the Food Export Association of the Midwest USA.
“I will be representing all of the 14 states that are in our Midwest region and spending a lot of time looking to find ways to get our products into those international markets,” Arthur said. “So certainly, being from Oklahoma, that is going to kind of give us a ‘leg up,’ and I look forward to working with our commodity groups, hopefully traveling with a lot of producers and folks with our commodity groups to those international markets and seeing some direct sales from Oklahoma hopefully across the world.”
After attending the meeting of the Oklahoma Sorghum Producers, Arthur talked more about adding value to commodities in Oklahoma.
“Sorghum is doing tremendous things, and we have had some discussions about looking for more research dollars,” Arthur said.
Dieticians and nutritionists have been hired, Arthur said, to encourage consumers that there are ways sorghum can be utilized in a healthy daily diet.
“We look forward from the department’s perspective to working with our sorghum producers, but also all of our other partners,” Arthur said.
Sorghum does very well in the state of Oklahoma, Arthur said, and those producers are enthusiastic about growth in the industry.
“I think we have good things to come,” Arthur said.
