Category: Ag News

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture are now putting the Daily Cash Grain Report into a PDF format – we are saving that PDF and archiving them for today’s specific report. To see today’s update, click on the PDF report link at the bottom of this story.

In addition to the PDF of the daily report, you can also listen to the Cash Grain Report by calling 405-621-5533. Push 2 for the grain report.

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House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott announced several staffing additions and a promotion for the Democratic staff of the House Agriculture Committee.

DeShawn Blanding will serve as Legislative Assistant. Most recently, DeShawn served as the Policy and Strategy Specialist for the Rural Coalition. He was previously a Staff Assistant on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and a national officer for the National FFA Organization. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Environmental Systems from North Carolina A&T State University and is currently completing his M.A. in Public Policy at the George Washington University. He is originally from a rural community in Manning, South Carolina.

Victoria Maloch has been promoted to Communications Director. Maloch joined the Committee in 2021 as a Legislative Assistant and most recently served as the Deputy Communications Director. Prior to joining the Committee, she worked in the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and served as a national officer for the National FFA Organization. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Arkansas and master’s degrees in policy from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Maloch is originally from Emerson, Arkansas and grew up on her family’s cattle farm.

Donovan Tate-Davis will serve as Press Assistant. Most recently, Tate-Davis served as an intern in the Office of Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, a Member of the House Agriculture Committee. Previously, he has held communications roles in social media management and brand strategy. Tate-Davis obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the College of Charleston. He is originally from Gaffney, South Carolina.

Elaine Zhang will serve as Staff Assistant. Prior to working on Capitol Hill, Elaine was in the 28th class of Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows where she worked on American Indian agriculture and rural food systems. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Asian Languages and Cultures with minors in Food Studies and Environmental Systems and Society from the University of California – Los Angeles. Elaine is a native of Stockton, California.

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Listen to today’s report with Justin Lewis, by clicking or tapping on the LISTEN bar

As nearly 50 million children return to public school, a group of dairy and nutrition advocates is encouraging parents and policymakers to prioritize the health of students by making milk and dairy options more accessible in the coming scho…

The Arklahoma Miss United States Agriculture Pageant was held August 6th, 2022 in Broken Arrow, OK. There were 37 contestants and 18 young ladies received 2023 Miss United States Agriculture state titles in their respective age divisions. These Arkansas and Oklahoma ladies will represent their states at the National Miss United States Agriculture Pageant in July 2023. Throughout the next year, these young ladies will be traveling to various agricultural events, serving their communities and preparing for the National competition!

The contestants competed in Formalwear, On-Stage Question, Interview, and Introduction. Optional areas of competition included State Fun Fashion, Essay, and Photogenic.

The Miss United States Agriculture program was founded in 2014 by Ciera Ingram to encourage women in agriculture to teach and enhance the American Agriculture story.

This year, Oklahoma’s own Laramie Sparks won the title of Oklahoma Future Little Miss United States Agriculture. Laramie is the 5 year old daughter of Landon and Cheyenne Sparks of Oklahoma. Laramie enjoys helping on her family ranch, mutton busting and baking delicious treats for her friends and family. When Laramie grows up, she wants to be an “Animal Protector” so she can help animals of all shapes and sizes. She was also the Grady County Future Little miss Agriculture, Future Little Miss United States and represented her county for the past year leading up the state pageant.

The Arklahoma Miss United States Agriculture Pageant is hosted by the 2019 National Miss, Kailey Guinn. “It is always an honor to gather to celebrate the agriculture industry. The Miss United States Agriculture Pageant is such a great organization that gives young women in agriculture a voice and a platform to teach, inspire and advocate”, shared Guinn.

Registration is open for the 2023 Arklahoma Miss United States Agriculture pageant! We look forward to welcoming our next class of queens. County titles are available to all counties in Oklahoma and Arkansas, with age divisions for all. We hope to have a representative in each county in the upcoming year!

2023 Arkansas Miss United States Agriculture:

Tiny: Savannah Thorpe
Little: Paisley Swint
Teen: Savannah Spradling
Miss: Chloe Rowe
People’s Choice: Savannah Spradling
Advocacy Ambassador: Spencer Warren

2023 Oklahoma Miss United States Agriculture:

Tiny: Alene Kuykendall
Future Little: Laramie Sparks
Little: Brynli Roberts
Junior: Ronnie Lee Secratt
Teen: Raylynn Kubik
Miss: Kynleigh Henson
Ms.: Harley Yowell
Mrs.: Mandy Treece
Elite Ms.: Sarah Green
People’s Choice: Rae’kyn Rochell
Advocacy Ambassador: Victoria Anderson

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Farm Director, KC Sheperd, caught up with Oklahoma State University’s Seth Byrd talking about the latest on Oklahoma’s cotton crop.

“Not a lot of great success stories out there,&rdquo…

An AFBF survey shows that drought is hitting U.S. agriculture hard. Chad Smith has more on the impacts felt on the ground.

The American Farm Bureau Federation distributed a third drought impact survey in June to its members in 15 states …

Today, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the award of $15 million in new technical assistance grants as continued funding to nearly 500 conservation districts in 49 states and territories.
The Technical As…

Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) will hold town hall meetings in Creek, Osage, Kay, Pawnee, and Payne Counties on Monday, August 22nd and Tuesday, August 23rd. Residents around the locations are invited to attend and share their thoughts on …

Six students recently received 2022 Accelerating a Generation Syngenta Scholarships. These students, who are acquiring degrees focused on agricultural pursuits, will each receive a $2,500 scholarship.

A talented group of students applied for the 2022 scholarship program, which is a partnership between Syngenta and the National FFA Organization (FFA).
“These students give us confidence that the agricultural industry will continue to enjoy strong leadership,” says Pam Caraway, communications lead for Syngenta.

As part of their award packages, the scholars individually selected agriculture-related nonprofit organizations to receive $500 gifts on their behalf.
The selected winners and their designated charities are:

• Taylor Baggett from Jay, Florida, a sophomore at the University of Florida ? Farm Aid
• Regan Draeger from Lindsey, Ohio, a senior at The Ohio State University ? The Roper’s 4-H Club
• Luke Heupel from Kalispell, Montana, a sophomore at Montana State University ? Field of Hope
• Johanna Hooten from Red Bud, Illinois, a senior at Murray State University ? The Arboretum at Murray State University
• Deziree Lee from Coffeyville, Kansas, a freshman at Kansas State University ? Montgomery County 4-H Fair
• Ashlyn Persyn from Hondo, Texas, a freshman at Texas A & M University ? Medina Valley FFA Boosters

Hooten, a first-generation college student majoring in horticulture, says agricultural scholarships like this are “a true blessing” because they are helping her remain debt-free while she pursues her degree.

“I continue to study agriculture because it truly is my passion,” she says. “I have always been fascinated by specialty crops such as pumpkins and watermelons, so I decided to get a degree in horticulture. It brings me great joy to teach others about the agriculture industry, and I know that the only way to give others reliable information is to learn it first myself. That is why I felt it was important to continue my education in an agriculture-specific major after high school.”

Likewise, Heupel sees agriculture as a way to help better the planet and its people.

“The world’s population is increasing, and its amount of usable farmland is decreasing,” he says. “Things need to be done to ensure that farmers will be able to feed the world. I believe that a degree in agriculture will allow me to do my part in helping to feed the world.”

The recipients say they also appreciate the opportunity to give back to their community as well with the $500 gift that comes along with the scholarship. Hooten will give back to her university’s arboretum, while Heupel will donate to Field of Hope, a charity that works with developing countries to increase their agricultural stability.

Draeger says she is happy to help the 4-H club that she has been a member of since age 11.

“This club provided me with opportunities to become involved in my community and develop essential life skills,” Draeger says. “These 4-H members are invested in their community, and this donation will allow them to continue serving their community to the best of their ability. It will enable these members to continue developing as the future generation of agriculturalists.”

Those interested in applying for the scholarship for 2023 can visit the FFA Scholarship portal. Applications open in November.

For more information about Syngenta, visit www.Syngenta.com. Join the conversation online ? connect with us at Syngenta-US.com/Social.