Mar 19
Recent fire dangers across Oklahoma have sparked confusion and misinformation about prescribed burns, leading experts to clarify the critical differences between controlled burns and wildfires. Trey Lam of Oklahoma Conservation and John Weir, an OSU extension specialist, addressed these concerns with Farm Director KC Sheperd, emphasizing the importance of responsible land management. Distinguishing Prescribed Burns …
Mar 19
The average aggregate quality of U.S. corn samples tested for the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) 2024/2025 Corn Export Cargo Quality Report released today was better than or equal to U.S. No. 2 on all grade factors. “It’s difficult to understate the role of transparency in building trust between business partners, and the Council seeks to make detailed, …
Mar 19
Attorney General Gentner Drummond is urging legislators to significantly strengthen government transparency by passing House Bill 2163. His push for the measure comes during Sunshine Week, an annual event spotlighting the importance of public records and open government. Authored by Rep. John Pfeiffer and Sen. Brent Howard, HB 2163 would statutorily create the Public Access …
Mar 19
With more than 20% of U.S. agricultural production destined for foreign markets, exports are critical to the financial success of American farmers and ranchers. In 2024, U.S. farmers exported over 144 million metric tons of agricultural products, valued at more than $105 billion, through ocean ports. These ocean shipments represented nearly 60% of total agricultural export …
Mar 19
Issued March 19, 2025, by the Agricultural Statistics Board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. For more information, contact Troy Joshua at Troy.Joshua@usda.gov or (202) 690-3222 The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is reinstating the July Cattle report, as well as County Estimates for Crops and Livestock. The county estimate reinstatement is …
Mar 19
Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is talking with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart about the latest update on the Waters of the U.S. rule. In an earlier conversation with Hays, Hart was disappointed in the Biden Administration’s EPA’s implementation of WOTUS. She said., “I think the Biden EPA acted …
Mar 19
Broadcasting live from the Oklahoma Youth Expo, Farm Director KC Sheperd visited with Larry Peck, Owner/Editor of the Sentinel Leader and former owner of Ag Youth Magazine. He has been a familiar face during the show, providing pictures and coverage of OYE, previously known as the Oklahoma City Spring Livestock Show, for 56 years. Peck …
Mar 19
House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-15) issued the following statement after Secretary Brooke Rollins announced USDA would be issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year: “Grappling with rising input costs, declining commodity prices, record debt levels, and a lingering agricultural trade …
Mar 19
National Farmers Union President Rob Larew issued the following statement regarding the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and Canada and its impact on dairy farmers: “Policymakers are focused on U.S. trade policy without solving the underlying problems in the dairy industry—corporate consolidation and continued overproduction. Broad dairy tariffs don’t solve these problems; they …
Mar 19
On Monday, March 17, 2025, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, to meet with Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and community members for a roundtable discussion on the West Lake Landfill. They discussed the work EPA and Senator Hawley are doing to help those impacted. The West Lake landfill Superfund …
