Lawton native and long-time employee of the organization, Thad Doye, has been named as the interim executive director for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, as of Monday morning.

Doye has a long running and distinguished experience with OFB, with his involvement originating in the Young Farmers and Ranchers program- first in Comanche County and then on the State Committee. Doye joined the OkFB staff in 1998 and would work his way up the ranks of the organization to become vice president of field services. He has most recently been the Crop Insurance specialist for the group and has also been spearheading such projects like the Pork for Packs and Beef for Backpacks programs for the farm organization and their Farming-Ranching Foundation.

On a personal note- we have known Thad since his first days as a part of the Farm Bureau staff- as it was in that time frame that he was a part of Class 13 of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program- and that was one of the classes that I have had the honor of traveling with on their international experience- which helps you get to know folks a little better. 


The social media response to the Board Decision to make Doye the Interim Executive Director has been a rousing HOORAY- one poster on FACEBOOK wrote "Congrats Thad. Having someone with a well rounded education in the Farm Bureau organization is an excellent decision."

Doye's appointment comes in the wake of a decision announced Monday morning, to disassociate OFB from two of the organization's executives including now former executive director, Monica Wilke, and John Collison, who served as senior vice president of strategic operations and development.

OFB President Tom Buchanan released a statement Monday announcing the decision and thanked Wilke and Collison for their service to OFB.

You can read more about Doye's appointment, by clicking here.

In the latest crop progress report released Monday, July 31, 2017, the United States Department of Agriculture rated the US corn crop condition at 61 percent good to excellent down 1 from a week ago, and unchanged in fair at 26 percent and up 1 at 13 poor to very poor. The US soybean condition is rated 59 percent good to excellent up 2 from a week ago, down 1 at 28 percent fair and improving by 1 point at 13 percent poor to very poor. For the complete USDA Crop Progress report, click here.



According to the weekly crop progress report from USDA, Oklahoma corn silk reached 76 percent, down 7 points from the previous year and down 10 points from normal, while corn dough reached 30 percent, up 5 points from the previous year but down 11 points from normal. Cotton squaring reached 89 percent, up 14 points from the previous year and up 12 points from normal. Cotton setting bolls reached 25 percent, down 4 points from the previous year and down 9 points from normal. Conditions of pasture and range were rated at 85 percent good to fair. To view the complete Oklahoma Crop Progress and Condition Report, click here.



In Kansas, corn condition rated 3 percent very poor, 10 poor, 31 fair, 47 good, and 9 excellent. Corn silking was 83 percent, behind 91 last year and the five-year average of 88. Dough was 31 percent, near 30 last year, but behind 38 average. Cotton condition rated 1 percent very poor, 4 poor, 29 fair, 60 good, and 6 excellent. Cotton squaring was 60 percent, near 62 last year, and behind 69 average. Setting bolls was 21 percent, near 17 last year, and equal to average. Pasture and range conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 8 poor, 32 fair, 52 good, and 7 excellent. To view the complete Kansas Crop Progress and Condition Report, click here.



In Texas, corn silking 95 percent complete, on par with last year and ahead of the average by 2. Corn dough is rated 62 percent complete, trailing last year by 5 and the average by 9. Corn's condition in Texas is rated 69 percent good to excellent, 26 fair, and 5 poor to very poor. Cotton squaring is now 83 percent complete, compared to 70 a week ago. Cotton setting bolls is rated 33 percent complete, compared to 26 last week. Cotton's condition in Texas is currently 44 percent good to excellent, 36 fair, and 20 poor to very poor. Pasture conditions are rated at 36 percent good to excellent statewide, 42 fair and 22 percent poor to very poor. To view the complete Texas Crop Progress and Condition Report, click here.

While a recent case of atypical BSE in an 11-year-old cow found just a couple weeks ago in Alabama, proved to be nothing more than a momentary hiccup - it did have one impact. Colin Woodall with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association told me, it has brought the issue of animal disease traceability programs in the cattle industry front of mind for a lot of people.


"It definitely has reenergized the whole discussion of whether or not these programs need to be mandatory," Woodall said. "I think it showed that the traceability that we have in place is useful. It may not work as quickly as a lot of people would like it to, but it does work."


Woodall shares that there has been a lot of internal discussion at NCBA about the matter and says the issue was even addressed at the organization's recent business meeting this summer. He says NCBA's policy was actually revised there in Denver, this year, where the word "voluntary" was omitted from their policy on animal ID and traceability. Reflecting NCBA's change in posture - now more open and not immediately opposed to discussion on mandatory traceability programs.


"Now, we did not replace it with 'mandatory,' but the fact that we are open to options, I think, shows that there is a shift in the mindset for a lot of cattle producers," he said. "And, a lot of cattle producers understand that given the increasing number of threats that we are under, we need to make sure we have a system that works."


Listen to Woodall and I discuss the shift in the cattle industry towards more open-mindedness regarding the issue of mandatory animal disease traceability programs, on today's Beef Buzz - click here.

AND- Speaking of ADT- the Oklahoma Cattlemen sent comments to APHIS on the subject yesterday- you can click here to read their take on this subject.

During EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's visit in Oklahoma last week as part of his multistate action tour, I had the chance to catch up with Dr. Shannon Ferrell of OSU's Ag-Econ Dept. who offered a few thoughts on the direction in which he believes the Administrator will steer the revision of the controversial Waters of the US rule.

"I think now we're trying get a lot more black and white and narrow that grey area as effectively as we can," Ferrell said, having explained that the rule as it exists today was composed in line with a Supreme Court decision written by Justice Kennedy whose outline was more broad in its interpretation.

He says Pruitt seems more likely to use Justice Scalia's interpretation that Ferrell points out was actually the prevailing opinion offered by the Supreme Court on the WOTUS issue.

"Justice Scalia's decision, which was actually a bit more clean-cut, a little bit more focused on the textual language of the (Clean Water Act), was actually the prevailing opinion," Ferrell said. "I think what you heard Administrator Pruitt saying today, is that they want to hue a little closer to that one because, they feel that will give producers a lot more clarity."

Pruitt has expressed optimism that his agency will have a proposal for WOTUS 2.0, if you will, ready to be delivered by this September. The biggest matter at hand, though, will be to digest the extensive volume of public commentary - and use those ideas to craft a fair, viable definition of what is and what isn't a "navigable" water. The discrepancy from this seemingly small detail is in fact what has been at the root of the problem with the WOTUS rule originally authored during the Obama-era EPA. 

Click here to listen to our conversation and learn more about Dr. Ferrell's legal insights to the WOTUS matter, as Trump's EPA works to fix the controversial rule.

Long before President Trump was ever the victim of what he has coined, "Fake News," red meat was there getting an unfair shake in the media. According to Dr. Derrell Peel, extension livestock market economist at Oklahoma State, the industry continues to get a bad wrap from the media, citing two recent articles that caught his attention. One, questioning the safety of ground beef and the other, making false claims regarding the meat packing industry. Dr. Peel decided this week, to dedicate his article in the weekly Cow/Calf Corner newsletter, to setting the record straight.

"The first was an article on Yahoo entitled "Why you should think twice before getting ground beef from the supermarket," wrote Peel. "The article reveals, apparently to the surprise of the author, that ground beef is often made from the meat of multiple animals and not just from a single animal. And apparently this is a major source of food safety concern for the author, though it's not clear why."

Peel explains that ground beef has always been produced from combining the trimmings of fed cattle and cull cows to achieve the desired balance of fat and leanness, that consumers love to eat. Although, Peel says, while it's true ground beef does present more of a risk of contamination being processed as it is, compared to a single cut of muscle - it's unfair to suggest that combining the meat of multiple animals makes it more of a health risk as opposed to making ground beef from a single animal.

The second article caught Peel's eye, thanks in particular to one statement: "Yet, a big part of last fall's (price) collapse was simply that we had insufficient packing capacity to handle the increase in the nation's cattle herd." No source or data was provided to support the statement, writes Peel, who continued, in a categorical disarmament of the statement's argument.

"There is no indication that capacity constraints contributed to 2016 fed cattle market conditions," he state. "So far in 2017, daily slaughter has exceeded 117,000 head 36 times with three times in excess of 120,000 head. Despite this fed cattle prices have recovered to unexpected levels since the fall of 2016. Slaughter capacity could become a factor at some point with continued herd growth but it is unlikely to be a significant issue for the foreseeable future."

To read Dr. Peel's complete article from this week's edition of the Cow/Calf Corner newsletter, click over to website.

Attendees will spend the next two days focus their discussion on the shifts in trade and trade policy across commodities, sectors and countries around the world.

Click or tap here to learn more about discussions that will take place during this year's USGC meeting in Washington.

Two Oklahoma 4-H members were inducted into the Oklahoma 4-H Hall of Fame during the Honor Night Assembly at the 96th State 4-H Roundup that took place recently at Oklahoma State University.

Lincoln County 4-H'er Jacob Sestak and Emily Taylor of Stephens County 4-H, were both honored for their achievements at the state level in the ag-based youth program.

Along with this honor, Sestak received a $2,000 scholarship sponsored by Oklahoma Ag Credit, in addition to the $1,000 B.A. Pratt Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by the B.A. Pratt Memorial and the $2,000 Oklahoma Ambassador Alumni Scholarship, which is one of the Pickens Legacy Scholarships. He also was recognized as a member of the Blue Award Group.

Sestak has honed his leadership skills over the course of his time in 4-H, starting with serving as devotional leader of his local club and serving two terms as Lincoln County president. Following an influential experience as a delegate to Citizenship Washington Focus, he was encouraged to spread his wings and apply for State 4-H Ambassador. He later served as the Northwest District representative on the State 4-H Leadership Council, followed by a year as the state reporter before becoming council president.

"There's no doubt in my mind that without the Oklahoma 4-H Youth Development Program, these goals and dreams never would have been realized," he said. "I wouldn't be the person I am today."

Taylor's Hall of Fame award also came with a $2,000 scholarship sponsored by Oklahoma Ag Credit, in addition to the $1,200 Ira Hollar Advanced Leadership Scholarship sponsored by Bill Doenges, and the $1,000 Harold and Jeanne Gibson Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by the Harold P. and Jeanne Gibson Endowment. She was also recognized as a member of the Blue Award Group.

"If it was not for 4-H, I don't know where I would be. Being in 4-H has helped me discover what I want to do for my future career," she said. "I want to become a 4-H educator so I can help other youth find their passion to become leaders and role models for the future."

During her tenure as a 4-H'er, Taylor has had many opportunities to hone her leadership skills. She just completed serving a year as vice president of the State Leadership Council. While in this office, she traveled about 2,500 miles and visited club members in 42 counties. Other leadership roles include Southwest District representative on the State Leadership Council and Stephens County vice president, to name a few.

Click on the following links to learn more about the achievements of Oklahoma Hall of Fame Inductees, Jacob Sestak of Lincoln County and Emily Taylor of Stephens County.