The 2019 Oklahoma Legislative Session is nearing its close as state legislators work to tie up loose ends during the final budget process that has been ongoing over the past few weeks. Overall, the state's agricultural industry and its various stakeholders have been generally pleased with the outcomes of this year's session. Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur embodies that shared sentiment as the figurehead of Oklahoma's collective rural community. She offered her perspective on the achievements made to progress and advance rural Oklahoma during this session in a conversation this week with Associate Farm Director Carson Horn.

Arthur expressed her appreciation for the hard work of all the State Representatives and Senators and the Administration for their roles in passing several key pieces of legislation for the benefit of Oklahoma's ag community - including the appropriations earmarked in the budget deal announced earlier this week by Governor Stitt.

"We follow the budget process closely," Arthur commented, "and appreciate the support of members of the Oklahoma legislature this year towards important animal health, conservation, extension and rural issues."

In regard to agriculture, the budget earmarks $500,000 to fund a public-private partnership to maintain clean water in Northeast Oklahoma and areas with high poultry density; $90,000 to hire an additional state veterinarian; $1.1 million for Wildfire mitigation funding and additional resources for rural fire fighters; and $1.5 million to improve rural flood control dams. It also appropriates $62.8 million for a Graduate Medical Education program to support physician training for rural hospitals; and restores $30 million in funding to CIRB supporting county roads.

To hear Arthur's full reflections on this year's legislative achievements from an agricultural perspective, plus her update on the progress of the Industrial Hemp bill, click here.

The landscape of Oklahoma's agriculture industry has seen some rapid changes lately. Soybean production, traditionally limited to the northeast quadrant of the state, has dramatically expanded in a relatively short time span with even higher increases in acres expected to occur next year. During the recent Lahoma Wheat Field Day hosted by Oklahoma State University Extension, we sat down to talk about Oklahoma's growing soybean presence with OSU Assistant Professor and Cropping Systems Specialist Josh Lofton who has stepped up to help farmers around the learning curve as more and more producers turn to soybeans as an alternative to wheat amid persistently depressed prices.

According to Lofton, soybean acres have expanded dramatically in just the last few years, especially in north central Oklahoma. Many of the producers behind this expansion haven't grown soybeans in years, if ever. Given the changes that have occurred in today's modern soybean production systems, just in the last ten years, Lofton has been tasked with bringing producers up to speed on the latest methods.

Lofton asserts that wheat remains critical to Oklahoma's ag economy but says rotational cropping has more benefits beyond the scope of the current market situation.

"Having a good rotational crop elevates our wheat. It elevates it's quality and quantity on our wheat yield and just helps serve our state better," Lofton concluded, adding that canola also makes a great option that pairs with wheat as well. You can listen to their complete conversation by clicking or tapping here.

While trade continues to dominate conversations in the ag community, corn farmers are feeling the pressure of not only unsettled trade disputes - but a litany of other issues that have started to significantly weigh on the spirits of farmers and their confidence in the future.

During the recent Washington Watch event hosted by the National Association of Farm Broadcasters this week in DC, we caught up with National Association of Corn Growers Vice President of Public Policy Brooke Appleton who told us producer sentiment is starting to wane in the face of seemingly endless struggles.

"We're calling this kind of the perfect storm of issues. We've got a lot of trade uncertainty, a lot of uncertainty in our ethanol markets and some of the things the Administration is doing - especially with the small refinery waivers. We're seeing the weather events across the country...," she said. "It's just a lot of uncertainty right now. Our growers just need markets."

The most immediate concern right now though, is simply getting this year's crop in the ground. With a seemingly endless forecast of storms raging across the Corn Belt, Appleton says producers ready to plant are left staring at wet fields with little recourse until drier conditions arrive.

You can listen to my complete interview with Appleton by clicking or tapping here to jump to the original story on our website.