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Good News for Oklahoma FFA and the many supporters of the FFA came Tuesday evening as Marty Jones heard his name called as one of 20 candidates that is still in the running for a National Office for 2012-2013.  Jones, a student now at OSU- hopes to hear his name called Saturday afternoon from the stage of the final general session of the 85th Convention of the FFA here in Indy- because if he does- that means he has achieved his dream and become one of six National Officers for the coming year. We talk about that- as well as an overview of some of the other things on tap today in a morning audio overview from Indy- click here for that report.

We remind you that our coverage of the 2012 National FFA Convention on radio, web, Twitter, Flickr and here in our email is a service of the Oklahoma FFA Alumni Association and the Oklahoma FFA Association.  Click here for the FFA website for Oklahoma to learn more about this powerful youth organization.

Meanwhile, Garrett Yerigan of the Pryor, Oklahoma, FFA Chapter has been traveling the rodeo circuit all his life and has become enamored with the role of the announcer.  Yerigan is in Indianapolis this week and is one of 20 different Oklahoma FFA members who are finalists in the Proficiency Award categories.  He will be judged as one of the top four finalists in the entrepreneurship-placement category of agricultural communications on Thursday.  He hopes to hear his name announced on Friday as one of the winners.

Win or lose, Yerigan will return to his business, Lightning G Announcing and Sound.  He offers his services to rodeos and other agricultural shows. In addition to working on his communication skills as an announcer, he's also developed marketing strategies ensuring that his business gains new customers throughout North America.  He spoke with me before he headed to Indianapolis, and you can listen to our conversation by clicking here.

Trail's End Sow Farm Demonstrates Good Stewardship, Community Concern 

The famous songwriters Rodgers and Hammerstein come to mind whenever one mentions Oklahoma. And when you visit Trail's End Sow Farm No. 2 outside of rural Ames, Okla., it really lives up to the soaring lyrics of the state's official song. It truly is a grand place in terms of its unique vistas and abundant wildlife amid the sandy, low hills of this hidden farm site.

"We are off the main path for sure," said Jeff Mencke, production manager for Roberts Ranch of Oklahoma, the business that operates several sow farms as part of Hanor in the Ames area. "I'm the closest neighbor to the farm and that's a half-mile away, so we're really isolated."

The transplanted Nebraskan knows that the farm's isolation helps protect the farm's 10,500 sows and their litters from a biosecurity standpoint. Having the barns surrounded by 560 acres of farm land doesn't hurt either in terms of pig health and neighbor relations. However, the farm can certainly hold its own in terms of showcasing the sustainable nature of modern agriculture.

You can read more by clicking here.  

Wheat Pasture Prospects Questionable Without Much-Needed Rains

Wheat pasture prospects are not looking too great at the moment across Oklahoma, but OSU Extension Livestock Marketing Economist Derrell Peel says a little rain could change that picture.

"There's not much wheat pasture yet. There's a few spots that are in better shape than others. There are some areas that are still very dry. I think the key here is that most areas have very little deep moisture to work with so we're very reliant on the continued arrival of timely rains. If we get it, I think we have potential for significant wheat pasture, but I think it is somewhat risky this year."

He says demand for pasture calves will be anemic and dependent upon rain. Areas which get rain will see higher demand; areas with less rain will have less demand. He says these potential areas of demand will develop slowly over the next couple of months.

Derrell joins me on the latest Beef Buzz and also talks about increases in carcass weights.  Click here to hear more.  

Farm Bureau Leader Appointed to DEQ Board

Southwestern Oklahoma farmer Jimmy Wayne Kinder has been appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin to serve a five-year term on the Environmental Quality Board of Directors. Kinder currently serves on the OFB Board of Directors representing Farm Bureau members in OFB District 4 comprised of nine counties in southern Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Legislature established the Environmental Quality Board comprised of Oklahoma citizens to provide guidance to the Department of Environmental Quality.   Board members have a variety of backgrounds in manufacturing, hazardous waste management, solid waste management, petroleum industry, agriculture, recreation, conservation, rural water systems, and statewide environmental groups. Responsibilities of the board are the appointment of the DEQ's Executive Director and the adoption of rules that determine operation of the Department.

Jimmy Wayne and his wife Margaret Ann operate a diversified family farm near Walters. Commodities produced on the Kinder farm include wheat, canola, grain sorghum, sesame and beef cattle.

 

Analyst Invents Index to Measure Certified Angus Beef Demand

The Angus brand has increased the number of pounds sold every year since 2005, but does that mean demand is soaring?

CattleFax analyst Lance Zimmerman says yes. He invented a Certified Angus Beef brand demand index while he was at Kansas State to answer that question.

"What we found was that Certified Angus Beef brand products compared to choice gave a lot higher demand increase over 2002 essentially compared to choice. You basically compare 2002 as the base year for each program whether that base year said that CAB was higher than choice or choice was higher than CAB. We can't really tell that from the research, but what we can tell is that since 2002 demand for CAB outpaced choice."

The index points to a 70-percent increase CAB demand over those nine years with choice up 15 percent. 

You can check out a video version of this story by clicking here.

 

Oklahoma ACRE Payments Pile Up

We talked last week and did a couple of stories on payments from the ACRE program being triggered for several Oklahoma crops from back in 2011- a year that saw us produce a very poor wheat crop and half or less of normal spring planted crops in the state. 

To review what we reported last week- click here for our conversation with Dr. Jody Campiche of OSU on this subject. Crops that she mentioned had triggered included winter wheat, soybeans, grain sorghum and corn (irrigated and non irrigated). 

Then last Friday- we talked with Francie Tolle, our state FSA Director, who told us at that point that the state had just received word that irrigated and non irrigated cotton had been triggered as well- and those payments for any acres that were in the ACRE program would be substantial.  At that point- Francie told us that about $15 million dollars had been sent out from FSA to Oklahoma farmers as ACRE payments for 2011 to that point. 

Yesterday- Francie offered an update on that number- we are now up to $19 million in ACRE payments and she believes we may top out in the mid twenties on ACRE payments when it is all said and done.  About one fourth of the crop acreage in the state has been signed up to the ACRE program since 2009- that was the year where we had a chance to KNOW in advance of signing up that a HUGE wheat crop payment would very likely be made to Oklahoma wheat farmers who made the leap over to this new element of the 2008 farm law.

More from Indy- National President Becomes Stagehand- and a Trivia Update

Last year- Riley Pagett was always seen in his official dress everywhere he went in Indianapolis- he was the official "leader" of the organization as he served as the President of the National FFA in 2010-2011. Pagett, a FFA member from Woodward, finished his career in the youth organization on stage in Indianapolis last October- but his time on stage continues one year later here at the 2012 edition of their national convention. Only, this year he is helping set the stage and reset the stage and reset the stage again as one of the stagehands for the general sessions at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse here in Indianapolis.

After practice was done- we chatted for a few minutes with Riley- and you can hear that conversation by clicking here- he offers some good insights about what FFA has meant to him personally and professionally as he hopes to enter Law School in the near future.

Yesterday- we asked a couple of questions about previous national officers of the FFA from the state of Oklahoma- and several got the name of the earlier National Officer that hailed from Owasso- the officer from days gone by from Owasso was Dee Sokolosky.  Nick Sokolosky who works for Farm Credit in Broken Arrow named his elder Sokolosky, as did James Pruett, David Holloway who is with BancFirst in Chattanooga and Glen Shoulders in Tulsa.  Shoulders and Holloway also named two other chapters that already can brag they have had two national officers from down through the years- Glen named Noble and Guthrie and David named Noble and Mooreland- and they are both right!  Shawn Jeffcoat also chimed in on the chapter question and he named Noble and Guthrie.  If Marty Jones hears his name on Saturday- that will actually make Owasso the FOURTH Oklahoma Chapter with two national officers as a part of its heritage.   Shawn Jeffcoat added one other note that is so true of so many Oklahoma rural families- he was busy yesterday getting his son to school to load the bus to head for Indy- the fourth generation of a Jeffcoat man that has traveled to a national FFA Convention.  If you want to see a full list of the National FFA Officers from down thru the years from Oklahoma- click here.