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We are down to the final day of competition at the 2014 Oklahoma Youth Expo- and we have posted the Market Barrow Breed Results on our website at the Blue Green Gazette- and we will have results from the other species later this morning.   

Click here for the Barrow results of the seven breeds that have been shown in the market barrow division.  In all three traditional species-  we are pretty much down to the Crossbreds being shown today in advance of the Grand Champion Drive which begins at 6:00 PM in the Jim Norrick Arena at State Fair Park.  Ahead of the limo arriving and bringing in the young people who will be showing for Grand Champion in the lamb, goat, barrow and steer shows- there will be a long list of young people lined up to walk to the center of the arena, shake hands with the sponsor of their scholarship and have their moment under the bright lights.  Scholarships that add up into six figures will be handed out starting at 5:30 PM. This will include the introduction of the Academic All State Awards of the top Seniors showing at this year's Oklahoma Youth Expo. 

The Sale of Champions is set for Friday afternoon at 4:00 PM- again on the floor of the Norrick Arena at State Fair Park.  

We plan on extensive coverage of all of the action today and tomorrow- and we thank our sponsors for being with us as an integral part of our coverage of the 2014 OYE.  Our reports are being powered by Devon Energy and by the Title Sponsor of the 2014 OYE, McDonald's.   

We continue to take photos that represent a great slice of all of the Oklahoma Youth Expo- and we are up to just short of one thousand pictures in our Flickr set- click here to go and check them out.  Our thanks to Meg Drake, a young lady from Kansas who has worked for Drive Magazine and is currently a Grad Student in Ag Communications at Oklahoma State University for taking our photos on both Sunday and Wednesday!  She did a great job!  

Climatologist Sees Good Chances for El Nino to Bring Relief to Oklahoma

One of the featured speakers at the recent "Surviving the Elements" symposium presented at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum was historical climatologist Evelyn Browning-Garriss. She and her fellow presenters tackled land and water issues facing the western United States.

She spoke with me and said, unfortunately, the drought many parts of the state have been experiencing for the last several years is not going away any time soon. It may be punctuated with temporary breaks when an El Nino condition appears in the Pacific, but the ongoing drought is a factor of the climate producing drier conditions. That fact, she says, is not necessarily so dire. 

"It's like the dry spell you had in the 50s. It didn't go away. Instead, people learned to cope with it and be productive with it, but they had to adjust how they went about doing things." Browning-Garriss says she has been telling people that for the next 15-20 years "Oklahoma has a new normal and it's one that people in the 50s made a profit from with a lot less technology and information."

The good news, she says, is that this drought, like that of the 1950s, should be interspersed with rain events.

Click here to listen to my interview or to read more of this story.

 

OYE Brings Students and Legislators Together; Board Chairman Sees Great Things on the Horizon

Eighty state legislators took the opportunity Tuesday night to get into the show ring and get their boots dirty alongside the youthful exhibitors at this year's Oklahoma Youth Expo at State Fair Park.

Bob Funk, chairman of the board of OYE and owner of Express Personnel and Express Ranches, told me it was a wonderful opportunity for both the students and lawmakers.

"We're certainly proud of our legislators and proud of the people who serve our state, serve our country. Of course we appreciate the fact that they are willing to come out and see what these young people really are made of. And we're so proud of the young people of Oklahoma. They are our future leaders and we would like to encourage them to be involved in the political process as well. By meeting the legislators that gives them an opportunity to see what they are really like and to, hopefully, push them on towards leadership in our state."

Funk has been a tireless supporter and promoter of OYE since its inception in 2002. He said it has been amazing to watch the show grow over the years and continue to gather momentum.

Click here to read more or to listen to our conversation.

 

RFS Is Single Most Effective U.S. Policy on GHG Reduction/Climate Change, Dinneen Claims

Yesterday, the White House, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) hosted an event on the topic of climate change. Various technology companies, scientists, and other climate experts met to discuss the possible impacts of climate change and announce data-driven technologies to build products and services to better prepare our Nation for those impacts.

Commenting on this event, which included John Podesta, Counselor to the President, among others, Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, highlights the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as a vital piece of any plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and curb future climate change:

"Today's meeting is about finding successful ways to address climate change, including the use of data to help limit future impacts. That makes sense and the effort should be applauded. But it should be noted that the single most effective program this nation has for reducing GHG emissions is the RFS. Last year alone, the use of biofuels like ethanol and the RFS reduced CO2-equivalent GHG emissions from transportation by 37.9 million metric tons. That's akin to removing 7.9 million cars from the road for an entire year."

Click here for more from Bob Dinneen.

 

Social Media - The Global Language for USMEF

Ten years ago, you never dreamed of putting a picture of your breakfast on the Internet, or sharing your musings while you sit in traffic. And you couldn't show the world videos of the funny tricks performed by your children or your dog.

Now you can, courtesy of social media outlets such as Facebook (founded in February 2004), YouTube (February 2005) and Twitter (March 2006), to name a few.

It didn't take long for the social media phenomenon to sweep around the world, and while it is a global tool, it has local applications, making it ideal for an organization like the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) that supports U.S. beef, pork and lamb exports around the world, but tailors the message to each individual market.

"Social media is insanely popular and is incredibly powerful - and cost-effective - if used properly," said Dan Halstrom, USMEF senior vice president of global marketing and communications. 

You can read more of this story by clicking here.

Rancher's Generosity Supports Students with Construction of New OSU Equine Center

Oklahoma State University students and Oklahoma horse enthusiasts will soon reap the benefits of a new state-of-the-art equine teaching center, thanks to Linda Cline's passion for equine students and desire to honor her late husband.

Cline has made a significant contribution toward construction of the multi-million-dollar OSU Charlie Cline Memorial Equine Teaching Center, which will replace the current animal science equine facility on campus. The current building was constructed in the 1980s and no longer lends itself to today's "best teaching practices" encouraged by equine industry leaders. 

The new equine center will include a teaching barn with stalls for foaling mares, an indoor arena, classrooms, feed and tack rooms, a wash rack and treatment area. The center will also provide space for classes, clinics, 4-H programs and other outreach opportunities that serve Oklahoma's expansive equine industry.

"We will be able to teach in classrooms and then step right outside to work with the horses in our labs," said Steven Cooper, OSU animal science equine professor.   

You can read more of this story by clicking here.  

This N That- Cattle on Feed, Peanut Expo and Farm Bill Meetings 

The USDA's Cattle on Feed report is due out tomorrow- March 21st and February placements are expected to be 7.9% higher than last year, according to analysts at Allendale. The report will be released by USDA at 2 PM central time on Friday.


Profits on outgoing cattle during February were pegged at $191 per head. That is the highest profit since April 2010.   Those profits were driven in large measure due to significantly lower average February corn prices of $4.53 in western Kansas. The price the previous month had been $4.54 and the price in 2013 a whopping $7.30.


September through January placements averaged 5% over the previous year's figure, so it is uncertain what February's 7.9% projection will mean in relation to the corresponding late summer to early fall slaughter period.


Allendale is projecting a 4% lower marketings total in February compared with February of 2013 and the total cattle on feed number as of March 1st is expected to come in 1.2% lower than last year. 

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Peanut producers from across the state will gather Friday, March 21 for the 2014 Oklahoma Peanut Expo at Quartz Mountain Resort near Lone Wolf. The annual event, a collaborative effort of the Oklahoma Peanut Commission, Oklahoma State University, USDA/ARS and Peanut Sheller interests in the Southwest, has become the state's premier industry meeting drawing participants from across the southern U.S. peanut belt. 

House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas will be on hand- and there will be details about the hoped for new peanut variety (OL'e Spanish peanut)  that may soon be available to producers. 

If you have last minute questions about the 2014 Oklahoma Peanut Expo- contact our friend Mike Kubicek with the Oklahoma Peanut Commission, at 405-275-5994.

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The National Cotton Council (NCC) has scheduled 49 education meetings in 15 Cotton Belt states to provide its members with a greater understanding of The Agricultural Act of 2014.


NCC President/CEO Mark Lange said, "This new five-year comprehensive farm law includes fundamental changes in cotton's safety net, a greater reliance on crop insurance products, and will be implemented over the 2014 and 2015 crops. As with previous farm laws, some of this legislation's provisions are complex, and the Council wants to provide our members with the insight necessary for them to plan accordingly. All producers, cotton industry firms and agribusinesses are encouraged to attend any of these important meetings."

One of those meetings is today in Altus at the Oklahoma Cotton Cooperative Association- while another of these meetings in our immediate neck of the woods is on Friday March 21st (tomorrow) at the Raymond Frye Complex in Wellington, Kansas. (just north of the Oklahoma state line in the I-35 corridor.  

The NCC has linked on their website a good overview put together by USDA's Farm Service Agency about provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014- click here to check that out.