Tulsa Farm Show Kicks Off This Thursday-  Promises Something for Everyone 

Oklahoma's largest indoor farm show is just days away. The 21st annual Tulsa Farm Show will be held December 11th - 13th. More than 350 exhibitors will be on display at the River Spirit Expo, one of the largest exhibit halls in the country featuring over 400,000 square feet of exhibit space. Show Manager Ron Bormaster is excited about this growing event.


"This will be the largest Tulsa Farm Show in its 21-year history and we are excited to offer new events and many new exhibitors at the River Spirit Expo," Bormaster said. "It is truly a great salute to the area's agricultural and ranching community."


The Tulsa Farm Show will feature demonstrations, competitions, test drives and numerous prize drawings. This year's show will feature many demonstrations on horsemanship, trick riding, livestock equipment and also a livestock handling skills competition. The annual event draws more than 30,000 farmers and ranchers to view the latest agricultural products, services and technology.


Cattle producers can see the latest equipment with side-by-side demonstrations. Eleven brands of cattle chutes will be demonstrated with live animals and moderated by experienced representatives. Equipment demonstrations will be offered at 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday and at 11:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. on Friday. Cattle will also be on display for the Oklahoma Simmental/Simbrah Association Private Treaty Bull Sale in the east exhibit area.  Click here to learn more about this week's Tulsa Farm Show.   

AND be sure and stop by our booth at the Tulsa Farm Show- we will be taking registrations to give away an iPad Air at this year's event.

Countdown to Quality Success Continues

Nearly 4,000 producers from across the country registered to become Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)-certified thanks to an offer from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI). That is nearly double last year's number, which makes nearly 10,000 producers who have made a commitment to quality over the past two years through the BIVI free-certification partnership. Through the sponsorship of the BQA certification program, BIVI provides financial support for the Beef Cattle Institute, which developed the certification module.


The checkoff-funded BQA program is important to the cattle industry as it provides producers a set of best practices for producing quality beef. It also gives consumers the assurance that the beef they eat is both safe and wholesome.


"Being BQA-certified says that as a cattlemen you're serious about the cattle business - number one," says Josh White, executive director of producer education, who coordinates the national BQA efforts. "All of us think in our own mind that we're doing the right thing. BQA management practices are scientifically researched and proven by industry experts. We can be sure we're providing our animals the best care." 

Click here to learn more about the BQA certification modules that are customized to fit the specific needs of each segment of the cattle industry and how to become BQA certified.  

Soil Renaissance Celebrates International Year of Soils

On World Soil Day, the Soil Renaissance celebrates a year of progress in advancing soil and soil health, and joins in the kickoff of the International Year of Soils.


The Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has designated 2015 as the Year of Soils (IYS) to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of healthy soil for food security and essential ecosystem functions. The celebration officially begins on Friday, December 5, 2014, which is World Soil Day.


Launched on Dec. 5, 2013, the Soil Renaissance is a movement to make soil health the cornerstone of land use management decisions, and bring attention to the critical role of healthy soils in vibrant natural resource systems. The Soil Renaissance is led by Farm Foundation, NFP and The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.


In its first year, farmers, ranchers, educators, researchers, suppliers, NGOs, foundations and government agencies have joined the Soil Renaissance with their expertise and support. "Collaboration has been the linchpin to our success so far," said Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. "The multitude of challenges in understanding healthy soils requires many hands at work. No single person or organization can fully address the diverse and complex issues of soil health across the nation and the world."
 

Click here to learn about the Soil Renaissance's Strategic Plan that focuses on four foundational issues key to all aspects of soil health.  

Peel Looks Back at 2014 Record Cattle Market

The cattle market has been a hot market in 2014. The year started at record levels and have gone up from there. Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Dr. Derrell Peel said the cattle market will also end the year at record levels in terms of prices.


"So, it's been a substantial increase in prices this year," Peel said. "The big driver of course is the supply side. Beef production is down about six percent so far this year. Slaughter is down over seven percent, so those tight supplies are really coming to bear in this market and will continue into 2015."


Cattle numbers and in turn beef supplies will continue to be tight for the upcoming year. Peel said cattle numbers remain down in a longterm sense and there isn't much that can be done in short run. While herd rebuilding began in 2014 but he said it will take a couple of years before progress shows up in terms of increased beef production. As ranchers hold back heifers, this squeezes supplies even tighter and prices continue to move higher.


In the short run the only thing producers can do is increase carcass weights and right now the market is saying it will pay for more pounds creating an opportunity for feedlots and packers to get more pounds out of each animal that is processed. Peel said right now steer and heifer carcass weights are at record levels. That creates very large cuts of meat, which in some cases runs counter to what consumers prefer today. Peel is cautious about producers pushing weights to much as that could create some demand problems.

Dr. Peel joins us on the Beef Buzz.  Click here to listen to Peel's outlook for US beef imports and exports.  

207 Groups Oppose Congress Altering COOL

The United States Cattlemen's Association (USCA), National Farmers Union, and 205 other agricultural and rural-based organizations submitted a letter on December 2 to U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Richard Shelby, chairwoman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, asking committee leaders to reject any effort to repeal or weaken the U.S. country of origin labeling (COOL) law in federal spending legislation.


The following statement may be attributed to USCA President Danni Beer:


"As Congress begins crafting a spending bill to fund the government for the remainder of FY2015, any effort to modify or repeal COOL as part of such legislation must be opposed. COOL is broadly supported by American consumers and producers. We remain committed to ensuring that the U.S. is able to have a full review of the compliance of its current regulations at the WTO before there is any consideration of what other actions may be appropriate."


Click here to learn about this effort from group of multi-national organizations that oppose changing COOL, including the letter to US Senators.   

Management Plus Tools Creates Faster Herd Improvement

Change doesn't happen overnight, but cattleman John Moes says the right tools accelerate herd improvement. He has improved consistency and quality of his cowherd with a combination of genetics and management on his Florence, South Dakota farm. He said working with South Dakota State University reproductive physiologist George Perry was the first step.


"He's been utilizing our commercial herd along with their two college herds to use different protocols to figure out what's working and how we can synchronize these cattle and get more of them bred at day one instead of waiting 21 days," Moes said.


Tightening up the breeding season led Moes to look for other areas of variation.


"We started AI-ing and started using growth bulls and once we got into straight Angus we started seeing technology that we can use and synchronize and get cattle more consistent, uh group together on 270 head when we can have them gone at 13 months of age; it's just like clockwork," Moes said.


Moes finishes his calves in an on-farm feedlot. Click here to learn more how his harvest groups have improved from 25 percent Certified Angus Beef brand acceptance to 67 percent in just two years.  

Bayer CropScience Now Accepting Applications for Young Farmer Sustainability Award

Bayer CropScience is seeking young agricultural producers that are demonstrating leadership and excellence in the areas of business and environmental sustainability through the 2015 Young Farmer Sustainability Award program. 


"Young men and women across the United States are solving great agricultural challenges by implementing innovative, sustainable solutions on their farms," said Jim Blome, president and CEO of Bayer CropScience North America. "From making small-scale system tweaks to wholesale operational and marketing shifts, we hear stories every day from farmers who are working 24/7 to make their farms more sustainable by the day. 

Any farmer or rancher age 40 and under who receives at least half of his or her income from farming and farm-related ventures is eligible to apply for the Young Farmer Sustainability Award. 

Click or tap here to read more and to jump over to our webstory where we have the link for the entry form for this award- plus we have a video that highlights this Award program.