Host KC Sheperd sat down with Dr. Brett Carver, Regents Professor
Wheat Genetics Chair in Agriculture, Wheat Breeding and Genetics in his office on the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater and talked about a variety of subjects- all relating back to his passion for breeding wheat. He offered his take on how the 2021 wheat crop has handled the historic freeze the southern plains dealt with in February of this year, reviewed the wheat varieties that have come out of his program and looked ahead to what might be coming next.

Episode 65- OSU Wheat Breeder Brett Carver Talks the Big Freeze of 2021 and Our Wheat Crop and More

As the 2021 Legislative Session heads into the Home stretch for 2021- Host Ron Hays talks with OCA Executive Director Michael Kelsey about bills that have been passed and the Governor has signed, several bills that are still in play and how the budget bills are starting to come into focus.
Ron and Michael also talk about the mood of cattle producers and their concerns- locally and nationally.

Episode 66- Talking State Legislative Session and More with Michael Kelsey, OCA Exec Director

At the 2021 Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association annual meeting on May 4th, we were allowed to record the lunch time conversation between OGFA CEO and President Jeff Hickman and Oklahoma State University President Designate Dr. Kayse Shrum, who will officially become the 19th President of OSU on July first.  Learn more about who Dr. Shrum is- personally and professionally- and what her early priorities will be when she takes the reins as President on July first.  Today's Road to Rural Prosperity Podcast is sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Rural Water Association and the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.

Episode 67- OSU President Designate Dr. Kayse Shrum and OGFA CEO Jeff Hickman

Oklahoma Farm Bureau Senior Director for Public Policy Steve Thompson talked with Ron Hays about 2021 Oklahoma Legislative Session in the latest Road to Rural Prosperity.  Steve believes "this may have been the best legislative year that I've been a part of- and I've been working on these things in a variety of ways for twenty plus years."  He says that the agricultural interests at the Capitol played both offense and defense during the four months that the lawmakers were in session- and cites significant wins in the Ag Sales Tax Exemption and property tax areas that highlighted the 2021 portion of the 57th Legislature.

Episode 68- Farm Bureau's Steve Thompson Reviews 2021 Oklahoma Legislative Session

Host Ron Hays sits down with Sam Knipp, who has been communicating to farmers and ranchers in Kansas and Oklahoma as a farm broadcaster and ag journalist since the 1970s- Most recently, he has been a part of the broadcast and journalism team for the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network- but before that, Sam worked for farmers and ranchers in Public Relations and Communications for the Kansas Farm Bureau, Oklahoma Farm Bureau and the American Farmers and Ranchers. He's a farm boy from western Kansas, who after over 40 years in service to agriculture, is retiring July 2, 2021.  Our conversation with Sam Knipp is powered by Banc First.

Episode 69- Sam Knipp Reflects on a Career of Advocating for Farmers and Ranchers

Along the Road to Rural Prosperity- we feature our latest Ag Perspectives Podcast.  Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Senior Farm Director Ron Hays recently sat down and talked at length with the head of the Oklahoma State University Wheat Improvement Team, Dr. Brett Carver.

Ron and Brett discuss what happened during the 2021 wheat growing season as it pertains to the OSU bred wheat varieties- and then Dr. Carver launches into what is coming- in both the near term and further down the road from the OSU Wheat Breeding Pipeline.

Episode 71- Ron Hays Talks with Dr. Brett Carver on the OSU Wheat Breeding Pipeline

As continue along the Road to Rural Prosperity- In our latest Ag Perspective Podcast, KC Sheperd talks with the leading animal behavior authority in the world, Dr. Temple Grandin. KC and Dr. Grandin talk about the concept of Sustainability and the proper handling of beef cattle, how to treat your cattle the right way, the concept of Stockmanship, how to get an animal ready for the show ring and the amazing memory that cattle have- and how understanding that memory can help you lessen the stress on your cattle and yourself as you work with beef or dairy animals.

Dr. Grandin has been honored by Universities and Organizations around the world- including in 2010 when Oklahoma State University created an endowed professorship in animal behavior in honor of Temple Grandin.

Episode 72- KC Sheperd Talks Animal Handling and More with Dr. Temple Grandin

As pasture and range conditions continue to deteriorate, according to the latest Crop Progress Report by the USDA, suggest tight hay supplies ahead. Katelyn McCullock, director and senior economist for the Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC), told Ron Hays that hay prices are rising.

Right now, 45% of the continental U.S. is experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions, most of which is in the western half of the country. Some of the areas being hit the hardest are known to produce much of the Nation’s Alfalfa Hay crop. While some of the other hay crops are produced east of the Mississippi River, a good amount is also grown in drought-stricken areas of the country. As drought conditions creep eastward, larger areas of the Great Plains, including Oklahoma, are beginning to struggle.

“Nationally, alfalfa prices hit over $200 per ton, which is important because of where we are in the marketing year,” McCullock said. “There is not going to be a substantial amount of hay brought in to decrease the price, from here on out.”

Beef Buzz- Katelyn McCullock of LMIC Talks Hay Price and Supply Outlook

As ranchers and dairymen and women across Oklahoma prepare their operations for fall, another round of deworming cattle comes to mind. Ron Hays talked with Harold Newcomb, technical services manager and veterinarian with Merck Animal Health, about parasite control strategies ahead of the turn of the season.

Newcomb said parasite control is important for three reasons: an infestation causes an animal to reduce their feed intake, lag in production - whether that is measured in weight gain, milk production or reproduction, and negatively affects their ability to viral vaccines and diseases.

“If you think about it, parasites are one thing that that animal is facing every day of its life when it’s out there grazing,” Newcomb said. “You get parasite control right and a lot of other things look good.”

Beef Buzz- Dr. Harold Newcomb Says Strategic Deworming Helps Your Bottom Line

KC Sheperd talks with Jed Green, the founder of the group ORCA- Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action.  They discuss the problems that have developed in rural Oklahoma because of the explosive growth of medical marijuana production in the state- and of the need for better regulation of the industry- as well as recognition of the economic benefits Green believes are a part of the arrival of this industry- especially in areas where legal operations are being established.

Episode 73- KC Sheperd Talks with Jed Green About Medical Marijuana Production in Oklahoma

It's a year end conversation between Oklahoma Third District Congressman Frank Lucas and Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Senior Farm/Ranch Director Ron Hays.  
They talk about the recently passed extension of the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Measure as well as the Cattle Contract Library Act of 2021, the continued wait on the US Department of Justice investigation into the major meat packers, Congressman Lucas' work on the Science Committee, his continued intentions to return to the House Ag Committee in time to be a part of writing the next Farm Bill and a comparison of Congress when he first arrived in Washington in the mid 1990s and today.

Episode 74- Ron Hays Year End Conversation with Congressman Frank Lucas

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays sat down and talked with the Director of the National Ag Law Center Harrison Pittman. The Center is located at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.  Ron and Harrison discuss what Ag Law is- and dove into a whole list of issues that have real world impacts on farmers and ranchers- Prop 12 in California, the Supreme Court's consideration of WOTUS, ESA and the impact on Ag Chemicals, Right to Repair and more.

Episode 75- Harrison Pittman, Director of the National Ag Law Center

Ron Hays talks with Don Schieber, the 2022 winner of the Outstanding Achievement in Agriculture Award, which is the highest award given by the Governor of Oklahoma to honor distinguished Oklahoma agriculture producers. This prestigious award honors leaders in the agriculture industry who exemplify personal values, performance, and achievement.  

Governor Kevin Stitt presented Schieber his award during the Oklahoma celebration of Ag Day on March 24th- after riding with the honoree in a mule drawn wagon up Lincoln Blvd to the front steps of the Oklahoma State Capitol.

Schieber is the 25th award winner and becomes the newest inductee into the Oklahoma Ag Hall of Fame.  Ron and Don talk about his career in production agriculture- his work on behalf of wheat farmers with the Oklahoma Wheat Commission and US Wheat Associates that included traveling to 26 countries taking the Oklahoma wheat production story to buyers of wheat around the world.  Don is a major supporter of the wheat breeding work of Dr. Brett Carver- having provided ground on his farm in Kay County for an OSU wheat Variety Field Plot for 17 years.  

They also talk about his love of football- which took him onto the gridiron for fifty years as a football referee across Oklahoma.

Don also offered advice to younger farmers in today's challenging environment about what he has learned on his way to farming, operating a seed cleaning business and raising a family in rural Oklahoma.

Don Schieber Honored as 25th Member of the Oklahoma Ag Hall of Fame by Governor Kevin Stitt

Chisholm Trail Milling is a joint dream of two businessmen from different states and from different parts of the food chain- Oklahoman Brady Sidwell who farms and has been moving his business into value added products brings the expertise of wheat farming and merchandising that wheat while Graison Gill is a nationally known baker and miller from New Orleans, La. They have come together in Enid, Oklahoma to establish a commercial mill that produces niche high quality fresh flour that is Identity Preserved wheat of a single variety that comes from the Oklahoma State Wheat Breeding Program. Ron Hays talks with first Graison and then Brady about how this makes the wheat/flour/bread product that flows thru this part of the food pipeline higher quality and fresher than it ever has been before.

Ron Hays Talks to Co Owners of Chisholm Trail Milling- Graison Gill and Brady Sidwell

Farm Director, KC Sheperd, talks with Carl Josefy about all things FSA-related. Josefy explains various FSA programs available to producers and contradicts the misconception that these programs are only available to a small number of operations.

“It is always a pleasure to be able to get in front of producers to let them know what is occurring with the Farm Service Agency,” Josefy said. “We have a lot of programs going on, and it does overlap.”

The newly announced Emergency Relief Program, Josefy said, is aimed at aiding commodity and special crop producers. This program, he added, includes 10 billion dollars in assistance to agricultural producers that were impacted by wildfire, drought, hurricane, winter storms, and other eligible disasters that occurred across the country during the calendar year of 2021.

Episode 78- KC Sheperd talks with Jackson County FSA Executive Director Carl Josefy

KC Sheperd visits with Dakota Moss of Livestock Risk Services. When the pandemic hit in 2020 the cattle markets along with the rest of the world suffered. Many farmers and ranchers altered their marketing plans on crops and livestock to try and prevent a loss in the down Covid markets. This led to cattle being held months longer than planned hoping for a better market. Unfortunately for many farmers and ranchers they had no choice but to sell much heavier cattle into a down market. Resulting in a lower $/cwt price and profits lost. Sheperd and Moss discuss some alternative options for producers with the Livestock Risk Protection program.

Episode 79- KC Sheperd talks with Dakota Moss with Livestock Risk Services

KC Sheperd shares the story of Joey Carter, a hard-working farmer who was widely regarded as a model citizen in a rural North Carolina town.  Carter is the focus of a movie coming out in October called Hog Farmer- the Trials of Joey Carter.
 
He was not the type of person who ever expected to find himself caught up in the middle of a federal lawsuit involving some of the nation’s most ruthless trial lawyers and one of the world’s largest food companies.

But that’s exactly what happened when Joey’s family farm became the focal point in a series of nuisance trials that attracted national and international media attention. While his neighbors leveled charges of environmental racism in hopes of winning multi-million-dollar verdicts, Joey was left wondering how this could happen to a man who has always taken pride in playing by the rules. 
 
Watch the trailer and stay tuned to this page for details about community screenings and worldwide debut on Amazon coming up October 14. 

Farm Director, KC Sheperd visits with Joey Carter, and Jason Authors, the photojournalist for the film about what led up to these events, and what Joey is doing now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RHTgRnVdS0

Episode 80 KC Sheperd talks with Joey Carter- of the Movie Hog Farmer- The Trials of Joey Carter

KC Sheperd talks educational issues impacting Oklahoma with State Secretary of Education Ryan Walters.  Walters is also the GOP Nominee running for the State Superintendent of Education in the November General Election.

Walters tells Sheperd that “I believe in parents. I believe in our rural communities and our rural schools. I believe they are the backbone of the education system in the state of Oklahoma. I am going to do all that I can to continue to empower them and to make sure they are strong. The governor and I pushed and passed the Redbud Act which put over 38 million into stabilizing our most rural schools. That is something we thought was very important.”

In rural communities, Walters said, a concern from parents is access for their children to different programs such as FFA, for example, or work in an internship or externship. Rural schools are unique, Walters said, because of how involved the staff and community are.

There are many questions over whether or not money from medical marijuana and the lottery are being used for education in Oklahoma when so many schools are still underfunded throughout the state. Because of this reason, Walters said, he has already called for an audit.

“Taxpayers need to see where their money is going and we need to make sure it is being utilized,” Walters said.

Episode 81- KC Sheperd Talks Education Issues with State Secretary of Education Ryan Walters

Oklahoma Farm Bureau and Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association hosted a Governor's Forum on October 26, 2022- inviting both the Republican and Democratic Candidates for Governor- Only Governor Kevin Stitt chose to attend- and he answered the questions posed by Moderator Ron Hays- questions that offered insights into key issues of interest to Rural Oklahomans.

Episode 82 Governors Forum Presented by Ok Farm Bureau and Ok Cattlemen- Governor Kevin Stitt

KC Sheperd talks with three of the country reps that live in Japan and work for US livestock producers in Japan as a part of the US Meat Export Federation team in that important export destination for US Beef and Pork.
KC talked to Takemichi Yamashoji, Director, USMEF Japan; Satoshi Kato, Marketing Director, USMEF Japan and Taz Hijikata
Director, Consumer Affairs, USMEF Japan  at the recent USMEF Strategic Planning Conference held in Oklahoma City

Episode 83 KC Sheperd Talks with USMEF Reps in Japan Promoting US Beef and Pork

Oklahoma Farm Report's Ron Hays talks regenerative agriculture and ranching with Jimmy Emmons. Jimmy is a long time resident of Leedey, OK. He is the third generation on the family farm in Dewey County. He and his wife Ginger have been farming and ranching together since 1980. They have a diverse 2000 acre cropping operation growing wheat, soybeans, sesame, sunflowers, irrigated dairy alfalfa hay, canola, grain sorghum and several cover crops for seed.

Jimmy has been monitoring soil health with soil testing since 2011 utilizing cover crops to enhance soil health. 
Jimmy shares what he’s learned about soil health on his farm through workshops, field days and test plots. “I want my neighbors, my friends, other board members to be able to come and to learn a little bit about what we are doing. A lot of people think it’s just dirt — that all we have to do is put a little water and some nutrients on it,”

Jimmy and Ginger also have a 250 cow/calf herd and take in yearling cattle for custom grazing on the nearly 6000 acres of native range. Ginger is the primary cattle manager in the operation. The Emmons’ utilize an adaptive multi-paddock grazing system on their range and forages grown on crop ground. They use the system to keep the native grasses and soils healthy, maximize biological diversity and optimize animal health.

Episode84 Jimmy Emmons Talks Soil Health as We Deal With Drought

Since the legalization of Medical Marijuana in Oklahoma with State Question 788- criminals have flocked to the state to set up illegal grow houses because of cheap permits, cheap land and lax rules allowing them to get into the business of growing marijuana in Oklahoma. Ron Hays talks with Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics spokesman Mark Woodward about how these enterprises have invaded Oklahoma- the magnitude of the current problem and how the state is pushing back on thousands of bad people who have set up shop in the state- with the hope to reduce the number of these operations dramatically in the days to come. It's a huge problem all across rural Oklahoma but Woodward believes progress is being made to reign in these illegal marijuana farms.

Episode 85 MarkWoodward with Ron Hays on Illegal Medical Marijuana Grow Houses Across Oklahoma

Cattle Industry Leader Bob Drake sits down and talks with Ron Hays about his lifetime of service in the cattle business. Drake has served as the President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, the last President of the old National Cattlemen's Association and Vice President of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau. He loves politics and being a change agent for the cattle producer back up at the fork of the creek.

Episode 86 Bob Drake with Ron Hays on a Lifetime of Service to Cattle Industry

This podcast looks at the efforts by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt to establish a culture in Oklahoma to become Top Ten in all ways.  Ron Hays talks with the Governor about his drive to become Governor- and the first eight months in office- and what's ahead.

Episode One- Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt

In the second episode of the Podcast series, the Road to Rural Prosperity, host Ron Hays talks with Brent Kisling of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce about how the state of Oklahoma is working to become Top Ten in every measure possible.

Episode Two- Brent Kisling, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Dept of Commerce

Episode Five of the Road to Rural Prosperity features host Ron Hays talking with Blayne Arthur, Oklahoma Secretary of Ag.  The Secretary talks about her journey to the office of the Secretary within the Kevin Stitt Administration and the opportunities that are ahead for Rural Oklahoma and those that are a part of Agriculture that live and work in Rural Oklahoma.

Episode 5- Blayne Arthur, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture

In Episode 8 , Host AJ Griffin talks with Dr. Ariel Lufkin of Mercy Healthcare about providing quality healthcare in rural areas of Oklahoma- lessons that can apply across our state and across much of rural America. Today's Episode is presented by the Oklahoma Public School Resource Center.

Dr. Ariel Lufkin with AJ Griffin- Episode 8

Guest Host AJ Griffin is on the Road to Rural Prosperity with the CEO of the Grand Lake Mental Health Center based in Vinita, Oklahoma- Grand Lake provides mental health services in 13 counties in northeast and northcentral Oklahoma- Danley has been instrumental in delivering innovative mental health services as Grand Lake serves as a model with agencies all across rural America. Today's Road Podcast is Powered by the Oklahoma Rural Water Association.

Episode 16- Charles Danley of Grand Lake Mental Health Center with Host AJ Griffin

As the 2020 Oklahoma Legislative Session begins, the Speaker of the House in the Oklahoma Legislature, Charles McCall of House District 22, sat down with Host Ron Hays and talked about his eight years in the Legislature, his concerns with a State Question that may be considered by voters this fall that could radically change the Redistricting Process in the state, his Priorities for 2020 in the State House and More. Today's Episode is made possible by the Public Service Company of Oklahoma.

Episode 19- Charles McCall, Oklahoma Speaker of the House

Kent Bacus with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association sat down and talked with host Ron Hays at the recent Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio- they talk about the recent trade agreements with EU, Japan, Mexico, Canada and China- and how they collectively make 2020 and beyond an exciting time to be in the  cattle business. Today's podcast is being powered by the Oklahoma Rural Water Association.

Episode 21- Kent Bacus- Talking All the Trade Deals and  How They Impact Oklahoma Cattle Producers

These are the Podcasts from the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and our website- www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com

Radio Oklahoma Ag Network/OklahomaFarmReport.Com

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