Road to Rural Prosperity

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.

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.

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.

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.

Oklahoma State Rep Trey Caldwell has started his second term in the Oklahoma House of Representatives- serving as the Deputy Majority Leader. He talks with host Ron Hays about his roots in agriculture and why he is serving in State Government. They discuss redistricting, rural healthcare, education and the state budget process that is making good progress here in 2021- despite the year of Pandemic.

Caldwell is a rising star in the Oklahoma Legislature- and won the seat that was held for 12 years by Don Armes before he termed out.

Host Ron Hays talks with Oklahoma Third District Congressman Frank Lucas about two recent pieces of legislation that he voted against- HR 1, the Democrat's Voting Rights Bill that would strip power away from the states on how to register and verify voters- and also the Budget Reconciliation Bill that the Biden Administration is calling the American Rescue Plan. Hays and Lucas also talked about confirmation of Tom Vilsack to be USDA Secretary- Lucas saying he is "relieved" that Vilsack was President Biden's choice to be Secretary.

Rep. Lucas also talked about the CFAP money that is being held up by the Biden USDA- saying that Congress offered explicit instructions on funds to be spent to compensate cattle producers who sold cattle at a loss April 15 thru May last year as COVID devastated the market.

The Congressman also talked about the groundwork ahead of a 2023 Farm Bill and what he is working on in the Science Committee to help research back on track after a year of dealing with the Pandemic.

The Noble Research Institute, based in Ardmore, Oklahoma, has announced their intention to focus on Regenerative Agriculture- and Steve Rhines, CEO and President, tells host Ron Hays that the intention of NRI is to work on a primary goal to regenerate millions of acres of degraded grazing lands across the United States.

“Land stewardship is a core value held by many farmers and ranchers. Regenerative agriculture is the next step in the land stewardship journey wherein farmers and ranchers reduce their reliance on conventional practices and concentrate on restoring or regenerating the soil. The soil is the cornerstone of a healthy ecosystem and a productive farm or ranch.”

Hays and Rhines explore the journey that Noble has taken to get to this point of it's existence- and discuss what their work with farmers, ranchers and landowners will look like in the years ahead.

Today's Road to Rural Prosperity is powered by BancFirst, Loyal to Oklahoma and Loyal to You.

At the recent Oklahoma Genetics, Inc Annual Conference, Dr. Tom Coon, Dean and Vice President of the Division of Ag and Natural Resources provided an update on 2020-2021 Enrollment at OSU in the midst of the Pandemic, new personnel for the Division and all the latest in the New Frontiers Project to fund and construct the new Ag Hall for the Division and the Ferguson College of Ag. Host Ron Hays was moderating the Conference and asked Dr. Coon about the timeline for the construction- with plans announced to have a groundbreaking celebration April 23rd.

Today's podcast featuring Tom Coon's address is powered by the Oklahoma Rural Water Association.

Oklahoma State University Junior Amarie Griffeth has a heart for people- and she tells Host KC Sheperd about a need she saw on campus in Stillwater to combat food insecurity. She was a part of a Task force- and out of that students came up with Pete’s Pantry, an anonymous way to help other students on campus needing a helping hand.

Amarie grew up in Cushing, Oklahoma- her dad is in the livestock marketing business, so she has grown up loving being involved in producing food- and she has discovered the joy of providing food to those in need as well. Today's Road Podcast is powered by BancFirst, Loyal to Oklahoma and You.

Ron Hays reports from the first ever Cattlemen's Congress in Oklahoma City- and talks with Shane Bedwell, Chief Operating Officer of the American Hereford Association and Mark McCully, CEO of the American Angus Association. These beef industry leaders talk about the show at the OKC Fairgrounds as well as the latest on their respective beef breeds. They also offer their perspectives on balancing the value of phenotype evaluation versus EPD genomics.

Shane's interview starts at the 3:00 mark while Mark's interview starts at the 12:27 mark.