Oklahoma Agriculture Blog

Oklahoma’s Official Agricultural Information Site

  • Welcome!

    Terry Peach, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture

    As agriculturists our jobs haven’t changed much from generation to generation but the way we do them sure has! Our roles as providers of the nation’s food and fiber and stewards of the land remain the same but just as we rely on new technologies to become more efficient as producers, we find we now need to find new ways to use them to communicate with each other.

    That’s why we have created this blog. Almost 60 percent of the population now depends on the internet for news and other information. The daily and weekly newspapers are still out there (and we still depend on them to reach thousands of Oklahomans) but for all of you who prefer the speed and convenience of electronic communications, this blog is for you.

    Let us know what you think and please interact on this site with your thoughts and comments. We are counting on you to let us know what you think and suggest things and ideas that will improve this site and provide you with the information you are looking for.

    Terry Peach, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture

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3 Proposed Water Research Projects Focus on Agriculture

Posted by carson4575 on December 17, 2009

Agriculture Environmental Management Services shared some interesting news this week. The Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute provides funding for a few research projects each year and this year three of the four finalists being considered for funding involve agricultural applications.

Research projects can receive grants of $50,000 each.

Here are the research proposals:

* Remote sensing of ET (evapotranspiration) for streamflow water balance, water use by native and invasive vegetation, and irrigation water use applications

* Water conservation in Oklahoma urban and suburban watersheds through modification of irrigation practices

* Drought monitoring: a system for tracking plant available soil moisture based on the Oklahoma Mesonet

The lone, non-agricultural topic is: A Fluvial Geomorphic and Sediment Transport Study of the Little River Upstream of Lake Thunderbird Using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)

The institute is scheduled to meet regarding these proposals in early January.

Posted in Environmental Mgnt | Leave a Comment »

USDA Announces $290 million Dairy Assistance Package

Posted by carson4575 on December 17, 2009

Today USDA announced monetary aid to the nation’s ailing dairy industry. The 2010 Agricultural Appropriations Bill authorized $290 million for loss assistance payments to eligible dairy producers.

“Through this program, eligible dairy producers will receive economic assistance that will help stabilize their operations during these tough economic times,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack. “I have personally heard from hundreds of struggling dairy farmers from all across our country who have been hit hard by declining prices over the past year, and now, we’ll be able to offer them help.”

Dairy producers who have production records at the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office because they participated in another FSA dairy program do not need to apply for the program. FSA will use existing production records for February through July 2009 to calculate and issue their payments.

Producers who have not provided production data for those months to FSA, and have not already been contacted by FSA to provide such data, have 30 days, until Jan. 19, 2010, to apply. FSA officials estimate that more than 95 percent of eligible producers will receive benefits without having to fill out a new application.

Click here for the full USDA press release and more information on participating in the program.

Posted in Dairy, USDA | Leave a Comment »

ODAFF Lab Supervisor Develops New Method of Detecting Roundup

Posted by carson4575 on December 17, 2009

Steven Moser, ODAFF Pesticide Lab Supervisor


Steven Moser, Supervisor of the ODAFF Pesticide Laboratory, recently attended the Eastern Analytical Symposium in New Jersey as well as the 19th Annual EPA Region 6 Quality Assurance Meeting in Dallas, TX. All of the pesticide staff attended the Dallas event where they received free annual EPA training, learned new techniques and updated quality assurance methodology. Steven was selected as a speaker and discussed the analytical method that he developed to test for Roundup both in New Jersey as well as Dallas.

Prior to 2005, laboratories throughout the world had been working for years on discovering a process that was acceptable to test for Roundup in environmental samples. Moser was presented with the challenge of developing a new analytical method that would be quick and cost-effective. The challenge in developing the method was that Roundup was hard to retain and separate from other chemicals. By reversing the traditional method, Mr. Moser discovered a way to retain the unwanted chemicals while still letting the Roundup pass through the system. He wrote the analysis method and it is currently being utilized by 20 different laboratories in the United States as well as 2 international labs.

The benefit of the new procedure is that it uses inexpensive, disposable items that speed up analysis while keeping the costs low. The procedure is also simple enough that there is no additional training needed to utilize the method. The method has passed 100% of the blind performance samples that the pesticide laboratory has completed since implementing the procedure and continues to be used on a weekly basis.

The ODAFF Laboratory can currently determine how much Roundup is present in water, soil and vegetation. These tests are particularly important to ODAFF’s Consumer Protection Services Division as it regulates pesticide application and handles pesticide drift complaints in the state. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry continues to work on more effective ways to help the citizens and agricultural producers of Oklahoma. The accomplishments of Steven Moser are an example of the positive developments being seen.

Posted in Lab | Leave a Comment »

STAN FIMPLE NAMED 2009 OKLAHOMA CERTIFIED CROP ADVISER

Posted by carson4575 on December 17, 2009

Stan Fimple, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service, Stillwater was awarded the 2009 Oklahoma Certified Crop Adviser of the Year at the Oklahoma Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) annual meeting held at Oklahoma State University December 16.

This award was based on 22 years of crop advising experience recognizing him as a certified crop adviser who delivers exceptional customer service, is highly innovative, has shown that he is a leader in his field, and has contributed substantially to the exchange of ideas and the transfer of agronomic knowledge within the agriculture industry.

Stan is the only Oklahoma Certified Crop Adviser currently active in Ottawa County. He has established himself as the authority that crop producers and ag dealers rely on as their point of contact for diagnosing production issues in agriculture and especially in crop production.

This includes working closely with a clientele of approximately 60 farmers who produce forage for 50,000 cows, grow 25,000 acres of wheat, 10,000 acres of soybeans, 8,500 acres of corn, and 1,000 acres of sunflowers. Ottawa County also has approximately 75 poultry houses which have him assisting both the poultry grower and other ag producers to safely and economically use this fertilizer resource.

He is especially skilled in recognizing and diagnosing production problems in the field across a broad range of crops.

Stan works closely with State and Area Extension Specialists and his local producers to conduct what is probably the most extensive list of off station field research trials in the state. Ottawa County has hosted canola variety trials and currently has ongoing sunflower, soybean and wheat variety trials. He was an early supporter of the Partner’s in Research concept which resulted in numerous farmers conducting research trials evaluating soybean fungicides, strip tillage in corn and sensor based nitrogen management.

One of Stan’s clients is beginning his second year of a PIR research trial to evaluate the potential benefit of planning crops on beds to manage excess moisture problems on poorly drained soils. Stan was one of the first to obtain a GreenSeeker™ Sensor and has probably personally walked more N rich strips, on wheat and corn, than any Extension Educator in Oklahoma.

While an educator in Mayes County, Stan conducted an extensive research trial at two sites that culminated with Stan presenting a paper at the 50th Southern Pasture and Forage Crop Improvement Conference in May 1994 in Knoxville, Tennessee. His motivation was to assist livestock producers in managing the newly discovered fescue endophyte problem.

He has conducted three different trials beginning several years ago to screen options for controlling grassy weeds in Bermuda-grass hay meadows. He also participated as one of the sites in a herbicide/fertility IPM trial to demonstrate methods for renovating mismanaged pastures.

Stan has planned and conducted many CCA continuing education unit approved crop schools in Ottawa County. He supports the activities of the Oklahoma State University Plant and Soil Sciences department and commodity groups. He has also attended National Conferences including: Southern Pasture and Forage Improvement, American Forage and Grassland Council and American Society of Agronomy Meetings.

Stan has served as President of the Oklahoma Association of Extension Agriculture Agents and was a principle player in the successful effort to bring the National Association of County Agriculture Agents Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference to Tulsa in July 2010. He is a member of the Miami Chamber of Commerce.

In recognition of his support of youth programs he has received honorary Chapter Farmer awards from FFA chapters in Ralston, Adair, and Vinita and comparable recognition from 4-H in Muskogee, Tulsa, Mayes and Ottawa Counties.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Watershed Protection Efforts Will be Recognized Tuesday

Posted by carson4575 on December 16, 2009

Farmers and ranchers in the North Canadian River Watershed have began asking for cost-share funds to protect the river and ultimately Oklahoma City’s main source for water since 2004. In 2007 the Oklahoma Conservation Commission succeeded in getting programs started. Next week we will travel to Watonga where Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach and Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts Executive Director, Clay Pope, will recognize the efforts made over the past few years.

We will begin the day at 10:30 a.m. at the Blaine County Conservation District office located at 221 E. Main in Watonga Oklahoma. There will be a short press briefing at the office. From there we will caravan to land near the river itself to view some of the work that has been undertaken to protect this watershed and visit with the landowner. The event will be concluded no later than 12 noon.

Posted in Conservation | Leave a Comment »

USDA Pledges $90 million to Climate Research

Posted by carson4575 on December 16, 2009

USDA issued a press release today from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack on the creation of a Global Reseach Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gasses. The release looks at the global impact of all agricultural greenhouse emissions and places their total contribution at 14 percent.

The important thing to remember is that U.S. agriculture has been cutting greenhouse gas emissions substantially over the past few decades. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the TOTAL amount of greenhouse gasses produced by ALL U.S. agriculture is only SIX PERCENT. Livestock emissions make up less than THREE PERCENT of the total.

Here’s a link to the USDA press release with the entire story.

Posted in USDA | Leave a Comment »

Vilsack Announces Agreement with Dairy Industry

Posted by carson4575 on December 16, 2009

Reports from Copenhagen say Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, has an agreement with the U.S. dairy industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing methane from manure and using it to produce electricity. The agreement calls for dairies to purchase anaerobic digesters to convert the manure into electricity and Vilsack admits it will be costly for smaller producers.

Most U.S. dairy farms have fewer than 100 cows and will find the technology cost prohibitive. However, the larger farms are expected to embrace the idea. Click here for a temporary link to the Associated Press story about the agreement.

Posted in Dairy | Leave a Comment »

MIO Recipe of the Week: Turkey Quesadillas

Posted by carson4575 on December 16, 2009

An Adapted Recipe by Kitchen Kimberley

There is bound to be leftover turkey and chicken over the holidays. Kitchen Kimberly’s recipe is a quick and easy was to use up the leftovers for a quick and delicious meal any day of the week.

Ingredients:
•2 C chopped, cooked turkey
•2 C shredded swiss cheese
•½ C onion, finely chopped
•½ C Head Country Garden Fresh Salsa
•2 T diced green chiles
•½ C shredded cheddar cheese
•4 large (burrito size) flour tortillas
•Small amount of vegetable or canola oil for frying

Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine turkey, Swiss cheese, onion, salsa and green chiles. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Place 1 tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese on one half of tortilla; spread about ½ cup of turkey mixture over cheese, then top with another tablespoon of shredded cheddar. Fold tortilla over, making a half moon shape; press together.

Fry in hot oil until lightly browned, then flip and brown other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas and mixture. Cut each quesadilla into quarters for serving.

Serving suggestion: Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and plenty of Head Country Garden Fresh Salsa.

Tip: As each quesadilla is cooked, transfer to a baking sheet. Keep warm in a 250-degree oven.

Posted in MIO Recipe | Leave a Comment »

Oklahoma CattleWomen’s Recipe of the Week: Treviso, Fig and Pear Steak Salad

Posted by carson4575 on December 16, 2009


Treviso, Fig and Pear Steak Salad

Provided through the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Marinade time: 15 minutes to 2 hours Total recipe time: 30 minutes Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1. 1 beef top sirloin steak, cut 3/4 inch thick (about 1 pound)
2. 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup light balsamic vinaigrette, divided
3. 1/4 teaspoon pepper
4. 2 large heads Treviso radicchio, cut lengthwise in half
5. 6 fresh figs, stems removed, cut in half
6. 1 tablespoon olive oil
7. 1 ripe Bartlett pear, cored, thinly sliced
8. 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachio nuts

Instructions
1. Place beef steak, 1/3 cup vinaigrette and pepper in food-safe plastic bag; turn steak to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes to 2 hours, turning once.

2. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Brush radicchio and figs lightly with oil. Place steak in center of grid over medium, ash-covered coals; arrange radicchio and figs around steak. Grill steak, uncovered, 13 to 16 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, covered, 8 to 13 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. Grill radicchio 8 to 10 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, covered, 6 to 8 minutes ) and figs 5 to 7 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, covered, 3 to 6 minutes) or until radicchio is tender and figs soften and begin to brown, turning occasionally.

3. Carve steak into thin slices. Remove and discard cores from radicchio; coarsely chop. Season beef and radicchio with salt, as desired. Arrange radicchio, steak, figs, and pear slices on platter; top with remaining 1/4 cup vinaigrette and pistachios.

Posted in MIO Recipe | Leave a Comment »

Ag Aviators Convention Announced

Posted by carson4575 on December 15, 2009

The Oklahoma Agricultural Aviation Association (OAAA) will hold its annual convention January 18 – 20, 2010 at the Biltmore Hotel, I-40 & Meridian, Oklahoma City, OK. We always like attending this convention and meeting the folks who farm from the sky!

If you are an agricultural aviator or know someone who is, please help pass this information along! Sandra Wells is the association’s executive director (she retired from ODAFF several years ago) and can be reached by email at oaaa@sbcglobal.net.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »