First county ranch tour a success

On Nov. 20, the Canadian County Cattlemen’s Association and Oklahoma State University Canadian County Extension hosted the first Fall Ranch Tour, taking attendees across the county.

First to speak, Canadian County OSU County Extension Director Kyle Worthington said, “We began this event in order to reach into the county and give highlights of what is going on. We have some new things going on.”

Heather Buckmaster, executive director of the Oklahoma Beef Council, said the council works to bridge the disconnect between consumers and producers. Buckmaster said videos are an important tool.

“Ninety-five percent of a video message makes an impact as opposed to 10% of a message via text. Videos generate more sales, and 77% of consumers were convinced they should buy after watching an explainer video. Information has 53 times more of a chance to appear on the front page of Google if you have a well-optimized video. It leads to more shares, which leads to more consumer engagement. Last year, YouTube.com/ Oklahomabeef had 2.54 million video views in Oklahoma. And the website beefitswhatsfordinner.com is rolling out new videos to engage with consumers. We’ve created more than 30 new videos in fiscal year 2021.”

Buckmaster said US beef has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. The commission is working with the Oklahoma Diabetic Commission.

As well, the American Academy of Pediatrics now suggests introducing solid food, such as beef to infants and toddlers.

Beef contains iron, zinc, protein and more for brain and body development. Also, exporting beef is big, with billions of people across the globe investing in U.S. beef.

Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association Director of Organizational Outreach Taylor Shackelford said OCA works on state and federal issues.

“It’s getting tougher to represent ourselves to a population that doesn’t understand agriculture. The current federal administration is focused on climate change and the environment at the expense of producers.”

He said the U.S. has placed one raptor on the protected species list, even though it preys on calves, making it illegal for a rancher to protect calves against the bird. Shackelford encouraged producers to call OCA when faced with any kind of challenges.

The tour included a stop at Scott Cattle Co. LLC, an El Reno meat and processing plant, one of the newest small beef packers in the state, and the third largest privately-owned plant in the state.

Owner Luke Scott said, “This facility was designed by the state. There’s a state inspector here two days weekly. And we process in a way that is much less stressful on the animals. We are currently booked until June 2022. We kill three days a week, and we kill E coli and other in the meat. All your meat is vacuum sealed. I can cut your beef today and you can pick it up tomorrow fully frozen. Once we’ve processed your beef, you can sell it from home.”

Next stop was 6 Mile Herefords’ new sale facility, where the group toured the site, followed by a tour of Express Ranches’ new, state-of-the-art genetic center for cattle in Yukon.

Last stop was Growing Paynes/Payne Ranches, owned by several generations of the Payne family in Mustang, where rib eye steak sandwiches were served for lunch.

Officials attending included District 56 Rep. Dick Lowe, R-Amber; District 47 Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang; District 43 Rep. Jay Steagall, R-Yukon and Oklahoma City; District 2 Canadian County Commissioner Dave Anderson; and Steve Carson, U.S. Sen. James Lankford’s southwest Oklahoma field representative.