Marketplace All-in-One The view from cattle country
Feb 20, 2026
Anna Pope, KOSU and Harvest Public Media agriculture reporter covering farming, ranching, and rural policy in the Midwest and Great Plains. She talks about wildfires devastating Oklahoma ranches and the emotional toll of livestock losses. She outlines federal ag workforce cuts and what losing county office capacity means. She also explains why beef prices are a bright spot for producers.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Ranchers Face Fast, Destructive Wildfires
- Anna Pope described evacuations and fast-moving flames that damaged fences and killed livestock during Oklahoma wildfires.
- She noted ranchers face emotional loss from genetics in herds that aren’t easily replaced.
Oklahoma Is Exceptionally Disaster-Prone
- Oklahoma is highly disaster-prone with wildfires, tornadoes, ice storms and floods increasing risk.
- Anna Pope connects rising severe weather impacts to repeated destructive wildfire events in recent years.
Local Offices Felt USDA Staffing Cuts
- Anna Pope traced federal workforce reductions at USDA agencies like the Natural Resources Conservation Service to buyouts and cuts last year.
- She filed FOIA requests to get Oklahoma-specific numbers and heard local concern about reduced county office staffing.