- We hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving and we have a great show for you today on Sunup.

Replacement heifers could be the key when it comes to rebuilding the cattle herd.

We look back at a favorite story about a National 4H award winner who continues on his leadership journey this time on an even bigger stage.

And you know there's a wealth of information available, but how is a Mesonet site set up to capture all of that weather and climate data for us?

Grab that cup of coffee and hopefully some leftover pie because Sunup starts right now.

Hi everyone, I'm Lyndall Stout.

We begin this morning with cow calf corner and Dr.

Mark Johnson's ongoing discussion about how important replacement heifers will be for the cattle industry.

- Good morning, Oklahoma.

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving and are enjoying the holiday weekend.

Our topic this week, following up Monday's article, is analyzing your production system and a cow-calf operation.

This is really the key to helping us identify breeding objectives and where we wanna apply selection pressure.

So how do we go about doing this?

Well, basically we break our production system down into its basic components.

One of those is our cattle, the basic genotype of those cattle, and you can think about that relative to how you would describe your cattle, their level of performance relative to all these other factors that we're gonna get into.

Second component that we get into is just the production environment that you're in.

This always gets interesting in cow calf operations.

There is an extreme variety of production environments that we deal with in North America as far as beef cow production.

And if we think about the cow calf sector in particular, cattle are still converting forage into pounds of calves, weaned in much the same fashion that their feral ancestors did.

The altitude that you operate at the soil type, you have the quantity and quality of your forage base, particularly if it's native grass, are all things that we have very little control over, but they are the production environment that we have to have a cow herd that fits and a cow herd that fits their production environment is gonna be a lot more efficient in the whole scheme of things.

Next component, we wanna think about fixed resources and management and what do we mean by fixed resources?

Something as basic, how many acres of pasture do we actually have?

Are we looking at a quarter section of native grass?

Are we looking at two sections of a improved type of pasture like a Bermuda grass?

And we move from that and think about our management.

Management is basically all those practices that we implement as the owners and managers of a cow calf operation.

Management is things like breeding and selection decisions, controlling the genotypes of our cattle relative to our marketing plan.

Our marketing plan is a really important part of what we provide as managers.

How long are we gonna keep our cows in production?

Do we routinely cull cows at 10 years of age?

When do we market the calf crop?

Are we marketing weaned calves?

Are we doing that with documentation of their genetic potential to perform for the next owners?

Are we hanging onto those calves until they're yearlings?

Are we retaining ownership all the way through finishing a lot of management components that enter into this production system as well?

Final component that we get into is just the economics.

Economics can be thought of as the cost or expense of all the inputs that we have into our cattle that can be feed, fuel, fertilizer equipment.

We also wanna think about the value of the outputs primary source of revenue and a commercial cow calf operation is those calves we're living in a time, they've got great value, but there's other aspects to economics as well.

Particularly what is the current interest rate?

What is our debt to equity situation?

Do we own all of our land and all of our cattle free and clear?

Do we still servicing debt on those?

A lot of times that amount of equity we have influences a great deal.

What our marketing plan for calves is gonna be.

The point to thinking about all these things is that they interact and they affect each other in the end by taking a look at all of them.

We wanna make selection decisions, mating decisions, apply selection pressure, and identify breeding objectives that coincide with our marketing plan.

Make optimum use of the resources that are available to us and take advantage of the economic situation that we're in.

We'll talk more about the components of those genotypes we're trying to create next week.

But as always, thanks for joining us this week on Cow Calf Corner.

- Now to a special edition of the Mesonet Report.

Agricultural meteorologist, Emma White demonstrates how a Mesonet site actually works.

- Hello, Oklahoma.

I am Emma White and I'm here with your weekly Mesonet weather report.

Today I thought I would do something a little bit different and introduce you to a Mesonet tower.

Here we have an example of a Mesonet station where we're measuring the data that you see on our website.

I'll go through each of the and introduce you to what each is taking measurements of.

Here is our data logger box where all of the instruments are taking all of their measurements and being put through wires and then transmitted to our station.

So we generally keep this box closed in order to keep all of our wires safe from the rain and animals.

But if we go out from all of these wires, you'll find a mix of instruments.

Over here we have two sets of instruments measuring temperature and relative humidity.

If we go to the far side, you'll see a black wind speed measurement and it's just measuring the wind speed, no direction at this lower height.

And then if we come over to this corner, we're measuring solar radiation here.

All of these instruments at this lower level are extremely important for agricultural meteorology because it's at this height that the cows and the corn and the winter wheat are all growing.

So these instruments are very important when we're measuring cattle comfort index or evapotranspiration.

And then at the very, very top, we measure both wind speed and wind direction.

Wind direction being with that wind vein.

So the me measurements up there help a lot with measuring slightly higher in the atmosphere.

And the instruments down here help measure things close to the earth.

Here we have our precipitation gauges and we always have two gauges so that in case one goes out, we still have precipitation measurements that we can rely on.

This is extremely important for when we're trying to estimate the yearly or monthly rainfall.

We don't want to have any missing data, so we always have a backup precipitation gauge.

Here's what the inside and the bottom of one look like looks like, and the precipitation falls in through the top here and goes down into these little buckets.

Since we know how much rain each bucket can hold, we can measure how many tips the bucket does and count them in inches of precipitation.

Here we have soil moisture sensors that allow us to measure soil moisture at various steps in the soil.

And this is under our vegetated surface as we have another set of instruments measuring soil moisture and soil temperature under unvegetated surfaces.

The vegetated surface soil moisture and soil temperature measurements are very important when we have vegetation growing on the soil.

But that doesn't occur at all times of year in Oklahoma.

So that's why we have a set of soil moisture and soil temperature under vegetated earth and a set of soil moisture and soil temperature under non vegetated earth.

And that wraps it up for your weekly Mesonet weather report.

- And a quick programming note.

Emma White is growing her career.

She has changed jobs and will be leaving the Mesonet.

Emma, we wish you the best and we have certainly enjoyed working with you.

Sunup viewers might recognize the young man in this video surprising his family.

We first met Reed Markham a few years ago when he won a national award for a special 4H project that has taken on a life of its own.

Soon after Reed enlisted in the US Army and recently graduated from basic training.

After a brief reunion with his family in Oklahoma, Reed left for his station in the Mojave Desert in California.

Congratulations Reed.

And now here's a look back at Reed's remarkable 4H project.

- Just one more, errand.

Well, for today, tomorrow's agenda for college freshmen Reed Markham will undoubtedly be full of something, whether it's a day full of this, and that's for his job at the Oklahoma State four H office or hours of sitting in various classrooms or studying.

Or maybe he'll get lucky and he'll draw a day where he gets to experience all of that and more basically downtime.

Really just any time isn't something Reed has a lot of these days.

- Definitely overwhelming, challenging.

I have ADHD, anxiety.

I've had it for a long time and kind of being overwhelmed from moving to about 30, maybe 15 kids in a class to almost a hundred in one of my classes up here.

- That's the funny thing about college.

It can take all your anxieties and insecurities and turn the dial on them up just a few notches, but nothing new for those in this stage of life.

And it's nothing new for them to be quite guarded of how they're actually feeling.

That's why it's never not a good idea to rely on one surefire method to get to the bottom of it.

A mother's intuition - Structure is what he's really struggling with.

He's used to a certain schedule, a certain time, those kind of things.

But the way he manages things though, he is really good at it.

- But what's been hard is he has officially entered the reality of moving on from something that's played a massive role in his life since the fifth grade, 4H.

- I joined Manly to find new friends and people that were like me 'cause anxiety, A DHD gonna stop me from coming outta my shell and going to meet new people.

- He wanted to be in a speech contest.

He had practiced for that and then he is like, I'm not doing it.

- But one person who would go on to have an immense impact on Reed's life had other ideas.

His four H leader, Donna Curry, just outright refused to give Reed an easy out.

- She said, Reed, you're gonna do this four H speech contest.

You're gonna do this 'cause you can do this.

No, you know, they'll make fun of me and I'm not gonna do it.

Well, she got him to do it and he won first place - To say Reed had a storied 4H career, would be putting it mildly with the help and support from his family, especially his older brother Miles.

He championed numerous projects in Pittsburgh County winning several awards, including the 2024 National Youth in Action Award.

- The national Award was my riding into the Sunset, and I think that's the biggest honor anyone could receive in 4H.

- Now you're probably thinking we're at the end of this story and I'll say something poetic to sum up Reed's journey through 4H before fading to black.

But the thing with Reed's story, well, let's just say there's a lot more ice under the tip of that bird.

A lot more.

Hey - Lord Buddy, my is Reid Mark.

I'm here to give a big thank you to one Ashley.

- Many 4H projects are aimed to help better their communities, but with Reid and his projects, it's, it's a little different.

You see, he has this desire to help people, nah, not desire a need, a deep yearning need to help those who need it.

Hello, - Merry - Christmas.

- My name is - Reen Marco.

One of the very first things that I did was a homeless bag giveaway, and I just wanted to try and do something to help them get back on their feet.

And so I filled about 50 paper sacks full of all kinds of things, hygiene materials, food, water.

- But scrolling through Facebook one day, Reed stumbled across the story that would inspire his next project.

- Hudson.

Campbell was a little boy.

He had pediatric cancer.

We didn't know Hudson or his family, - But to see him smile and his smile that could light up a dark room, it gave you hope.

- So we, we were keeping up with Hudson and everything, and Hudson passed in 2018 and he said, mom, I wanna do something for Hudson's family.

- So Reid started the Hudson Strong silent auction raising over $7,000 for Hudson's family.

- And then the second year he found out about a little girl, Kenna Ma Choda, - 9-year-old Kenna Ma Choda was born with a rare heart condition and like Hudson Reid didn't know her.

- And so he asked the Campbells if he could do the auction again and split the cost so she could go on a Disney cruise.

- Unfortunately, COVID hit and a Disney cruise was not a possibility.

But Reid is.

Reid.

And a global pandemic wasn't gonna stop him from giving Kenna the princess party she deserved.

Even taking, taken the honors of donning the Mickey Mouse costume.

To date, Reed's annual silent auction has raised a little over $180,000 to help those in need.

But it would soon be Reed and his family who would need help.

- Reed lost his only sibling - Miles who fully supported and actively encouraged Reed with his projects passed away in the army.

- My brother played a huge part in my life.

He was one of the very first people I looked up to.

We were half brothers, but that didn't make us any less of brothers.

- Just a few short months later, another tragic blow, - He lost Ms.

Donna Curry to a brain aneurysm - It.

It was devastating.

Donna was, she was family.

- Greg Owen is the OSU extension four H educator in Pittsburgh County and has worked closely with Reed throughout his tenure with the program.

He says, losing Ms.

Curry affected the entire community, especially Reed.

- One of the things that he's really known for in his four H career is making these videos about his service projects.

Well, I didn't know this.

That was her idea.

- She was my second mom.

She was the person that pushed me to join 4H.

It's been a different past few years, - But again, Reed is Reed.

He had two goals after that awful year, help people and keep pushing forward for Reed's.

Mom.

That was clear.

Not even two weeks after Miles passed, - The toy giveaway was about to happen.

And so we were like, Reed, we don't have to do the toy giveaway.

Yes we do.

You know?

Yes we do.

We have to do this.

- The toy giveaway, the project that means the most to Reed since 2016, Reed's Christmas toy giveaway has provided over 53,000 gifts for children.

A big number, but a number that is definitely gonna get bigger after today.

Awesome dude.

- Merry Christmas y'all.

- This year's event is by far the biggest, yet they needed 45 extra volunteers just to handle traffic.

For those helping me today, the experience is simply amazing.

- For some, this might be the only gift they get.

And to see these cars come through here and see the smiles on their faces, it's, it really means a lot to us and to these other people that are helping - Knowing that we're, we're just sharing joy and giving joy back to these kids who may otherwise not get that opportunity.

- It means a lot, but especially for these two families.

Michael and Kelly Campbell are the parents of Hudson and Mitch and Alana Ma Choda are Kenna's parents.

They all say Reed was and is truly their saving grace.

- He was a answer to our prayers because we were grieving the loss of Hudson and he gave us away to give back by honoring his memory.

He is an amazing kid - For Reed.

The thousands of hedge cover pathways one can take through life.

Lay right in front of him, but whichever one he takes will always lead him right back here to the toy giveaway now dedicated to the memories of those who are gone.

Hudson, Kenna, Ms.

Curry, and of course, Miles.

- Hey, there's a good chance we won't remember a hundred years from now.

They won't know we existed, but if we make an impact on the planet and on our nation, that can be remembered.

They'll remember what you did.

- Keep pushing forward in Pittsburgh County.

I'm Kurtis Hair.

- Registration is now open for the Winter Crop School at Agricultural Hall on the OSU campus, December 16th and 17th.

It all begins at 10:00 AM with seven sessions focusing on crop production across Oklahoma.

Early registration is $175 until December 1st and includes lunch for both days.

Space is limited, so be sure to sign up now.

For more information and a link to register, scan the QR code on your screen or visit sunup.OKstate.edu.

- Finally, today we learn why Tom and Rhonda Coon were recently named champions for 2025 for OSU Agriculture.

Video Production Manager Craig Woods put together our story along with some help from our good friend Ron Hayes of the radio Oklahoma Network.

- Those of us that have had the privilege of serving in a dean's role like this understand that it's a team effort and certainly the most important part of a team for, for the dean is their spouse.

And I think Tom had a wonderful partner in Rhonda in that team effort.

- That was fun.

- It was - The Rhonda and Thomas Coon story starts in Iowa on different sides of the Hawkeye State.

- I'm from southeastern Iowa, a little town named Washington, and I was the fifth of six kids, so I I, I joked about, I was the one that had to wear a name tag.

- I grew up in a little tiny town in northwest Iowa called Fonda, and I was the youngest of six.

I lived on a farm and I just loved being on the farm.

I rode horses.

I grew up on horse.

I think the, probably my first ride was when I was about three.

- While Tom was active in Boy Scouts, Rhonda discovered her place in 4H, eventually serving as a state officer.

- My whole family, my dad had been in 4H back in the twenties.

So again, it was one of those things where it was just a part of our family, - But the two would never meet in Iowa.

Tom began his studies at a small college in northern Iowa before continuing on to the University of California Davis, where he earned both his master's and doctorate in ecology.

Rhonda went to Iowa State University majoring in psychology and sociology.

After graduation, she became a 4H extension agent before returning to school for a graduate degree.

She also worked for the 4H Foundation and Alumni Association at Iowa State.

And Rhonda became a local celebrity for buying a car.

This is Rhonda, the happy owner of a Honda Civic, CRX.

Rhonda loves her Honda.

It's fun to drive.

- My mother called me Rhonda from Fonda from the minute I was born.

I think because I was born in Fonda and lived there my all until I went to college, it is just phenomenal.

I just never dreamed they'd be like this, but it's a lot of fun.

It's completely something I didn't expect, that's for sure.

- Instead of chasing Hollywood stardom, Rhonda's path led to Missouri where she fundraised for Steven's College.

At the same time, Dr.

Coon accepted a faculty position at the University of Missouri.

Both settled in Columbia and was there.

Their - Paths finally crossed.

When we met, I was on the parish council in a Lutheran church, and she was a cantor in a Catholic church.

I'm now Catholic.

- The minister of his church locked, his wife was our, was my site, was the secretary in the office where I worked.

And she lined us up and she kept saying, we're gonna lose a member on this.

And they did.

About a few months after our wedding, he came home and he said, I, he was up at a conference in Ohio and he said, what do you think of Michigan?

And we were living in Columbia, Missouri at the time.

And I said, well, Michigan is nice, but I'm trying to go south the wrong direction.

So we, we moved to Michigan.

- Dr.

Coon joined the faculty at Michigan State University where his leadership and vision eventually led him to the role of director of Extension.

- When they talked with him about applying for the extension position, I was like, I'm the extension.

What?

And then of course he got it.

And, and I, and the first thing I said to him is, don't mess up 4H.

- Michigan became home for Tom and Rhonda, where they raised their two boys, but eventually the couple wanted a new adventure.

And Oklahoma offered just the chance they had been - Waiting for.

We'd had 25 years at Michigan State, which was, they were wonderful years.

A lot of great opportunities and wonderful memories.

But you know, you get to a point where things maybe seem a little stale or routine.

And so the adventure was partly just going to a new - Place.

Dr.

Coon retired from MSU and moved to Stillwater to become the Vice President and Dean of Agricultural programs at Oklahoma State University.

- When I first met the Fergusons and Kaylene, and she said to me, we've been blessed.

We just feel called to feed the world.

And that that probably was the most, I don't know, impactful statement and impactful for me in feeling so incredibly one humble, but also so proud of what Oklahoma State, what they're, what we're called to do - With their leadership.

The New Frontiers campaign reached its fundraising goal in record time.

- He worked tirelessly with faculty and staff to make sure that the building came together and was useful.

We didn't want to build just another, you know, old Ag Hall.

We needed it to be special.

And he made sure that happened.

He was over here every chance he got, he was in the building, walking the floors, walking the, the mud.

- While Dr.

Kon will long be remembered for the new Ag Hall, his vision extended further.

He helped shape the master plan that brought a series of important infrastructure improvements and recognition of Rhonda and Tom's shared passion for students study abroad opportunities.

Alumni and faculty established the Koon family study abroad endowed scholarship in their honor.

- I enjoyed learning about all the things that were going on here and all the research and like I said, meeting people like the Fergusons and, and all of the other people who cared so much about Oklahoma agriculture.

It it just, it it for a person who grew up on a farm, you, and for a person who has that passion for agriculture, it's great to, to see other people and to be able to share it with them too.

- In 2023, Dr.

Coon retired.

He and Rhonda returned to their family in Michigan, carrying with them cherish memories and the knowledge that they will always be a part of OSU agriculture.

- When I first started in this role a couple of years ago, one of the most common things I heard when I went out across the state is you've got big shoes to fill.

And that really is a testament to Dr.

Coon and the impact that he had.

And, you know, it gave me a little bit of pressure to have to try to live up to that.

- There always seems to be a challenge for extension, for the experiment station, for for agriculture.

But, but what makes this place strong is the people.

I, I, I keep saying it, but there's just tremendous support and pride in this place.

Students come from Michigan to be a part of this, from California, from Florida because it has that, that special connection.

- There is something about this university not only draws them here, but keeps them here.

And they become very loyal, very loyal, very loyal.

I mean, the orange and even my family knew the power of orange after I'd been here a few months, there's something special.

And then, and then put that in the context of agriculture and how important agriculture is to the, to the future of this world.

I mean, what other, what, what other entity is more important than food?

I mean, that's, this future is good.

- Celebrating Rhonda and Tom Coon, 2025 Champions for OSU Agriculture.

- That'll do it for our show this week.

Remember, you can see sunup anytime at our website.

Follow us on social media and stream our show in segments anytime on our YouTube channel, youtube.com/sunup tv.

I'm Lyndall Stout.

Have a great week everyone.

And remember, Oklahoma Agriculture starts at Sunup.