Who We Are
OSU Agriculture is a dynamic organization that integrates the three missions of teaching, research and Extension. These are represented by the Ferguson College of Agriculture and two state agencies: the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station (OSU Ag Research) and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service (OSU Extension). OSU Agriculture includes nine academic departments, two multidisciplinary academic programs, 16 field research stations, more than 40 research facilities, two institutes, three centers and an OSU Extension presence in all 77 Oklahoma counties. The college offers undergraduate majors in 16 fields of study, 14 master's and 11 doctoral degrees. Fall 2024 enrollment includes 2,995 undergraduate and 423 graduate students. In 2024, OSU Agriculture employed more than 900 FTEs, including 185 tenure-track faculty, 65 non-tenure-track faculty and 205 OSU Extension professionals.
OSU Agriculture is entrusted with resources to invest in pursuing its missions shaped by funding sources. The fiscal year 2025 budget for OSU Agriculture was approximately $131 million. Out of all anticipated revenue, about 14% support the Ferguson College of Agriculture, 38% support OSU Extension and 48% support OSU Ag Research. The following figures show the sources of revenue for each of the three primary mission areas. Federal and state capacity funds provide 70% of the revenue for OSU Extension and 47% of the revenue for OSU Ag Research.
Agriculture and natural resources are important to the economic prospects of the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s food and agricultural sector directly employs 319,334 people and indirectly supports 641,939 jobs in the state. The agricultural sector in Oklahoma is responsible for $111.8 billion in economic activity. Oklahoma agriculture contributes $10 billion in local, state and federal taxes and $27.7 billion in wages.1 Oklahoma’s forestry sector directly contributes $4.6 billion in output to the economy and employs 9,200 people.2 Fishing generates $894 million in labor income, and hunting is responsible for $369 million in labor income in Oklahoma.3 Beyond these direct economic impacts are the billions of dollars of benefits citizens derive from recreation, hunting, tourism and ecosystem services.
Striving to positively impact agriculture and natural resources, OSU Agriculture’s activities are focused on industries important to the state. Oklahoma has 70,300 farms, the sixth most of any state in the country, operating on 32.9 million acres.4 Ranked in order of the value of production in 2023, the most important agricultural commodities in Oklahoma are cattle, hogs, broilers, hay, winter wheat, corn, milk, soybeans, cotton, eggs, sorghum, pecans, peanuts, rye, oats and canola.5 Agriculture in Oklahoma is an important contributor to the national agricultural economy and, thus, food security. Oklahoma is a top producer of beef cows (ranked second in the country), hay (ranked second), rye (ranked third), pecans (ranked third), sorghum (ranked fourth), canola (ranked fifth), winter wheat (ranked sixth), peanuts (ranked ninth) and hogs (ranked 10th).6
Oklahoma agriculture plays a vital role in international food security. In 2022, Oklahoma exported more than $2.3 billion in agricultural products to international consumers, led by exports of beef ($622 million), wheat ($401 million), pork ($373 million) and cotton ($338 million).7 Oklahoma’s largest trading partners in fiscal year 2024 included Japan ($61 million in exports of pork), Mexico ($51 million in exports of wheat) and China ($37 million in exports of cotton and $19 million in exports of live animals). In fiscal year 2024, Oklahoma exported almost $80 million in dextrins, peptones and proteins to countries like South Korea, the Netherlands and Indonesia.8
1 - https://feedingtheeconomy.com/; https://goodstone.guerrillaeconomics.net/reports/f6b4f49e-bf33-4a81-8039-e379305425d3
2 - Joshi, O. “Economic Contribution of the Forest Sector in Oklahoma in 2022.” Oklahoma State University Extension. NREM-2057. August, 2024.
3 - https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/outdoorok/ooj/hunting-and-fishing-boost-oklahomas-economy
7 - https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-agricultural-trade-data/state-agricultural-trade-data/
8 - https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-agricultural-trade-data/state-agricultural-trade-data/