I normally try to not overwhelm you with graphics- but the weather picture is a little unusual for the end of July- and I thought it would be worthwhile to look at THREE graphics this morning to get a sense of where we stand in the middle of a hot summer season.

First of all- the Drought.  We do have over 38% of the state in at least abnormally dry conditions as of Tuesday of this week- and based on what we expect rainfall wise today and tomorrow- the area of greatest concern is in Little Dixie:



Those areas of dryness in central and northeastern Oklahoma may well be addressed before the weekend is out- and when you look at where the rainfall has fallen in the last five days- as of 6 AM this morning- you see some of the yellow and brown has gotten some relief:



FINALLY- what's ahead?  Well, Jed Castles with News9 says the ridge of high pressure is making its way back our direction- which means a lotta of heat this coming week as we greet the month of August.



Alan Crone with the News on 6 concurs with Jed on the hot conditions headed our way- click here to read his latest blog on Friday morning weather conditions.

Times are changing and the beef industry is no exception. As consumers change so must producers in how they market their product.Meredith Stevens of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) is working the frontlines to facilitate those changes needed, bringing beef into the digital landscape.


A few years ago, the Beef Checkoff was spending its promotion dollars almost entirely on traditional media in print and radio. Stevens says they started to see a shift in their target audience. She explained that the older Millennial parent demographic started to explode. Their buying power was much more significant, they started to have children of their own, and with that began providing food to their families. Research showed that beef was not always being introduced to their children, which she asserts could ultimately be translated into less beef purchases by these future consumers.


"What we learned about them, was their use of technology. And they are online all the time," Stevens said. "So we shifted based on producer feedback and decided very strongly that we've got to go digital. We have to be where the consumer is."


Now, Stevens says the Checkoff has swapped radio for streaming radio and print for social media properties like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram. Search engines like Google, are the most effective methods to meet their priority goals as well, which Stevens narrowed down to reach and engagement with consumers. They are applying their resources to consistently keep beef at the top of internet searches as well as top of mind for consumers. They accomplish this by continuously measuring digital analytics and optimizing their platforms to navigate and cater to consumer interests.

Click here to listen to Anderson's comments that will be a part of SUNUP this weekend, and be sure to tune in Saturday at 7:30 a.m. and Sunday at 6 a.m. on the statewide OETA network of stations.

Expansion is finally here, says Don Close of Rabo AgriFinance, referring to the U.S. cow herd. But just how big is it expected to get?


"When this whole rally started back in late 2013-2014, my early number was between 32-33 million on beef cow numbers," Close said. "With the econometric modeling that we're doing, we've really revised that back and... in 2018-2019, we're looking for a beef cow number of 31-31.2 million. We've trimmed that back pretty hard."


The limitations, Close says, is not the availability of production space, but is rather a matter of expected consumption. He explained that if total per capita protein consumed is approximately between 200-205 lbs. with beef totals contributing to that range at around 54-56 lbs., then production eventually reaches a cap on per capita consumption. Further to his point, he noted that to date, U.S. beef has never exceeded 11 percent of production in exports on a volume basis.


"As we see it, the real lynchpin in the whole marketplace moving forward is we really have to focus and drive those exports in excess of 11 percent," Close said. "That will ultimately drive what our cow herd limitations are, and profitability throughout the sector.
"That's really where the make or break point going forward is, we've got to export."


Listen to Close talk more on the size of the U.S. beef cow herd now and down the road on today's Beef Buzz.

The National Corn Growers Association is working to vigorously promote trade policies that benefit U.S. farm families, First Vice President Wesley Spurlock told corn state stakeholders at the U.S. Grains Council's Annual Board of Delegates Meeting this week in Louisville, Ky.


Spurlock, a farmer from Texas, provided his update during the General Session on Tuesday as part of a series of updates from various commodity group leaders.


He began by describing how NCGA and the Council work together for the benefit of corn farmers. Delving into this idea, he explained the many synergies between the organizations in terms of goals listed in NCGA's new strategic plan. 


Turning to focus more specifically on trade agreements, Spurlock looked at how NCGA's policy work intersects with the Council's market building activities to increase demand for U.S. corn.


"What is one of the largest keys to meeting our mutual goals? Trade agreements," Spurlock said. "Looking at our strategic plan, it is clear NCGA, working with the U.S. Grains Council and other value chain stakeholders, aims to increase exports of corn and corn products by 25 percent by 2020. It is a big goal but, together, we must achieve it."


Spurlock delved into recent public polling on trade and its divergence from current political rhetoric. Focusing on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he highlighted NCGA's activities from trade school to social media to targeted campaigns, to push for Congressional approval of this important trade deal.


Spurlock's address came as part of a longer series of meetings exploring a variety of issues related to corn and grain exports and the Council's activities. 

Click here for a link to more information about those meetings.

 

This week- the 95th Oklahoma 4-H Roundup has been happening on campus at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater- and one of the highlights is the naming of the newest members of the Oklahoma 4-H Hall of Fame.

It's traditionally two young people- one boy and one girl named- and that's the case for 2016.

Congrats to Lexie Lerblance and Steven Baringer for their selection to the Oklahoma 4-H Hall of Fame for 2016.

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Our thanks to Jimmy Emmons from Leedey for hosting the No Till on the Plains Whirlwind No Till Day of Education yesterday- we enjoyed getting out to Jimmy and Ginger's place and seeing the amazing results that multiple years of no till practices can deliver- and learning more about pollinator strips and the right cocktail mix for a cover crop.

We'll feature a couple of stories first of the week from Leedey- but this morning just wanted to say thanks!

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Monday- we greet August- and the first week of August is a busy one- we invite you to click here to jump to our August calendar listings- Next week features the Superior Video Royale sale, a pair of Canola Educational events, the Statewide Women in Ag Conference and more. 

Later in the month- you will notice that we have the listing of all of the August Area meetings for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau- one of the traditions for the month ahead.

Finally- there is one event that we traditionally have been a part for a bunch of years- the Southern Plains Beef Symposium in Ardmore has been part of my August for more than a decade- the 25th Symposium was held last year- but organizers of the event decided to take 2016 off- perhaps it will return in a year or two after a pause.  We will miss the fellowship, the great information, the incredible prime rib hunk of beef for lunch and the knife that was always provided as our "honorarium" for serving as the morning master of ceremonies.