In the latest crop progress report released yesterday, the USDA rated the US corn crop condition at 68 percent good to excellent, 26 percent fair, 5 percent poor and 1 percent very poor. The Good to Excellent number improved by three points this week versus last week but is well under the 75% good to excellent at this point in 2016.  Soybean planted nationally is at 83 percent, up 1 point from last year and 4 points above the five-year average. The US winter wheat crop currently is 10 percent harvested, 8 points ahead of this time last year and 3 points above the five-year average. For the complete USDA Crop Progress report, click here.



According to the weekly crop progress report from USDA, Oklahoma winter wheat harvested reached 25 percent, up 4 points from normal. Canola harvested reached 35 percent. Sorghum planted reached 53 percent, unchanged from normal.  Cotton planted reached 71 percent, up 22 points from the previous year and up 20 points from normal. Conditions of pasture and range were rated at 85 percent good to fair. To view the complete Oklahoma Crop Progress and Condition Report, click here.



In Kansas, winter wheat condition rated 9 percent very poor, 17 poor, 31 fair, 37 good, and 6 excellent. Winter wheat coloring was 62 percent, near 66 last year, but ahead of 53 for the five-year average. Mature was 7 percent. Corn condition rated 2 percent very poor, 7 poor, 30 fair, 56 good, and 5 excellent. Corn planted was 90 percent, behind 97 last year and 96 average. Pasture and range conditions rated 0 percent very poor, 2 poor, 16 fair, 65 good, and 17 excellent. To view the complete Kansas Crop Progress and Condition Report, click here.



In Texas, winter wheat condition is 36 percent good to excellent, 49 percent fair, 15 percent poor and 1 percent very poor. Winter wheat harvested is at 58 percent, up 43 points from last year and 35 points above the five-year average. Cotton condition is rated at 53 percent good to excellent, 39 percent fair, and 8 percent poor, while at 73 percent planted. Pasture condition varied greatly throughout the state, depending on recent rainfall. To view the complete Texas Crop Progress and Condition Report, click here.



To sum up the current winter wheat crop condition here in the southern plains- here's the Good to Excellent Ratings for this week and the change from last week:



Oklahoma   40%       -9%
Kansas         40%       -4%
Texas           36%       +0%



MEANWHILE- the Oklahoma Wheat Commission released a single paragraph on Monday afternoon on the Status of the 2017 Wheat Harvest- saying  the rains of the past several days(since last Thursday) have halted harvest in most of Oklahoma- with the hope by farmers in some areas to resume harvest efforts this afternoon or perhaps on Wednesday.

The BPI Lawyer, Dan Webb, focused on the 350 times in less than a month that ABC used the term "Pink Slime" in their news reports.

OSU's Dr. Derrell Peel writes about the dynamics between some of the top global beef exporters and how they have influenced the beef markets worldwide, in his article for this week's edition of the Cow/Calf Corner newsletter.

According to Peel the top five beef exporting countries in 2017, include India, Brazil, Australia, the U.S. and New Zealand, in that order. These five countries are projected to export a total of 6.83 million metric tons of beef, about 71 percent of the total among major world beef exporters.

The U.S., being the fourth largest beef exporting country, is responsible for 1.236 million metric tons of that total projection.

"Growing beef production beginning in 2016 along with lower beef prices helped the U.S. to see expanded beef exports in 2016 with additional export growth projected in 2017," writes Peel. "The U.S. is in a unique temporary position to increase global market share in major export markets given the disruptions and uncertainty among other major beef exporters.

"The long anticipated opening of China to U.S. beef will provide an opportunity for U.S. beef exports to grow significantly over time. However, nervousness continues in the U.S. beef industry with the possibility of disrupting NAFTA trade on the North American continent. Trade policy uncertainty continues to hang over the U.S. cattle and beef industry even as market conditions support expanded beef exports."

Find out how Peel views the role of the US among the other major players in the global beef market, by clicking here to read his full article.

The national infrastructure will get some attention from the White House this week as the administration gets set to put out details on a $1 trillion infrastructure plan. Politico's Morning Agriculture Report says Donald Trump will visit Ohio and Kentucky tomorrow to speak on waterways and rural America. Trump will give more details on his vision for improving the national infrastructure. 

One of the ways the administration is proposing to support a $1 trillion dollar infrastructure plan is through public-private partnerships, an idea that is drawing concerns from rural states. State officials and lawmakers in rural areas have warned the administration about relying too heavily on that type of model. They aren't practical arrangements in rural areas because of the smaller population numbers. 

People willing to risk capital on those type of projects typically want to make their money back via tolling or other fee-based ideas. The recent Trump budget proposal included creating a fee for commercial businesses to use the nation's waterways, an idea that didn't sit well with groups like the National Grain and Feed Association. 

NGFA says waterway users already pay a "barge tax" - 29 cents per gallon on diesel fuel - to defray the cost of river projects, and supported a major increase in that tax during reauthorization of the federal waterways program.  They see the tax paying for about 25% of new projects authorized by Congress. 

In today's market, if you are not using the best management practices in your cattle operation, then you are falling behind. Oklahoma State University Beef Cattle Specialist Gant Mourer told me that in response to the decline in cattle prices, the majority of producers have implemented some form of value-added program to their ranching business in order to capture the highest possible premiums for their cattle. He says this strategy has actually become the new norm.


"Really all it boils down to, is quality genetics and quality management - that's all value-added really is," Mourer said. "These well-managed cattle have become the norm and if you're not managing your cattle to this standard, you're actually receiving a discount."


Depending on how you look at it, this premium or discount, could cost you up to $10 or $12 a head, he says. More often than not though, Mourer insists most producers are typically managing their cattle with, if nothing else, a VAC45 program. He believes you can add as much or as little value as you want through the various programs that could potentially be implemented on your place, but suggests you start by evaluating your existing management style and decide what programs fit best with your current operation.


"With these programs, we're simply identifying those calves that have been managed well," he said. "That could be a genetics program, nutrition, vaccinations... whatever. A lot of producers are already doing that."


Listen to Mourer explain to me the value-added landscape of the beef business, on yesterday's Beef Buzz - click here.

The National Agricultural Genotyping Center, yesterday, announced the arrival of newly developed testing protocols that will help farmers make better management decisions on their farms, by allowing them to easily and cost effectively identify diseases in their corn.

While today's corn plants are bred with resistance to many major diseases that lurk out there, there are still some that can infect a crop and cause significant damage before the disease can be identified and properly treated.

Goss's Wilt and Xanthomonas are two diseases that pose a prominent threat currently to corn producers. As such, the developers of these new tests have targeted these two diseases to help farmers get control of an infection situation in a timely fashion before it gets out of control.

"A key part of our mission at the National Agricultural Genotyping Center is to translate scientific discoveries into solutions for farmers and production agriculture. This is another important step in that regard," said Pete Snyder, President and CEO of NAGC. "The new assays we have developed will provide proper identification in weeks rather than months and cut costs substantially."

Learn more about these tests and how they can be used to save your yield potential should you experience a disease outbreak in your crop, by clicking or tapping here.

On Tuesday June 27, 2017 from 5:30pm to 8pm in Durant, the Southern Plains of the United States, The Choctaw Nation, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Redlands Community College and the USDA Southern Plains Climate Hub will be hosting a Soil Health Seminar, and they invite you to join them in learning about some of the latest soil health and conservation methods being practiced in today's agriculture industry.

Issues to be discussed at the event include grain and forage sorghum production; ongoing research on new crop species and varieties being conducted; producer perspectives on utilizing soil health practices; the use of soil health practices and cover crops in wildlife management systems; an overview of the agriculture demonstration, and more!

"By having something green and growing on their land as long as possible," said Gary Batton, Chief of the Choctaw Nation, "ag producers can increase the microbial activity in their soil, improve fertilizer efficiency and help their soil increase its water holding capacity."

Interested in attending? Click here to read more about the event or to find out schedule and registration details.