Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News
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Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
- Oklahoma State Climatologist Gary McManus Gives Temperature and Drought Outlook for Next Few Months
- Research from CSU and AHA will Allow Cattle Producers using Hereford Genetics the Opportunity to be More Sustainable
- National FFA Organization Names 2022 American Star Finalists
- Union Mutual Insurance Company Now Offering Mobile Home Replacement Policy
- Fixing Your Energy Flow to Get Best Results in Regenerative Ranching
- Plan Now to Make It Through the Winter: Part I
- OKFB Ag PAC Issues Additional Endorsements, Financial Support for Candidates in Upcoming Elections
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Oklahoma State Climatologist Gary McManus Gives Temperature and Drought Outlook for Next Few Months |
With extreme heat coupled with a lack of moisture in recent weeks, Oklahoma has been slipping further into drought conditions. Farm Director, KC Sheperd, catches up with state climatologist, Gary McManus as he gives an outlook on weather conditions for the next few months.
“Heat always comes in the summer of Oklahoma, but this heat is a little bit ridiculous even for us,” McManus said. “It is a very uncommon event to get as hot as we have been in the last couple of days.”
There are a few days left of hundred-degree weather, McManus said, but a week at the most. McManus added it should cool down a little by August and get down into the 90s with a chance of some rains.
“A little bit further into August, it does look like we might break down that heat dome a little bit which would allow some more storms in here,” McManus said, “but the type of drought-ending rainfall that we saw for instance back in May and the early part of June- I don’t see that coming any time soon, so at least probably for a couple more weeks, we are going to go on the dry side.”
While many are comparing this summer to the conditions in 2011 and 2012, McManus said current conditions are not as poor.
“Summer of 2011 was probably the most legendary heat that Oklahoma has seen since the dust bowl,” McManus said. “We are not going to match that summer. That ended up being the hottest summer on record, not just in Oklahoma, but for any state in the United States.”
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Oklahoma AgCredit supports rural Oklahoma with reliable and consistent credit, today and tomorrow. We offer loans for land, livestock, equipment, operating costs and country homes (NMLSR #809962) to farmers, ranchers and rural businesses across 60 counties. As a cooperative, we are owned by the members we serve. Through our Patronage Program, we have returned more than $74 million to our members since 1997.
For more information on our services or to find a location near you, visit our website here.
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Research from CSU and AHA will Allow Cattle Producers using Hereford Genetics the Opportunity to be More Sustainable |
The American Hereford Association is partnering with Colorado State University in the Ag Next research collaborative to study the vast database of genetic information of Herefords to find sustainable ways to improve the breed. In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am featuring comments from Chief Executive Officer of the AHA, Jack Ward, and Chief Operating Officer of the AHA, Shane Bedwell, talking about the exciting possibilities of this research.
“We certainly understand the importance of this research and the effect it will have on multiple different parts of our industry,” Ward said. “Obviously, the American Cattlemen has been tremendous in their ability to produce more with less. We raise more beef with fewer cows than any of our competitors around the world.”
Although cattle are natural up cyclers, Ward said research to increase efficiency from a genetic standpoint is critical with the growing world population and depleting natural resources such as land.
“It is going to take a lot of components,” Ward said. “Over time, we definitely documented the value of Hereford genetics in commercial cow herds in terms of fertility and longevity. We have done a tremendous amount of research in collecting individual phenotypes for feed intake.”
Fertility, longevity, and feed intake, Ward said, are all important when it comes to sustainability as we move forward in the industry. This research, he added, lets consumers know that cattle producers using Hereford genetics have the opportunity to be more sustainable.
Chief operating officer of the American Hereford Association, Shane Bedwell, says that the data that has been collected over the years offers an incredible story of sustainability.
“A more fertile cow is a more sustainable cow,” Bedwell said. “The beauty with the Hereford Association and specifically Hereford genetics is all the research that has been done by the association and the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in feed efficiency, specifically.”
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National FFA Organization Names 2022 American Star Finalists |
The National FFA Organization has announced the 16 finalists for its 2022 top achievement awards: American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement and American Star in Agriscience.
The American Star Awards represent the best of the best among thousands of American FFA Degree recipients. The award recognizes FFA members who have developed outstanding agricultural skills and competencies by completing a supervised agricultural experience (SAE) program. A required activity in FFA, an SAE allows members to learn by doing. Members can own and operate an agricultural business, intern at an agricultural business, or conduct an agriculture-based scientific experiment and report the results.
Other requirements to achieve the award include demonstrating top management skills; completing key agricultural education, scholastic and leadership requirements; and earning an American FFA Degree, the organization’s highest level of student accomplishment.
A panel of judges will interview the finalists and select one winner from each award category for the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo, held in Indianapolis this fall. The four winners will be announced during the convention.
Case IH, Elanco Animal Health, Pepsico Inc., and Syngenta sponsor the American FFA Degree recognition program.
From Oklahoma, Emma Victery from the Chickasha FFA Chapter was named as a National Finalist in the American Star in Agricultural Placement!
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For our farmers who have either- always have had cotton on their farms- or those who have more recently have added the fiber crop to their operations- we have a daily report heard on several of our Radio Stations- It's Called Cotton Talk!
Click on the Button below to listen to our most recent report
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Union Mutual Insurance Company Now Offering Mobile Home Replacement Policy |
I had the chance to visit with the Senior Vice President of Operations and Brokerage at Union Mutual Insurance Company, Curtis Liles, about a new mobile home replacement policy now offered to Oklahomans through Union Mutual.
A company rooted in the state of Oklahoma, Liles said, Union Mutual started in 1938 traditionally writing cash value policies for homeowners, farm owners, dwellings, fires, and more.
“Just recently, we developed a new product we call our Town and Country Policy,” Liles said. “It is a full replacement cost policy on the roof, the dwelling, other structures, the contents, and it is for your preferred better-quality risk.”
Recently as of July 1st, Liles said Union Mutual is now offering policies for mobile homes.
“We can write replacements costs on a mobile home that is in really good condition either on your farm or maybe a seasonal property at the lake,” Liles said. “We can write mobile homes anywhere from $40,000 to $260,000. We can write a site-built home for anywhere from $100,000 to 650,000. It is a preferred business full replacement cost, and so we can write any farm exposure or homemaker exposure in the state of Oklahoma.”
Union Mutual has around 350 agents across the state of Oklahoma, Liles said, and they have around 75 Town and Country agents across Oklahoma, which write the preferred product policies. For help finding your nearest Town and Country agent, Liles said you can call the home office at 405-286-7703.
“We will direct you to the closest Town and Country agent through your area,” Liles said.
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We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network weekdays-
if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click below for this morning's Farm news from Ron Hays and KC Sheperd on RON.
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Sponsor Spotlight
The vision of the Oklahoma Beef Council is to be a positive difference for Oklahoma's farming and ranching families and the greater beef community, and its mission is to enhance beef demand by strengthening consumer trust and exceeding consumer expectations.
And Check out this video below that helps you learn more about the Beef Checkoff- .
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Fixing Your Energy Flow to Get Best Results in Regenerative Ranching |
In nature and in regenerative ranching, there are four ecosystem processes at work – the energy flow, water cycle, nutrient cycle and community dynamics. In an effective ecosystem, all four ecosystem processes are simultaneously highly functional. If any one of the four is disrupted or impaired in any way, the ecosystem itself is not highly functional.
The energy flow in an ecosystem is not a given; it can be impaired or even break. A broken energy flow is different than an energy flow that is functioning, but not at its highest capability – what we call an impaired energy flow. There is a continuum from a broken energy flow to impaired to a highly functional energy flow.
With this discussion, our objective is to determine if energy flow is limiting the functionality of the four ecosystem processes under our management. We will look at four scenarios of broken and impaired energy flows in grazing land situations.
BARE GROUND COULD MEAN THE ENERGY FLOW IS BROKEN
Since the energy flow is driven by photosynthesis, actively growing plant leaves must be present. In a truly broken energy flow, such as in a plowed field, there are no or few plants actively growing. This means the water cycle, nutrient cycle and community dynamics are also broken. This also can occur in more arid environments where bare soil is more common, especially in over-grazed areas.
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Plan Now to Make It Through the Winter: Part I |
Paul Beck, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, offers his expertise as part of the weekly series known as the "Cow Calf Corner" published electronically by Derrell Peel, Mark Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today Beck is talking about priorities as we get closer to winter after limited moisture and excessive heat.
It has been hot and dry this summer. The maps from Mesonet show that in the last 30 days much of Oklahoma has had less than 10% of our normal rainfall and over 2 consecutive weeks of maximum temperatures in excess of 90°. Worries about drought and how we are going to make it through the winter with limited or no stored forage has monopolized most of our thoughts, energy, and time. There are some critical steps that need to be made in order for us to make it.
Our first priority is to reduce the stocking rate on the ranch to a level that can be sustained through the rest of the summer and into the fall.
1. If you are one of the operations that keeps or purchases stocker calves to utilize extra grass, this may be the time to sell calves early or send calves to a grow yard or feedlot. Using stocker calves as part of the “normal” stocking rate of the ranch allows for producers to be flexible for drought and other adverse weather events. Many operations use 30 to 50% of their summer forage for stockers in normal years, when forage production is limited these calves can be marketed reducing the culling of the cowherd that may need to occur.
2. Selling replacement heifers should also be considered, these females will not provide a marketable calf for over a year. In this current circumstance, these cattle may be too large of a drain of resources.
3. Cull cowherd to a number that you can afford to winter by getting rid of old cow, less productive cows and/or cows that have higher nutrient requirements. Cows that are expected to calve in the fall will require more nutrients to keep them in proper condition, and a higher level of nutrition equates to higher cost of winter feeding. The number of cows remaining may be the actual sustainable long-term carrying capacity for your operation.
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OKFB Ag PAC Issues Additional Endorsements, Financial Support for Candidates in Upcoming Elections |
The Oklahoma Farm Bureau Ag PAC endorsed an additional four candidates and added $29,900 in financial support for candidates before the Aug. 23 runoff election.
Headlining the field of new endorsees is Markwayne Mullin, a candidate for Sen. Jim Inhofe’s unexpired seat in the United States Senate. Mullin faces T.W. Shannon in the upcoming primary runoff.
Additional new endorsements by the OKFB Ag PAC include Dell Kerbs for House District 26, Trey Caldwell for House District 63 and Jon Echols for House District 90.
The Ag PAC issued additional financial support to Darcy Jech, who received an Ag PAC endorsement before the June primary election. Jech will face Brady Butler in the Oklahoma Senate District 26 race in the August runoff election.
The Ag PAC awarded additional financial support to four previously supported candidates for their respective runoff races, including Todd Russ for state treasurer, Kim David for corporation commissioner, Leslie Osborn for labor commissioner and Collin Duel for House District 31.
The PAC also gave new financial support to four state Senate candidates and 13 state House of Representatives candidates.
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OKC West is our Market Links Sponsor- they sell cattle three days a week- Cows on Mondays, Stockers on Tuesday and Feeders on Wednesday- Call 405-262-8800 to learn more.
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Today's First Look:
Ron on RON Markets as heard on K101
mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
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Wholesale Boxed Beef Prices were lower- Choice Beef was down $2.14 and Select Beef was down $1.48 on Wednesday 07/20/2022.
Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News
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OKC West in El Reno had 7,894 head in their sales on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
According to USDA Market News- Compared to last week: Feeder steers sold steady to 2.00 lower compared to last weeks very attractive offering. Feeder heifers traded mostly steady, few trades 1.00-2.00 higher. Demand moderate. Quality more plainer this week than in recent weeks. Steer and heifer calves under 500 lbs sold sharply lower with instances of as much as 20.00 lower, over 500 lbs 3.00-6.00 lower. Extreme triple digit temperatures has buyers very weary of light weight and or un-weaned calves. temperatures are expected to be in the triple digits the next 9 days. Quality average to plain to average, few attractive.. Demand light.
OKC West manager Bill Barnhart add these comments on the market's Facebook page: "The feeder market held unevenly steady this week at the auction. Quality was not near as attractive as last week but most feeders sold from 2.00 lower to 2.00 higher despite a softer fat cattle trade. Fat sales reported today, 136 in the south to 145 in the north. Plants are running at full steam as demand for product remains high. The blistering temperatures throughout the southern plains have effected pasture conditions and the cow and calf markets. Lots of cows and calves are starting to show up at the markets and are being met with sharply lower prices. 110 degrees here in El Reno Tuesday for our calf sale, many sold 10.00-20.00 cheaper on the calves as buyers were hard to find. Packer cows Monday sold 6.00-10.00 lower on a big run. Triple digit temperatures expected into next week. Pray for rain and have a great week.
Click below for the complete closing report.
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Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's markets as analyzed by Justin Lewis of KIS futures - click below for the latest update on the Livestock and Grain Futures Trade..
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Okla Cash Grain:
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- as reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture- The report available after the close of the Futures Trade for that day.
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Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
Ron Hays, Senior Farm/Ranch Broadcaster and Editor
KC Sheperd, Farm Director and Editor
Dave Lanning, Markets and Production
Reagan Calk, Farm News and Email Editor
Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager
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Rural Oklahoma is full of some of the greatest success stories throughout the entire state and is a big reason why Oklahoma is on track to become a top 10 state.
The Road to Rural Prosperity dives into these stories, bringing you stories covering rural life, agriculture, energy, healthcare, tourism, and politics affecting rural America.
The Road to Rural Prosperity is here to tell stories about rural America, for rural America.
KC Sheperd visits with Dakota Moss of Livestock Risk Services. When the pandemic hit in 2020 the cattle markets along with the rest of the world suffered. Many farmers and ranchers altered their marketing plans on crops and livestock to try and prevent a loss in the down Covid markets. This led to cattle being held months longer than planned hoping for a better market. Unfortunately for many farmers and ranchers they had no choice but to sell much heavier cattle into a down market. Resulting in a lower $/cwt price and profits lost. Sheperd and Moss discuss some alternative options for producers with the Livestock Risk Protection program.
Search for Road to Rural Prosperity and subscribe on your favorite Podcast platform.
To hear this podcast, you can click here or tap below:
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Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Oklahoma Ag Mediation Program, Great Plains Kubota, Stillwater Milling Company, National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma AgCredit, Union Mutual Insurance, the Oklahoma Cattlemens Association, and KIS Futures for their support of our daily Farm News Update.
For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked here- just click on their name to jump to their website- check their sites out and let these folks know you appreciate the support of this daily email, as their sponsorship helps us keep this arriving in your inbox on a regular basis- at NO Charge!
We invite you to check out our website at the link below too that includes an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.
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God Bless!
Reach Out To Us:
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Tim West
President/General Manager
Rural Oklahoma Networks
405-317-6361
***************
Mike Henderson
Director of Sales
405-615-4922
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KC Sheperd
Farm Director
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
405-443-5717
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Ron Hays
Senior Farm/Ranch Broadcaster
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network
405.473.6144
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