Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News

Friday, March 24, 2023

Howdy Neighbors!

Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update. 

 

  • After Several Weeks of No Changes, Exceptional Drought Increases to 11 Percent in Oklahoma


  • Kim Anderson says with La Niña Gone, Higher Production This Summer May Follow


  • North America Continues to Satisfy Demand for Grain-Fed Beef Around the World


  • USDA Makes Grants Available to Help People in Rural Oklahoma Repair Their Homes Damaged by Severe Storms


  • Most of Western Oklahoma Left Out of Latest Rain Making System


  • Wildlife Watch: Abundant Ground-nesting Birds Sign of Healthy Grasslands


  • Russian Intervention Has Fueled Every Wheat Price Spike Since 2007


  • More Stories for Your Weekend Reading

After Several Weeks of No Changes, Exceptional Drought Increases to 11 Percent in Oklahoma

After four weeks of no changes in the exceptional drought category, this week, exceptional drought has increased from 8.86 percent to 11.21 percent in Oklahoma.


Extreme drought or worse is still at 36.64 percent- the same as weeks before.


Severe drought or worse is virtually unchanged, moving from last week’s 50.58 percent to this week’s 50.12 percent.


Moderate drought or worse is unchanged from last week at 59.07 percent.


Abnormally dry or worse conditions are also the same as last week at 65.61 percent.


According to the 6-10 day precipitation outlook map, the northwest corner and the panhandle regions of Oklahoma stand at a near normal chance of precipitation through April 1. The southwest corner, up through central Oklahoma, and the northeast corner of the state are learning above a 33 to 40 percent chance of precipitation. As for the southeast corner, that part of the state is learning above a 40 to 50 percent chance of precipitation through April 1.


To view this week's Oklahoma Drought Map and Numbers, click the Oklahoma Drought Map above the story.

Click here to read a national drought summary and access this week's graphs and charts
Sponsor Spotlight



National Livestock was founded in 1932 in Oklahoma City. National’s Marketing Division offers cattle for sale weekly at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City. The Finance Division lends money to ranchers across several states for cattle production. The Grazing Division works with producers to place cattle for grazing on wheat or grass pastures. 


National also owns and operates other livestock marketing subsidiaries including Southern Oklahoma Livestock Auction in Ada, Oklahoma, OKC West Livestock Market in El Reno, Oklahoma, and the nation’s premier livestock video sale, Superior Livestock Auction. National offers customers many services custom made for today’s producer. To learn more, click here for the website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.

 

Kim Anderson says with La Niña Gone, Higher Production This Summer May Follow

This Week on SUNUP is Oklahoma State University Extension grain market economist Kim Anderson. During this week’s edition Anderson talks about the latest in the grain markets.


Russia’s exports are backed up, Anderson said, and their ending stocks are projected to be relatively high as they are looking at an average crop following a record crop last year.


“Then you have got the Russia and Ukraine export agreement,” Anderson said. “It is due to be renewed. Russia said they are going to extend it for 60 days. The Ukraine wants 120. That had some little impacts on the market.”


Anderson said there is also some movement impacting markets going on in Brazil and Argentina.

Brazil is projected to have a big soybean crop, Anderson said, and for the first time, Brazil will be the number one exporter of corn compared to the United States.


“The big news is La Niña is dead,” Anderson said. “It came out this week. The weather forecasters are saying La Niña has moved over to a neutral position.”


In the next few months, Anderson said, we will move to El Nino, which means more precipitation and higher production.

Click here to listen to Kim Anderson and see the lineup for this week on SUNUP

North America Continues to Satisfy Demand for Grain-Fed Beef Around the World

At the recent International Livestock Congress in Houston, Texas,I had the chance to talk with the Executive Vice President of the Canadian Cattle Association, Dennis Laycraft.


“We actually have a great story in the North American cattle industry,” Laycraft said. “We are amongst the most efficient cattle producers in the world, which means we have the lowest greenhouse gas footprint in the world.”


Canada and the United States, Laycraft said, have been working together to ensure that animal agriculture is better understood in sustainability conversations.


“Attending meetings like this where we are sharing the best possible information, I think helps all of us when we engage in that bigger conversation,” Laycraft said.


Laycraft also talked about how the cattle industry in the U.S. and Canada is very similar in terms of genetics, feeding methods and more.


“We have been seeing cattle move back and forth for probably 150 years, so it is not surprising we would be very similar,” Laycraft said.

Click here to read more and listen to Ron and Dennis Laycraft talk about the high-quality of U.S. and Canadian Beef
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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
Click here for our Latest Cotton Talk- Hosted by KC Sheperd


USDA Makes Grants Available to Help People in Rural Oklahoma Repair Their Homes Damaged by Severe Storms

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Oklahoma State Director Kenneth Corn announced today that the Biden-Harris Administration is making grants available to assist Rural Oklahomans in the repair of their homes damaged by severe weather in 2022 in select counties that were declared disasters by the President.


The homes must be located in presidentially declared disaster areas. People living in seven counties in Oklahoma are eligible for the funding.


“Oklahomans all too well know the destructive forces Mother Nature can bring to the Sooner State and unfortunately the increasingly negative impacts of climate change have made each successive year harder for Oklahoma families to recover from these powerful storms,” Corn said. “However, the Biden-Harris Administration has made it known they want to use the power of our federal government for good and ensure our rural neighborhoods in Oklahoma are able to afford the repairs so our neighbors in Oklahoma can live in safe and secure homes.”


The grants are being made available through supplemental disaster funding under the Rural Disaster Home Repair Grant Program. Through this program, people may apply to receive grants of up to $40,675 directly from the USDA Oklahoma State Office to repair their homes.

Click here to read more about grants available to assist Rural Oklahomans in home damage repair

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.
Click here for the Friday morning farm and ranch news with KC Sheperd
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Sponsor Spotlight



The Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program knows this is a hard time for farmers and ranchers. We want you to know we are still open, and we are still here for you. The Ag Mediation program is a free service that provides mediation to agriculture producers who may need help with ag-related disputes.


At Oklahoma Ag Mediation, we have been helping people in agriculture resolve conflicts since 1987. We know firsthand about working together to resolve conflicts, so you don’t have to go through the court systems. Let our professional mediators help you. Mediation is allowed for lease issues, farmer/neighbor disputes, family farm transitions, and more. These services are available at no cost for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers in all 77 counties. For more information, you can go to ok.gov/mediation, or give us a call at 800 248 5465.

 

Most of Western Oklahoma Left Out of Latest Rain Making System

There are still two or three good bands of rain falling across Oklahoma this morning as we finish writing our Friday email- one still in northeastern Oklahoma extending back down to the northside of the OKC metro- and a much bigger set of showers that stretch from just east of Lawton across south central Oklahoma and extend up to around McAlester.


The graphic above shows the rainfall that has covered from Grandfield in the southwest (7 tenths there) to Jay in the northeast not far from the Arkansas line with just over 4 inches of rain- almost all of that happening since 5 pm on Thursday.


While we will see some additional rainfall amounts pile up in south central Oklahoma and points east- much of western Oklahoma has gotten little or no rainfall from this latest system that has rolled in from the west coast. The Mesonet graphic above is linked to the 48 hour rainfall map on the website so you will have a chance to see real time totals on into the weekend.


The Drought Monitor story that is further up in the email shows how dry it is in the areas that did NOT get rainfall from the this current system- where drought drags on in Oklahoma- no relief was received and nothing is on the immediate horizon.


After this system moves out of Oklahoma- there are some small chances the next few days but nothing major over the next few days.

Wildlife Watch: Abundant Ground-nesting Birds Sign of Healthy Grasslands

Ground nesting bird populations are essential indicators of your ranch’s ecological health.


Ground-nesting birds serve as an important indicator of a healthy ranch, according to Alan Sparks, senior research associate at Noble Research Institute. Such birds belong to a diverse group, from shorebirds that nest on sandy and rocky areas along ponds and lakes, such as killdeer and sandpipers, to some species of waterfowl that tuck their nests away in deep vegetation.


But, when it comes to evaluating ranch management, not all ground-nesting birds are created equal. The presence and prevalence of grassland ground-nesting game birds, such as the northern bobwhite quail and wild turkey, are key clues about your land’s ecological health and diversity.


“I think using grassland birds is like a blanket indicator. If they’re functioning properly, then you can, in a general statement, say the ecosystem on your ranch is functioning properly, as well,” Sparks says.


Grassland ground-nesting birds, especially quail, can be good barometers for healthy land because they thrive in diverse native pastures. Quail coveys, or small flocks, prefer bunch grasses, such as little bluestem, big bluestem and Indiangrass to nest in, and they rear their young in the spaces between the bunches. They also need large forbs and brush to provide cover from predators. In addition to habitat requirements of quail, turkeys also need mature wooded areas near water, because the adult birds roost in trees.

Click here to read more about the role that ground nesting birds play in ecological health of the land

Russian Intervention Has Fueled Every Wheat Price Spike Since 2007

Once again, and tragically this time, Russian intervention is the underlying source of dramatic global wheat price volatility.


“…We are closely monitoring prices for the most essential social goods such as food, including bread,” said Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin this week about its domestic wheat supply. “Russian grain is in good demand from abroad, and its price is increasing. That said, it is necessary to provide the necessary raw materials, first of all, to the domestic baking industry.”


The Prime Minister made this comment with specific reference to the hyper reaction of global wheat prices to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the immediate impacts of the widespread economic sanctions levied on Russia in response. Yet it spotlights the core tenants of Russia’s protectionist and heavy-handed wheat supply and price control policies. Russian intervention has been front and center since the country first entered the global wheat export trade.


Anyone who does not take the Prime Minister at his word on this sets themselves up for a very disappointing and expensive lesson. Defending Russian domestic supplies and keeping domestic prices low by withholding supplies from the world will always be their primary wheat policy weapon. And they deploy it without regard for the harm and expense it creates for anyone

Click here to read more about Russia's impact on wheat prices

Cribbs Red River Red Angus Production Sale Set for Saturday

The Cribbs Red River Red Angus Production Sale is happening on Saturday, March 25th at the Vernon Livestock Auction in Vernon, Texas.


Lunch will be served at noon with the sale to start at 1 PM.


They will be selling over 230 head- Cattle bred to successfully compete in today’s marketplace


Low birth weights & great weight gain and great staying power


33 two year old Red Angus Bulls

40 Red Angus Fall Pairs

150 Red Angus Spring Cows

and more


Click here for the sale catalog


Online Bidding

Live Streaming Sale Day with Online Bidding

To view the sale and bid online, you will need to register in advance so we have time to approve the bidder. Call 580-481-0339.


BidPhone Number: 580-954-0606


Click here for the home page of their website- scroll down to the button on the website for the lives stream.


More Stories for Your Weekend Reading

OSU wheat varieties are Oklahoma’s top four most planted
Innovative Farmers Learn about Total Acre from the Nation’s Best at event during Commodity Classic
Upcoming Professional Opportunity with Ag in the Classroom
ICYMI- Road to Rural Prosperity- Mark Woodward on Efforts of Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics to Reign in Illegal Marijuana Grow Operations
USDA Announces Upcoming Changes to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) Wheat Tables
US Feed Grains Council Signs Ethanol MOU In Panama; USDA Undersecretary Taylor Witnesses
Senate approves bill to allow OMMA director to shut down marijuana operations causing environmental damage
Dairy Defined: If You Want Equity, You Want Milk
Helena Previews User-Friendly, Sustainable Technology at 2023 Commodity Classic
Oklahoma Cattlemen Invest in Oklahoma’s Agricultural Youth
Let's Check The Markets!
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.
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.
Hear Today's First Look

Wholesale Boxed Beef Prices were mixed- Choice Beef was up $1.48 and Select Beef was down 93 cents on Thursday 03/23/2023.


Click on the Button below for the latest report from USDA Market News

Boxed Beef Report

Weekly Cattle Auction Reports


The buttons below allow you to check out the weekly Cattle Auctions in the region that we post on our website and here in our daily email update.

Oklahoma National Stockyards Market Report from 03/20/2023
Oklahoma National Stockyards Cow and Bull Market from Tuesday 03/21/2023
Joplin Regional Stockyards Market from Monday 03/20/2023
Tulsa Auction Report from Monday 03/20/2023
OKC West in El Reno Market Report from 03/21 and 03/22/2023
Woodward Livestock Market from Thursday 03/23/2023
Each afternoon we are posting a recap of that day's markets as analyzed by Justin Lewis of KIS futuresclick below for the latest update on the Livestock and Grain Futures Trade..
Click Here to Listen to Justin's Commentary From 03/23/2023
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.
Read  Cash Grains Report from 03/23/2023
Our Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network - analyzing the Futures Markets for that trading day- as reported by KC Sheperd.
Click to Listen to Our Weekday Wrap with KC
Slaughter Cattle Recap: 
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by the USDA Market News
Read Report
TCFA Feedlot Recap:  
Finally, here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.
Read Report
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

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.

Since the legalization of Medical Marijuana in Oklahoma with State Question 788- criminals have flocked to the state to set up illegal grow houses because of cheap permits, cheap land and lax rules allowing them to get into the business of growing marijuana in Oklahoma- supposedly for the in state Medical Marijuana market.


Ron Hays talks with Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics spokesman Mark Woodward about how these enterprises have invaded Oklahoma- the magnitude of the current problem and how the state is pushing back on thousands of bad people who have set up shop in the state- with the hope to reduce the number of these operations dramatically in the days to come. It's a huge problem all across rural Oklahoma but Woodward believes progress is being made to reign in these illegal marijuana farms.


Search for Road to Rural Prosperity and subscribe on your favorite Podcast platform.


To hear this podcast, you can click here or tap below:

Listen to Episode 85 with Ron Hays talking Criminals in Oklahoma Growing Marijuana with Mark Woodward of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics
Listen to Ron
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Radio Oklahoma Ag Network

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