Oklahoma saw a slight decline in good to excellent winter wheat conditions, as reported in the USDA NASS weekly Crop Progress Report on Monday. Despite poor winter wheat conditions, the state saw a significant jump in range and pasture conditions over the week.

Winter wheat headed reached 95 percent, up 2 points from the previous year and unchanged from normal. Winter wheat conditions rated 10 percent good to excellent, 38 percent fair and 52 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 11 percent good to excellent, 38 percent fair and 51 percent poor to very poor. 

Corn planted reached 66 percent, down 1 point from the previous year and down 2 points from normal. Corn emerged reached 48 percent, down 2 points from the previous year and down 4 points from normal.

Sorghum planted reached 24 percent, up 6 points from the previous year and up 4 points from normal.

Soybeans planted reached 24 percent, down 5 points from the previous year and down 11 points from normal.

Cotton planted reached 27 percent, up 2 points from the previous year and up 4 points from normal.

Pasture and range conditions rated 33 percent good to excellent, 28 percent fair and 39 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 23 percent good to excellent, 33 percent fair and 44 percent poor to very poor



Oklahoma Farm Bureau works to improve the lives of all Oklahomans by supporting our state’s agriculture community. As Oklahoma’s largest general farm organization led by Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, OKFB takes grassroots values and advocates for agriculture at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C., to ensure our way of life continues for generations to come.

Farm Bureau hosts leadership events, supports our state’s agricultural youth and connects consumers with agriculture in order to build a brighter future for our state. Become an OKFB member today online at okfarmbureau.org/join. Together, we are rural Oklahoma.

At the Lahoma Wheat Field Day, Associate Farm Editor Reagan Calk had the chance to visit with Oklahoma State University small grains extension specialist, Dr. Amanda Silva, about Oklahoma’s wheat crop and more.

“I am excited to see that with this rain we have been receiving these past weeks- how it is helping the wheat that we have out there,” Silva said.

If the weather continued to be hot and dry, Silva said there was concern that some fields would have no crop at all. Already, Silva said, many wheat crops have been cut for hay or abandoned due to the drought.

“For the wheat fields that we had out there, this rain and cool weather is really helping with grain filling, and I am sure it is going to help with test wheat as well,” Silva said.

For those who have not cut their fields for hay, Silva said this moisture will make a big difference when it comes to finishing out the crop.

“In some cases, we may see a 20–30-bushel wheat yield,” Silva said. “It is not very big, but we were at a point where we were seeing zero at fields that we saw in several cases.”

OCA’s Michael Kelsey Provides Comments on Recent Atypical BSE Detection

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with the executive vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Michael Kelsey, about atypical BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy).

On May 19, the USDA announced an atypical case of BSE in a cow at a slaughter plant in South Carolina. This animal never entered slaughter channels and at no time presented a risk to the food supply or to human health. Due to the United States’ negligible risk status for BSE, USDA does not expect any trade impacts as a result of this finding. 

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed that this cow was positive for atypical L-type BSE. The animal was tested as part of APHIS’s routine surveillance of cattle that are deemed unsuitable for slaughter. The radio frequency identification tag present on the animal is associated with a herd in Tennessee. 

“What we do know in all of these cases is that none of the products, that beef from these animals, enters the food chain,” Kelsey said. “All of this testing is done ahead of time- either when the animal is at slaughter or before and set aside until that test comes back. Once that test is clear, the product can move through.”

If an animal tests positive for BSE, Kelsey said the entire carcass is condemned.

Kelsey and I agreed that it was noteworthy that USDA mentioned that they had quickly traced the cow to a Tennessee farm location through the use of an EID tag. Those tags have more common in recent years- with USDA providing supplies of them through state vets at no cos to the pro

Farm Director KC Sheperd is visiting with State Representative Ty Burns about the Oklahoma Certified Meat Program.

The Oklahoma Certified Beef Program was signed into law in 2020, and since, Burns has been working with Representative Jim Grego on adding more proteins into the mix.

“This year, we got across the finish line House Bill 1589, which is Oklahoma Certified Meat,” Burns said. “We added, obviously, bovine, swine, goat, lamb, poultry, and fish products that are born, bred, raised, and processed in the state of Oklahoma that can fit the description for the Oklahoma Certified Meat Program.”

This program, Burns said, will yield numerous benefits for producers in the state of Oklahoma.

“One of the biggest things with the Oklahoma Certified Beef Association- we have really come together and tried to establish a distributing hub and push all of our products in one area,” Burns said. “We obviously want to be commercial. We want restaurants to take this product, promote it and use it as a marketing tool to not only get people in the state to eat the beef but almost have a tourist attraction.”

Oklahoma Wheat Price Roller Coaster- Sees 53-Cent Increase Followed by 77-Cent Price Decline

Below is an analysis of the wheat markets by OSU’s Dr. Kim Anderson:

During the last three trading days (May 18, 19, and 22), Oklahoma wheat prices declined 77 cents. The 77-cent price decline followed a three-day 53-cent price increase. Some market analysts attributed the price increase to the May WASDE and USDA Production reports (released May 11), which projected U.S. hard red winter (HRW) wheat to be 514 million bushels (Mb) compared to 531 Mb in 2022 and a 10-year average of 806 Mb.

Oklahoma wheat production was predicted to be 49.5 million bushels (Mb) compared to 69 Mb in 2022 and a 10-year average of 95.5 Mb.

Kansas was the big news with a 2023 wheat production estimate of 191 Mb compared to 244 Mb in 2022 and a 10-year average of 321 Mb.

All U.S. wheat production was projected to be 1.66 billion bushels (Bb) compared to 1.65 Bb in both 2021 and 2122. The 10-year average U.S. wheat production is 1.92 Bb.

Some analysts also attributed the 53-cent price increase to Russia’s reluctance to extend the Ukraine/Black Sea export agreement, which would stop Ukraine’s wheat exports.

Bees and other pollinators are fundamental for the health of ecosystems and food security

Bees and other pollinators are fundamental for the health of ecosystems and food security. They help maintain biodiversity and ensure the production of nutritious food. However, intensive monoculture production and improper use of pesticides pose serious threats to pollinators by reducing their access to food and nesting sites, exposing them to harmful chemicals and weakening their immune systems.

Under the theme, “Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production,” World Bee Day 2023 calls for global action to support pollinator-friendly agricultural production and highlights the importance of protecting bees and other pollinators, particularly through evidence-based agricultural production practices. Learn about how Native American farmers, ranchers and youth are supporting bees and pollinators through community outreach and practical programming across Indian Country through NIFA’s Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program (FRTEP). 

A Pollinator Garden Planned at Pawnee Nation 

Oklahoma State FRTEP Extension program at Pawnee Nation is preparing a pollinator garden that will provide habitat and recharge for native bees and other pollinator species, including migrating butterflies like monarchs.  

Pawnee County is in central Oklahoma, about 60 miles northwest of Tulsa. The Pawnee Tribe was relocated to the area from their traditional homelands along the North Platte River in Nebraska between 1873 and 1875. The Tribe is comprised of four distinct bands: the Chaui “Grand,” the Kitkehahki “Republican,” the Pitahawirata “Tappage” and the Skidi “Wolf.”