As we wrap up the month of May- we have combines rolling in the southwest counties of Oklahoma- and Mike Schulte with the Oklahoma Wheat Commission has shared some early numbers ahead of his first official report that he plans to release later today.

The picture above is from a wheat field southwest of Altus on Tuesday.

Schulte tells us that one of the very first reports has come in from Eldorado- it was the end of last week Thursday) for a half load of wheat- moisture was borderline at 14.7 percent- test weight was 60.5 pounds per bushel and protein was reported at 15 percent.

At the start this week on Monday- there were a few loads taken in in Grandfield and Frederick.

Moisture was running 12.5% to 13.5% and test weights are running 60 to 62 pounds per bushel. Mike says that he was told of one small patch that was making 43 bushels per acre in the Frederick area- but adds "keep in mind this is considered the bright spot in the state as far as crop conditions go."

We also have one Facebook report from Jimmy Kinder of Walters- the pic below was from Monday with the message- harvest starts tomorrow- Jimmy tells us last night on his page "1st field 40bu/acre. Good test weight. I'm happy."

We have been praying for rain for months- and God has provided- farmers that have wheat that will make a crop are praying now for a bit of dry weather- this is the face of rain chances in many of these locations now into the weekend.

More harvest info from Mike and the Oklahoma Wheat Commission in tomorrow's email.



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In Oklahoma, Winter Wheat conditions rated 30 percent good to excellent, 43 percent fair and 27 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 10 percent good to excellent, 38 percent fair and 52 percent poor to very poor. 

Corn planted reached 75 percent, down 1 point from the previous year and down 2 points from normal. Corn conditions rated 71 percent good to excellent, 26 percent fair and 3 percent poor to very poor.

Sorghum planted reached 26 percent, up 2 points from the previous year but down 1 point from normal.

Soybeans planted reached 35 percent, up 1 point from the previous year but down 7 points from normal. Soybeans emerged reached 12 percent, down 3 points from the previous year.

Cotton planted reached 32 percent, down 6 points from the previous year but unchanged from normal.

Livestock conditions rated 51 percent good to excellent, 39 percent fair and 16 percent poor to very poor.

Pasture and range conditions rated 45 percent good to excellent, 39 percent fair and 16 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 33 percent good to excellent, 28 percent fair and 39 percent poor to very poor.

OKFB’s Steve Thompson Discusses Wins for Rural Oklahoma from Legislative Session

Yesterday, I had the chance to visit with with the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Vice President of Public Policy, Steve Thompson, about highlights from Oklahoma’s legislative session.

Thompson described this year’s legislative session as “a bit of a grind,” as some difficult conversations took place.

“Along the way, we managed to get some pretty decent legislation passed, but honestly, I think the one point that I look back on is how nice it was that rural Oklahoma was such a critical component of so many discussions,” Thompson said. “Obviously, the education fight- that was the headlining issue of almost the entire session, and so much of that centered around what was going to be done for rural schools all around the state.”

Throughout the session, Thompson said it was evident that there is a large focus on rural Oklahoma at the state’s Capitol.

Beyond the education package, Thompson said he is feeling best about House Bill 2053 relating to water and water rights and applications for permits to take and use groundwater. This bill passed almost on the last day of session, Thompson said, and it was a big victory for the ag community.

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, Dr. Derrell Peel, about the state of the cow herd as it relates to forage availability.

As pasture and range ratings are not ideal from Nebraska through Texas, Peel said there is still a long way to go before improvements are seen.

“These four states now (Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas), really are kind of the epicenter of the drought in the country,” Peel said. “From a national perspective, from January 1 until now, drought has diminished considerably in the country, but not in that region. Most of the remaining severe drought is in those four states.”

In Oklahoma, much of the state still suffers from all categories of drought, with over 50 percent in moderately dry or worse conditions. To see the latest Oklahoma drought numbers, click here.

Extremely poor pasture ratings, Peel said, means less forage availability.

“Nationwide, hay stocks were down about 13 percent, but if you look at those four states, we are down well below that in terms of a ten-year average or something,” Peel said. “The bottom line is forage remains very tight.”

U.S. Cattle Producers Oppose Opening Borders to Paraguayan Beef

The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) wrote in strong opposition to a proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) to allow the importation of fresh (chilled or frozen) beef from Paraguay. 

In its comments, USCA cited several reasons why it opposes the proposed rule, including the need to protect the health of the domestic cattle herd, the estimated U.S. producer market losses, and the lower standards of production in Paraguay.

Specifically, the Regulatory Impact Analysis that accompanied the proposed rule estimated that U.S. producers would suffer losses of $12 million to $23 million each year due to the increase of Paraguayan beef imports.

The risk analysis also fully admits that “…a vaccinated herd may not mean all the animals in the herd are FMD free. This may result in beef from an infected animal being imported.”

Services for Larry Moore are to be held Saturday, June 3, at Taloga High School Auditorium

Funeral services for Larry Moore will be held Saturday, June 3, at 1 pm at the Taloga High School Auditorium.

Memorial contributions may be made through the Shaw Funeral Home of Vici, Oklahoma to the Larry Moore Memorial Fund where the family will honor his legacy with the 4-H and FFA showing programs through the Woodward District Livestock Show and the Oklahoma Youth Expo.

Oklahoma Youth Expo gave the following statement:

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend, Mr. Larry Moore. Larry took over as the OYE Gilt Sale Superintendent in 2013 and helped build it into the success it is today. He had an impact on countless lives of students across the state, both as a teacher and volunteer. All of us at the Oklahoma Youth Expo are grateful to him for his positive influence on Oklahoma’s youth and the swine industry. May he rest in peace."

USDA Extends Deadline for Revenue Loss Programs

USDA is extending deadlines for the Emergency Relief Program Phase Two and the Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program to July 14. The goal is to give producers more time to apply for the assistance.

Also, USDA’s Farm Service Agency is partnering with nine organizations to provide educational and technical assistance to agricultural producers and provide assistance in completing an ERP Phase Two application. “Farm Service Agency recognizes that there is a learning curve for producers applying for the new revenue-based programs, and we want to make sure producers have the time they need to apply for assistance,” says FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “Partnering with these organizations through cooperative agreements provides additional assistance to producers who need help with ERP Phase Two.”

The groups include Farmers Legal Action Group, Inc., the North South Institute, Rural Coalition, and others. For more information on the nine organizations and their contact information, click here.