Oklahoma Wheat Harvest Makes Minor Progress- Now at 45 Percent Completion

Below is the latest wheat harvest report from the Oklahoma Wheat Commission from June 21, 2023:

The Oklahoma Wheat Harvest made slight progress in Northern Oklahoma over the past couple days, and many areas in Southern and Central Oklahoma have been dealing with mud and rain in several locations late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. As of this morning, heavy showers were moving across Northern and Central Oklahoma, in several places. Harvest in most parts of Northern Oklahoma, until the rains this morning is 20% to 30% completed depending on location.  Some harvest is being reported on early cuttings of irrigated wheat in the Panhandle, but a lot of the wheat in this region is still green, and producers are hopeful to get a good start early or the middle of next week. (A large amount of the dryland wheat in the Panhandle has been terminated and will not be harvested due to the severe drought, and a lot of irrigated wheat has been laid down for hay.) In Southern Oklahoma test weights at most locations have fallen a bit now ranging mostly at 60 lbs. per bushel average for that region. In Central and West Central regions, test weights are ranging from 55-60 lbs. per bushel. (The average in that Central and West Central region is still holding on in that 58 to 59 lbs. per bushel range) but if rains continue it is predicted that might change. Early reports from Northern Oklahoma across the state have test weights ranging from 60-62 lbs. per bushel, with a few lower test weights being reported at 58 lbs. per bushel. This is on reports of wheat before the rains coming through Northern Oklahoma today.

Yields on wheat being taken in as harvest progresses in Southern Oklahoma still favorable at this point, as the majority of the crop is now harvested in this region. Most are reporting 30 to 40 bushel per acre yields in Southern Oklahoma. In Central Oklahoma the yields are ranging from the low 20’s to mid 30’s, with some higher yields in the mid to high 40’s depending on location. Yields being reported in Northern Oklahoma locations from elevator managers, as most locations are just getting good starts, have many locations calling for a 35 bushel per acre average, with a few management-intensive producers mentioning some higher yields, but those instances are rare. Protein has been ranging from 10.5% to 14.5% in most all locations with stronger proteins overall. State average as of today for protein is being figured at 12.8%. 

The Oklahoma Wheat Commission is calling harvest 45% complete.



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EPA Finalizes New Renewable Fuel Standards for 2023, 2024 and 2025

Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program that establishes the biofuel volume requirements for 2023 to 2025. This final rule builds on the RFS program’s progress over the previous two years and reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthen the nation’s energy independence, advance low-carbon fuels, and support agricultural communities.

The final rule strengthens U.S. energy security by reducing reliance on foreign sources of oil by roughly 130,000 to 140,000 barrels of oil per day over the time frame of the final rule, 2023–2025.

The final rule also discusses EPA’s intent to monitor the ongoing implementation of the RFS program and its impacts on domestic refineries, which have a critical role to play in our energy security.

“From day one, EPA has been committed to the growth of renewable fuels that play a critical role in diversifying our country’s energy mix and combatting climate change, all while providing good paying jobs and economic benefits to communities across the country,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Today’s final rule reflects our efforts to ensure stability of the program for years to come, protect consumers from high fuel costs, strengthen the rural economy, support domestic production of cleaner fuels, and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The Set Rule establishes the biofuel volume requirements and associated percentage standards for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel (BBD), advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel for 2023–2025. It also completes EPA’s response to a court remand of the 2016 annual rule by establishing a supplemental volume requirement of 250 million gallons of renewable fuel for 2023. The final volume targets are as follows...

Groups React to EPA's New Renewable Fuel Standard Final Rule

Yesterday, Clean Fuels Alliance America expressed extreme disappointment with the Environmental Protection Agency’s final Renewable Fuel Standards for 2023, 2024 and 2025. EPA finalized moderate increases in the biomass-based diesel and non-cellulosic advanced volumes each year but did not increase the overall renewable fuel market. EPA failed to change biomass-based diesel volumes for 2023 despite the rapid increase in U.S. production of biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel during the first months of the year.

“EPA is undercutting the certainty that our industry hoped for from a three-year RFS rule,” said Kurt Kovarik, Vice President of Federal Affairs with Clean Fuels. “U.S. clean fuel producers, oilseed processors, fuel distributors and marketers have all made significant investments to grow the industry rapidly over the next several years. The industry responded to signals from the Biden administration and Congress aiming to rapidly decarbonize U.S. fuel markets, particularly aviation, marine, and heavy-duty transport, and make clean fuels available to more consumers. The volumes EPA finalized today are not high enough to support those goals.”

“Clean Fuels appreciates the bipartisan support of Representatives, Senators and Governors who asked EPA to ensure that final volumes supported achievable, aggressive growth of advanced biofuel volumes,” Kovarik added. “It is a shame that EPA failed to fully consider the data provided by other federal agencies and industry experts demonstrating the upward trajectory of our industry..."

(Many more reacts- click the blue buttons below to check them out)

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist, Paul Beck, about the rise of dairy beef.

“A 100 percent dairy steer is very low in value,” Beck said. “So, the dairies have treated those like they are a biproduct or just kind of a waste. There has been a change in some reproduction technologies that our dairies are taking advantage of where they can use sexed semen to produce heifer calves out of only their best cows to make their replacements.”

Some dairies have begun to breed a beef-type bull to their mediocre cows, Beck said, because they need a pregnancy to restart lactation.

“That has given us a large availability of some beef-dairy crosses that are very superior to a 100 percent dairy animal in beef production, performance, efficiency, and they are keeping a lot of the high-quality meat characteristics that we would see with a dairy calf,” Beck said.

The industry has become increasingly more interested in the beef-dairy cross, Beck said, and how to utilize those cattle in beef production systems.

“At Oklahoma State, we have been doing some research with beef on dairy crosses,” Beck said.

What To Do If Your Forage Production Is Less Than Halfway There By End Of June

By the end of June in most years, more than half of the forage needed for the year has been produced in the Plains states. Make a contingency plan to enact if you’re coming up short.

Ranchers should constantly monitor their available forage — for both grazing and hay production (if they insist on haying), their stocking expectations and rainfall to ensure that their forage production will meet the needs of their grazing livestock. By the end of June, most ranchers will have already produced more than half of the year’s available forage. 

Create a contingency plan for years when your ranch’s forage production is coming up short — and if you don’t have one there is no time like the present to make one — says Hugh Aljoe, Noble Research Institute director of ranches, outreach and partnerships.  

PLAN AHEAD:

“If you wait till June 30 to identify that your production is lacking, you’re probably already behind,” Aljoe says. By June 1, Plains states ranchers on average should have already produced 30% of their annual forage, and by June 30, over half — 60%, to be more correct. 

“If you don’t have about 60-65% of your needed forage, we probably should start enacting contingency plans that we’ve already identified,” Aljoe says. But what should these mid-summer forage production benchmarks look like, and how can producers measure them? 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, NASA Advance Exploration, Science

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) signed a memorandum of understanding today strengthening the collaboration between the two agencies, including efforts to improve agricultural and Earth science research, technology, and agricultural management, and the application of science data and models to agricultural decision making.

The agreement affirms the two agencies’ interest in continuing their longstanding partnership on mutually beneficial collaborative activities furthering education, communication, and outreach activities to inspire the youth in America to pursue careers in STEM and agriculture. This partnership will build on NASA’s Bridge Program to foster workforce development partnerships with higher-education partners including Tribal and Minority Serving Institutions and the USDA’s newly launched NextGen program, which invests $262.5 million to cultivate the next generation of diverse food and agriculture professionals.

“From the heavens to the Heartland, NASA and the Department of Agriculture are reaffirming our commitment to getting essential data in the hands of America’s farmers and preparing future generations to lead and strengthen America’s agriculture industry,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “As the climate continues to change, NASA’s Earth observation data will only grow more critical to our nation’s effort to create more climate-resilient food systems, helping our farmers develop more sustainable farming and aquaculture practices.”