Oklahoma Wheat Harvest Gains Traction at 68 Percent Complete Despite Rain and Mud

Below is the latest Oklahoma harvest report from the Oklahoma Wheat Commission on June 28, 2023.

The Oklahoma Wheat Harvest continues to make progress in Central and Northern Oklahoma despite rains last night in several places. Most of the harvest is complete in Northeast Oklahoma and is just starting on limited acres in the Panhandle region.  This report will only include the Central, Northern, Northeast and Panhandle locations as harvest has pretty much wrapped up in Southern Oklahoma.

Test weights in Central Oklahoma have been ranging all over the board as this region has been plagued with rains throughout harvest, but they are coming in lighter at 55 to 60 lbs. per bushel. The average for this region is 58 lbs., which is remarkable given everything the crop has been through.  Yields are also all over the board ranging from the low 20’s to the mid 30’s with some higher yields reported on rare occasions. Producers are really having challenges getting the crop out in this region fighting mud and heavy weed pressures.

North Central Oklahoma test weights are still favorable with many locations reporting 60 plus for this region. Yields are projected at a 30 bushel per acre average overall. Weeds are also becoming more of an issue for producers in this area.

In Northwest Oklahoma quality varies depending on location with weights ranging from 57 lbs. to 60 lbs. per bushel. Most locations are reporting average yields in the high 20’s with many acres abandoned due to the long-term drought. Weeds are also becoming an issue on the remaining wheat in several locations.  



The Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association is the trusted voice of the Oklahoma Cattle Industry. With headquarters in Oklahoma City, the OCA has a regular presence at the State Capitol to protect and defend the interests of cattlemen and cattlewomen.

Their Vision Statement explains the highest priority of the organization- "Leadership that serves, strengthens and advocates for the Oklahoma cattle industry."

To learn more about the OCA and how you can be a part of this forward-looking group of cattle producers, click here for their website. For more information- call 405-235-4391.



Michael Kelsey Dives Into 71st OCA Convention and Trade Show Agenda

On this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with the executive vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Michael Kelsey, about the upcoming Annual OCA Convention and Trade Show.

The OCA’s 71st Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held on July 21st and 22nd in Norman, Oklahoma at the Embassy Suites Convention Center. The theme of this year’s convention, Kelsey said, is “Past Preserved Present Prepared,” so the educational sessions featuring a variety of speakers will follow the same concept.

Donald Brown of the R.A. Brown Ranch will be the keynote speaker of the event, Kelsey said, talking about balancing production, survival, sustainability, and joy.

“We have got six educational sessions that are going to be powerful in addition to the learning lounges,” Kelsey said. “The trade show will be set up and we have got a lot of different awards that we will be presenting both on our banquet Saturday night as well as the juniors will be presenting some awards. Lots of scholarships.”

The dynamic group of speakers at the sessions, Kelsey said, includes Dr. Derrell Peel with a cattle market outlook, soil health consultant Stephen Swaffer talking on improving pasture and range health, and more.

Carl Josefy Emphasizes Important Producer FSA Deadlines and Program Info

Farm Director, KC Sheperd, caught up with Carl Josefy, the Executive Director for the Jackson County FSA, and talked about deadlines producers need to be aware of, FSA programs, and more.

“We’ve got a hard deadline coming up on July 17th,” Josefy said. “That will be the acreage reporting deadline for all spring and summer crops, your CRP (Conservation Reserve Program), your fruits and vegetables, pecans, grass acres, and any other cropland, even if you didn’t utilize it for anything, it needs to be reported as idle so that all of your acres are reported for the year.”

Another hard deadline, Josefy said, is July 14th.

“Friday, July 14 is the deadline for producers to sign up for the ERP (Emergency Relief Program) phase two and the PARP (Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program) programs,” Josefy said. “ERP is the Emergency Relief Program phase two, which was intended for those producers who may or may not have gotten the payment under ERP phase one for disasters that occurred during 2021 and or 2022.”

ERP is a revenue-based program, Josefy said, and producers will need to visit with their accountants, their CPA, an attorney, or whoever does their taxes to see if they qualify for that program.

Two weeks ago fed steer prices reached a new record at $188.75/cwt. That was the culmination of a five week, high velocity climb taking the market $14.82/cwt. above the momentary setback the week of May 1.

That trajectory, fueled by strong demand and restricted head counts, was predestined to hit the seasonal ceiling. The only open questions were the precise timing of the rally’s end and at what price.

The question was answered as quickly as one can say “seasonal trend”, as spring holidays wrapped up with Father’s Day and cutout values eyed the expected downturn. In the ensuing two weeks fed cattle values retreated by $6.54/cwt. to last week’s $182.21/cwt. average.

The expectation for lower trending cutout values preceded the onset of the downturn, as the Choice cutout continued to rise until June 20, the week following the fed cattle market reversal.

Urban Forestry Strike Force Deploys to Tulsa

Oklahoma Forestry Services is deploying an Urban Forest Strike Team to assist Tulsa Parks and Recreation to assist recovery efforts following last week’s damaging storm. The team will facilitate data collection of tree damage and resulting debris for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) documentation. The Urban Forest Strike Team will be in place June 29 and June 30.

Team activities include digital data collection adhering to FEMA Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (PAPPG) guidance for hazard mitigation and debris management. The team will also collect Geographic Information System (GIS) location data for trees impacted by the declared storm event.

The trees will be physically flagged according to a planned color scheme coordinated with City Staff. The flagging scheme will serve as cross reference with the GIS data for debris contractors. Upon completion of data collection, all data will be presented to the City staff in the form of GIS data, Excel spreadsheets, and a brief written report summarizing the data.

“It isn’t just Tulsa that can benefit from the expertise being offered here,” said Strike Force Team Leader and OFS Urban Forester Riley Coy. “Oklahoma Forestry Services is also available to assist with future storm mitigation planning for other affected communities and long-term canopy restoration efforts.”

Can Distiller’s Grains Cubes Replace Traditional Supplements for Stockers in the Late Summer?

Weekly, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist Paul Beck offers his expertise on the beef cattle industry. This is a part of the weekly series known as the “Cow-Calf Corner.” Today, he talks about using grain cubes in place of traditional supplements.

The quality of native range declines during the late summer drastically reducing performance of stocker calves during the late summer. The Oklahoma SuperGold Program was designed to meet protein, energy, and mineral deficiencies for steers grazing native range in the late summer using grain milling byproduct based supplements. Feeding 2.5 lb/day of a mid-protein (25% crude protein) supplement including an ionophore increases gains by 0.7 lbs/day adding a pound of gain for every 3.6 pounds of supplemental feed.

Recently an extruded distiller’s grains cube has become available in the region. Research by Jordan Adams at Oklahoma State University showed that the extrusion process decreased the fiber content while increasing the crude protein, fat and TDN content of the distiller’s grains; and increasing flexibility by enabling feeding directly on the ground.

A series of experiments by OSU graduate student, Zane Grigsby, on native grass prairie sites at the USDA Southern Plains Range Research Station near Fort Supply and the OSU Marvin Klemme Range Research Station near Bessie investigated using distiller’s grain cubes in an Oklahoma SuperGold supplementation program for growing steers with mineral supplements containing ionophores offered free-choice in a separate complete mineral mix.

Schantz Wheat Field Day Providing Insight And Director for Genetic Improvement

A few weeks prior to harvest, farmers gathered on a gently sloping hill north of Hydro to view half-acre plots of wheat pivotal to providing insight and direction on the future of genetic improvement in the Southern Plains.

The field day was organized by Oklahoma Genetics Inc., the licensing agent for wheat varieties developed at Oklahoma State University, and hosted by OGI member Merlin Schantz, whose sons Aaron and Ben are the fifth generation on the family’s Oklahoma Centennial farm.

Even though the variety trial didn’t get planted until December of last year, later than most growers consider optimal, the plots were tall and growing vigorously. OSU’s chief wheat breeder Brett Carver, who evaluates a staggering 300,000 data points when making his breeding selections, offers at least two varieties designed to fit a shortened growing season, along with nearly any other production scenario a grower might encounter.

Aaron Schantz explained why that’s important. “Where we’re following cotton, we have to push back the planting date, because we have to get the cotton out and prep the soil before we plant,” he said. “So, for us, varieties that have quick early-season vigor really help.”