Majority of Drought Categories Remain Unchanged Since Last Week

According to the latest Oklahoma drought monitor, exceptional drought remains unchanged from the past two weeks at .52 percent.

Extreme drought or worse is also unchanged from the past two weeks at 4.79 percent.

Severe drought or worse is unchanged from last week at 14.26 percent.

Moderate drought or worse has improved slightly, moving from last week’s 36.08 percent to 35.88 percent this week.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions have improved since last week, moving from 76.94 percent to this week’s 73.77 percent.

According to the 6-10-day precipitation outlook map, a pretty good-sized strip of the southern border into southwestern Oklahoma, and the western side of the panhandle stands at a near normal precipitation through July 15. The rest of the state, which consists of central Oklahoma and further north, is leaning above a 33 to 40 percent chance of precipitation though that July 15 date.

AND- Here's a weather bonus- this Mesonet map is the latest two day precipitation totals for Oklahoma- which shows where and how much it has rained since the Drought Monitor Model for this week was computed- It's linked to the Mesonet site to offer a real time look at totals that you can zero in on any Mesonet location. That 3.94 inch rain total belongs to Slapout!!!!



The vision of the Oklahoma Beef Council is to be a positive difference for Oklahoma's farming and ranching families and the greater beef community, and its mission is to enhance beef demand by strengthening consumer trust and exceeding consumer expectations. 

To learn more, visit www.oklabeef.org. Also, don't forget to like its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oklabeef for stories on Oklahoma's ranching families and great beef recipes. 

And Check out this video below that helps you learn more about the Beef Checkoff-

Meating the workforce demand – FAPC launches Meat Mastery Program

Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center recently hosted the first Meat Mastery Program. Organized in collaboration with Osage Nation, this hands-on program was designed to educate participants on various aspects of multi-species meat harvesting and value-added meat product processing.

Ravi Jadeja, associate professor and principal project investigator, said there is a growing demand for trained meat industry professionals to ensure a safe and quality meat supply in the nation.

“Several factors contribute to the increased workforce demand in food and agricultural products processing,” Jadeja said. “Food production challenges include decentralization, demand for local meats, food safety and food security. To combat the critical shortage of meat industry workforce, FAPC developed a hands-on training to train the meat industry workforce.”

Blake Bloomberg Sees Cattle Breeds As More Concentrated Due to Genetic Improvements

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with Dr. Blake Bloomberg about his selection process at livestock shows he judges and about the evolution of genetics in the cattle industry.

Bloomberg is one of the premier livestock judging coaches in America. He coached at Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M University before returning to Iowa to coach at Black Hawk Junior College. Bloomberg will be judging at the National Hereford Junior Show this coming week.

“As my brother and I were judging the Hereford Junior National together this summer together, what we told each other was we wanted to find the heifer that would make us want to buy her and get in the Hereford breed,” Bloomberg said. “I think you are looking for those unique animals that have transcendent pieces, regardless of the breed.”

Bloomberg also talked about changes in genetic trends over the years. He said he does not foresee any big changes being made soon, as now it has come down to the little things.

“We haven’t had near the drastic change that we experienced, when we went from small cattle to the big ones, then we moderated them,” Bloomberg said. “Now, I think it is more tweaking.”

As there are some differences between the show ring and commercial cattle production, Bloomberg said, there is great value to the show side of things.

This Week on SUNUP is Oklahoma State University Extension grain market economist Kim Anderson. During this week’s edition, Anderson talks about a wheat market update.

The first month of the 2023-24 wheat marketing year has been completed, Anderson said, and there are some lessons to be learned from wheat price patterns from January through May and for the month of June.

Going back to January, Anderson said wheat prices were between $7.50 and $8.00. Those prices moved up to around $8.40.

“We saw quite a bit of volatility in the first six months,” Anderson said. “The average price was $7.85. A single day price move up or down was plus or minus 45 cents, and the average daily price move was 12 cents.”

Anderson said a price above eight dollars would be considered a relatively good price. The big moves in prices up and down, Anderson said, can indicate how farmers should sell their wheat. Anderson suggests writing down a plan and sticking to it when it comes to selling dates.



“It tells you that with this price variability, we need to stagger that wheat into the market,” Anderson said.

Animal Nutritionists Collaborate with Soy Checkoff to Uncover Value Opportunities for U.S. Soybean Meal

Collaboration between animal nutritionists and the soy checkoff could bring additional value opportunities for U.S. soybeans, ultimately benefiting both animal agriculture and American farmers. This impact spans the poultry, pig, dairy and aquaculture sectors.

The checkoff convenes industry leaders as part of its Animal Nutrition Working Group (ANWG) to advise research investments with the highest value for farmers and the industry. USB’s new strategic plan consists of three priorities for soybean meal. These are overall nutrient composition, improved measurement of anti-nutritional factors and the resulting benefits to animal production, performance and health.

“Animal nutritionists formulate feed based on digestible amino acids and net energy content as well as best cost,” said R. Dean Boyd, Ph.D., adjunct professor of nutrition at Iowa State and North Carolina State universities and a member of the ANWG. “On the other hand, farmers can make more income by maximizing yield. Over time, this has led to seed varieties that are high yielding but slowly declined in crude protein concentration. This is a global problem that USB is actively working on to correct and highlight for other partners in the value chain.”

Soybean meal continues to be the standard for all other protein feedstuffs. This team of nutritionists examines how soybean meals are properly used beyond just protein content.

“Our hope is to improve awareness and understanding of U.S. soybean meal’s benefits to overall animal health and encourage a shift toward total value-based ingredient decisions on the production and processing side of the supply chain,” said Mamduh Sifri, Ph.D., Sifri Solutions LLC, retired director of poultry nutrition at ADM and a member of the ANWG.

New Report: A Future Without Glyphosate

Yesterday, Aimpoint Research, a global strategic intelligence firm, released a new report, “A Future Without Glyphosate” exploring the complexities of glyphosate’s impact on our agricultural system, farmers’ livelihoods, the economy, and the environment if the most widely used herbicide in the U.S. was no longer available. Ultimately, the report concludes that U.S. farmers and the agricultural system would eventually adapt, but the near-term consequences to the economy, environment, and farmers would be costly and far-reaching.

“Ongoing public debate about glyphosate has led some to question what the impacts would be if it were no longer available and Aimpoint Research is uniquely suited to develop that future scenario,” said Colonel (retired) Mark Purdy, Aimpoint Research Chief Operations Officer. “We leveraged multiple research methods, including open-source research, economic modeling, subject-matter expert interviews and military-style wargaming techniques to understand the impact of glyphosate on our agricultural system.”

“While markets would adapt to a world without glyphosate, it would be a substantial economic cost to farmers and cause the rapid release of greenhouse gasses, reversing decades of conservation and sustainability gains,” said Gregg Doud, Aimpoint Research Chief Economist.

“This report confirms what many farmers know, glyphosate is currently a core tool in our modern agricultural system, helping keep costs down and promoting increased conservation practices.”

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