The Oklahoma Department of Ag, Food, and Forestry had a board meeting on Friday at the 2023 Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association’s Annual Convention and Trade Show, open to all convention attendees. Following the meeting, Farm Director, KC Sheperd, caught up with Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur and talked about the meeting and more.

“This is the first time we have our board meeting at OCA,” Arthur said. “Very appreciative of Michael Kelsey and his staff for inviting us.”

The board meeting was open for convention attendees to attend, Arthur said, so it was a good opportunity for beef producers to learn more about what the Department of Ag does and why it is important.

“…the biggest crowd we have ever had at a board of ag meeting,” Arthur said.

In Arthur’s travels around the state, she said morale has improved since last summer as many producers are appreciative of recent moisture.

“We also acknowledge there are parts of the state that are still in D3 and D4 drought, there is no question about that, but I think certainly from a beef producer side, cattle prices are up, we have gotten some moisture, the grass is coming on, certainly a tough year for our wheat producers, but I think you hear a lot of optimism out in the countryside and that moisture makes all the difference,” Arthur said.



Union Mutual of Oklahoma Turns 85 Years Old

Back in July of 1938 when Union Mutual of Oklahoma was founded, FDR was in the White House, EW Marland was in the Governor’s Mansion, and the Soldiers of Gettysburg were gathering for a reunion on the old battlefield. Union Mutual was born out of necessity in Oklahoma and serves as one of the oldest rural insurance carriers serving only the people of Oklahoma. Union Mutual was created 85 years ago for one purpose, that was and is to serve and protect rural Oklahomans and their property. That mission has bever wavered.

Union Mutual Insurance of Oklahoma was chartered in 1938 to write property and casualty insurance in the state of Oklahoma. Over the years, Union Mutual has maintained the attitude that started the company, “Protection for Oklahomans by Oklahomans.” In poor economic times, in times when national insurance companies either stopped writing or completely left the state, Union Mutual has been there for Oklahomans. Today, Union Mutual writes insurance in all 77 counties of Oklahoma through almost 300 agency locations. These agents provide fast and reliable quotes for most lines of insurance.

Union Mutual of Oklahoma CEO Monica Collison had this to say on the company turning 85 years old. “I am humbled to lead such and extraordinary company and team with the history and legacy of Union Mutual. Union Mutual has stood with rural Oklahoma for 85 solid years and I look forward to helping it for the next 85 years.”

For the agent nearest you, go to unionmutualic.com or give them a call at 405 286-7703. 

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is talking with Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Dr. Derrell Peel, about the latest USDA Cattle on Feed Report and the July 1 Cattle Inventory Report released on July 21, 2023.

“The reports are telling us, basically, we are getting smaller on numbers, and numbers are getting tighter pretty much across the board,” Peel said.

The Cattle on Feed report shows numbers below a year ago, Peel said, but it has been a slow process to pull those feedlot inventories down.”

“In particular, the number of heifers in the feedlot is exactly the same as a year ago, so steers are down, and they have been coming down for several quarters, but we continue to feed a lot of heifers,” Peel said.

Peel talked about the reports in his presentation to the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association on Saturday morning and then summed up where he thinks the markets may be peaking in 2024 or even 2025. He referenced the Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays by saying “you may want to write these down Ron” as he offered what he said he has been thinking about for awhile when it comes to possible market topping prices in this current cycle.

Looking at the markets, Peel said he thinks a 500-pound steer in Oklahoma could go for four dollars per pound, and an 800-pound steer could go for three dollars per pound. Fed cattle, he added, are already coming close to two dollars per pound.

“We could go substantially over two dollars, but four, three, two is kind of the way I am looking at it right now,” Peel said.

Timing is still in question, Peel said, as he is not completely sure when the markets will reach those numbers, but he is confident in his prediction.

Oklahoma Mesonet’s Wes Lee Sees Possible Strong to Moderate El Niño

At the 2023 Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association’s Annual Convention and Trade Show, Farm Director, KC Sheperd talked with Wes Lee from the Oklahoma Mesonet about an outlook for Oklahoma weather.

While Oklahoma had some cooler temperatures this week, Lee said the week of July 24 may yield more triple-digit temperatures.

“I believe the D4 drought has been totally erased out of the state as of last week,” Lee said. “We still have some areas that are relatively dry, but last night (Thursday, July 20) should have made some impacts on some of those drier parts of the state.”

Lee said the panhandle received some good rains, along with northeast Oklahoma, which has really been suffering from dry conditions.

“We have been relatively wet the last two or three months here in Oklahoma, but we can’t really attribute that to El Niño that has taken over that weather pattern this year,” Lee said. “But we are looking forward to, if it continues to strengthen and persist, hopefully, we will have a wetter than normal fall, winter, and spring next year that we have not had for the last three years.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a combined $4 million in grant funds to support the following Oklahoma State University Ag Research projects in animal and veterinary sciences.

Dr. David Lalman, OSU professor and Extension specialist for beef cattle and Harrington Endowed Chair, and his team are focused on finding cows that are efficient at using forage, which reduces the cost and carbon footprint of beef production.

At the OCA Convention- Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays talked with Lalman of OSU about the cow of today versus the cow of tomorrow- and the research on Beef Cows at OSU.

The researchers will determine the most effective stage of production for identifying animals that are efficient forage users by looking at how much hay (forage) the animals consume, how much weight they gain or lose, and how much methane and carbon dioxide they produce.

“Beef cattle are unique in that they have the ability to convert sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into a high-quality human protein source through forages,” Lalman said. “Our goal is to find animals that are highly efficient at converting forage to beef.”

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am featuring comments from the 2023 Beef Improvement Association annual meeting with a Beef Specialist at the University of Tennessee’s Genomics Center for the Advancement of Agriculture, Troy Rowan. Rowan’s research uses genomic and computational approaches to deliver tangible solutions to U.S. beef cattle producers while answering biological questions.

“There is one place where every commercial herd needs to be using genomic testing, and that is in sire selection,” Rowan said. “Sire selection is one of the most important decisions that a commercial herd makes year in and year out. It is a risky decision.”

Purchasing a bull means making an investment on future genetic potential of an animal, Rowan said, so it is important to make the best decision.

“In a one-bull herd, the last three bull purchases make up close to 90 percent of the genetics of that current calf crop,” Rowan said. “So, a good decision has a multi-generational impact, and it leaves a big footprint.”

Not making the best bull purchasing decision, Rowan said, can create problems for multiple generations.

At the business meeting of the OCA on Saturday- members advanced President Elect Dr. Troy Shelby to the position of President of the cattle group for a two year term- and elected Ford Drummond as the new President Elect- also for a two year term.

Dr. Shelby was featured this past week in a Beef Buzz- available here.