Another week of mostly beneficial weather boosted national crop condition ratings for both corn and soybeans for a second week in a row, USDA-NASS reported in its weekly Crop Progress report on Monday. However, the national Cotton Crop condition ratings showed another significant drop- now at 36% Good to Excellent- off 5 points from a week ago- the nation's largest cotton producing state- Texas- now has just 14% of their cotton in good to excellent condition.

In Oklahoma, parts of the state received much needed rainfall and experienced slightly cooler temperatures. Recent rains allowed some crops to progress and improve, while other crops are still showing signs of stress. Rainfall totals in Oklahoma averaged 1.56 inches.

OKLAHOMA:

Soybeans blooming reached 77 percent, up 13 points from the previous year and up 14 points from normal. Soybeans setting pods reached 32 percent, up 1 point from the previous year and up 3 points from normal. Soybean conditions rated 66 percent good to excellent, 26 percent fair, and 8 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 60 percent good to excellent, 29 percent fair, and 11 percent poor to very poor. 

Cotton squaring reached 96 percent, unchanged from the previous year but down 1 point from normal. Cotton setting bolls reached 70 percent, up 12 points from the previous year and up 5 points from normal. Cotton conditions rated 27 percent good to excellent, 10 percent fair and 63 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 42 percent good to excellent, 21 percent fair and 37 percent poor to very poor. 

Pasture and range conditions rated 48 percent good to excellent, 32 percent fair and 20 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 49 percent good to excellent, 34 percent fair and 17 percent poor to very poor. 



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In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with the Executive Vice President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Michael Kelsey, about the prompt payment conversation and more at the 2023 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting.

Our coverage from the 2023 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting in San Diego is powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater.

“There was a resolution process regarding prompt payment,” Kelsey said. “This deals with, under Packers and Stockyards Act, when a person sells cattle at a livestock market or to a packer or to an entity, there are rules regarding how soon they have to pay- prompt payment.”

Many know, Kelsey said, that when cattle are sold at the sale barn, there must be a check issued by the next business day. With new technology such as direct deposit, Kelsey said the Packers and Stockyards Act would have to be amended to utilize these different methods of payment.

“Our policy is, we want to help our members get their money as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Kelsey said.

The debate about this policy at the summer business meeting, Kelsey said, was extremely robust as there was plenty of disagreement.

“The votes were very close, and we wound up having two policies,” Kelsey said. “One was a resolution, and one was a directive that were in contradiction. The board had to deal with those, and at the end of the day, wound up sending them back to the committee.”

Oklahoma Ag Mediation Program Free for Ag Producers to Receive Conflict Aid

Farm Director, KC Sheperd, is visiting with the operations and communications manager at the Oklahoma Ag Mediation Program, Cheyenne Sparks, about what the program has to offer to ag producers in Oklahoma.

“The Ag Mediation Program was founded and created so we could assist producers that are in any kind of conflict need,” Sparks said.

This “need” Sparks described can range from all kinds of conflicts, such as conflicts with a neighbor, the feed company, family farm transitions, and more.

“We are here to help because we understand that anytime that you are in conflict, that is money out of your operation, no matter what type of agricultural operation that is,” Sparks said. “If you are having turmoil within a feed producer or a family member, that takes away from your operation.”

The Ag Mediation Program, Sparks said, is a non-profit, non-biased mediator to help ag producers facilitate and come to resolutions in these situations.

Blogger Clay Pope offers up a look at the heat and drought conditions of July- saying "Extreme weather continues making headlines in the region. Are we giving enough thought on how to get ready for it?

He goes on to describe multiple challenges to agriculture in 2023 that have been impacted by the wild weather conditions.

Jumping to the bottom line as told by Clay- "It means that the crazy weather we have always seen on the Southern Plains has been shot full of steroids. It means that we need to take seriously the advice that we have been hearing for years now to prepare for extreme weather swings that are becoming more and more prevalent as our climate changes. We need to consider “hardening” our farming and ranching operation to extreme weather by implementing management practices that help us hold on to more water when we do get heavy rains (while also controlling soil erosion).  These same practices also allow us a cushion of additional soil moisture to better weather extended dry periods.  We also need to consider what changes we can make to better prepare our livestock  for stress from extreme heat and cold."

Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Struggle to Maintain Early Momentum

U.S. consumers remain interested in plant-based meat alternatives, but higher prices have led many prospective return consumers to taper off their purchases. The price of plant-based meats is often several dollars a pound higher than for equivalent meat and poultry products. Beyond cost, lingering negative perceptions surrounding taste, value and versatility are also obstacles the category has yet to overcome. 

According to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, the market for plant-based meats has likely reached a tipping point as the initial period of exceptional sales growth appears to be over.

Plant-based meat sales peaked in 2020 when consumers had more discretionary income and were curious about broadening their food spend in the wake of pandemic-era food shortages. But fewer than half of Americans who tried the products at the time repeated their purchase, per data from consumer research firm Mintel.

“Whatever their reason for purchase, plant-based offerings appear to have fallen short of consumers’ expectations in terms of either cost or performance,” said Billy Roberts, senior food and beverage economist for CoBank. “Market participants should be able to address the cost issues with greater economies of scale and minimized supply chain expenses. However, innovation around taste, texture and mouthfeel will be essential to capture more mass-market consumers.”

August WASDE: AFBF Believes Dialed-Back Yields Still Suggest Large Corn, Soybean Crops

Wheat’s overall domestic production for the 2023/24 marketing year, beginning June 1, shifted minimally, down only 0.3% (5 million bushels) over the July WASDE report. However, the total wheat production number hides movement between winter and spring wheat. Hard red winter wheat is projected up 8 million bushels (+1.4%), hard red spring is down 28 million bushels (-6.3%), soft red winter is up 18 million bushels (+4.3%), white is down 6 million bushels (-2.4%), and durum wheat is up 3 million bushels (+5.6%).

The 2023 winter wheat crop had the third-highest abandonment rate on record, and the highest since 1933, with 30.7% of planted acres abandoned. High rates of abandonment were due to extremely dry conditions in Kansas this spring and winter. While conditions recovered somewhat toward the end of the season, in the last winter wheat condition report of the season, published on July 10, 51% of Kansas winter wheat was rated very poor to poor.

As Kansas has the most winter wheat acres of any state at 8,100 planted in 2023 (22% of national total), it dominates the national wheat numbers. Many other states are having a better year than last year when six states had 30% or more of the winter wheat crop rated very poor to poor. In 2023, only four states reached a similar level.

Rancher’s Thursday Lunchtime New Webinar Series Starts This Week

Join the Oklahoma State University Beef Cattle Extention Team of experienced ranchers and scientists to learn and share beef cattle production, management, and marketing tips!

For the next few weeks, there will be webinars talking about new guidelines for antibiotic products, internal parasite management and resistance, and more!

This week on Thursday, August 17th- the topic will be New Guidelines for Use of Antibiotic Products in Beef Production Systems with Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, Extension veterinarian and clinical assistant professor, veterinary clinical sciences, OSU

Registration is required.