Both the corn and soybean harvests are running slightly ahead of the average pace, according to USDA NASS’ weekly Crop Progress report released Monday.

The 2024 Winter Wheat Planting number stands at 15% complete- one point behind the five year average. Our key southern plains HRW states show progress- Kansas is now 8% planted- versus 10% five year average- Texas at 15% planted versus 17% five year average and Oklahoma at 12% planted- even with the five year average. Many of the early planted fields are intended to provide wheat pasture later in the fall and winter- and with recent moisture- that may become a reality this year.

Besides the winter wheat numbers- In Oklahoma, Corn harvested for grain reached 30 percent, up 2 points from the previous year and up 14 points from normal. Corn conditions rated 64 percent good to excellent, 25 percent fair and 11 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 73 percent good to excellent, 19 percent fair and 8 percent poor to very poor.

Soybeans setting pods reached 84 percent, up 4 points from the previous year and up 6 points from normal. Soybean conditions rated 51 percent good to excellent, 33 percent fair and 16 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 58 percent good to excellent, 28 percent fair and 14 percent poor to very poor.

Cotton bolls opening reached 45 percent, down 7 points from the previous year and down 3 points from normal. Cotton conditions rated 11 percent good to excellent, 19 percent fair and 70 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 12 percent good to excellent, 16 percent fair and 72 percent poor to very poor.

Pasture and range conditions rated 22 percent good to excellent, 29 percent fair and 49 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 34 percent good to excellent, 21 percent fair and 45 percent poor to very poor. We have a deeper dive into the pasture/range ratings in the region further down in today's email.



Midwest Farm Shows is proud to produce the two best Farm Shows in the State of Oklahoma annually- the Tulsa Farm Show each December and the Oklahoma City Farm Show each April.

The Tulsa Farm Show is Oklahoma’s premier agricultural and ranching event- and returns to the SageNet Center (Expo Square) December, 7-8-9, 2023. 

Now is the ideal time to contact the Midwest Farm Show Office at 507-437-7969 and book space at the 2022 Tulsa Farm Show.  To learn more about the Tulsa Farm Show, click here. 



Overview of Cotton and Peanut Conditions and OSU Field Days with Maxwell Smith

Farm Director, KC Sheperd, is talking with Entomology and Plant Pathology Assistant Extension Specialist at Oklahoma State University, Maxwell Smith, about recent OSU Field Days and the cotton and peanut crops around the state.

Originally from the Altus area, Smith is now back living in Altus, serving producers with pest management needs and more. Cotton is his focus crop, he added, but he works with other crops as well.

At the Panhandle Crops and Forages Field Day held in Eva, Oklahoma, Smith said the area has received good rainfall since spring, which delayed planting. In some parts of the panhandle, Smith said, cotton crops were hailed out.

“With the increased rainfall, they have got some really good-looking sorghum and corn up in that area, and I saw some really good-looking cotton as I went up through there, too,” Smith said. “A lot of good-looking crops due to the high rainfall throughout this season compared to the last two years up there.”

The Peanut and Cotton Field Day took place last week in Ft. Cobb, and Smith was able to give an update on what he saw at the event. The Ft. Cobb area was faced with similar hail storm issues as the panhandle, Smith added.

Genetic Testing Can Help Ranchers Select Commercial Cows that Will Go the Distance

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with Zoetis Cattle Genetics Specialist, Kevin Milliner, about beef genetics.

Milliner has been working with beef genetics for 19 years and says genetic testing passed the experimental stage many years ago and is now a proven technology. Genetic testing, he added, is a tool to be utilized to build a better cow herd regardless of the type of operation.

While many believe the use of genetic testing is only a good tool for registered breeders, Milliner said as a commercial producer himself, he sees great value in this technology.

“I almost think it is probably more beneficial to the commercial producer, simply because we don’t know a whole lot about that commercial female,” Milliner said. “The advent of genomic enhanced EPDs that we have with the registered folks- they know tons of information about both the bull and the cow.”

The benefit of commercial genetic testing, Milliner said, is seeing the genetic potential of a cow, aside from what can be seen on the outside.

The lingering drought as summer slips into fall here in 2023 is reflected best in the Pasture & Range ratings across the middle part of the US- especially here in the southern plains.

Oklahoma saw another big drop in the good to excellent ratings in the report released on Monday- dropping from 34% a week ago to 22% good to excellent this week- with 49% poor to very poor. That 49% number was the good to excellent rating number a month ago in mid August- so the hot dry conditions in recent weeks has flipped our conditions in just thirty days. 2023 is still a lot better than what we were dealing with at this point a year ago- Oklahoma's pasture range ratings were just 9% good to excellent in mid September 2022.

Our neighbors are also suffering with declining pasture range conditions- Kansas is at 17% good to excellent this week- steady with a week ago and still better than the 8% of a year ago- Missouri is at 17% good to excellent this week- and up 2 points from last week.

The best state in our region is New Mexico- they jumped 15 points this week versus last and now have a 60% good to excellent rating this week.

The two worst states in the US when it comes to Pasture Range ratings- Texas and Louisiana. Both states show a 7% good to excellent rating this week- that's a drop in Louisiana of 6 points whiile Texas is up one point from a week ago. Texas is significantly worse this year versus last when the state had a 27% good to excellent rating. Texas leads the nation in the poor to very poor numbers- at 71% poor to very poor ratings- off one point from last week.

Feeding Quality Forum Shares Market Outlook, Path to Meeting Demand

The beef demand success story of the past is also the industry’s roadmap for the future, said speakers at this year’s Feeding Quality Forum.

Certified Angus Beef (CAB) gathered cattle feeders, ranchers, allied industry and students at the 18th annual event, held Aug. 22-23, in Lincoln, Neb. The program covered everything from current market conditions and technology to price forecasts and advancements on the horizon.

“It’s hats off to you as an industry for producing the right genetics, managing those correctly and bringing high-quality beef to the industry,” said Glen Dolezal, Cargill Protein, warning he doesn’t want to go backward as implant programs and new additives come on the market.

“I encourage you to be careful,” Dolezal said.

Having the most accurate measures to evaluate carcass quality provides the best data possible to make those decisions. Bucky Gwartney, Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS), said most major packing plants use cameras to grade, sort or gather data in their operations today.

Rural locker plants may soon have greater access to the technology through a USDA pilot program that’s currently testing a cell-phone-like device to capture ribeye pictures and call marbling scores.

Three Days. 18 Congressional Visits, 16 fundraisers, roughly 35,000 steps, Plains Cotton Group goes to DC

Plains Cotton Growers was busy this week, advocating for the Texas High Plains and state and national cotton industry interests in Washington D.C.

PCG CEO Kody Bessent brought the PCG officers — Brent Nelson, Martin Stoerner, Travis Mires and Brent Coker — to visit with Congressional members on the importance of averting a government shutdown, improving the farm safety net and passing a strong farm bill that will benefit producers and industry for the next five years.

Opinions from Congress on whether the government will shut down was a mixed bag. Some Senators and Representatives stated they didn’t feel it would get to that point, while others were emphatic that it would. PCG officers emphasized the implications for the cotton industry should that happen, speaking for producers, but also for the merchant segment as we near the harvest season.

Each officer had speaking points they discussed with members. Nelson spoke to the market loan rate and the need to raise the rate to accommodate for the rise in production costs. Stoerner emphasized the need to increase reference prices to address the same thing.

Emergency Responders Embrace Agricultural Safety Resource

An agricultural safety resource known as “Tools of the Trade” is proving popular with emergency medical responders who are trying to prevent trauma incidents in their communities, and is also being promoted to traditional agricultural safety educators during National Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 17-23.

Tools of the Trade, an online collection of video demonstrations and accompanying handouts, was favorably received by hundreds of attendees at the 2023 Wisconsin Emergency Medical Services Association (WEMSA) conference held last winter in Green Bay.

“The idea was to introduce EMS personnel to interactive safety ‘tools’ that they can replicate and use to teach community members about farm safety and health,” said Marsha Salzwedel, Ed.D., agricultural youth safety specialist at the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute. “We know that EMS and fire personnel are trusted by farmers, so for them to share safety and health information with farmers is ideal.”