Recovery continues for Oklahoma Congressman and former Chair of the House Ag Committee Frank Lucas. On August fourth- the Congressman/rancher discovered a stray bull on the ranch that he and his wife Lynda operate in Roger Mills County. That bull took dead aim for the former Chair of the House Ag Committee- “putting him up against an alleyway hard enough to push my right leg- the ball and femur hard enough to break it and also in several places my pelvis- so I will never go through the metal screener at the airport again without setting off the alarm but I am getting better- my surgeon says I will make a full recovery but going six weeks without putting any weight down on my right foot is a real complicated experience.”

Lucas says he will be back on the floor of the House next Wednesday- although he will be moving kinda slow in the immediate future.

One of the reasons that Congressman Lucas is anxious to return is to help the GOP navigate the work to fund the government and avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month. The Appropriations Committee getting the Ag Appropriations measure done will go a long way in helping pave the way to develop and eventually pass a 2023 Farm Bill.

“Short term we need to fund the federal government…because there is not gonna be any oxygen, politically so to speak in DC, to do important things like the Farm Bill until the appropriations process is over with- and a farm bill is important because if you eat- it’s important to you.”



Oklahoma Farm Bureau works to improve the lives of all Oklahomans by supporting our state’s agriculture community. As Oklahoma’s largest general farm organization led by Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, OKFB takes grassroots values and advocates for agriculture at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C., to ensure our way of life continues for generations to come. Farm Bureau hosts leadership events, supports our state’s agricultural youth and connects consumers with agriculture in order to build a brighter future for our state. Become an OKFB member today online at okfarmbureau.org/join. Together, we are rural Oklahoma.



Extreme Drought Jumps to 12.19% from Last Week's 3.5% in Latest Drought Monitor

In our region- drought is little changed- Oklahoma numbers are worse than last week while Texas is better than a week ago with Kansas and Missouri virtually unchanged.

Moderate Drought in Kansas is 66.57% versus 68.57% last week. Texas reports Severe Drought or worse is 61.33% versus 68.27% last week. And Missouri checks in with Moderate Drought or worse at 54.6% versus 54% last week.

The state suffering the most from drought right now- Louisiana- with 56% of the state in exceptional drought(D4) versus 30% a week ago

Meanwhile- here's the key numbers for Oklahoma:

Extreme drought or worse is now at 12.19 percent, up from Last week’s 3.51 percent.

Severe Drought or worse is now at 34.60 percent, up from last week’s 29.80 percent.

Moderate drought or worse is now at 48.72%, up from last week’s 45.00%

Abnormally dry or worse conditions are now at 71.55%, up from last week’s 62.07

According to the 6-10 Day precipitation outlook, Most of the state Is looking at near-normal chances for rain. Today, there is a 40 percent chance of rain; Saturday, a 30 percent chance of rain; and then, starting off the week on Monday, it is looking to be sunny and mostly clear.

To see the latest Oklahoma drought numbers, click the Oklahoma drought map above the story.

Quail Survey Index Up 45% Statewide in August, Still Below Historical Averages

By Tell Judkins, Upland Game Biologist  

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) has conducted annual roadside quail surveys in August and October since 1990 to provide an index of annual population fluctuations. The number of quail observed are reported to provide an index of quail abundance and an indicator of reproductive success. 

ODWC employees surveyed 81 routes in 75 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. Oklahoma and Tulsa counties, both almost exclusively urban landscapes, are excluded from the survey. The state is divided into either geographic regions (Figure 1) or ecoregions (Figure 11) to compare the index year to year. By looking at both, biologists can get a more precise view of on-the-ground conditions in each county, and hunters can get a better glimpse into the county they intend to hunt.     

The 2023 August roadside quail survey shows the statewide quail index up 45.8 percent from 2022, climbing from 1.53 to 2.23 quail per route (q/r) which is 55.6 percent below the 34-year average (Table 1 and Figure 2), and 28.3 percent below the 10-year average of 3.11. There are several theories as to what has caused population decline, but it is primarily attributed to habitat loss and weather. Age structure of observed birds shows 65.2 percent full-grown, 10.5 percent three-fourths-grown, 17.7 percent half-grown, and 6.6 percent one-fourth-grown birds.

This age structure indicates successful early broods with females still nesting throughout the season. Last fall, the latest known hatch was documented from the wing-box program with a harvested bird hatching out around Sept. 19 in the northcentral region. If favorable weather patterns continue into fall, it could lead to even better numbers in October’s survey. Additionally, ODWC biologists have received several reports of broods of varying ages throughout summer.  

According to research conducted earlier in 2023 on behalf of Bayer, 71% of farmers say that climate change already has a large impact on their farm, and even more are worried about the impact this will have in the future. 73% have experienced increasing pest and disease pressure. On average farmers estimate that their incomes had reduced by 15.7% due to climate change in the past two years. One in six farmers even identifies income losses of over 25% during this period.

These are some of the key findings from the “Farmer Voice” survey, published today, which reveals the challenges facing farmers around the world as they try to mitigate the impacts of climate change and adapt for the future. To conduct the “Farmer Voice”, life science company Bayer commissioned an agency to independently interview 800 farmers globally, representing farms large and small from Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Kenya, Ukraine, and the United States in equal numbers.

Farmers expect the repercussions of climate change to continue. Three-quarters of them globally (76%) are worried about the impact that climate change will have on their farm, with farmers in Kenya and India most concerned.

Rodrigo Santos, Member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and President of the Crop Science Division, commented: “Farmers are already experiencing the adverse effects of climate change on their fields and at the same time they play a key role in tackling this huge challenge. This is why it is so important to put their voice front and center. The losses reported in this survey make the direct threat climate change poses to global food security crystal clear. In the face of a growing world population, the results must be a catalyst for efforts to make agriculture regenerative.”

Performance Beef Simplifies Record Keeping and Gives Cattle Producers Peace of Mind

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with New Mexico cattle producer, Will Sowers, about his experience with Performance Beef, a cattle management software that simplifies feeding, performance, and data recording.

Sowers and his family have a ranch in northeastern New Mexico near Clayton. In the middle of a drought about a decade ago, Sowers added a backgrounding yard to his cow-calf operation to increase flexibility in marketing his animals.

As the backgrounding yard added a great deal of record-keeping to his plate, Sowers said he found answers in Performance Beef.

“I gave Performance Beef a call, and after about a two-hour consultation with them on the phone, they had every question I had answered in great detail,” Sowers said. “The sheer amount of time it saved me- I can’t even add it up.”

With Performance Beef, Sowers said everything he feeds daily is recorded, and he can see the breakeven on his cattle each day.

Growth Energy Urges EPA Science Advisory Board to Withdraw Anti-Ethanol Commentary

Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuels trade association, defended the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and its contributions to climate progress today at a hearing hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Science Advisory Board (SAB).

The hearing focused on a draft commentary SAB released last month that relied on cherry-picked data to arrive at the inaccurate conclusion that ethanol makes little or no contribution to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In his testimony at the hearing, Growth Energy Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley pointed to numerous studies that demonstrated the emissions benefits of ethanol, and urged SAB to ultimately withdraw its original draft.

“Years of peer-reviewed research from scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Lab, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Health and Engineering have all concluded that today’s ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 50% compared to gasoline,” said Bliley. “Studies claiming otherwise consistently ignore hard data in favor of questionable assumptions and outdated projections about land use.” Bliley’s full testimony as prepared for delivery can be found here.

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