According to the latest Oklahoma drought monitor report, exceptional drought remains at zero, unchanged from the past three months.

Extreme drought or worse remains at 1.15 percent, unchanged from last week.

Severe drought or worse remains at 10.38 percent, unchanged from last week.

Moderate drought or worse is now at 32.88 percent, up slightly from last week’s 32.29 percent.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions are now at 67.68 percent, up from last week’s 57.68 percent.

As we post this Friday report- it has been a rainy last couple of days in the western third of the state- Slapout has topped the three inch rainfall total for the past 48 hours- and there are a bunch of Mesonet stations that have more than two inches of rain- check out the Mesonet map below- it links back to the two day rainfall totals in real time.



The Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program knows this is a hard time for farmers and ranchers. We want you to know we are still open, and we are still here for you. The Ag Mediation program is a free service that provides mediation to agriculture producers who may need help with ag-related disputes.

At Oklahoma Ag Mediation, we have been helping people in agriculture resolve conflicts since 1987. We know firsthand about working together to resolve conflicts, so you don’t have to go through the court systems. Let our professional mediators help you. Mediation is allowed for lease issues, farmer/neighbor disputes, family farm transitions, and more. These services are available at no cost for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers in all 77 counties. For more information, you can go to ok.gov/mediation, or give us a call at 800 248 5465.

Farm Director KC Sheperd recently had the chance to visit with the Senior Vice President of Agricultural and Rural Banking Policy at the American Bankers Association, Ed Elfman.

Sheperd and Elfman talk about farm bill priorities and recommendations for ag producers when it comes to communicating with their bankers.

Elfman said one of the American Bankers Association’s priorities is ensuring that agricultural borrowers are well represented.

“Everyone wants to talk about the runup in interest rates and where the world is going and all that, but we have got to keep looking forward for our borrowers,” Elfman said. “At the end of the day, it affects us as bankers. We want to make sure we know what is coming down the pipe.”

Looking into 2024, Elfman said one of the biggest issues is going to be the rising interest rate environment.

OALP Alumni Fellowship With Class XXI in Downtown OKC

The President of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Rodd Moesel, is one of more than 500 alums of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program(member of Class V) and he helped host Class XXI in an annual Christmas dinner at the Myriad Gardens in downtown Oklahoma City on Thursday evening. The Class is holding their fourth seminar since coming together this past August- working on Communications and Leadership.

Moesel introduced several of the Alums who have benefited from the program- and challenged the newest class that has just started their leadership journey thru OALP to invest themselves into the program- saying it will return huge dividends.

I talked with Moesel about the program- and how it was valuable to him- and we also talked about Oklahoma Farm Bureau's highlights in 2023- and what was ahead for 2024.

You can listen to our conversation by clicking on the Blue Button below.

Earlier on Thursday- we were honored to spend the afternoon with Class XXI in a media training session- and my colleagues in helping talk about how to communicate the story of ag with passion included (Above) Todd Brunner of Wright Radio in Weatherford, Bryan Painter of OBU in Shawnee and yours truly.

This class of 27 young men and ladies is ready to tell their story and the story of agriculture.

This Week on SUNUP is Oklahoma State University Extension grain market economist Kim Anderson talks about what it takes to be a farmer.

“Let me tell you about what it takes to be a farmer,” Anderson said. “You have got to manage land, labor and capital.”

Anderson said that all land is not created equal, as each parcel of land may not allow the same productivity for every crop; therefore, farmers must select the crop that will have good productivity for the type of land it will be grown in.

“They have got to select tillage practices that will keep that land in production for a long time,” Anderson said. “They have got to fight Mother Nature…”

Anderson said farmers work hard to combat many problems including insects, storms, weeds, and more.

“They have got to have knowledge about all of those topics and know how to manage them, and to produce a quality product that the market wants,” Anderson said. “The knowledge and management ability of a farmer just boggles my mind. Farmers feed and clothe people in Oklahoma, the United States, and around the world. The economies in the U.S. and around the world depend on farmers and ranchers in agriculture to feed and clothe us.”

What’s all the Fuss about the Inflation Reduction Act?

If you were following farm bill developments over the past year, chances are you’ve heard a lot of chatter about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).  The IRA—signed into law in August 2022—provided approximately $18 billion in new, additional funding for climate-smart agriculture delivered via the existing conservation programs authorized in Title 2 of the farm bill. But, what does that have to do with the farm bill reauthorization?  As it turns out, quite a lot.

While the IRA infused $18 billion into the conservation programs, it was one-time funding. The IRA passed through Congress under a budget process known as reconciliation. While that process lowers the vote threshold in the Senate—allowing bills that might not otherwise pass to find their way through the process, typically in partisan fashion—it also requires that no spending extend beyond the 10-year budget window in the reconciliation agreement. For the IRA, that window closes in 2031. Contrast that with the farm bill, where the budget for conservation programs is assumed to continue in perpetuity.  

While the debate over the IRA has largely involved (1) quibbling over CBO’s projections of IRA spending and (2) speculating if USDA will be able to obligate the entire $18 billion by 2031, both of these arguments miss the bigger point. Absent creative thinking, the IRA funding will be a one-time flash in the pan—gone by 2031.

Solutions from the Land Applauds Final COP 28 Agreement

Solutions from the Land (SfL) applauds the central outcome of COP 28, noting that the nearly 200 countries that participated in the 28th Conference of the Parties reached historic agreement that recognizes the fundamental priority of safeguarding food security and ending hunger, and in particular the vulnerabilities of food production systems to the adverse impacts of climate change.

The highlight of COP 28 for SfL was the adoption of the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Change by over 150 countries. This is the first-ever declaration on the “profound potential of ag and food systems in driving innovative responses to climate change and unlocking shared prosperity for all.” The Declaration addresses global emissions while protecting the lives and livelihoods of farmers who live on the frontlines of climate change. 

“If nations want to prevent the globe from warming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, they cannot unless agriculture is enabled to participate in a way that just doesn’t meet a climate outcome, but in a way that delivers multiple solutions to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” said SfL President Ernie Shea.

OKFB Foundation for Agriculture awards local schools with $10,000 greenhouse grants

The Oklahoma Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture recently selected Roland Public Schools and Navajo Public Schools to receive the $10,000 Growing with the Foundation grant.

The Growing with the Foundation grant is designed to help students learn about agriculture through assisting schools with the purchase of a teaching greenhouse.

“We are proud to award Roland and Navajo Public Schools with the Growing with the Foundation grant,” said David VonTungeln, OKFB Foundation for Agriculture president. “As our society becomes further removed from the farm, we appreciate the commitment these schools have to teaching their students about where their food comes from.”

Typically awarded to one school per year, this year’s grant was presented to two schools thanks to the generous contributions of OKFB members during fundraising events at the organization’s 82nd annual meeting in early November.

For more information about the OKFB Foundation for Agriculture grant programs, visit the foundation website or contact Holly Carroll at holly.carroll@aggiving.org or at (405) 523-2300.

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