According to the latest Oklahoma drought monitor report, exceptional drought remains at zero percent, unchanged from the start of the calendar year.

Extreme drought or worse remains at zero percent, unchanged from the past two weeks.

Severe drought or worse is now at 1.67 percent, down from last week’s 3.08 percent.

Moderate drought or worse is now at 15.01 percent, down from last week’s 21.64 percent.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions are now at 34.19 percent, down from last week’s 44.68 percent.

According to the 6-to-10-day precipitation outlook map, the state’s northeast corner is leaning below a 40 to 50 percent chance of precipitation through January 20. The Panhandle is leaning below a 33 to 40 percent chance of precipitation through January 20, and the remaining parts of the state are leaning below a 40 to 50 percent chance of precipitation through that date.



The vision of the Oklahoma Beef Council is to be a positive difference for Oklahoma's farming and ranching families and the greater beef community, and its mission is to enhance beef demand by strengthening consumer trust and exceeding consumer expectations. 

To learn more, visit www.oklabeef.org. Also, don't forget to like its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oklabeef for stories on Oklahoma's ranching families and great beef recipes. 

And Check out this video below that helps you learn more about the Beef Checkoff- It's the latest Drive in Five.

Earlier this week, I had the chance to visit with the Executive Vice President of Panda BioTech, Scott Evans. BioTech works with producers to grow an advanced variety of industrial hemp, which is then processed at the Panda High Plains Hemp Gin in Wichita Falls, Texas.



“Panda BioTech is developing a large industrial-scale help processing center where we process industrial hemp,” Evans said.

In a process called decortication, Evans said the green outer part of the hemp stem, called the bast fiber, is separated from the rest of the plant. Once the outer bast is separated from the plant, Evans said the inner woody core of the stem, called the hurd of the plant, will remain.

Evans said the bast fiber is similar to short-staple cotton but it has a few different properties.

“It is a very strong fiber and antimicrobial, and the list goes on,” Evans said.

After the decortication process at Panda BioTech, Evans said the fiber produced is sold downstream to other manufacturers for use in various applications.

Supreme American Breeds Drive Concludes 2024 Cattlemen’s Congress

The grand finale for the 2024 Cattlemen's Congress came Thursday afternoon in the Jim Norick Arena at the OKC Fairgrounds.

Supreme Open Bull was the Gray Brahman BRC Money Don’t Jiggle 240 owned by B.R. Cutrer of Wharton, Texas. The Reserve Supreme American Bull was the Black Brangus champion owned by Burns Brangus of Wharton, Texas.

Supreme American Open Female was the Ultra-Brangus Champion- MC Bada Boom 628K8– shown by Traci Middleton of Puryear, Tennessee. The Reserve Supreme Open American Female was the Grey Brahman owned by B.R. Cutrer, Inc of Wharton, Texas.

And the Supreme American Junior Female was the Champion Simbrah- LMC/JSSC Augusta 230K– owned and shown by Nolan Seale of San Augustine, Texas. The Reserve Supreme American Junior Female was the Grey Brahman Champion owned by Mollie Cutrer of Wharton, Texas.

With the selection of the American Supreme Champions- the 2024 Cattlemen’s Congress- which began with the Texas Longhorns shown on December 30th and 31st- officially concluded. Tyler Norvell, who has been named the Board Chairman for Cattlemen’s Congress, called the 2024 event the best one yet and told Oklahoma Farm Report that the dates for the 2025 Cattlemen’s Congress will be January 4th through the 16th.

At the 2024 Cattlemen’s Congress, I had the chance to talk about the Brangus breed with Brangus producer Allen Goode. Aside from being a Brangus producer, Goode is also a past president of the International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA).

“It is a pleasure for the Brangus breed to be here once again at Cattlemen’s Congress,” Goode said.

Goode stays active in the cattle industry in numerous ways, and one of those ways is being a judge at livestock shows. Goode had the chance to judge the Santa Gertrudis show at this year’s Cattlemen’s Congress.

The spotlight that Cattlemen’s Congress has become has been a big boost for the registered Brangus industry, Goode said, and he is glad that the American breeds were included from the inception of the event.

“It is a very central location, of course, geographically,” Goode said. “For the Brangus breed, we have breeders from Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, all throughout the southeast that come here, and of course all the surrounding states- Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri. It is a big show for Brangus.”

Kim Anderson says Wheat Prices are Settling Down and Fertilizer Prices Have Dropped

This Week on SUNUP is Oklahoma State University Extension grain market economist Kim Anderson. During this week’s edition, Anderson discusses the price movements in the markets and more.

“Prices are starting to settle down a little bit,” Anderson said. “We had some sales at the beginning of the year, and there will be a few more coming in that might impact the prices.”

Wheat prices in Oklahoma now are around $5.75, Anderson said, and wheat can be forward contracted for $5.80 in northern Oklahoma, and about 30 cents less in southern Oklahoma. In the panhandle, Anderson said wheat can be forward contracted for about $5.85.

“Our next harvest coming up in the world will be India, Pakistan, and North Africa, but none of those countries export,” Anderson said. “The good news is, the U.S. winter wheat crop is the next crop to hit the export (market), so the market is going to watch that crop. They are going to look at the planted acres and they are going to look at crop conditions.”

Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program marks 40-year milestone

The Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program, an experience dedicated to empowering leadership in agriculture and rural Oklahoma, celebrates 40 years in 2024.

Since 1982, OALP has been a trailblazer in providing leadership development for Oklahoma residents involved in the agricultural industry. OALP is hosted through Oklahoma State University Agriculture to attract potential leaders and encourage them to reach their full potential.

One of the program’s objectives is to help participants expand their knowledge to take on leadership roles in their communities and beyond, said OALP director Edmond Bonjour.

“It’s a leadership program to expose the participants to different aspects of agriculture,” he said. “We tour around the country and learn as much as we can about agriculture in different regions.”

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