Good Friday has arrived. It's the start of the Easter Weekend and it's a holiday for some and a normal workday for many.

It is not a Federal holiday. However, twelve states recognize Good Friday as a state holiday: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Texas, and Tennessee. Additionally, the New York Stock Exchange and other financial markets close on Good Friday- that includes our Ag Futures trade.

Some banks may be closed- many others will be open- but a phone call to your bank or other businesses you need to interact with on Good Friday will confirm whether they may have special Good Friday hours.

Because Uncle Sam is open- USDA Market News will have reports that we normally expect to have on Fridays.

Invenergy is committed to Oklahoma, having completed its first project in the state in 2006. Today, Invenergy operates three wind energy centers in our state, employs over 60 Oklahomans and continues investing in our project communities. We believe building relationships is the key to being good community partners and we work to develop relationships to benefit our landowners, our employees, and our communities.

We invest in Oklahomans, and we take pride in their success. Our energy facilities provide jobs, tax revenues, landowner payments and other sources of local economic development.

For more information, visit www.InvenergyOklahoma.com

To view the latest Oklahoma drought map, CLICK HERE.

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

Severe drought or worse is unchanged from the past six weeks at .19 percent.

Moderate drought or worse is now at 8.83 percent, up from last week’s 3.53 percent.



Abnormally dry or worse conditions are now at 33.76, improved from last week’s 43.56 percent.

That moderate drought in the latest map is pretty much all in the northern tier of counties- and State Climatologist Gary McManus thought we were close to a flash drought earlier this week at the Drought Commission meeting- after the latest Drought Monitor- he says it is Flash Drought in those northern counties. Click here for how he sees things in his latest Mesonet Ticker.

Allendale’s Rich Nelson says USDA Estimates Farmers Will Plant 47.5M Wheat Acres, 86.5M Soybean Acres This Year

On March 28, 2024, USDA Released the Prospective Plantings Report and the Quarterly Grains Stocks Report. Farm Director KC Sheperd had the chance to talk with Allendale’s Rich Nelson about the two reports.

Nelson said there is discussion about low corn acreage, down about 4.6 million acres. Soybeans on the other hand are up 2.9 million acres, he added.

“This does reflect the fact that the current new crop breakeven which some might estimate at about $5.10 per bushel, and that is a cash price, is maybe a bit concerning here for us,” Nelson said.

Given the higher prices, Nelson said it was expected to see a large jump in cotton acres. In this case, Nelson said USDA did not see much of an increase, at only about 400,000 extra acres from last year. Therefore, cotton is starting out the year tighter than the trade expected to see.

“As far as big picture surprises, there are not any major issues here,” Nelson said. “One thing I will point out, though is that (in the Quarterly Grains Stocks Report) we are talking about corn, soybeans and wheat here in this case, so three crops. The total will be down 3.8 from last year. That does fit in relatively normally with what you would expect in a financially stressed year.”

At the 2024 Southwestern and Texas Cattle Raisers Convention, I caught up with the Senior Director of Government Affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Tanner Beymer, about anti-animal agriculture groups.

“Things in D.C. are pretty dysfunctional at the moment,” Beymer said. “These radical animal rights activists and their partners and their shell groups have been taking advantage of the chaotic situation to try and advance their radical agenda.”

While liberal Democrats have been the typical base of support for anti-animal agriculture groups over the years, Beymer said recently more moderate individuals and some Republicans have also been more sympathetic to the messages being relayed.

“I think part of the reason for that is these animal rights activists have gotten more creative, and they are using some of these shell groups, and using what they think are cattle producers, and dressing them up in a costume and sending them up to Capitol Hill saying, ‘I’m a farmer, and by golly, I want you to kill the Beef Checkoff,’ or ‘I want you to allow California to implement Prop 12.’ Things that no farmer or rancher in their right mind would ever ask for.”

This week on SUNUP is Oklahoma State University Extension grain market economist Kim Anderson. During this week’s edition, Anderson talks about the latest crop prices and more.

Anderson said there has not been much change in the crop markets for the past few months.

“You have got wheat prices moving between $5.00 and $5.50,” Anderson said. “About $5.30 right in the middle of that range.”

Corn has been moving in between a ten-cent range, Anderson said, from $4.00 to $4.50.

“These prices are forward contract prices for the ’24 crop,” Anderson said. “These are not current prices. This is what we are going to get for crops we are putting in the field or have in the field now.”

Anderson said corn is forward contracting for about $4.40 and $4.50 now, and soybeans are forward contracting for around $11.10 and $11.20.

“The one thing we know about these prices is that something is going to happen in the market to make them pop out at either the top or the bottom,” Anderson said. “We hope it is the top, but you never know.”



Anderson said the release of USDA’s prospective plantings report and quarterly grain stocks report has some potential to impact prices.

“The market is going to take what they expected and compare it to what USDA said and that could potentially move the market,” Anderson said.

Genetic Merit Pricing Task Force Holds February Meeting in Kansas City

The Genetic Merit Pricing Task Force held its second meeting last month in Kansas City. Since convening in late 2023, the industry-based group has been working to help the cattle market transition toward widespread use of genetic information in pricing feeder cattle and calves. More than 95% of U.S. feeder cattle change ownership without the benefit of objective genetic information. Thus, genetic information plays almost no meaningful role in the value discovery process.

The group includes OSU Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel and three former Presidents of the NCBA- Jennifer Houston, Craig Uden and Don Schiefelbein.

Ken Odde, Ph.D., former Kansas State University animal science department head and the group’s facilitator, says the Genetic Merit Pricing Task Force has an important mission that can help make all industry segments more efficient. “Today, few commercial beef herds use quantitative genetic information when marketing their feeder calves. While most buy bulls with EPDs and Indexes, they are not using that information in marketing their calves. Investing in genetics that are superior for growth and carcass traits without using that data for marketing purposes may be leaving money on the table.” Odde said. “Prospective buyers would then have genetic information that would help them more properly value feeder cattle they are seeking to purchase.”

At their February meeting, task force members discussed numerous topics, including the ability of genetically superior Bos Indicus cattle to grow rapidly and create valuable carcasses, as well as the important role of auction markets in helping bring genetic information into feeder cattle price discovery.

A Borrowed Tomb Today- Empty by Sunday!

Easter is an unique holiday in the United States- our Federal government chooses not to celebrate this particular holiday- but those of us who are Believers- it is the most important of days to celebrate.

But it is a brutal remembrance when you look from Thursday to Sunday back 2000 years ago. It was a time of celebration- then betrayal, pain, blood, fear, loneliness, death and then victory over death.

A modern day look back written by a lady from Michigan captures the fear and the promise of that event- she writes "No one saw the actual resurrection. Mary and the two disciples saw evidence at the tomb, but no one on earth saw God raise Jesus from the dead. In forty days, they will physically watch as Jesus ascends into heaven. But they had not actually seen the miracle that first Easter weekend. So, the disciples did what we would do, they assumed the worst. Grave robbers. Everyone was worried about grave robbers.

"When Mary got to the tomb that first Easter morning, it looked like the thing most feared by all sides had happened. The tomb was empty.

"I know I struggle with the same issues. Rather than seeing the promises inherent in the empty tomb, I often only see empty space. Fear can grip me, just like it gripped Mary Magdalene when she ran to get Peter and the other disciple. Mary hadn’t even entered the tomb yet. She had only seen the rock, moved from where it should have been."

Jan and I have greatly enjoyed the series "The Chosen" as it has brought to life how Jesus lived and walked this earth and interacted with His Disciples and others who crossed His path. That makes what Peter and the others who were dealing with the death of Jesus more relatable to us- so much fear- yet as the Disciples later experience the joy of resurrection- it sets things up for us to experience a relationship for today- and for eternity.

Easter is not decorated eggs and ham for dinner- it's about Eternity- as I have offered in years gone by- if you want to talk about your opportunity to go "all in" on that eternity- email me or give me a call (My number is at the bottom of the email)

You and all that read this daily email are a blessing to me and to our entire team at the Oklahoma Farm Report. We are honored you trust us to help keep you up to date on the news impacting our world of US and Oklahoma agriculture- and we work daily to earn that trust- major life events like Easter help us reflect on our blessings and that includes our farm and ranch family of readers and listeners.

May your Easter be a celebration of life- thanks for allowing me to share!