U.S. winter wheat condition was rated 56 percent good to excellent as of Sunday, March 31, up significantly from 28 percent at the same time last year, according to USDA NASS’ first weekly national Crop Progress report of the year released Monday. Aside from Kansas, the Southern Plains (Oklahoma and Texas) have improved winter wheat crop conditions since last week by a few percent.

Oklahoma's Winter wheat conditions rated 73 percent good to excellent, 23 percent fair and 4 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 70 percent good to excellent, 24 percent fair and 6 percent poor to very poor. 

Our neighbors to the south also saw an improvement in wheat conditions- Texas has their wheat crop rated 44% good to excellent versus 41% last week. Meanwhile- Kansas wheat conditions fell this week with their 2024 crop now at 48% good to excellent versus 53% last week.

Meanwhile- Pasture and range conditions in Oklahoma rated 38 percent good to excellent, 43 percent fair and 19 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 41 percent good to excellent, 41 percent fair and 18 percent poor to very poor. 

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.

Oklahoma Senate Ag Committee Approves “Do Pass” of HB4118 on April First

Back on February 19th, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed HB 4118– a measure that offers protection to poultry growers from litigation as the result of application of poultry litter that is handled under a nutrient management plan approved by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.

The bill says “land application of poultry litter in compliance with a current Nutrient Management Plan shall not be the basis of criminal or civil liability in Oklahoma."



That measure has moved to the Oklahoma Senate- and the Senate Ag and Rural Affairs Committee gave a “Do Pass” approval to the same measure by an eight to one vote on Monday, April first. The lead sponsor on the Senate side is the Chief Presiding Officer of the Oklahoma Senate- Senator Brent Howard of Altus.

Senator Howard says this proposal is about “preserving the ability of our agricultural industry to be be able to continue their way of life without unnecessary or frivolous lawsuits being imposed as well as letting our agricultural producers be the stewards of their own land and the resources in that portion of the state.”

Utilizing EPDs to Increase Profitability with RA Brown’s Donnell Brown

I am talking with Donnell Brown, rancher at the R.A. Brown in Throckmorton, Texas, about Expected Progeny Differences (EPD’s). At the 2024 Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Convention, Brown led a session on the value of EPD’s.

Brown said his passion for utilizing EPD’s to make better selections and breed better cattle goes back to his teenage years.

“To me, bull selection is almost as important as spouse selection,” Brown said. “Am I just going to take what they look like, or am I going to take into account what life is going to be like with them?”

When selecting bulls, Brown said he considers how a bull will add value and profit to the ranch.

“An extra 20 pounds of weaning weight can mean a lot of dollars,” Brown said. “Most bulls are going to produce at least 100 calves in their lifetime, and when you look at dollars per calf produced, what we realize on a bull is that a bull is an investment, not a cost. You get what you pay for. Let’s analyze what this bull is bringing to me genetically so that I can make a smart business decision.”

In the eastern half of the U.S., a rare emergence of both 13-year and 17-year periodical cicadas will begin as early as late April, and eastern Oklahoma will notice the abundant, loud insects. Associate Farm Editor, Reagan Calk, had the chance to talk with Wyatt Hoback, a professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology about this unique event and what people in eastern Oklahoma should know prior.

Hoback explained that there are two different types of periodical cicadas: 13-year periodical cicadas and 17-year periodical cicadas.

“They are named that because it takes 13 years or 17 years of living under ground before these cicadas will come to the surface and fly around, make noise, and be adult cicadas,” Hoback said. “They are different than the normal cicadas that people see which come out in August. Those are called annual or dog day cicadas. They come out every single year in lower numbers, and they show up in August versus the periodical cicadas that show up in May or June.”

This year, eastern Oklahoma will be seeing the 13-year periodical cicadas, which last emerged in 2011. Hoback said the cicadas will be around for close to three weeks after emergence, then they will not be seen again for 13 more years.

Beef and Pork Exports Brought Significant Returns to Corn and Soybean Producers in 2023

Beef and pork exports of $18.1 billion in 2023 had a significant impact on the corn and soybean industries, according to an independent study conducted by The Juday Group and released by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). The study quantified the returns that beef and pork exports brought to corn and soybean producers nationally and on a state-by-state level for leading corn and soybean-producing states.

Nationally, U.S. pork and beef exports contributed an estimated total economic impact of 14.6% per bushel to the value of corn and 13.9% per bushel to soybeans in 2023, according to the study.

“We’ve been charting the impact of red meat exports on corn and soybean value since 2016. Despite the international headwinds the red meat industry faced in 2023, red meat exports contributed substantially to the bushel values of U.S. corn and soybeans,” says Dave Juday of The Juday Group.

TSCRA Disaster Relief Fund continues to accept applications from cattle raisers impacted by wildfires

Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) announced applications for financial aid through the TSCRA Disaster Relief Fund remain open for those cattle raisers impacted by wildfires in the Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma.

The TSCRA Disaster Relief Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting ranchers and landowners impacted by disasters, will distribute financial assistance to reduce the economic burdens incurred by cattle raisers from recent wildfire damages that were not covered through insurance or other means of aid.

“We activated the Disaster Relief Fund within 48 hours of cattle raisers being impacted by wildfires,” said Carl Ray Polk Jr., Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association president. “We’ve received more than 1,300 donations that exceeded $1.3 million to date, with more donations still coming in.”

Ranchers and landowners from disaster-declared counties impacted by recent wildfires are eligible to apply in the open application period. The current application period does not have a set close date, and it will remain open to ensure applicants can access funding. However, individuals are encouraged to apply within the first 60 days of the damage. Applicants are not required to be a member of Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association to qualify for aid.

April First Brings Storms and Rain to Oklahoma

Severe weather impacted Oklahoma on Monday, including tornadoes. News9 and News on 6 report some of the roughest weather happened in Kingfisher and Osage Counties- where reports of tornadoes were reported.

Those storms delivered hail and also the most significant rainfall. Both the Kingfisher and Foraker(in Osage County) Mesonet stations reported more than 2 inches of rain as seen on the graphic above.

With this system now through the state- rain chances are pretty much zero until this coming weekend

Wednesday morning will be the coolest time of this week with freezing temps possible in the Panhandle.

Click on the Mesonet graphic of Oklahoma to check out the real time precipitation amounts in your area.