Editor's note- this report was released on the afternoon of a major breakout of severe storms north of I-40 in Oklahoma and up into southern Kansas- lots of hail was reported as those storms were being tracked. It's unknown as we wait for sunrise how much damage may have occurred to the HRW wheat crop- so keep that in mind as we report on the status of the crops from these USDA observations.

In this week's USDA crop progress report, winter wheat conditions rated 50 percent good to excellent, 34 percent fair, and 16 percent poor to very poor. The national corn planted reached 36 percent, down 6 percentage points from the previous year.

The Oklahoma corn crop is half way planted- at 51% statewide this week. Sorghum planting in the state has reached 14% in this week's report.

Oklahoma's winter wheat conditions rated 52 percent good to excellent, 41 percent fair, and 7 percent poor to very poor. That's an improvement of 6 points versus last week.  This time last year, winter wheat conditions rated 7 percent good to excellent, 29 percent fair and 64 percent poor to very poor.

Meanwhile, Kansas winter wheat conditions rated 32 percent good to excellent, 35 percent fair and 33 percent poor to very poor. Kansas winter wheat headed reached 54 percent, up 28 percentage points from the previous year and up 33 points from the five-year average. Texas winter wheat conditions rated 48 percent good to excellent, 33 percent fair and 19 percent poor to very poor.

Kansas wheat crop conditions are up one point in the good to excellent ratings versus a week ago while the Texas wheat crop ratings were steady this week versus last.

Oklahoma pasture and range conditions rated 52 percent good to excellent, 38 percent fair and 10 percent poor to very poor. That 52% was 8 points better than a week ago. This week's USDA Crop Progress report is the first report of the season where we info on Pasture and Range conditions from all 48 states. The rating this week nationally is 46% good to excellent versus 33 Good to Excellent in May 2023.

National Livestock was founded in 1932 in Oklahoma City. National’s Marketing Division offers cattle for sale weekly at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City. The Finance Division lends money to ranchers across several states for cattle production. The Grazing Division works with producers to place cattle for grazing on wheat or grass pastures. 

One of the newest additions to the National Family is Dakota Moss- and Livestock Risk Services.

National also owns and operates other livestock marketing subsidiaries including Southern Oklahoma Livestock Auction in Ada, Oklahoma, OKC West Livestock Market in El Reno, Oklahoma, and the nation’s premier livestock video sale, Superior Livestock Auction. National offers customers many services custom made for today’s producer. To learn more, click here for the website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.

NCBA’s Tanner Beymer Discusses the Fight Against Anti-Beef Checkoff Legislation

At the National Association of Farm Broadcasters Washington Watch Event, Farm Director KC Sheperd had the chance to visit with the Senior Director of Governmental Affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Tanner Beymer. In today's Beef Buzz- I am featuring comments from the conversation regarding the OFF (Opportunities for Fairness in Farming) Act.

Although the OFF Act is not included in the Senate Agriculture Farm Bill proposal, there is still some concern that the supporters of the OFF Act may attempt to sneak the bill in during negotiations.

“The deceptively titled Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act is a continuation of legislation that tends to get introduced at least once every Congress,” Beymer said. “Unfortunately, because this is a Farm Bill year and because there is so much pandemonium unfolding on Capitol Hill right now, we cannot afford to take threats like this lightly. This effort has really been picked up by these radical activist animal rights groups because, if you think about it, what is the most effective marketing tool for U.S. beef in the world? It is the beef checkoff.”

Fortunately, Beymer said NCBA has been able to work with allies in the livestock industry to push back on this narrative.

NASDA Staff Prioritizes Effective Messaging to Producers and Consumers Regarding HPAI

At the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) annual Washington Watch event in Washington, D.C., Farm Director KC Sheperd had the chance to talk with the Senior Director of Public Policy at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), RJ Karney, about policy and legislative updates.

“One of the main priorities for NASDA right now has been the focus and attention on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the dairy industry,” Karney said. “This is one that NASDA, our state departments of ag and our state veterinary officials, and also APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) are working a strong collaboration to make sure they can find workable solutions for the dairy industry and members at large.”

When it comes to presenting the facts, Karney said messaging to consumers that pasteurization is effective is critical.

Regarding the 2024 Farm Bill, Karney said the industry is looking forward to seeing Chairman GT Thompson’s markup of the bill before Memorial Day. Funding is the biggest hurdle, Karney said, but that is the nature of a Farm Bill.

TODAY- FFA Convention in Tulsa and Oklahoma Wheat Crop Estimate Revealed in OKC

Ron is headed to Tulsa and the the 98th Annual Convention of the Oklahoma FFA- he will be serving as a judge at the State Finals of the Prepared Public Speaking Contest.

14,000 FFA members and supporters are expected to be in downtown Tulsa for the 2024 event.

Click here for our earlier preview of the FFA Convention!

AND- in Downtown OKC- members of the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association, wheat producers and extension personnel are gathering to calculate the possible size of the Oklahoma Wheat Crop this morning. Lots of unknowns face this crop- including damage from hail last night and challenges that may be ahead between now and when the combines will roll around the first of June.

To offer some context- here's what the crop looked like in theory last May(picture below)- while the scouts only predicted a 54 million bushel crop- we ended up with 68 million bushels actually produced in 2023- still by historical standards- a much smaller production number than average. While we don't know the number yet- it's likely to be closer to a 100 million bushel crop here in 2024- our own KC Sheperd will be there to get the estimate to share with us here in the email tomorrow.

The 73rd Annual National Land & Range Judging contest attracted students from across the nation to the Oklahoma City area from April 30th through May 2nd, 2024.

There were over 700 contestants, 194 teams, from 34 states. 

The 4H and FFA students match their skills in judging the adaptability of the land for various purposes, including farming, range management and home development. The skills the teens apply at the contest involve principles they can use in career fields such as environmental and range management, natural resource conservation, home building and construction. 

Winners : 

4-H Homesite Individual – Hunter Tounsend, Barbour County 4-H, West Virginia

4-H Team – Barbour County 4-H, West Virginia

4-H Land Individual – Griffin Hart, Barbour County 4-H, West Virginia 

4-H Land Team – Barbour Country 4-H, West Virginia 

4-H Range Individual – Emily Zickrick, Haakon / Bennett 4-H, South Dakota 

4-H Range Team – Harken / Bennett 4-H, South Dakota 

FFA Land Individual – Max Klein, Wessington Springs FFA, South Dakota 

FFA Land Team – Blue River Valley FFA, Indiana 

FFA Range Individual – Cooper Davis, Glen Rose FFA, Texas 

FFA Range Team – Glen Rose FFA, Texas 

Producers to be paid grid premiums for AngusLinkSM Beef Scores

The American Angus Association®; National Beef Packing Co., LLC; IMI Global; and U.S. Premium Beef, LLC announces new grid premiums to take effect in August and December, based on genetic merit data.

For the first time, cattlemen can earn grid premiums based on the genetic merit of their cattle, stemming from their investment in superior genetics. National Beef Packing Co., LLC (NBP) announces the addition of new premiums on their U.S. Premium Beef, LLC (USPB) grid for qualified cattle based on their AngusLinkSM Genetic Merit ScorecardSM (GMS). AngusLinkSM value-added programs are administered by the American Angus Association® in partnership with IMI Global.

Effective for cattle harvested Aug. 5, a grid premium of $5 per head will be paid for cattle with a Beef Score of 100 or greater on the AngusLinkSM GMS. This will be exclusively available for cattle marketed through USPB and delivered to NBP plant locations in Liberal and Dodge City, Kansas.

“National Beef is pleased to offer U.S. Premium Beef members this grid premium and new program in cooperation with the American Angus Association,” said Chad Barker, vice president of cattle procurement with NBP. “We’re excited to be adding another chapter to our history of creating innovative ways to reward producers for high-quality cattle.”

OSU Developing AI Chatbot to Answer Local Extension Questions

A new online tool to help people quickly find factual, proven information on agriculture and Extension topics is in its final phase of development. Oklahoma State University Agriculture and the Extension Foundation are preparing the official launch of ExtensionBot, an artificial intelligence chatbot that provides expertise from Cooperative Extension systems across the country.

ExtensionBot will give Extension educators, volunteers and the public unlimited access to information in all areas of Extension. Its narrative interface combined with AI technology will also improve accessibility and use of Extension content that currently exists online. OSU Extension is a public resource for practical information on community health, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth development, and agricultural and natural resources.

“Our goal is to deliver trustworthy, research-based knowledge coupled with the longstanding principles and expertise of OSU Extension and other peer Extension systems,” said Jayson Lusk, vice president and dean of OSU Agriculture. “ExtensionBot will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public inquiries into Extension topics. It combines the best of our human expertise and research with AI technology to inform a national audience.”

More than 20 Extension services currently source information for ExtensionBot in its pilot phase. The nationwide public launch is expected later in 2024. Anyone can explore the digital tool by clicking on the cowboy hat icon at the bottom right of extension.okstate.edu.

NMPF Galvanizes Dairy Response to HPAI as Animal Health Concern Evolves

NMPF helped lead the dairy community in responding to rapidly evolving circumstances around the spread of the H5N1 virus among dairy cows while advocating for farmers before the federal government and reassuring consumers about the safety of milk throughout April.

Many efforts revolved around clearly understanding the problems posed by the virus and understanding those problems for what they are, and what they are not.

“USDA, FDA and scientific research has established what accumulated science indicated all along: The consumer milk supply is safe,” said NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud in a statement released April 24, the day USDA announced testing requirements for lactating cows traveling interstate. "Pasteurization renders the H5N1 virus, like other viruses, inactive, an important reminder to consumers of its value as a basic safeguard for human health. We appreciate that these agencies are sharing this message, which will help alleviate any concerns consumers may have.