At the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association’s 126th Annual Meeting, Farm Director, KC Sheperd, had the chance to catch up with Oklahoma State University Extension Area Agronomist Specialist Josh Bushong. Bushong talks about Oklahoma’s winter wheat crop, and the estimates for harvested acres, yield, and total production from OSU Extension and Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association members.

2024 wheat crop tour estimates came to 2,647,570 harvested acres, 33.68 bushels per acre, and a total production of 89.161 million bushels. The estimate from the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association members came to 2,740,000 harvested acres, 37.3 bushels per acre, and a total production of 102.202 million bushels. It is important to note that these estimates should be perceived as a moving average.

While some parts of the states have had challenges such as stripe rust, Bushong said for the most part, Oklahoma’s crop is looking well. The crop is turning fast this year, especially in Southern Oklahoma.

In general, Bushong said that in the growing season, wheat broke dormancy early in late winter, and has been 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule for most of spring.

To finish up this year’s wheat crop, Bushong said some moisture and mild conditions will be critical- not too hot and not too much wind. Rainfall received in the last two weeks should help this crop finish, and acres that received fungicide applications should produce well.

Dating back to 1891, Stillwater Milling Company has been supplying ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients. Their full line of A & M Feeds can be delivered direct to your farm, found at their Agri-Center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 125 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas. We appreciate Stillwater Milling Company’s long time support of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and we encourage you to click here to learn more about their products and services.

I am featuring our conversation from April with Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, about the 2024 Cattlemen’s Conference, coming up May 22nd and 23rd in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Anyone in the cattle industry is welcome to attend this year’s event, as some of the most critical topics in the industry will be discussed.

Johnson said the objective of Cattlemen’s Conference Part Two: A Blueprint for the Future is to follow up on topics that did not have the chance for in-depth discussion at last year’s conference. One of those topics that Johnson said will be discussed this year is gene editing.

“This is a fascinating and interesting area that is going to impact all of us, not just in meat animals, but in humans,” Johnson said. “There are going to be decisions to be made, and it is important to be informed.”

As technology is the solution to gaining sustainability, efficiency, and improving profit margins, Johnson said finding balance in consumer product acceptance is critical.

“Long term, we can produce food more efficiently,” Johnson said.

To learn more about the conference and register, CLICK HERE!

Coy Davidson of Elgin FFA Wins State Prepared Speech Championship- will Represent State in Indy

The past five days have propelled Elgin FFA’s Coy Davidson into the role of a State Champion twice over- and becoming a National Contest qualifier with the opportunity to represent Oklahoma at the 97th National FFA Convention this coming October in Indianapolis.

The high school junior won the Agriscience Speech Division State Championship this past Friday in Stillwater at the Interscholastics Contests for Oklahoma FFA- which gave him one of six spots in the state finals of the Prepared Speaking Championship on Tuesday afternoon in Tulsa at the 98th Annual Convention of the Oklahoma FFA.

Coy and the other five State Champs drew for speaking order and he ended up speaking last in the contest. Whether that was the ultimate advantage or not- the five judges named him the best of the best for his speech on Ag Espionage

Davidson will take the summer to refine his speech with the hope of making it a national winner come October in Indianapolis. He is one of several state winners who automatically become the state’s official entrant in National Contests that are held by the National FFA Organization. Oklahoma has won the National Prepared Speech Contest nine times over the years- including most recently in 2022 when current FFA President Caleb Horne was the National Champion.

I talked with Coy after he had been named the State Champion- you can hear our visit by clicking on the blue button below. Our coverage of the 2024 State FFA Convention is powered by Hilliary Communications.

One other pic to share with you this morning- congrats to the two State VIP Award winners for 2024- Dr. Rob Terry and Dr. Shelly Peper-Legg. Both are rockstars- Dr. Terry in Ag Education and Dr. Legg in Ag Communications- they have made a difference in the lives of hundreds of students over the years and in their support of FFA- CONGRATS!!!!

At the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) annual Washington Watch event in Washington, D.C., Farm Director KC Sheperd talked with the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Chief Economist, Roger Cryan, about the decision by USDA NASS to discontinue select 2024 data collection programs and reports.

As of April 2024, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has announced the canceling the July Cattle report and the discontinuation of the Cotton Objective Yield Survey, as well as all County Estimates for Crops and Livestock beginning with the 2024 production year. According to USDA, the decision to discontinue these surveys and reports was not made lightly but was necessary, given appropriate budget levels.

“All of those reports are important,” Cryan said. “We understand there have been some cuts. Some of those are a really important reports.”

Regarding the 2022 Census of Agriculture that was recently released, Cryan said the piece that stuck out most to him was the number of farms lost over the past five years.

“That is one of the reasons it is so important for us to have a good Farm Bill, not just this year, but every five years,” Cryan said.

The Census of Agriculture is an incredibly rich source of data, Cryan said, and anyone who is trying to tell the story of agriculture in their state, county, or congressional district can find an amazing amount of detail broken down in the report.

USDA Offers Disaster Assistance to Agricultural Producers in Oklahoma Impacted by Tornadoes

Agricultural operations in Oklahoma have been significantly impacted by recent tornadoes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover from these adverse weather events. Impacted producers should contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.

Producers who experience livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality or sell injured livestock at a reduced price may be eligible for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). 

Meanwhile, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides eligible producers with compensation for feed and grazing losses. 

FSA also offers a variety of direct and guaranteed farm loans, including operating and emergency farm loans, to producers unable to secure commercial financing. Producers in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation may be eligible for low interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses. 

The Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (FSFL) provides low-interest financing so producers can build, repair, replace, or upgrade facilities to store commodities.

Additional USDA disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including USDA resources specifically for producers impacted by tornadoes. Those resources include the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet and Loan Assistance Tool. For FSA and NRCS programs, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent. 

Oklahoma Wheat Commission Holds District IV Election Tomorrow in Walters

The Oklahoma Wheat Commission will hold an election for the District IV board seat. The election will be held Thursday, May 9, 2024 commencing at 1 p.m. at the Cotton County Fair and Expo Center located at 924 W. Missouri Avenue, Walters, Oklahoma. District IV consists of Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa and Tillman counties.

 All wheat producers within District IV boundaries who are actively engaged in wheat production, have marketed wheat, and have paid a check-off fee and left that fee with the Commission for the current year

(July 1, 2023 to May 9, 2024) are eligible to vote. It will be the responsibility of the producer to prove their eligibility to vote by providing a dated grain elevator receipt including the producer’s name and amount of wheat sold, and a driver’s license or some other form of identification.

The Commission’s vacancy meeting, which is open to the public, will begin at noon and the election will begin promptly at 1 p.m. (If planning to vote you must be checked in by 1:00 p.m.) Lunch will be provided at noon by the Oklahoma Wheat Growers’ Association with Mike Schulte, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission speaking on “Wheat Research/Wheat Supply and Demand Outlook.”

Every wheat producer in the district is urged to participate in this important election. For further information, contact the OWC office at (405) 608- 4350.