The senior member of the US House Ag Committee is relieved to see movement in the House and the Senate on the respective Committee 2024 Farm Bill proposals. In talking with Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays, Lucas indicated “right now what we have seen from both Chairman Thompson in the House and Chairwoman Stabenow in the Senate are what I would call outlines of their bill proposals- so we are still waiting on hard language.”

Lucas warns producers this won’t be as easy as the 2018 farm bill process was.

This bill needs support prices updated to reflect higher prices for crops as well as the much higher input costs that have evolved over the last decade.

“As all of our producers out there know- from the safety net perspective, after the trade wars, after COVID, after inflation…the safety net is not as strong as it was six years ago and we have got to come up with a way to tighten that up if we are going to meet our obligations and feed ourselves.”

I also visited with Congressman Lucas about his Weather Act Reauthorization that passed the House at the end of April. Hear his comments on farm policy and the Weather Act by clicking on the Blue Button below.

Midwest Farm Shows is proud to produce the two best Farm Shows in the State of Oklahoma annually- the Tulsa Farm Show each December and the Oklahoma City Farm Show each April.

The Tulsa Farm Show is Oklahoma’s premier agricultural and ranching event- and returns to the SageNet Center (Expo Square) December, 6-7-8, 2024. 

Now is the ideal time to contact the Midwest Farm Show Office at 507-437-7969 and book space at the 2022 Tulsa Farm Show.  To learn more about the Tulsa Farm Show, click here. 

 

Farm Director KC Sheperd met with Allendale’s Rich Nelson to discuss the latest WASDE report and its implications for the agricultural market.

As for the Wheat Discussion, Nelson said the argument would be slightly positive, “We saw these numbers for all crops lower just a minimal amount here today now 688 million bushels. They did give us a discussion here for both all wheat production and winter wheat breakdowns. And between all that, they suggested that stocks increase to 766.”

Nelson said that Winter Wheat Production for Oklahoma is not as Dramatic as it could be: “Oklahoma and the prior two years had been running about 69 million bushels for a winter wheat production. Today’s numbers post them at 96. It is an increase but keep in mind just this past week at one of Oklahoma wheat tours final meeting a lot of the trade participants were looking for 105 or even 115. So it is an increase. Yes, but it’s not as dramatic as it could have been.”

Lastly, Rich suggested that livestock numbers would continue to be tight, with 2024 beef production expected to be 1.4% smaller than 2023, and that cotton stocks would also likely increase.

First USDA Wheat Crop Estimate for 2024 Sees 40% Bigger Crop in Oklahoma Versus 2023

I talked with state statistician Troy Marshall of the USDA’s NASS after the report was released on Friday, May 10th.

Marshall says USDA sees a 96.2 million bushel wheat crop for 2024 in Oklahoma- up 40% from a year ago. That’s based on 2.6 million acres that they believe will be harvested a May first estimated 37 bushels per acre average. That compares to 68.6 million bushels produced in 2023.

Marshall says that the USDA number falls right in the middle between the two numbers that were mentioned at the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association meeting on Tuesday. The Extension and Grain Elevator scouting reports totaled 86 million bushels while the Elevator Manager and others that were in attendance at the meeting in downtown Oklahoma City came up with a 102 million bushel guess.

The Kansas wheat crop will also be a lot larger in the number of bushels if the USDA estimates are realized. They predict a 267.9 million bushel wheat crop in Kansas, 33% larger than the 201 million bushel wheat crop of a year ago. The Kansas crop is based on a 38 bushel per acre yield with 7.05 million acres expected to be harvested for grain this season.

Finally, our neighbors to the south in Texas are looking at a slightly smaller wheat crop in 2024 versus 2023. The May first estimate is for a production of 71.4 million bushels versus 77.7 million bushels harvested in 2023.

Click here for the USDA Crop Production report for May 2024.

At the 2024 Oklahoma FFA Convention, I had the chance to talk with a National FFA Officer and Ohio native, Morgan Anderson. Anderson and I converse about her FFA experiences and her time as a state Ohio FFA Officer and a National FFA Officer.

“There is something about the blue jacket and agriculture that you cannot find anywhere else,” Anderson said.

Anderson has a broad background within the FFA organization, which inspired her to run for national office after serving as a state officer for Ohio.

“I knew that I didn’t want to pursue a national office because it was ‘the next thing you could do,’” Anderson said. “If you do that, you are going to be left with a really disappointing year with a lot of hard work if that is all you are going for. I really just wanted to find that deeper purpose again.”

In her travels as a national officer, Anderson said it is fascinating to see how agriculture is different across the country.

“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Anderson said.

Today’s Cattle Rancher- Dale Strickler Calls Him a Harvester of Sunlight

I am back talking with professional writer, author and speaker, Dale Strickler about more on grazing management. Strickler operates a consulting firm, Regenerative Wisdom, which focuses on soil, pasture, crop and drought prevention consulting.

Strickland said grazing management is not just about growing forage, as a percentage of the crop that will not harm productivity going forward also must be harvested, or in other words, covered to meat.

“When we think about harvesting a grain crop, if you leave a bushel of grain out there, that is waste,” Strickler said. “With a grazing crop, if you leave half the crop standing up, we think that is waste, but that is so essential to replenishing the roots and maintaining photosynthesis. One of the biggest changes in mindset is to not think of yourself as a cattle rancher. Think of yourself as a harvester of sunlight.”

Strickler said a big part of his consulting business is looking at when and where sunlight is being lost.

“Once it hits the ground, you can’t get it back,” Strickler said. “You can only capture that sunlight through a photosynthesizing leaf. How do we get 365 days of photosynthesis, with 100 percent coverage of that soil, with green leaves.”

Ten Rural Scholars Embark on Summer program to study rural issues

The Rural Renewal Initiative at Oklahoma State University has announced the 2024 Rural Scholars for this summer’s research and service experience across the state.

The Rural Scholar internship program features 10 weeks of residency in rural Oklahoma communities where OSU undergraduate and graduate students study the top challenges of rural areas in Oklahoma and the world. Students are immersed in a rural community to conduct research, participate in service projects and support community initiatives.

• Olivia Coody, Building Sustainable Rural Health Care Services, Grandfield, Oklahoma
• Sara Howard, Assessing How Weather Variability is Addressed in Educational Settings, Altus, Oklahoma
• Erik Inman, Non-Emergency Medical Service Accessibility, Altus, Oklahoma
• Zoe Kelley, The Measured and Perceived Impact of Marijuana Production and Commerce on Rural Economies, Public Utilities and Quality of Life, Okemah, Oklahoma
• Mariela Kundak, Perceptions of Oklahoma Women in Agriculture, Frederick, Oklahoma
• Molly Moody, Experiences and Perceptions Relating to Citizen Journalism and Local News Access, Mangum, Oklahoma
• Mamata Pandey, Resident Perceptions on Water Use and Management in Rural Communities, Altus, Oklahoma
• Joel Sahmaunt and Emily Sells, Working to Improve the Lives of Rural Oklahomans Through Increasing Protective Factors: Learning Strategies of Resilience from the American Indian Culture, Ada, Oklahoma
• Samantha Starcher, Surface Water Quality Testing, Mangum, Oklahoma

More Oklahoma Wheat Plot Meetings and Kansas Wheat Crop Tour This Week

There are four OSU wheat plot tours planned for this week across north central Oklahoma. First up- Oklahoma Wheat Commission board member Don Schieber will host his annual wheat tour breakfast meeting- Don writes on Facebook “Monday, May 13, is the date for the Kildare field day at Don Schieber Farm beginning with breakfast at 8am. We will have Dr Brett Carver and members of the OSU Wheat Breeding Team discussing the 25 varieties in the plot."

On Thursday, there are two wheat tour stops in Blaine County- the Greenfield event will start with lunch at Wheeler Brothers at 11:30 AM followed by the plot tour. The Homestead tour is a twilight gathering with dinner followed by the plot tour. You can contact Extension Educator James Syzemore at 1-580-623-5195 for more information on these demo plots.

Friday is the annual Lahoma Wheat Field Day. According to OSU Extension

• 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at North Central Research Station (1 mile west of Lahoma on Highway 60) near Lahoma. Register by May 12 to be entered into a prize drawing.
• Topics will include wheat varieties, breeding, fertility, disease and pest and weed management. Continuing education units have been applied for, and lunch will be provided.

Meanwhile in Kansas– the 2024 Wheat Quality Council is set for May 13th through the 17th- starting and ending in Manhattan. During the three days of wheat scouting, tour participants will travel six routes from Manhattan to Colby to Wichita and back to Manhattan. Last year’s tour hosted 106 people from 22 U.S. states plus Mexico, Canada and Colombia, in 27 vehicles while traveling across the state.