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 last week at 5.91 percent.

Moderate drought or worse has improved from last week’s 20.41 percent and is now at 12.13 percent.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions are now at 32.64 percent, improved from last week’s 48.38 percent.

Our neighbors- north and south- basically have seen little change in drought this week- Kansas has 49% of the state in Moderate drought or worse- versus 48.5% last week. Texas has one fourth of their state in Moderate drought (26% both this week and last week)

According to the 6-to-10-day precipitation outlook map, the west corner of the Oklahoma panhandle is leaning below a 33 to 40 percent chance of precipitation through May 25. The remaining parts of the panhandle, including western Oklahoma and the central part of the state can expect a “near normal” chance of precipitation through May 25th. The remaining eastern part of the state is leaning above a 33 to 40 percent chance of precipitation through that May 25th date.  



The vision of the Oklahoma Beef Council is to be a positive difference for Oklahoma's farming and ranching families and the greater beef community, and its mission is to enhance beef demand by strengthening consumer trust and exceeding consumer expectations. 

To learn more, visit www.oklabeef.org. Also, don't forget to like its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oklabeef for stories on Oklahoma's ranching families and great beef recipes. 

And Check out this video below that helps you learn more about the Beef Checkoff- It's new Drive in Five from the Beef Checkoff!

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with Oklahoma State University Livestock Market Economist, Derrell Peel about feedlots and packers working towards heavier carcass weights to offset low cattle numbers.

According to Peel, there are plenty of incentives for the feedlot industry and the packers to hold cattle a little longer and see those heavier carcass weights.

“Coming into this year, we were expecting beef production to be down around 5 percent, plus or minus, on top of the 4.7 percent decrease last year,” Peel said. “Cattle slaughter is down for the year. We have less cattle, and we know we are going to continue with tighter numbers there.”

Due to the economics of replacing cattle in the feedlot and lower cost of gain, Peel said feedlots have more of a reason to feed cattle longer than usual. Peel said carcass weights went up counter seasonally in March and April, equating to about 27 pounds heavier per carcass on average for steers and heifers compared to a year ago.

OSU’s Kim Anderson Says No Surprises in Latest WASDE Report

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

Anderson said the markets continue to go up, except for soybeans and cotton. Wheat is 80 cents above average, Anderson added.

“If you look at wheat, they are up to $6.66 for harvest-delivered wheat at Pond Creek,” Anderson said.

Corn is up to $4.75, Anderson said, and the harvest average price is $4.80.

Regarding the May WASDE report that was released last week, Anderson said there were not any surprises from the pre-release estimates.

“The number to look at is the stocks-to-use ratio,” Anderson said. “Wheat for the U.S. is 41 percent average, and 40 percent projected.”

The 2024 Wheat Quality Council’s Hard Winter Wheat Tour across Kansas wrapped up on May 16. During the three days of wheat scouting, tour participants traveled six routes from Manhattan to Colby to Wichita and back to Manhattan. This year’s tour hosted 70 people from 19 U.S. states in 18 vehicles while traveling across the state. Of those participants, 50 people had never been on the tour before.

The three-day average yield for the fields that were calculated was 46.5 bushels per acre. While an estimated 7.5 million acres of wheat were planted in the fall, the Kansas wheat crop varies in condition based on amount of moisture received. What Mother Nature has in store for the wheat crop still remains to be seen, but the tour captures a moment in time for the yield potential for fields across the state.

The official tour projection for total production of wheat to be harvested in Kansas is 290.4 million bushels. This number is the average of estimated predictions from tour participants who gathered information from 449 fields across the state. Based on May 1 conditions, NASS predicted the crop to be slightly lower at 267.9 million bushels, with a yield of 38 bushels per acre.

Ranking Member David Scott, Chair Debbie Stabenow Statement on Farm Bill Process

On May 15, 2024, House Agriculture Ranking Member David Scott and Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow released the below statement following a meeting with House Agriculture Committee Democrats and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

“House and Senate Democrats remain committed to passing a strong, bipartisan farm bill that strengthens the farm and family safety nets and invests in our rural communities. America’s farmers, families, workers, and rural communities deserve the certainty of a five-year farm bill, and everyone knows it must be bipartisan to pass. 

“House Republicans are undermining this goal by proposing policies that split the broad, bipartisan coalition that has always been the foundation of a successful farm bill. “We need a farm bill that holds the coalition together and upholds the historic tradition of providing food assistance to our most vulnerable Americans while keeping our commitment to our farmers battling the effects of the climate crisis every day. Democrats remain ready and willing to work with Republicans on a truly bipartisan farm bill to keep farmers farming, families fed, and rural communities strong.”

Hollis Middle School Students Learn Civic Leadership in OSU Rural Development Course

Sixth- and eighth-grade students from Hollis, Oklahoma, have completed the first-ever LEADERS rural civic leadership and entrepreneurship class organized by Oklahoma State University’s Rural Renewal Initiative.

A group of 21 students began the LEADERS course in fall of 2023 to develop civic leadership skills and promote economic opportunities in their community. Students formed a youth action council and wrote a project proposal for Hollis Remote, an online hub to recruit residents to Hollis that advertises local jobs, housing, entertainment options and more. They also participated in several service projects, including repaving a small stretch of road in Hollis.

The LEADERS class finished their year of learning and service with a field trip to Oklahoma City May 7-8. The students visited city leaders and entrepreneurs in Frederick, Elgin and Chickasha before touring the state capitol and meeting with Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur, Sen. Brent Howard and Rep. Gerrid Kendrix.

Hollis Middle School principal Kimberly Copeland, Hollis city council member Adam Bromlow and OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture faculty Shane Robinson and Lauren Lewis Cline accompanied the students on the Oklahoma City tour.

How to Write a Country Song with James Otto

Farm Director KC Sheperd recently had the chance to catch up with country music singer, James Otto! Otto, who grew up on a farm, shared his songwriting philosophy and his love for the country music industry.

“I grew up on a 700-acre farm in the middle of North Dakota,” Otto said. “That was my entire childhood.”

As he reminisced about his childhood on a North Dakota farm and his music career, Otto also talked about his popular reimagining of Beyonce’s “Texas Hold ‘Em.” He also revealed his upcoming album, “Self Made Fool,” which features a song written with Jamie Johnson and Randy Hauser.

Otto said his love for music began early, starting with learning to play the fiddle in grade school.