Below is the latest wheat harvest report from the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, released on May 30, 2024. According to the wheat commission, cooler temperatures and recent rains have slowed harvest for the past two days.

Oklahoma wheat harvest continued to move forward in parts of Southwest and Central Oklahoma on Wednesday at a slow pace, but rains in many parts of the state hindered a large amount of progress as producers had hoped for over the past two days. Rains today will also delay harvest in most regions if not the entire wheat belt. Up to the time of this report not much has changed from Tuesday on what has been reported as far as yields, test weights and protein. The Oklahoma Wheat Commission is calling harvest 18% complete, a more complete report will be put out on Monday, June 3, 2024.

Early reports in all locations show test weights ranging from 60 to 65 lbs. per bushel. Proteins ranging from 9% to 13.5%, with an overall average of proteins being reported at 11.0% to 11.2%. The wheat being harvested in Southwest Oklahoma has not been stressed as much, so it is thought proteins will get higher as harvest progresses North where we have drought stress. Early yields are reported at 40 to 50 bushels per acre in most regions. Higher yields being reported on intensively managed wheat with some yields on a few fields being reported in the mid 60’s to low 70’s. The state has received a large amount of hail damage in South Central, Southwest, and Northern, Oklahoma over the past two weeks, so this will show losses on overall production. Harvest has been delayed in many areas due to rains on Tuesday with more rains predicted today and over the weekend. The Oklahoma Wheat Commission is calling the state 18% complete with harvest. The next Oklahoma Wheat Commission Harvest report will be published on Monday, June 3, 2024.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau works to improve the lives of all Oklahomans by supporting our state’s agriculture community. As Oklahoma’s largest general farm organization led by Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, OKFB takes grassroots values and advocates for agriculture at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C., to ensure our way of life continues for generations to come. Farm Bureau hosts leadership events, supports our state’s agricultural youth and connects consumers with agriculture in order to build a brighter future for our state. Become an OKFB member today online at okfarmbureau.org/join. Together, we are rural Oklahoma.

Drought Conditions Worsen Slightly From Last Week’s Monitor

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 now at 6.72 percent, up from last week’s 5.91 percent.

Moderate drought or worse is now at 14.68 percent, up from last week’s 11.37 percent.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions are unchanged from last week at 29.60 percent.

According to the 6-to-10-day precipitation outlook map, the entire state is leaning above a 33-40 percent chance of precipitation through June 8.

USMEF’s Dan Halstrom Believes Global Buyers Continue to See Value in U.S. Beef

Farm Director KC Sheperd talked this week with the CEO of the United States Meat Export Federation, Dan Halstrom, about the USMEF annual Spring Conference and an update on U.S. beef exports and demand.

Halstrom first talked about highlights from the USMEF annual Spring Conference which was held in Kansas City, MO on May 22-24. Speakers at the conference covered topics ranging from domestic and global consumer perspectives to recognizing the value of U.S. production and high-quality supply.

“It was a resounding success,” Halstrom said. “We had good weather, we had record attendance, and despite a few headwinds that are out there, we had some pretty good news to report on in general. I think it was quite the successful week.”

Regarding the latest beef export results, Halstrom said that first-quarter statistics show that tonnage is down slightly for the year at four percent less than a year ago. On the value side, Halstrom said beef is up six percent year-to-date.

“What that tells me is that with lower volume and higher value, the international-global customer still sees value in U.S. beef even though tonnages that are available are a bit lower, and prices are a bit higher. I think our unique quality of U.S. grain-fed beef is the selling point because we have a very unique product out there.”

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am back talking with the CEO of the American Angus Association, Mark McCully, about AngusLink.

For today’s cattle producers, it is more important than ever to be able to differentiate their cattle in the marketplace. Two of the leading third-party verification companies, IMI Global and the American Angus Association’s AngusLinkSM, have joined forces to create an improved experience for those cattle producers while offering more value-added opportunities.

“It has been great with the AngusLink programs, specifically the Genetic Merit Scorecard where through the enrollment process, we capture the bull battery,” McCully said. “They don’t all have to be Angus bulls, but most of them need to be registered. Then, we are able to basically compute a genetic merit score for that group of feeder cattle.”

Great growth has been seen in these programs in the last couple of years, McCully added.

“This month we had an announcement by National Beef and U.S. Premium Beef that they are actually putting a direct grid premium on cattle that are enrolled in the AngusLink program and have a genetic merit score of 100, which is industry average, so better than average,” McCully said. “That is five dollars per head, and later on in the year, they are going to bump that up another five dollars for those that are 150 on their genetic merit beef score, or higher.”

The initial grid premium of five dollars per head will be paid for cattle harvested on August 5th or later for cattle with a beef score of 100 or greater on their American Angus genetic merit scorecard. After December 1st, cattle with a score of 150 or greater will have the chance to receive a ten-dollar premium per head.

Kim Anderson Sees Wheat Prices Above Average As Harvest Runs Ahead

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.

Harvest is running a couple of weeks early, Anderson said, but weather conditions such as rain and humidity have slowed things down. If wheat protein comes in low, Anderson said he expects to see a protein premium this year.

Regarding the recent increase in wheat prices by $1.00 to $1.60, Anderson said Russia is a big contributor.

“The Russian wheat crop has been lowered,” Anderson said. “If you go back to the January and February period from 3.4 billion down to 3 billion. That is a 400-million-bushel decline in Russian production. 200 million in the last couple of weeks. 400 million is over half of the U.S. hard winter wheat crop. It’s had a big impact.”

As usual, Anderson recommends producers stagger their wheat in the market from June through August.

Supplement Response by Stockers on Summer Grass Depends on Forage Quality

Weekly, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist Paul Beck offers his expertise on the beef cattle industry. This is a part of the weekly series known as the “Cow-Calf Corner.” Today, he talks about nutritional qualities of native range.

The nutritive quality of native range in the Southern Great Plains declines during the mid to late summer. Crude protein and digestibility of the forage increases in the spring as it greens up and starts summer growth beginning in April, peaking in May, and then steadily declines throughout the rest of the year.

Performance of stocker calves on native range declines from highs of 2 pounds/day during early summer to less than one pound per day through the late summer. Deficiency in dietary protein causes dramatic reductions in forage intake and digestibility. A small amount of high protein supplement corrects the protein deficiency increasing both forage intake and forage digestibility when adequate forage is available. Our research indicates that feeding 2 to 2.5 pounds of extruded distiller’s grains cube supplement per day (or feeding 5 to 6 pounds/head 3 days per week) to growing calves on native pasture can increase performance in the late summer by 0.75 to 1.0 pounds/day requiring only 2.5 to 3.5 pounds of supplement per pound of added gain.

2024 Legislative Session Rolls to a Close- and Oklahoma Farm Bureau Honors Outgoing Vice President of Public Policy Steve Thompson

As we arrive here on this final day of May, 2024- we say Sine Die to the current legislative session at 23rd and Lincoln- and we also say congrats to a real friend who is departing a job he has done very well for Oklahoma Farm Bureau these past five years- Steve Thompson.

Steve has served as the Vice President of Public Policy for Oklahoma Farm Bureau and we have had dozens of conversations over the years about policy, politics and the ag mafia here in Oklahoma.

As of today- he is officially the Director of Public Policy for the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents.

Rodd Moesel of OKFB says of Steve "Steve has led our public policy team the last 5 years & has made a big impact as he led our efforts to protect & grow Oklahoma agriculture & to advance rural Oklahoma! Thanks for all your great efforts for the Farm Bureau families of Oklahoma & we look forward to continuing to work together as we all work to grow & advance our beloved OSU!"

Here's one of my favorite pics of Steve and I holding court on policy- look forward to quizzing him on all things related to the A&M colleges at the state capitol in the days to come!