The latest Crop Production report was released on June 12, 2024, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Associate Farm Editor Reagan Calk had the chance to talk with Oklahoma State Statistician for USDA NASS, Troy Marshall about highlights from this latest report. To view the May 2024 report, click here.

Winter wheat production for Oklahoma is forecast at 98.8 million bushels, up 44 percent from last year. This forecast is up 2.6 million from the Oklahoma May forecast. Yield per acre is expected to average 38.0 bushels, up one bushel from the May forecast and ten bushels better than last year's drought stressed crop.

The Kansas crop also is seeing improvement from May to June- now being called at 282 million bushels, 5.6% higher than the May forecast- primarily because of a two bushel per acre bump to 40 bushels per acre now in the Sunflower State.

As of Monday, the winter wheat harvest in Oklahoma was called 55 percent complete according to the Oklahoma Wheat Commission. According to USDA’s Troy Marshall, next months production(July Crop Production on July 12) in Oklahoma will be dependent on weather conditions.

“Weather conditions definitely have not been in our favor,” Marshall said. “We had those rains within the first ten days of this month, and that is right when harvest times were really hitting and going pretty strong.”

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USDA Holds Pat on June Supply and Demand Numbers; Rich Nelson Notes Unusually Low Movement in Report

USDA largely held pat on its June supply and demand numbers despite expectations that there would be lower corn ending stocks and lower production in South America as well. The numbers should surprise the grain trade, which was expecting some movement in the supply side.

Farm Director KC Sheperd discussed the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate report with Allendale’s Rich Nelson, noting little change in grain production despite concerns over old crop export sales. They also observed a drop in the Russian and Ukrainian crops and emphasized the potential of US wheat supply and exports to manage larger stock numbers. Lastly, they discussed developments on the livestock side, including a drop in beef production and potential increases in pork and chicken, and advised monitoring weather and export numbers closely in the future.

Nelson said that in this June report, UDSA is hesitant to make new crop yield changes- the case is generally the same for July. Despite this trend, Nelson said this report has unusually low movement.

“Good news for the wheat side,” Nelson said. “Despite the fact that USDA did raise production on this report, for the U.S. wheat crop, which is very valid because we have a very good crop right now, they actually more than offset that with an increase for exports.”

Policy Update from Chelsea Good at the 2024 LMA Convention and World Livestock Auctioneer Championship

As the stage is set for the 2024 LMA Convention and World Livestock Auctioneer Championship in OKC, I had the chance to catch up with the vice president of government and industry affairs at the Livestock Marketing Association, Chelsea Good.

The 2024 LMA Convention is now underway through Saturday in Oklahoma City at the Omni Oklahoma City Hotel, and the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship will be held at Oklahoma National Stockyards. For more information, click here.

Good says that LMA , like many other ag groups, have been monitoring the House and Senate efforts to write a 2024 Farm Bill- including the recent Farm Bill framework released by Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman.

“LMA is interested in some of the livestock provisions,” Good said. “In particular, livestock auction owners unfortunately cannot own or invest in small or medium-sized meat processors. All three of the frameworks that have come out so far would correct that piece, including what passed out of the House Ag Committee.”

Good also talked about animal disease traceback and said there was a final rule out that will require beef cows and bulls crossing state lines to have an electronic ear tag starting in November. USDA will continue to pay for those electronic tags and infrastructure, Good added, which LMA considers essential to making that workable.

Oklahoma State University Extension specialists are evaluating numbers from the 2022 U.S. Census of Agriculture released earlier this year to follow the latest trends in agriculture.

Taken once every five years, the census counts the land and people involved in U.S. agricultural operations earning $1,000 or more in products raised or sold during the census year. The Census of Agriculture examines land use and ownership, production practices, income and expenditures, among other factors.

Amy Hagerman, OSU Extension ag policy specialist, said the census is useful information that can help people better understand how county trends compare to the rest of the state or country.

Hagerman explained the data was collected in 2022 when drought riddled much of the southern Plains.

“We have to be careful when interpreting any decline in crop acreage or livestock numbers because the census is a snapshot in time (during drought),” she said.

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

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers across Oklahoma recover from recent tornadoes and severe weather. 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.  

USDA Disaster Recovery Assistance:   

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). To participate in LIP, producers will have to provide acceptable documentation of death losses or evidence of reduced sales resulting from an eligible adverse weather event and must submit a notice of loss to the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) no later than the annual program payment application date, which is 60 calendar days following the calendar year in which the loss occurred. The LIP payment application and notice of loss deadline is March 3, 2025, for 2024 calendar year losses.   

Meanwhile, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides eligible producers with compensation for feed and grazing losses. For ELAP, producers are required to complete a notice of loss and a payment application to their local FSA office no later than Jan. 30, 2025, for 2024 calendar year losses.  

Early Voting Begins Thursday for the June 18 Primary Election

Early voting for the June 18 Primary Election begins Thursday at 8 a.m. for voters across the state. Early voting, officially known as in-person absentee voting, will be held Thursday, June 13 and Friday, June 14 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, June 15 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. A list of early voting locations is available on the State Election Board website. Voters must vote in the county where they are registered to vote.

CLOSED PRIMARIES:

Voters are reminded that Oklahoma has modified, closed primaries. Not every voter in every precinct will have an election in June.

In order to participate in a party’s primary election, you must be a registered voter of that party – unless the party chooses to open its primaries to Independents (unaffiliated voters). There are three recognized political parties in Oklahoma: Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian.

For the 2024-2025 election years, the Democratic Party has chosen to open its primaries to Independent voters. The Republican and Libertarian parties have chosen to keep their primaries closed.