According to the latest Drought Monitor for Oklahoma released July fourth, while Oklahoma remains free of extreme or exceptional drought as we begin July- recent weeks have seen a rapid spread of Abnormally Dry or worse conditions in all but southeastern Oklahoma.

The coverage area of just Abnormally Dry has grown by forty percent in a single week- and now covers all of the western half of the state and much of northeastern Oklahoma as well.

Severe drought has increased to 3.78% of the state- mainly covering some of Major County, all of Blaine County as well as parts of Beckham, Caddo, Custer, Greer and Washita counties. Last week- 1.03% of the state was in severe drought.

Moderate drought or worse rose 2 percentage points- from 20.48% to 22.3% from last week to this week. North Central into West Central parts of the state are the driest and where we are finding Moderate drought conditions.



Abnormally dry or worse ratings have jumped from 53.12% of the state to 67.12% of Oklahoma colored yellow in the graphic above. While that is still not as bad as early July 2023- it is getting close as the Abnormally dry or worse number a year ago was 73.77%.

As the premier John Deere dealer across Oklahoma & Arkansas, P&K Equipment is proud to serve our 20 communities and the surrounding areas. From residential, small ag & hay, large ag, & compact construction equipment- the P&K team makes it easy to buy & own your John Deere equipment. You’ll find transparent pricing & easy financing options on the website & in stores.

You’ll have technology, sales, parts, and service support long after the sale. So when you’re ready to experience the ease of operating John Deere equipment- you can trust the experts at P&K Equipment.

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with NCBA Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart about how the Chevron Deference Supreme Court Ruling relates to the beef cattle business.

The Chevron Deference is a concept born out of a Supreme Court Decision in 1984. The decision determined that if Congress passes statutory language that is ambiguous or vague, the federal administrative agencies have the right, or deference, to make any reasonable interpretation of that language. The result was a very swift and decisive increase in rulemakings generated from the administrative agencies, and also in the breadth of those rulemakings, which went against the original intentions of Congress.

“The concept of the Chevron Deference empowered administrative agencies, and unelected agency staff, to take on a lot of power and authority, in crafting federal policy,” Hart said.

The majority decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts put a stop to the Chevron Deference as the court acknowledged that in order to be sure that lower courts and administrative agencies would no longer feel that they could use the concept, they had to make a formal ruling.

Mill Manager Collaborates with Farmers to add value to Grain

For Oklahomans who want to buy local, Shawnee Milling Company offers diverse flours and product mixes that are affordable and readily available at most grocery stores around the state.

Of the roughly 4 million bushels of wheat the company mills each year, at least 80 percent of it —  sometimes even more in good growing years — comes from within the state’s borders.

“Oklahoma agriculture has always been important to us,” said Caleb Winsett, who heads the grain division at the family-owned company. “We are very aware that without local farmers, we could not do what we do.”

Started in 1906 when J. Lloyd Ford bought a mill in Shawnee, the company today makes flour from both wheat and corn, which is then incorporated into a wide range of bake-ready mixes. It also operates a commercial mill in Okeene producing bulk whole wheat flour, six country elevators and two stand-alone retail stores.

The American Gelbvieh Association will be hosting the 2024 “Way Out West Classic” in Woodward, Oklahoma from June 30 to July 5! Farm Director KC Sheperd is visiting with Jacie Forbes and Gentry Warner of the American Gelbvieh Junior Association about the event.

At the Way Out West Classic, active Junior Gelbvieh Association members will gather for a week-long of educational activities that will test their knowledge of the association and the beef industry. The week will end with the National Gelbvieh Show, including 177 exhibitors from 19 different states, making it one of the biggest junior national events for the Gelbvieh breed.

The event provides more than just a contest space for members. The AGJA Junior Classic is an opportunity for members of all ages to network with their friends and industry professionals but also provides a platform to grow as young cattlemen and cattlewomen and advocates of the beef industry. The Junior Classic plays host to the annual meeting of the American Gelbvieh Junior Association, voting of the newly elected AGJA Board of Directors, and a celebratory banquet to conclude the six-day event. The AGJA Junior Classic is possible due not only the hard work and preparation of the AGJA Directors, and host state, but to those who continue to generously donate and sponsor. This event continues to grow each year with no sign of slowing down.

Everyone is welcome to come out and watch the cattle show to see what the Gelbvieh breed is all about! For more information, visit https://gelbvieh.org/juniors/agja-events/junior-classic.

On the California coast, “June Gloom” is a phenomenon where the contrast of cold ocean waters and warmer land temperatures brings weeks of grey, drizzly, cool and cloudy days, often making June the least pleasant month of the year. The June Acreage and Quarterly Grain Stocks reports, published on June 28, brought a gloomy overcast to new crop markets. This Market Intel looks at the impact of the report on corn, soybeans and cotton.

Corn

The reports had the most bearish outcomes for corn. Corn came in at 1.4 million (+1.6%) acres above the March Prospective Plantings Report at 91.5 million acres, above all trade expectations. The increase in acres from the prospective plantings report primarily came from the Western Corn Belt states, including Kansas (600,000 acres, +10.5%), Iowa (300,000 acres, +2.3%), Nebraska (250,000 acres, +2.5%) and Minnesota (200,000 acres, +2.5%). Michigan and Wisconsin had planted acreage estimates reduced by 100,000 acres each, -4.4% and -2.6%, respectively. This still represents a 3.3% decline nationally in planted acres from last year, which is reflective of falling corn prices and the high input costs of corn making it a riskier crop for profitability.

As of June 1, 2024, total corn stocks were estimated to be 4.99 billion bushels with 3.03 billion bushels stored on-farm and 1.97 stored off-farm. Total corn stocks are up 22% from June 1, 2023, above pre-report trade expectations. There are some startling statistics that can be pulled from the Grain Stocks report, including that on-farm corn stocks are at the highest level since 1988. While this does not bode well for corn prices, when put into context the numbers look less extreme. On-farm stocks are marginally higher (+0.04%, 1.1 million bushels) than at the same time in 2019, but total stocks are 370.4 million bushels (6.9%) lower over the same period.

Another way to assess the state of corn stocks is to compare stocks to the previous year’s production. As of June 1, 2024, stocks are equivalent to 32.5% of old crop production. This is an uptick from previous years, but below recent highs of 38.6% set in 2020 and well below the historic record of a whopping 81.9% set in 1988. So, while the on-farm stock total does mirror 1988, we are still in a much better position than the dreadful ‘80s.

This week on SUNUP, they will be covering timely summer management topics for your farm and ranch.

Segments include:

What can happen when cattle eat toxic Johnsongrass?

Rosslyn Biggs, DVM, OSU Extension beef cattle specialist, gives a quick overview of the potentially deadly effects of prussic acid.

Testing for nitrates in forage sorghum

We travel to Noble County to meet with a producer who’s getting his forage sorghum hay tested for nitrates. Dave Lalman, OSU Extension beef cattle specialist, and Rick Clovis, OSU Extension agricultural educator in Pawnee and Osage Counties, offer management and forage testing advice. Contact your local OSU Extension county office for forage testing.

Are there ways to save on feed costs?

Dave Lalman, OSU Extension beef cattle specialist, has management advice for producers about saving on feed costs, while continuing to grow cattle on their operations.

Cow-Calf Corner: Heat Stress

Mark Johnson, OSU Extension beef cattle breeding specialist, has heat stress management tips for cattle herds.

How much is too much moisture for hay?

Paul Vining, Oklahoma Quality Beef Network coordinator, explains how much or how little moisture should be in your hay. He also explains some of the fire risks associated with high/extreme heat during the summer months.

Vet Scripts: Keeping Pets Cool in Summer

Barry Whitworth, DVM, OSU Extension area food and animal health quality specialist, offers ways to keep our pets cool and safe during warm weather.

Alpha-Gal Syndrome: Symptoms and Signs

Janice Hermann, OSU Extension nutrition specialist, has information on Alpha-gal syndrome, commonly called the red meat allergy, that is caused by ticks.

Naturally Speaking: Does my pond have too many weeds?

Marley Beem, OSU Extension aquaculture specialist, tells us when pond owners should be concerned about the volume of weeds in their ponds.



Oklahoma Agriculture Starts at SUNUP!

Weekly Statewide Broadcast: Saturday at 7:30 a.m. & Sunday at 6 a.m. on OETA (PBS)

Stream Anytime: YouTube.com/SUNUPtv

Mother Nature Mixes in Her Light Show with the July 4th Fireworks

After the intense heat and little rain the last week or so of June- July has actually started with some rain scattered across Oklahoma- see the map above which is a snapshot of the moisture at our Mesonet Stations since this past Monday Morning- July first. Click here for the Four Day Rainfall totals to check out the Mesonet stations in your area.

Thunder and lightning have been mixed in with the Fireworks shows of the last couple of days- and that includes a large rain making system working its way across west central Oklahoma as we push this email out early Friday morning,

The radar snapshot below is at 5:50 AM rain across the Texas Panhandle and along I-40 to the Oklahoma City are

After the rain of today across a lot of Oklahoma- Saturday looks mostly rain free but but rain thunderstorms are back in the forecast by Sunday and into next week- and a return to triple digit temps seems to have been pushed off into the future for the next week.