I spoke with Executive Vice President of the OCA Michael Kelsey about the upcoming OCA Convention slated for July 19 & 20, in Norman, Oklahoma, at the Embassy Suites Convention Center.

“Legacy is our theme: building our beef legacy. We’ve got a packed line-up of speakers and resources,” Kelsey said. “Our goal is for people to leave with more than what they came with, especially with things that can impact their individual businesses regarding their own legacies.”

Whether a person is a sixth-generation cattle rancher or a newcomer to the beef-producing, ranching family, there will be something there to benefit their business. This includes networking and mentoring opportunities.

Opening general session speakers on Friday will be Dean Carlos Risco, of the OSU College of Veterinary Medicate, and Dr. Jayson Lusk, Dean of the OSU College of Agriculture with Saturday to feature OSU's Derrell Peel with a market outlook and Ethan Lane of NCBA with a DC update on things he's watching on behalf of cattle producers in our nation's capitol.

Oklahoma AgCredit supports rural Oklahoma with reliable and consistent credit, today and tomorrow. We offer loans for land, livestock, equipment, operating costs and country homes (NMLSR #809962) to farmers, ranchers and rural businesses across 60 counties. As a cooperative, we are owned by the members we serve. Through our Patronage Program, we have returned more than $74 million to our members since 1997.

For more information on our services or to find a location near you, visit our website here.

Farm Director, KC Sheperd, recently had the chance to talk with Oklahoma State University’s Brian Whitacre about an update on broadband in Oklahoma, including funding for different programs and connectivity progress throughout the state.



“The biggest news is that the federal program, the Affordable Connectivity Program, that gave low-income households between 30 and 75 dollars per month to help pay for their broadband connection actually ended at the end of May,” Whitacre said. “That program is no more. There were about 350,000 households in Oklahoma that were participating in that.”

In a survey, Whitacre said one-third of the households previously enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program said they would not be able to afford broadband otherwise.

“There has been some talk at the federal level about trying to bring this back, but it looks like for at least the next couple of months, it has gone away, so people should be aware their internet bills are going to increase in the immediate future,” Whitacre said.

July Rains Across Western Oklahoma Helping Reverse Flash Drought

As the midway point of 2024 arrived at the end of June- there was a world of worry when it came to drought concerns across Oklahoma- just over 20% of the state was(and is) in drought and a lot more was slipping closer to drought with the abnormally dry category on the rise.

Right at the end of June- heavy rains up along the Kansas border dumped several inches of rain up in Woods, Cherokee and Grant Counties (not reflected in the map above).

July first arrived- and the heat continued for a few more days but rains started rolling in over the moderate to severe drought areas in west central Oklahoma- and the result - a temporary reprieve to the extremely dry conditions in some areas that had missed most of the rain since start of June.

The map above is the rainfall amounts here in July across the state. Hobart, Kingfisher and Erick have topped the charts with all over five inches- add another half dozen Mesonet stations with more than three inches since July first- and you have liquid gold delivered to spring planted crops in many locations- as well as much needed moisture for pasture and ranges.

The rest of July and August await us- but some mighty dry areas did get a nice drink of water.

One disappointment for Oklahoma this weekend was the track of Beryl- the tropical storm spun back up as a Category One Hurricane on Sunday night- back on the Fourth of July- it looked like it might make landfall around the US- Mexican border- which could have resulted in a rain making tropical depression for a significant part of eastern Oklahoma- but little if any of Beryl impact will be seen in our state- it's track will take it between Texarkana and Shreveport and right over Little Rock after battering Houston and Galveston.

In fact- as we send this email- the Houston area is in the middle of being hit by Beryl. As of 3:30 AM- Beryl has made landfall as an 80 MPH Category 1 Hurricane.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond and 25 other state attorneys general have filed a challenge to the Biden Administration’s latest attempt to drive gas-powered cars off the road.

The filing aims to block the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) strict fuel efficiency standards that contain a new rule requiring car manufacturers to dramatically increase the average fuel economy of passenger cars and light trucks in less than a decade.

“The Biden Administration’s war on America’s oil and gas industry continues; this time in the guise of an obstructive new regulation placing unreasonable standards on auto manufacturers to produce more electric vehicles,” Drummond said. “This impractical transition would bypass the free market, spike costs for families and undermine the reliability of the electric grid.” 

Other states joining the Kentucky and West Virginia-led challenge are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.

Read the challenge filed in the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

This is day 11 of the Kansas Wheat Harvest Reports, brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, Kansas Grain and Feed Association and the Kansas Cooperative Council.

Summer rains that leave behind humid air are keeping farmers out of the fields until late in the day, but producers are just glad to be able to climb in the cab and cut some wheat this year. After a multi-year drought, the showers and sprinkles are welcome, even if they delay the final stretch of the 2024 Kansas wheat harvest. 

“Nuisance sprinkles” on Tuesday, July 2, didn’t amount to enough to benefit fall crops, but when coupled with high humidity, kept combines from running in Rooks and Graham counties, where Mike McClellan has just one day left of cutting his hard red winter wheat. 

Fall moisture was limited to just a couple of fields and some of his wheat didn’t emerge until spring – making the wheat look very patchy coming out of dormancy. With fields spread out over two counties, some of his fields would pick up a rain, but two miles away, the field wouldn’t receive anything. McClellan remarked he has never seen such a “weather variable year.”

The biggest sale of the year for Superior Livestock is the Week in the Rockies sale- and the 2024 version will kick off at 8 AM central time this morning out in Snowbird, Utah. Superior Sunrise will precede the start of the sale each morning at 7:30 AM central.

Cattle from our region will be featured today and Tuesday. Here is the full lineup for the five day sale- with fifty to sixty thousand head expected to sell daily.

Day 1 Monday, July 8th

Southeastern US, TX, OK, NM, KS Weaned Calves & Calves on Cows

Beef Dairy Cross

Bred Stock

Day 2 Tuesday, July 9th

Southeastern US, TX, OK, NM, KS Feeder Steers & Heifers

Mountain States & Western US Feeder Steers & Heifers

Day 3 Wednesday, July 10th

N. & S. Dakota Weaned Calves & Calves on Cows

Wyoming Weaned Calves & Calves on Cows

Montana Weaned Calves & Calves on Cows

Day 4 Thursday, July 11th

Nebraska Weaned Calves & Calves on Cows

Colorado Weaned Calves & Calves on Cows

Customer Appreciation Dinner – Sponsored by Merck Animal Health

Day 5 Friday, July 12th

Utah Weaned Calves & Calves on Cows

Western US Weaned Calves & Calves on Cows

To watch the Week in the Rockies sale- go to SLA TV on DISH Network, click here for the You Tube link for the Monday sale or click here for the Superior website where you can watch as well.

You can also call Superior at 1800-422-2117 for more info.