USDA's weekly Crop Progress Report determined that Oklahoma's wheat harvest is complete.

Kansas's winter wheat harvested is nearing its end with reports showing it is 92 percent completed, up 37 percentage points from last year and up 20 percent from the five-year average. Texas also reports 92% complete for the 2024 wheat harvest

Conditions for Oklahoma's spring-planted crops look promising with our lowest good to excellent rating being 58 percent for Soybeans, and the highest, 71 percent, for cotton which is squaring right on track with last year and the five-year average.

Pasture and range ratings in Oklahoma are unchanged from a week ago at 53% good to excellent- Kansas shows a five percentage point increase to 62% good to excellent and Texas shows a 34% good to excellent rating this week- down three percentage points.

The worst places for range and pasture are Arizona and New Mexico- both at 56% poor to very poor in this week's report.

Invenergy is committed to Oklahoma, having completed its first project in the state in 2006. Today, Invenergy operates three wind energy centers in our state, employs over 60 Oklahomans and continues investing in our project communities. We believe building relationships is the key to being good community partners and we work to develop relationships to benefit our landowners, our employees, and our communities.

We invest in Oklahomans, and we take pride in their success. Our energy facilities provide jobs, tax revenues, landowner payments and other sources of local economic development.

For more information, visit www.InvenergyOklahoma.com

Radio Oklahoma Ag Network’s senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays spoke with Vice Chair of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board Ryan Moorhouse about his role with the Beef Checkoff as they were heading into the Cattle Industry Summer Meeting, held July 8–10, 2024, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, in San Diego, California.

Our coverage from the 2024 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting is powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater.

When Ron asked why Moorhouse serves the Beef Checkoff, he replied with a chuckle, “They pay us so much to hold these positions, so I have a hard time saying no.”

Then on a more serious note, he added, “If I’m not serving, someone else might be that has ill intentions for the industry or for the Checkoff. I feel like it is our job to put our product out there, and it’s a great product, so that is why I do what I do.”

Ryan started his involvement with the Checkoff more than a decade ago as a board member with the Texas Beef Council and was really interested in foreign marketing of beef and actually served on the board of the US Meat Export Federation- the USMEF.

More recently, he has spent more time on the research side, and has become passionate about it and the dollar spent on research. He said, “I like making sure the research will add value down the road and isn’t redundant to other things that have been done. Research is very important, but it is sometimes difficult for other people to understand why you would want to spend that much on research.”

May Beef Export Value Highest in 11 Months; Pork Exports Below Year-Ago

The value of U.S. beef exports topped $900 million in May, the highest since June 2023, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Pork exports posted another solid performance in May, but were below last year in both volume and value. 

May beef exports totaled 110,133 metric tons (mt), down 5% from a year ago but the second largest of 2024. Beef export value reached $902.4 million in May, 3% above last year and the highest in 11 months. For January through May, beef exports followed a similar trend, increasing 5% year-over-year in value to $4.29 billion, despite a 4% decline in volume (533,578 mt). 

“It has been encouraging to see demand stabilize in Japan, where U.S. beef certainly faces significant headwinds,” said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. “The tourism boom has provided a much-needed lift for Japan’s foodservice sector, and it is a source of optimism for buyers and importers.

Taiwan and the ASEAN region were also bright spots for U.S. beef in May, along with Western Hemisphere markets such as Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean.” 

May pork exports totaled 251,447 mt, down 4% from a year ago, valued at $715.8 million (down 2%). Through the first five months of the year, exports were still up 6% to 1.29 million mt, while export value was 7% above last year’s record pace at $3.6 billion. 

As Hurricane Beryl travels across the Texas Gulf Coast, it may also provide some drought-busting moisture for Oklahoma. According to State climatologist Gary McManus, It will probably go just to their southeast, so southeast of southeast Oklahoma. However, it should still provide ample rainfall to just about the last part of the state that needed a good dose. Up to 4-6 inches are being forecast, but that could go up a bit in localized areas, and there’s also a wind advisory for a bit of that spin left.”

McManus says with flash drought starting to pop up throughout Oklahoma this Rainfall will be helpful, “The rainfall from Beryl will complete a magnificent reversal of fortune for a state that was headed for some serious drought with flash drought spreading over the last 60 days.”

So even though we will see above normal temperatures the chance of rain will still be a welcome sight since those summertime Temps have already set back in, and this may be the last we see of rain for a bit.

To read more from State Climatologist Gary McManus on his mesonet ticker, click here.

The 2024 wheat harvest is complete, and after exceptional growing conditions over the winter, dramatic weather in late spring left producers on the edge of their seats.

Fifth-generation wheat farmer Tyler Schnaithman in Garfield County said producers were pleased with the crop in his area of central Oklahoma despite almost writing it off at one point in the year.

“We had a lot of winter moisture and expectations were high, but we got into that more critical timeframe and started to get dry,” he said while discussing harvest on a recent episode of “SUNUP”, the agricultural production television show of Oklahoma State University Agriculture. “We caught some late rains, and filling weather was tremendous — about as ideal as it could be. Test weights have just been off the chart this year.”

Oklahoma’s long-term drought over the past decade has consistently decreased wheat production totals. Early assessments from the U.S Department of Agriculture estimated the state’s 2024 wheat crop at 98.8 million bushels, predicting 38 bushels per acre with 2.6 million acres harvested. However, Mike Schulte, executive director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, said production totals surpassed expectations.

The Oklahoma Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is proud to join the Sand County Foundation to recognize Oklahoma agriculturists who work to improve soil health, water resources and wildlife habitats within their operation. Applications and nominations are now open for the 2024 Oklahoma Leopold Conservation Award.

Recipients receive a $10,000 award for their dedication to conserving and preserving soil, water resources and wildlife habitats.

Nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may apply themselves. Applications are reviewed by an independent panel of agricultural and conservation leaders from Oklahoma. The application can be found at sandcountyfoundation.org/ApplyLCA.

The Oklahoma Leopold Conservation Award application deadline is July 12, 2024. Applications must be emailed to award@sandcountyfoundation.org.

The recipient will be revealed in early 2025 at the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts’ Legislative Evening in Oklahoma City.

For more information about the award, visit leopoldconservationaward.org.

Prussic Acid Alert from OSU Extension

OSU Extension agriculture educators have received reports of cattle deaths this summer due to prussic acid toxicity. Producers should take caution to protect their herds.

Commonly linked to the consumption of Johnsongrass, prussic acid toxicity occurs in certain plants of the sorghum family when temperatures rise and the ground dries out.

Johnsongrass, one of Oklahoma’s most invasive plants, is high in prussic acid, but the nitrate toxicity of other sorghum plants such as Foxtail millet is low. Ranchers should first identify the toxicity level of any sorghum variety intended for grazing purposes.

Symptoms of prussic acid poisoning in cattle can include muscle tremors, excess salivation, staggering, breathing difficulties, convulsions and collapse.