Corn condition fell slightly last week, while soybean condition held steady, according to USDA NASS’ weekly national Crop Progress report released Monday. Corn was rated 64% in good-to-excellent condition, down 1 point from 65% the previous week. Soybeans were rated 65% good to excellent, unchanged from the previous week.

The US Cotton crop is now rated at 40% good- to- excellent- slipping another four point this week versus last. Grain Sorghum is rated 48% good- to- excellent this week, down two points versus a week ago.

Pasture and Range Conditions in the lower 48 states is rated 49 percent in good- to- excellent condition- one point better than a week ago but four points worst than a year ago. However, here in the southern plains, both Oklahoma and Kansas pasture and range ratings took a nine point drop from a week ago- both at 37% good to excellent. Missouri also took a big drop- falling seven points to 64% good to excellent.

NASS has offered no early wheat plantings stats for Oklahoma yet- we had four percent of the crop planted last September by this date. Kansas has four percent of the 2025 wheat crop now planted while Texas has 7% of their crop in the ground.

Harvest of corn and sorghum continues- corn harvest in Oklahoma now stands at 30% complete- up ten points from last week while grain sorghum harvest sits at 10%- up from 5% last week.

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Jan Lyons has held many leadership positions in the cattle industry including 1994 Kansas Livestock Association President, 1996 Cattleman’s Beef Board Chair, and 2004 National Cattleman’s Beef Association President. At the 2024 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting in San Diego, CA, she was presented with the Visionary Award which recognizes individuals in the beef industry who have demonstrated exemplary support of and commitment to the checkoff’s goals and vison.

Lyons began as a leader in the local and county 4-H programs and for the Kansas Junior Angus Association. Her volunteer efforts only grew from there.

In the mid-90s, Lyons and other cattle industry leaders within the NCBA sent an authorization request to develop a crisis plan for BSE, long before it was ever-present in the U.S. The plan was approved by the joint operating committee and funded by the Beef Checkoff.

“The plan was so good that not only did we ramp up research on BSE – so we had facts and truth to present – but we had a dark web created so that if and when we took that off the shelf, we would open that up and allow consumers to see the real details about BSE from the research we had done,” Lyons said.

OSU Cotton Specialist Jenny Dudak Analyzes Oklahoma’s Cotton Crop Conditions

Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with the new OSU Cotton specialist Jenny Dudak to see what is going on in Oklahoma’s cotton fields.

Cotton farmers need to be thinking about harvest aids at this time. “If you are looking at drought-stressed cotton, those PPO harvest aids, such as Aim and Sharpen, are better options for you,” she said. “We do have an extension publication on the OSU website regarding harvesting drought-stressed cotton, and the steps to take for your harvest aids.”

She cautioned cotton farmers to make sure their cotton is either 60 to 70 percent opened or that the uppermost first position harvestable boll is four nodes above the uppermost first position cracked boll before spraying their cotton aids. “When I say most harvestable boll, that’s the boll, when you cut it open, the seeds are not jelly anymore. They have that black or dark brown seed coat around the outside,” she added.

According to Dudak, rainfall likely won’t improve the crop at this point as the plant has retained as much fruit as it will retain and is currently in the transition period of shutting down.

Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, offers his economic analysis of the beef cattle industry as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner,” published electronically by Dr. Peel and Mark Johnson. Today, Dr. Peel talks about the evolution of US Mexican Beef trade.

The U.S. and Mexican cattle industries have a long and somewhat colorful trade history that continues to evolve today. Cattle frequently served as the currency of trade between Mexico and the U.S. from the U.S. Civil War through the Mexican Revolution and World War I. In the last 25 years, an average of 1.15 million head of cattle have been imported from Mexico each year. These imports represent an average of 3.3 percent of the U.S. calf crop. Mexico has a comparative advantage in the production and export of feeder cattle with vast regions of forage production in arid and semi-arid regions as well as in the non-arable regions of dry and wet tropics in which cattle production is the main economic activity.

The growth of beef exports from Mexico is largely the result of the Mexican beef industry switching from carcass-based beef markets to boxed beef technology in the 2000s. Adoption of boxed beef was a huge change in beef markets in Mexico that opened up much more value as specific products could be targeted to specific markets, including export markets. Mexico has also seen significant growth in cattle feeding and packing infrastructure in the past two decades. Mexico is now a major beef export market and beef import source for the U.S. meaning that trade has evolved from one-way flow of beef to bilateral trade of diverse products, which adds value in both markets.    

BASF Offers Tailored Agronomic Solutions for Oklahoma Producers

While viewing the latest in agricultural technology at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, Oklahoma Farm Report’s Maci Carter talked with Albre Brown, BASF Technical Marketing Manager, about how BASF is helping producers grow healthier and more viable crops.

“At BASF, we really want to be the whole acre recommendation for your agronomic needs, from seed-to-seed treatment, we want to talk to you about fungicide and insecticide offerings,” Brown said.

BASF is a chemical company looking to do more with its formulations than generic modes of action. Brown said to treat pests on cotton, in particular, she recommends Sefina insecticides due to their unique mode of action that helps control both lygus and aphids. She said that cotton stressed by early-season drought becomes more susceptible to pest damage than plants with adequate water.

Revylok fungicide, just launched this year, is a FRAC group 3 and FRAC group 7 mode of action product, and research has shown that it increases root growth in treated plants which aids the plant in hot, dry conditions. It also helps with areolate mildew in cotton, but for target spot, Brown recommends Revytek fungicide, which is a group 3 mode of action that helps with all-acreage broad-spectrum disease control.

“We take pride in our local agronomic recommendations,” Brown said. “We want to spend time with you as a technical team, looking at your farm, who you are on your acreage, and your geography, so we can recommend products that are tailored to your specific needs.

Knowing the Genetics of Your Calves Gives You an Advantage on Sale Day

A “missed opportunity” might best describe feeder calves sold without genetic information and millions are sold this way each year. Your feeder calves may be some of the best around but without objectively determined genetic information accompanying them into the marketplace, no one will know.

The first step is to determine where your genetics rank. There are two ways to make this determination: summarize seven to 10 years of EPD history on the bulls you’ve used in your herd or test some of your cattle with a commercial DNA test like Igenity Beef. You might discover your genetics are above average or you may find that improvements are needed by investing in bulls with higher genetic merit.

Here’s the ideal situation: With help from a third party, you discover the genetics in your latest calf crop rank in the top 35% of the industry for post-weaning traits. Objective data has been used in making this assessment, removing guesswork and ambiguity. You now have information worth sharing with prospective buyers.

As they read the sales description, buyers understand your cattle have above-average genetics for traits that affect their bottom line. You have added value to your cattle by communicating your genetics to prospective buyers. Buyers will tend to react favorably to this message and in most cases, bid more aggressively. Your genetics are now working for you on sale day, instead of just sitting in the background.

National Sorghum Producers Unveils Webinar Series on Crop Insurance and Economic Growth Opportunities

National Sorghum Producers (NSP) announced the launch of an educational webinar series titled Essentials of Sorghum Crop Insurance, Innovation and Economic Opportunities that Lie Ahead.

Webinar Series Overview:

The webinar series includes three sessions, each focusing on different aspects of recent insurance policy updates and their practical implications for sorghum producers nationwide:

• Session 1: “Building Resilient Systems and the Economic Impact of Double Crop Sorghum”
• Date: September 17, 2024 at 12:30 pm central time
• Speakers: Matt Durler, Managing Director of NSP Climate-Smart Sorghum, and John Duff from Serō Ag Strategies.

• Session 2: “Navigating Double Crop Sorghum Production and Insurance”
• Date: January 21, 2025
• Speakers: Chris Cogburn, Manager of Sustainable Crop Insurance Services, LP, and Brent Bean, Ph.D., Agronomy Director at Sorghum Checkoff.

• Session 3: “Sorghum Silage Insurance Options”
• Date: January 28, 2025
• Speaker: Chris Cogburn, Manager of Sustainable Crop Insurance Services, LP.

Registration and Participation:

Interested participants can register for the webinars at sorghumgrowers.com/webinar.