In a fun and intriguing conversation, Farm Director KC Sheperd discussed the content of the Farmer’s Almanac with editor Sandi Duncan.

Duncan described it as a calendar of curiosities, weather forecasts, gardening and fishing. To her, it is a calendar, a book, a magazine, entertaining, and factual. “We call it a publication that comes out yearly, but it is also a brand. Over the years, we have tried to give people information that helps them plan their days and grow their lives. It really is something that you could pick up every single day and learn something new,” she said.

The Farmer’s Almanac was started in 1818 when technology and publications were scarce, and farmers were plentiful. Farmers in that era depended on the Almanac for weather patterns and for projected sunrise and sunset times. As it, and farming, has evolved, it has gained a more diverse audience. While it still appeals to farmers, it is also sought by backyard gardeners.

“We have a Gardening by the Moon Calendar that people look forward to,” Duncan said. “We also have a Frost Calendar showing average frost dates, and obviously, our long-range weather forecast, where we try to give people an idea of what may come in the next four seasons ahead.”

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Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays talked to OSU Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel after the latest USDA Cattle of Feed Report was released on Friday afternoon and reflected no surprises. They talked about the pressure on cattle and bull prices in this second part of the conversation. The first part was posted yesterday and can be found here.

Dr. Peel said that the pressure on those markets is seasonally expected albeit a bit stronger than expected at this time. He said, “Beef cow slaughter is running sixteen percent down on a year-over-year basis. Total cow slaughter is down about fifteen percent, because dairy cow slaughter has also been down.”

Dr. Peel will watch the markets for the normal fall run of cull cows, but suspects that many may have already been moved. The October Cattle on Feed Report will provide the quarterly breakdown on steers and heifers on feed.

“We are still looking for some indication that the heifer numbers are dropping,” he said. “Heifer slaughter, so far this year, is down about 2.1 percent. Which is about what it was last year, for the whole year. It is down more than steer slaughter is, so far this year, but it isn’t down enough to suggest that we are really holding heifers. We will watch pretty keenly that heifer on feed number that comes out a month from now.”

Agrispray Drones Bring New Opportunities to Ag with Affordable and Accessible Spraying Technology”

The Farm Progress Show held in Boone, Iowa always brings the latest and greatest Agriculture technology and gadgets. Covering the Farm Progress show, our own Maci Carter visited Maddee Gastler at Agrispray.

Agrispray Drones promotes drone use in rural America, emphasizing the control of timeliness of spraying it gives to farmers. They offer drones as an alternative to ground rigs, promising cost savings and ease of use. The drones are designed to operate without internet connectivity, relying on pre-downloaded maps.

“We are making sure that we are there to provide the training, support, and repair services, to producers using our drones,” Gastler said. “We are there to help them through the registration process, through any FAA regulations, and we also have a great tech program for drone maintenance, repair, and to provide instruction on repairing your drone. We can overnight parts to producers. We are trying to make it as easy as possible when you are learning a technology that is so new.”

Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, offers herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner,” published electronically by Dr. Peel, Mark Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today, Johnson talks about the financial opportunities of cull cow marketing.

We, as cow-calf producers, typically focus most of our marketing efforts on calves. Accordingly, little marketing effort is put into cull cows and bulls. While pregnancy and culling rates vary between operations; over time, the sale of cull breeding stock accounts for roughly 20 percent of gross revenue in a cow-calf production system. The ebb and flow of the cull cow market has proven to be extremely consistent (and predictable) over time, as shown in the graph below.

The seasonal pattern has been consistent for decades. The 20-year average break from the highs of summer to the low in November is 15 percent. Cull prices typically move higher in the early spring before peaking in the summer when strong seasonal grilling activity drives the demand for ground beef. This demand starts to soften in September and is followed by a large supply of spring calving cull cows hitting the market (after weaning and fall pregnancy checks), in October and November resulting in the fall lows. While many spring calving operations simply choose to dispose of culls as quickly and easily as possible, there is considerable potential to increase the salvage value of culls by 25 – 45 percent with some additional effort devoted to marketing and management. Additional value can be gained through added weight, improving the quality classification, and taking advantage of the seasonal price patterns.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau hosted 64 schools, totaling 2,023 4-H and FFA students for the annual state fair livestock judging contest on Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Oklahoma State Fair. Participants judged eight classes of cattle, hogs, sheep and goats.

Students evaluated eight breeding classes of cattle, sheep, goats and hogs. Participants also answered two sets of questions about one class of cattle and one class of hogs.

The top three individuals in the junior 4-H division were Bennett Landreth, Lomega 4-H: 462; Dax Inman, Mulhall-Orlando 4-H: 455; and Clancy Broome, Dover 4-H: 451. The top three teams were Fort Gibson 4-H: 1298, Dover 4-H: 1295 and Alfalfa County 4-H: 1275.

The top three individuals in the junior FFA division were Kendra Dillingham, Drummond FFA: 466; Raygen Greathouse, Fort Gibson FFA: 464; and Gracie Gist, Fort Gibson FFA: 463. The top three teams were Fort Gibson FFA: 1385, Checotah FFA: 1346 and Fairland FFA: 1317.

The top three individuals in the senior 4-H division were Madison Hood, Keys 4-H: 476; Berkley McKay, Mulhall-Orlando 4-H: 464; and Kaleb Flemming, Balko 4-H: 464. The top three teams were the Keys 4-H: 1374, Kay County 4-H: 1352 and Mulhall-Orland 4-H: 1345.

The top three individuals in the senior FFA division were Oakley Gross, Stillwater FFA: 480; Major Langley, Adair FFA: 478; and Dade Delozier, Adair FFA: 477. The top three teams were Adair FFA: 1412, Stillwater FFA: 1402 and Cushing FFA: 1389.

With the Colombian government recently lifting its ban on U.S. beef originating from states in which H5N1 was detected in dairy cows, the Export Library for Colombia has been updated to reflect restored access for beef from 13 states.

U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO

Dan Halstrom issued the following statement:

On behalf of USMEF’s membership, I want to thank the U.S. government, and especially the teams at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) involved in the effort to restore full access for U.S. beef shipments to Colombia. The USDA staff posted in Bogota, in particular, worked tirelessly to get these restrictions lifted. We are also grateful to Colombian importers and customers who remained loyal to U.S. beef during this difficult time and who voiced their concerns to the Colombian government about the interruption in trade.

It is also important to note that effective USDA engagement with other trading partners helped prevent similar trade barriers from affecting additional export markets. While Colombia was the only destination to officially restrict imports of U.S. beef as a result of H5N1 findings in dairy cows, the impact on beef exports was substantial. Prior to the restrictions imposed in April, Colombia was a promising market averaging about $3 million per month in U.S. beef purchases. In July – the most recent month for which data is available – exports fell to less than $850,000. We look forward to rebuilding U.S. beef’s presence in the Colombian market and meeting the needs of our valued customers.

OSU’s Ranchers Thursday Lunchtime Series to feature legendary beef producer Minnie Lou Bradley

The Oklahoma State University Extension beef cattle team will host a one-time Rancher’s Thursday Lunchtime Zoom session with pioneering cattle rancher and OSU alumna Minnie Lou Bradley on Oct. 10 at noon.

Bradley resides in Childress, Texas, where she and her family own and operate Bradley 3 Ranch. In 1953, she became the first woman to receive a bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry from OSU, previously named Oklahoma A&M College. She was the first woman to compete on the OSU livestock judging team, winning the top beef cattle collegiate judging title at the 1952 American Royal livestock judging contest. Bradley also earned high individual at the Chicago International judging competition in 1952.

The Bradley family’s ranching business dates back to the late 1800s with Longhorns and commercial Hereford cattle before Bradley’s management input led to the integration of Angus genetics. Bradley was the first female president of the American Angus Association, the largest beef breed in the world.

She and her husband, Bill, established the third generation of the Bradley ranch, Bradley 3, with 20 cows and 3,300 acres in the southeastern Texas Panhandle. Their commercial Angus herd transitioned to an Angus seed stock operation in 1958. Today, the family’s Angus and Charolais progenies are known nationwide for their high-performing genetic traits and resiliency in rugged terrain and harsh weather.