According to the latest Oklahoma drought monitor report, exceptional drought remains at zero percent, unchanged from the start of the calendar year.

Extreme drought or worse has increased to 11.5 percent, up from 6.82 percent last week.

Severe drought or worse has increased to 37.39 percent, up from 33.22 percent last week.

Moderate drought or worse, increased to 61.31 percent, up from 56.51 percent last week.

Abnormally dry or worse have increased to 77.18 percent, down from 74.25 percent last week.

As for our neighbors, rains spawned by Helene dropped 2 to locally 6 inches of rain on Tennessee and northeastern Arkansas. A few tenths of an inch of rain (with isolated higher amounts) fell on parts of eastern Texas and Oklahoma and scattered portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and the remainder of Arkansas. However, rainfall during the past 60 days was less than half of normal in portions of northeastern Oklahoma, the Red River Valley, eastern Texas, and the Texas Big Bend.

Kansas Drought Monitor shows half of the state in Moderate Drought - 50.40 this week versus 46.36% last week. Texas Drought ratings saw a slight increase from 33.15% a week ago to 34.39%.

Click here for the Kansas Drought Monitor Page and Click here for the Texas Drought Monitor Page.

The Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program knows this is a hard time for farmers and ranchers. We want you to know we are still open, and we are still here for you. The Ag Mediation program is a free service that provides mediation to agriculture producers who may need help with ag-related disputes.

At Oklahoma Ag Mediation, we have been helping people in agriculture resolve conflicts since 1987. We know firsthand about working together to resolve conflicts, so you don’t have to go through the court systems. Let our professional mediators help you. Mediation is allowed for lease issues, farmer/neighbor disputes, family farm transitions, and more. These services are available at no cost for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers in all 77 counties. For more information, you can go to ok.gov/mediation, or give us a call at 800 248 5465.

Express Ranches’ Premier Bull Sale will be held on October 7, 2024, at the ranch in Yukon, Oklahoma. Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays caught up with Kevin Hafner, the Vice President for Operations for the ranch to talk about the upcoming sale and the 225 elite Angus and Hereford bulls being offered.

Express Ranches is an active participant in every phase of the beef production process and has fed as many as 50,000 head of cattle per year and owns an interest in the 30,000 head capacity Xcel Feedyard near Watonga, Oklahoma. The addition of the historic UU Bar Ranch located just outside of Cimarron, New Mexico, added over 164,000 acres of high-altitude rangeland to Express Ranches. A production unit of commercial cows and calves plus 4,000 to 5,000 yearlings have allowed the testing of Express genetics under these semi-arid conditions that are not unlike that experienced by many of its commercial customers.

“We have a nice selection this year, including a couple of new up-and-coming sire lines that we are excited about,” Hafner said. “More than half of the offering will qualify for use on a heifer, which is important now with the rebuilding phase that we are dealing with. They still carry a lot of high-growth and will work on cows after you’ve used them on a set of heifers.”

Hefner tries to get to know the producers buying bulls to get a feel for what his herd base is and what his goals are. “That’s one of the things that I’m proud that we are able to do, is get those customers and have long-standing relationships. We have a vested interest in their product as they do ours,” Hafter admitted. “We find out what they want, then tailor to their needs with the type and kind and try to do the best job we can to match those cattle up with our customers.”

USMEF Calls End of Dock Strike a Tremendous Relief

On Thursday evening, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) released a joint statement announcing an end – at least temporarily – to the work stoppage that shut down East and Gulf Coast ports earlier this week.

U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom issued the following statement:

On behalf of USMEF’s member companies and organizations, I want to thank all parties involved in the effort to get cargo moving again off the East and Gulf Coasts. This is a tremendous relief to everyone in the U.S. meat and livestock industries, as about $100 million worth of beef and pork products are exported every week through East and Gulf Coast ports. Exports are a critical revenue stream at all levels of the U.S. red meat supply chain, and our industry needs all U.S. ports operating to meet the needs of our international customers and to maintain the United States’ reputation as a reliable red meat supplier.

A select group of 12 FFA State Officers from across the country have been chosen to serve as prominent voices in agriculture. The 2024-2025 class of National FFA’s SpeakAg Pioneers are expected to serve as advocates at the local, state, and national levels for the industry and those in it. 

Members of the 2024-2025 SpeakAg Pioneer Class are: 

• Brynn Almgren, Nebraska FFA Secretary 
• Caleb Ames, Oklahoma FFA Southwest Area Vice President
• Jack Beyer, New York FFA President
• Chloe Bomgardner, Pennsylvania FFA President
• Porter Hand, South Carolina FFA Region One Vice President
• Romulus Hiner, Montana FFA 2nd Vice President
• Josh Nelson, Idaho FFA Vice President
• Paige Pardue, Tennessee FFA Reporter
• Inga Peterson, Alaska FFA President
• Mikaela Rojas, Missouri FFA State 1st Vice President
• Nina Weiland, New Jersey FFA Reporter
• Chloe Zittergruen,Iowa FFA Secretary

Each October, approximately one-fifth of state school land is leased at public auction for agricultural farming and grazing, as well as for outdoor sport and recreational use. Revenues received from these auctions support Oklahoma schools and colleges.

The 2024 Lease Auctions begin Monday October 7th in Boise City at the Cimarron County Fairgrounds at 9 AM for leases in Cimarron County.

The auctions move to Guymon and the Texas County Fairgrounds that afternoon at 2 PM to offer leases in Beaver and Texas Counties.



Cimarron Link will improve grid reliability and affordability in Oklahoma while driving economic development and community benefits across the state.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced Thursday that Invenergy’s Cimarron Link transmission project has been selected to enter award negotiations for a $306 million capacity contract as part of DOE’s Transmission Facilitation Program. 

Cimarron Link is a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission project that will deliver new renewable energy supply from the Oklahoma Panhandle to rapidly growing load centers in eastern Oklahoma. This project will transmit 1,900 megawatts (MW) of energy capacity, equivalent to the size of two new nuclear power plants. The project will support energy price competitiveness and stability for Oklahoma consumers, bolster reliability, and strengthen long-term energy security in the region. 

“The selection of Cimarron Link to enter award negotiations through the Transmission Facilitation Program is an important step to deliver Oklahoma power, benefitting Oklahoma families,” said Shashank Sane, Executive Vice President and Head of Transmission at Invenergy. “The strong support for this project at the local, state, and national level reflects the critical need this grid investment serves for Oklahoma, as it will enable the construction of energy infrastructure that the Panhandle has long sought.” 

USDA Launches Assistance Network to Support Financially Stressed Farmers & Ranchers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the launch of the Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network, an initiative designed to provide personalized support to financially distressed farmers and ranchers across the nation. Through a series of Cooperative Agreements, this national network will connect distressed borrowers with individualized assistance to help them stabilize and regain financial footing. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) made this announcement on Thursday at the Farm Aid Festival in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 

“I started my off-ranch career as a Farm Advocate, working hand-in-hand with other tireless farmer advocates. Having someone with experiences in ag finance help producers work through financial difficulties can be the difference between them losing the farm or prospering,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “The Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network underscores our dedication to farmers and ranchers receiving the tailored support they need. These partnerships also illustrate that USDA acknowledges the importance of these advocates and sees them as part of the solution to ensure program access for all farmers, ranchers, and producers.” 



Network partners include Farm Aid, Rural Advancement Foundation International, the University of Arkansas, the Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Center at Alcorn State University, and the University of Minnesota. Through this initiative, we are collaborating with community-based organizations to better serve financially distressed producers. Network partners will provide farm loan policy training to the community-based organizations so the organizations can work alongside FSA to help producers understand financing available through FSA, ensuring that when they visit an FSA office, the partner organization representative and FSA staff can better assist.