USDA's weekly Crop Progress Report shows that nationwide, harvest is expanding - the US corn crop is now 95% harvested- Soybeans are 96% harvested and the US Cotton crop is now 91% harvested.

Despite Significant Rainfall, Winter Wheat plantings in Oklahoma remain well behind the 5-year average of 93% at 79 percent with 77 percent of our crop emerged. Our neighbors are much closer to the five-year average with 97 percent planted in Kansas with 84 percent of their crop emerged, and Texas now stands at 81 percent planted with 63 percent of their crop emerged.

Oklahoma's winter wheat conditions rated 28 percent good to excellent, down 3 points from last week. Kansas's were unchanged from last week at 40 percent good to excellent and Texas's conditions rated 33 percent good to excellent, a 9 percent improvement.



Oklahoma's cotton and soybean harvests are underway with cotton at 48 percent, down 7 points from a year ago, and soybeans at 59 percent harvested, down 7 points from a year ago.

The Oklahoma Corn harvest is now complete - while the Oklahoma Grain sorghum crop is now 80 percent harvested equal to a year ago.

The Kansas corn harvest reached 97 percent, up 1 point from last year. The Soybean harvest is 5 points ahead of a year ago at 96 percent. The Sorghum harvest is 1 point ahead of a year ago at 88 percent. Kansas cotton is 57 percent harvested, down 1 point from a year ago.

Texas's corn and Sorghum harvests are complete.

Their cotton harvest is 65 percent completed, well above 77 percent a year ago. The soybean harvest is 95 percent complete, 6 points ahead of this time a year ago.

No Pasture and Range Conditions for the 48 states were given- but we have state numbers here in the southern plains. Oklahoma has improved 1 point to a 10 percent good to excellent rating - Kansas improved 4 points to 23 percent good to excellent - Texas improved 3 points to a 14 percent good to excellent rating.

The vision of the Oklahoma Beef Council is to be a positive difference for Oklahoma's farming and ranching families and the greater beef community, and its mission is to enhance beef demand by strengthening consumer trust and exceeding consumer expectations. 

To learn more, visit www.oklabeef.org. Also, don't forget to like its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oklabeef for stories on Oklahoma's ranching families and great beef recipes. 

And Check out this video below that helps you learn more about the Beef Checkoff- .

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mailed ballots last week for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections to all eligible agricultural producers and private landowners across the country. Elections are occurring in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for these committee members who make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. Producers and landowners must return ballots to their local FSA county office or have their ballots postmarked by Dec. 2, 2024, for those ballots to be counted. 

Producers must participate or cooperate in a USDA program and reside in the LAA that is up for election this year to be eligible to vote in the county committee election. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied or received program benefits. Additionally, producers who are not of legal voting age, but supervise and conduct farming operations for an entire farm, are eligible to vote in these elections.  

For purposes of FSA county committee elections, every member of an American Indian tribe is considered an agricultural landowner if the land on which the tribal member’s voting eligibility is based is tribally owned or held in trust by the U.S. for the tribe, even if the individual does not personally produce a commodity on that land. Tribal agricultural landowners 18 years and older can contact their local FSA county office to register to vote. 

Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serve on FSA county committees. Each committee has from three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms, and at least one seat representing a LAA up for election each year. Committee members are vital to how FSA carries out disaster recovery, conservation, commodity and price support programs, as well as making decisions on county office employment and other agricultural issues. They help ensure inclusive representation on committees and equitable administration of FSA farm programs in their jurisdiction. 

Rancher Jimmy Taylor Calls USDA Fairness Rule a “Lose-Lose” Deal

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays talked with Jimmy Taylor, Western Oklahoma rancher and Angus University’s Herd Rebuilding track panelist at the American Angus Convention.

His herd began with commercial cattle, changed to purebreds, and then to show cattle, but in 2005, he decided to aim for premiums on every animal he sold. After much research, selling carcass cattle on the grid was where he settled.

In yesterday’s BeefBuzz, Taylor detailed how, through much time, effort and expense, he achieved 82% prime ratings in his cattle to earn premium bonuses when he sells them. However, the USDA, currently led by Tom Vilsack, wants to remove premium bonuses, citing unfairness to other producers and consumers.

The passage of such a rule would be devastating to not only Taylor and other producers like him but also to the entire beef industry. He said, “The industry has worked really hard to develop quality cattle so they would lose. The system that is in place now with the AMAs incentivizes quality, if we go back the other way, it incentivizes pounds. The biggest loser would be the consumer because when you are incentivizing quality, that consumer is consistently getting a better eating experience all the time. The more pleased they are with the product they eat, the more beef they want to order.”

As the final gavel fell, “STgenetics, Novasota, Texas,” rang out throughout the ballroom, as regional manager, Will Harsh, announced the lucky, new owner of the 21 Millionth Registration number.

This summer the American Angus Association Herd Book surpassed 21 million registrations. The coveted number was reserved and auctioned off at the annual Angus Convention, selling for $19,000 with all funds going to help support the Angus Foundations mission of education, youth and research.

“The Angus community has been very good to STgenetics since we entered the market,” said Aaron Arnett, Ph.D., Director of Beef Genetics at STgeneticts. “We are so appreciative of the leadership and expertise of the American Angus Association, especially in the program areas of research, genetic evaluation and youth development. We saw buying the 21 Millionth Registration as an opportunity to give back to a breed that has been a tremendous partner to STgenetics.”

The 21 Millionth Registration had been reserved for the buyer to use on an animal already registered in the American Angus Association Herd Book or to be used on a future progeny.

The Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs are two commodity programs under Title I of the farm bill that provide income support to farmers. Title I is explained in greater detail in a previous Market Intel.

For both programs, payments begin in October after the crop years end. This Market Intel and the tables and maps below detail the 2023 ARC-County (ARC-CO) and PLC payments currently being paid to farmers based on the 2023-24 crop year. Payments for the 2024-25 crop year, which is wrapping up harvest now, will be paid beginning in October 2025. ARC-CO and PLC for the 2025 program year are in limbo due to the recent expiration of the latest farm bill. The 2025 ARC and PLC program year would typically have elections due in mid-March 2025 for the 2025-26 crop year, with payments in October 2026. However, the program must be reauthorized through either the passage of a new farm bill or another extension of the 2018 farm bill.

PLC Payments

The PLC program assists farmers in times of low national prices, issuing payments when the market year average (MYA) price of a commodity falls below the corresponding effective reference price. The effective reference price was introduced in the 2018 farm bill as part of a mechanism that allows for changes to the reference price based on past MYA prices, often referred to as the “price escalator.” Notably, the effective reference price is capped at 115% of the statutory reference price, which was established in the 2014 farm bill and has remained unchanged since. Through 2023, the program year explored in this Market Intel, the price escalator had only been activated for eight crops with little base acreage; the largest of these was temperate japonica rice with only 336,260 enrolled base acres in 2023 (comprising just 0.1% of total enrolled base acres). In 2024, the effective reference price escalator activated for the first time for major crops – including corn, soybeans, grain sorghum and oats.

Originally from eastern Asia, the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, has successfully established itself in countries around the world and now the United States. In the summer of 2024, the tick was identified on cattle in northeast Oklahoma counties.

The Asian longhorned tick parasitizes multiple species including humans, pets, livestock and wildlife, including birds. Relatively small in size when compared to native ticks, it is a three-host tick. It spends 90 percent of its life off the animal. Larva, commonly called seed ticks, feed on smaller animals. The nymph and adult stages then feed on larger animals including humans and cattle. The four most common animals this tick has been found on within the United States are dogs, white-tailed deer, raccoons and cattle. 

Beginning in late 2024, Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine researchers will launch a project to evaluate the status of the pathogenic T. orientalis genotype Ikeda and the Asian longhorned tickin cattle herds from Oklahoma and eastern border states. 30 to 50 farms have the opportunity to participate by submitting blood, ticks, or both.

Each participating herd will provide five to twenty blood samples. Herds that test positive to T. orientalis will be followed up with once or twice during the study. Ticks will also be collected from the animals. Tick trapping may also be performed. A maximum of 15 ticks will be analyzed from each sample collection site. All samples will be tested at the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.

For more information or to participate in the study please contact a member of the research team:



Dr. Ruth Scimeca ruth.scimeca@okstate.edu, Dr. Rosslyn Biggs rosslyn.biggs@okstate.edu, or Dr. John Gilliam john.gilliam@okstate.edu.