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 remains at zero percent, we last had extreme drought numbers the week of October 29th when it was 41.57%.



Severe drought or worse is unchanged at 1.85 percent last week.

Moderate drought or worse, is unchanged at 17.91 percent from last week.

Abnormally dry or worse is unchanged from 46.70 percent last week.

As for our neighbors, generally dry conditions prevailed this week with the exception of light precipitation in isolated areas of Mississippi and Tennessee. On the map, some minor degradations were made in areas of Texas after another dry week, including in the southern North Central, northeastern Edwards Plateau, northeastern South Central, and along the Upper Coast. Some minor improvements were made also in west-central Kansas, where precipitation has been above normal during the past 30–60-day period. 

Kansas Drought Monitor shows Moderate Drought only changing from 31.20 percent last week to 28.94 this week. Texas Drought ratings saw a slight increase from 49.92 percent a week ago to 50.38 percent.

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

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 Noble Research Institute, a trusted resource for farmers and ranchers since 1945, and Certified Angus Beef, a brand known for its commitment to quality beef, have partnered to develop and deliver Land Stewardship, an educational course designed for livestock producers worldwide. Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays caught up with Hugh Aljoe, Director of Ranches, Outreach & Partnerships at The Noble Research Institute, to discuss the joint efforts of the two companies.

In 2022, CAB reached out to the Noble Research Institute in pursuit of a way to focus on land stewardship, similar to the Beef Quality Assurance organization’s positive influence on animal husbandry and management practices.

“We wanted to make sure the land was considered a true resource that would have value through greater appreciation for what outcomes could be,” Aljoe explained. “How do we manage for improved soil health, enhance our grazing lands, and enhance our profitability long term?”

The Noble Research Institute helps producers assess where are as land stewards, and how they can improve.

This Week on SUNUP: Oklahoma Wheat Planting Nears Completion

This week on SUNUP, OSU Agriculture Economist Dr. John Michael Riley discusses the highs and lows of current grain and cotton markets.

Riley said that all grain markets have been down a bit, likely due to the welcomed rainfall across most of the major growing areas. To the markets, it means that current wheat and next year’s spring crops might be better than anticipated before the much-needed moisture came.

He said that wheat planting in Oklahoma is 95% complete, and the nation’s crop is 97% complete. Eighty-nine percent of the Nation’s wheat crop has emerged, and in Oklahoma, 80 percent is up.

“Those are significant improvements from what we were thinking it was going to be and where we were just a couple of weeks ago,” Riley said.

Wheat crop conditions in the state are about 16% poor to very poor and 48 percent good to excellent.

“That is a vast improvement from where we were, and it has put a little bit of pressure on prices,” he added. “The futures market is down about twenty-five cents at about $5.50 right now from the last time we talked. The improvement in conditions is what is driving that.

The following is an Op-Ed by Texas A&M's Joe Outlaw from Southern Ag Today.

Recent articles in Southern Ag Today have detailed the financial stress that Southern crop producers are having to endure, although the problems are not unique to the South.  In economics, we talk about the “cost price squeeze” that is created by declining commodity prices and high input costs.  Our work at the Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) at Texas A&M University – with roughly 575 individual producers from across the country that work with us on 90-plus crop, livestock, and dairy representative farms – has given us a good feel for the relative costs of production and profitability across the country.  Those 575 producers are some of the very best from all regions and commodity types.  They also know that working with us provides them a voice in the policy world they would not otherwise have.  Because of this, I often get calls and emails letting me know when pressure is mounting.  In the last three months, there has been a steady stream of calls and emails saying that this is the worst year they have ever had and getting financing for next year has been incredibly difficult.

I have heard from some that if it wasn’t for their lender including an estimated payment from the FARM Act, they would not have been refinanced…which is troublesome to say the least.  Why?  Neither the FARM Act nor any other disaster/economic aid has been moved forward by Congress.  Others have commented that they are having to sell land to pay off carryover debt to get their 2025 financing.  All are saying that without pledging their land as collateral, operating loans for next year would not be happening.  Some might say this is business as usual but consider this: the 2025 crop year is projected to be worse than 2024 by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri, USDA, and our own recent projections for our representative farms. 

Without getting into doomsday scenarios, I just ask the reader to consider the question that I keep getting asked: why should we continue to risk our financial health and continue to see our net worth evaporate when Congress can’t get their act together enough to pass much-needed disaster/economic assistance that will help in the short-term or a new farm bill for the longer term?  My answer to that question is one of hope more than fact, but I am very hopeful that Congress will act decisively and soon.

Oklahoma State University Extension and AARP Oklahoma are celebrating their continued partnership of the state’s library hotspot program.

Representatives of both organizations met at the Bristow Public Library on Dec. 3 to announce a $5,000 grant for the community libraries in Bristow, Shattuck and Yale. The funding provides hotspot internet devices local patrons can check out to connect with family and friends, access health care resources, pursue educational opportunities and maintain employment.

Since 2018, OSU Extension and AARP Oklahoma have teamed up to award rural libraries vital funding for mobile internet devices. Data shows each partnering library loans out their hotspots to more than 100 local households each year. The program now includes 33 library participants, helping an estimated 3,900 Oklahomans annually.

“When we choose the libraries, we’re trying to find not only small towns but also communities that are struggling with connectivity,” said Brian Whitacre, a professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Economics and a rural development specialist for OSU Extension. “Statewide, an average 10% of households don’t have any kind of internet connection, but for this year’s project, the numbers in Bristow, Shattuck and Yale are double that – over 20% of households have no kind of connectivity.”

Zoetis announced it has entered a collaboration with Colorado State University’s AgNext to advance research in sustainable animal production. Together, Zoetis and AgNext are poised to shape the future and set new standards for sustainable management practices using animal health and genetic data.

“Beef and dairy producers currently define sustainability as healthy animals that are more productive and are therefore more resource-efficient and sustainable animals, which is true. However, specific benchmarks and data have been elusive in the industry,” said Dr. Mike Lormore, Head of U.S. Cattle and Pork Technical Services for Zoetis. “This research will allow us to obtain specific data to establish baselines and eventually to help producers, veterinarians, and nutritionists make more informed decisions to meet sustainability goals.”

The collaboration strives to close data gaps on technology and management practices that can enhance the efficiency of livestock production while ensuring the well-being of animals and addressing the industry’s evolving sustainability needs. The first study is focused on establishing baseline greenhouse gas emissions that reflect an industry-typical production environment for fed cattle and accounts for the standard health treatments animals typically receive.

The second study is a lifecycle assessment of beef and dairy production systems to support industry knowledge of the effect animal genetics and animal health interventions like vaccination and parasite control have on sustainable beef and dairy production.

Ranking Member David Scott Calls on Trump, Johnson to Reject Freedom Caucus Effort to Withhold Disaster Aid from Farm Families

House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott today responded to an effort by the far-right House Freedom Caucus to deny disaster aid to farm families struggling with the fallout from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. 

“The House Freedom Caucus’s eleventh-hour attempt to derail much-needed disaster assistance for Georgia’s rural communities is disheartening. With only days left in this Congress, the position of the House Freedom Caucus jeopardizes aid for the people of Georgia and the nearby regions, putting them at risk of facing the holidays with no help to recover from Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

“The House Freedom Caucus not only threatens the natural disaster supplemental, but it also undermines efforts among the four corners of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to craft much-needed economic assistance that addresses the ongoing downturn in large parts of the agricultural economy. From the hearing the House Agriculture Committee held in September on the state of the agricultural economy, we know the need in rural America is real and increasingly growing desperate.

“I call upon President-elect Trump to direct the House Freedom Caucus to stand down and let Congress move forward in providing this assistance to storm-ravaged communities in the Southeast and bringing adequate resources to address the economic disaster facing farmers across the country.