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 decreased to 0.59 percent, down from 1.85 percent last week.

Moderate drought or worse, conditions decreased to 11.54 percent, down from 11.89 percent last week.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions decreased to 43.22 percent, down from 43.97 percent last week.

As for our neighbors, based on increasing short-term precipitation deficits and 30 to 90-day SPIs, abnormal dryness (D0) and moderate drought (D1) were expanded across northern Louisiana and portions of south-central Mississippi. These same indicators along with the NDMC short-term blend supported the expansion of D1 to severe drought (D2) across portions of eastern and southern Texas. Around one inch of precipitation supported a 1-category improvement across portions of Arkansas.

Based on SPIs at various time scales, low snowpack, and the NDMC short-term blend, a 1-category degradation was made to northern Colorado. These same indicators justified an expansion of abnormal dryness (D0) across southwestern Colorado. 

Kansas Drought Monitor shows Moderate Drought unchanged from 28.00 last week. Texas Drought ratings increased from 49.52 percent a week ago to 53.89 percent.

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

Oklahoma Farm Bureau works to improve the lives of all Oklahomans by supporting our state’s agriculture community. As Oklahoma’s largest general farm organization led by Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, OKFB takes grassroots values and advocates for agriculture at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C., to ensure our way of life continues for generations to come.

Farm Bureau hosts leadership events, supports our state’s agricultural youth and connects consumers with agriculture in order to build a brighter future for our state. Become an OKFB member today online at okfarmbureau.org/join. Together, we are rural Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Farm Report’s Maci Carter caught up with Ryan Stien of John Deere to talk about precision agriculture which is two-fold at the JD dealership: the technology that exists on the machine, and the data management side via the John Deere Operations Center web-based, computer program.

The program is free to use for John Deere customers and those who aren’t. It shows what the equipment has done and where it is. The information is shareable, and the user can decide which information to share with their agronomist, John Deere dealership, family member, or others.

John Deere’s vision for the customer’s use of the John Deere Operations Center is for everything that a customer has in their equipment shed to be represented in the user’s program whether it bears the John Deere brand or not. Also, for every seed and chemical put on a field to be represented in the program. This will help farmers plan the next year’s seeding rates and input type and rates and communicate those plans to the tractor the next time it enters the field.

“This eliminates spending time at the side of the field trying to remember which product they wanted to use, or the existence of a guidance line or not,” Stien said. “It is all taken care of because the work got done in the off-season to put into a work plan to be executed when they get to the field. We have that digital representation of the farm, then it happens in the field.”

Unlocking LRP Opportunities Amidst Rising Cattle Markets with LRS’s Dakota Moss

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays caught up with Dakota Moss, Livestock Risk Services President, to discuss locking in LRP with this year’s near-record high cattle prices.

“Going into October, we were in a pretty horrific drought, then we were pretty blessed to have some good, timely rains, in the first of November that really helped our fall winter wheat pastures just take off and start growing. That, in turn, incredibly increased demand for calves to turn out on that pasture,” Moss said.

In the past month and a half, the market has continued to grow stronger. The cattle feeder index for a seven- to nine-weight steer was at a historically high $263 per hundred at the time of Hays’s and Moss’s conversation.

“Looking back, at the first of November, we could cover cattle on the LRP – we were looking at $242 per hundred on steers for May, and today, we are looking $258 on those same steers for May,” Moss said. “So, we have seen a dramatic increase in the futures as well as LRP prices. A little bit of rain and a few other factors really helped this cattle market come along this last part of the year.”

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. Derrell Peel, Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today, Johnson looks ahead to 2025.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2024 has been an interesting year and 2025 looks very promising for those in the cattle business.

As 2024 ends, Oklahoma cattlemen and women say goodbye to a year of record high cattle prices, one of the driest falls ever for most of the state and a summer that lasted until November. In the month of November most of the state received drought breaking rains and the renewed potential for cool season pasture in 2025.



Low cow inventories, low corn prices, heifer retention (or lack thereof) and long-term weather forecast are encouraging signs that 2025 has much potential for those in the cow-calf sector.

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Bakery Technologist David Oh is credited with helping a group of South Korean bakers make an important connection earlier this year. The effort serves as a perfect example of how USW market development activities – short courses, technical workshops, and trade teams – promoted U.S. wheat in overseas markets in 2024.

Over the past 12 months, USW sponsored a dozen short courses hosted by the Wheat Marketing Center (WMC), the Northern Crops Institute (NCI) and the IGP Institute (IGP). USW also hosted eight trade teams made up of international wheat buyers on visits to the U.S. and participated in USDA agricultural trade missions around the world.

Each activity had a common goal: to connect U.S. wheat to customers who value quality and reliability.

The following is a market analysis by Certified Angus Beef.

The cattle market’s been up and so has Prime beef production. Thanks to genetic improvements and management practices, beef carcass quality has been on the rise. We last saw a similar upswing during the 2020 pandemic, when supply chain disruptions caused extended feeding periods. In 2024, however, economic factors—rather than disruptions—have led to longer feedyard stays and increased carcass weights. What’s days-on-feed got to do with Prime production? More marbling. 

Though fewer cattle were processed in 2024, heavier weights and a higher percentage of Prime carcasses resulted in record tonnage.

Looking ahead to 2025, Certified Angus Beef’s Paul Dykstra says we can expect to see more of the same: tighter cattle supplies and low grain prices. This will likely continue to benefit carcass quality. This past year, USDA Prime beef production hit a record 10.5% and could push a half percent higher in 2025. That also means increased CAB supply. The CAB acceptance rate, already at a record 37%, could also go up. 

AFBF Congratulates Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Ag Committee Leadership Position

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the election of Sen. Amy Klobuchar to be the next ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

“Farm Bureau congratulates Sen. Amy Klobuchar on her new role as ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. She understands the importance of American agriculture and is dedicated to listening to the needs of farmers and ranchers, not just in her state, but across the country.



“She’s demonstrated a willingness to reach across the aisle, and that type of bipartisan leadership will be needed to pass the next farm bill. Sen. Klobuchar also has a close working relationship with farmers and Farm Bureau leaders in Minnesota, and she takes the time to truly understand constituents’ concerns. We look forward to working with her and all members of the Senate Agriculture Committee to address the many challenges facing farmers and ranchers today, including passing a modernized farm bill that provides risk management support, investments in conservation, and advancements in research and education.”