Oklahoma, while currently experiencing relatively low drought levels, is facing increasing dryness in the western part of the state, raising concerns about potential wildfires. Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service provided an update during the Southern Plains Climate Hub seminar, highlighting the rapid changes that can occur in the Southern Plains.

Current Drought Status:

Oklahoma’s Drought Severity Coverage Index (DSCI) was at 20 this time last year, and is currently at 74 which is still a relatively low level of drought. Approximately 7.5% of the state is currently in drought, compared to only 3% at the same time last year.

“Being springtime in Oklahoma and the Southern Plains, things could change quickly,” Murphy mentioned wryly.

Growing Dryness in Western Oklahoma:

Significant dryness has been observed across Western Oklahoma over the past 30 to 60 days which has received less than half of normal precipitation over the past thirty days. This is a cause for concern for Oklahoma’s producers.

Dating back to 1891, Stillwater Milling Company has been supplying ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients. Their full line of A & M Feeds can be delivered direct to your farm, found at their Agri-Center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 125 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas. 

We appreciate Stillwater Milling Company’s long time support of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and we encourage you to click here to learn more about their products and services.

Scotty and Jo Herriman of South Coffeyville have been selected as the recipients of the Oklahoma Leopold Conservation Award®.

The $10,000 award honors farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land.

The Herrimans, farmers from Nowata County, were revealed as the award’s recipient at the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts’ Annual Meeting on February 25.



The Harrimans have been a part of the Nowata County farm scene for decades- but came close to losing it all in a historic flood on the Verdigris River in 2007. That pushed Scotty to rethink how to farm- and to survive.

Inspired by other farmers having success with reduced tillage, in 2010 he adopted no-till soybeans and strip-till corn. In addition to time savings and less equipment maintenance, Scotty noticed positive changes in his soil. The prior year’s plant-root channels that dig deep into the ground were improving soil infiltration and creating a more stable and resilient soil structure. Future crops were less stressed by drought and pests due to increased crop vigor.

To reduce herbicide use, Scotty planted a cover crop of cereal rye in 2016. Cover crops suppress weeds and leave a mulch layer an inch thick, which further increases soil moisture retention and moderates the soil’s temperature. Today, he sells cereal rye seed to farmers for cover crops and has hosted many farm tours to showcase the soil health benefits of cover crops.

Outlook for 2025: Dr. Derrell Peel Discusses Future Trends in the Beef Industry

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 this is part two of that conversation where they are discussing the beef industry outlook for 2025. To see part one of the conversation, click here.

Dr. Peel noted the relatively small supply of bred heifers added to the nation’s cow herd this year and said that the outlook is really dependent on what producers do with their cows. Will cow slaughter tick upwards? Will drought conditions demand more liquidation and an upward trend of cow slaughter?

“By my estimation, if cow slaughter drops, on top of the near nineteen percent decrease last year on a year-over-year basis, if we drop cow slaughter another seven or eight percent this year, we can hold the cow herd stable this year,” he said. “If we drop it more than that, we can see a small amount of growth in the beef cow herd, but that is going to be pretty minimal at this point.”

The other side of that is drought causing further liquidation of cows and an even smaller cow herd.

We continue to share comments from the Director of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program Edmond Bonjour as Class XXI travels across parts of Kenya for their International Capstone study experience. There were multiple stops on the second Tuesday of the travel across Kenya- the first had Class XXI going to school:

Tuesday morning, the OALP visited Leldet Primary School located at Deloraine Farm. It was established in the 1950s. The school has 500-600 children ages 6-14. A few of the students had bouquets of flowers to present to each of us, sang us a couple of songs, and then went back to their classroom because it was exam day.

We had over two suitcases worth of school supplies such as pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, colors, markers, and books, some from the Ag in the Classroom program of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Some pencils were handed out to two classes and the rest of the supplies left to be distributed later.

Finally on Tuesday- the last visit for the OALP was to the extremely old fashioned, but efficient mobile dairy at Gogar Farm. The mobile dairy is taken to the field for milking at 2:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

 Each shift has six milkers and two herdsmen. They are currently milking just over 400 cows. The milk production averages 18 liters per cow. The milk is tested for mastitis on site and then taken to Bio Foods for processing. Cows are fed silage, canola, wheat bran, molasses, and sunflower. 

As Class XXI continues to travel across Kenya- the application for Class XXII is now available on line at the OALP website. Click here for that application– which is due by May first, 2025. In person interviews will happen in June and the XXII will meet for the first time in August of this year.

As the U.S. cattle herd continues to shrink to the lowest inventory since 1951, feedlots are pulling cattle from nearly every source they can find. Tight supplies and unwavering consumer demand have pushed cattle prices to new record highs, further straining packer margins. However, on the bright side, consumers have more access to Choice and Prime grade U.S. beef than ever before, which is strengthening demand, thanks to the genetic improvements in beef cattle.

Dairy producers have taken notice of these higher cattle prices and accelerated the use of beef genetics on their dairy cows over the past seven years. Roughly 20% of the beef supply is contributed by the dairy industry. As dairy farmer mindsets shifted from producing extra replacements to producing more calves primed for the beef supply, U.S. dairy-bred fed slaughter has grown to be more than 4 million head annually and over half are beef-on-dairy cattle.

Cattle analysts had limited pricing data to quantify the impact of beef-on-dairy in the cattle market until March 2024 when the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service started tracking “dairy/beef” animals sold at auction in addition to the historic “beef” and “dairy” categories. An evaluation of this data through February 2025 reveals new patterns.

Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), told the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee today that expanding market access and enforcing existing trade agreements to America’s dairy producers, workers and exporters is of paramount importance.

“To keep up with our competitors from Europe and New Zealand, U.S. dairy exporters need new trade deals that cut tariffs and tackle nontariff trade barriers,” Doud said in his written testimony. “Whether the U.S. government prioritizes the enforcement the trade agreements it has negotiated and addresses trade barriers targeting U.S. exports will determine whether American farmers and workers will actually benefit from the market access that has and will be promised.”

The U.S. dairy industry last year exported close to $8.3 billion in dairy products overseas, supporting thousands of jobs across the country, despite competing against global counterparts who benefit from more recent and expansive trade agreements. Doud highlighted the critical role of existing U.S. trade agreements and called on Congress and the Trump Administration to pursue and enforce trade policies that empower the U.S dairy industry to grow its business internationally.

Secretary Rollins Tours Egg Laying Facility, Hosts Avian Flu Roundtable in Texas

Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins met with poultry farmers and industry leaders as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ongoing response to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Secretary Rollins toured a Cal-Maine Foods egg-laying facility in Bogata, Texas before traveling to Mount Pleasant, Texas, where she hosted a farmer roundtable focused on avian flu response efforts.

“It’s great to be back in Texas and see firsthand the incredible work farmers are doing to protect their flocks,” said Secretary Rollins. “The Biden administration failed to lead on avian flu, and families across America are paying the price. President Trump understands the importance of addressing this issue head-on, and USDA is taking action to support farmers, strengthen supply chains, and bring egg prices down.”

During her visit to Cal-Maine Foods, Secretary Rollins saw firsthand how strong biosecurity measures are being implemented to combat outbreaks, support poultry farmers, and stabilize record-high egg prices.