Oklahoma Faces Near Hurricane Force Winds and Critical Fire Danger: “Firestorm” Possible

Today is shaping up as a very dangerous day across a large part of Oklahoma. In checking around the internet early this morning- this seems to catch wind potential during the bulk of today statewide- courtesy of News9.

According to the Fire Situation Report from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture- "Friday will bring a statewide threat for High Significant Wildfire potential meaning that fires exceeding 5,000 acres are increasingly likely given fire weather and wildland fuels forecasts.

"Rates of spread in rangeland fuels will readily exceed 3 mph on established fires. Furthermore, conditions on Friday continue to trend toward Wildfire Outbreak and a Firestorm cannot be ruled out.

"Fire weather relaxes only slightly through the weekend following a dry cold front passage with elevated to near-critical fire weather in place. Dry-Return Flow on Monday will further enhance composite fuel dryness leading into another round of Wildfire Outbreak potential and the likelihood of critical fire weather both Monday and Tuesday ahead another frontal boundary midweek."

The Oklahoma Wheat Commission promotes greater use of wheat in domestic and international markets through research, market development and public education.

Our Commissioners develop policy and programs, direct the funding, represent producer interests and, of course, promote Oklahoma wheat!

Learn more about the Oklahoma Wheat Commission by clicking here for their website.

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 conditions remain at zero percent, unchanged since the week of October 29, 2024.

Severe drought or worse conditions are unchanged at 0.33 percent since January 2.

Moderate drought or worse conditions have increased to 32.13 percent, up from 25.66 percent last week.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions have decreased to 71.07 percent, down from 80.89 percent last week.

As for our neighbors, Last week brought substantial precipitation (over 1.5 inches) to parts of Louisiana and eastern Texas. Abnormal dryness is affecting extreme northwestern Arkansas, but Louisiana is one of only 2 states completely free of dryness and drought on the Drought Monitor.

Light to moderate precipitation fell on a small area in northwestern Kansas and adjacent areas, reducing dryness and drought severity. Farther south, continued subnormal precipitation induced a broad area of deterioration in central and western Kansas and smaller portions of southern Colorado, but heavier amounts eased conditions in eastern Kansas. During the last 90 days, less than half of normal precipitation was measured across south-central and southwestern Kansas. At the same time, a few swaths from northern Kansas recorded above-normal amounts. Southwestern Kansas was particularly dry during the last 90 days, receiving less than 25 percent of normal.

Kansas Drought Monitor shows Moderate Drought increased from 24.82 percent last week, to 28.24 percent. Texas Drought ratings decreased very slightly from 53.92 percent a week ago to 53.72 percent.



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

Click here for the US Drought Monitor details for this week.

Farmers Grapple with Climate Uncertainty, Seek Clear Policy and Partnerships

At the National Farmers Union convention, Jon Doggett, former CEO of the National Corn Growers, discussed the evolving landscape of climate-smart agriculture, highlighting both progress and missed opportunities.

“When we started these conversations 30 years ago or more, you know, we didn’t even know what questions we wanted to ask,” Doggett explained, reflecting on the initial challenges. He noted a significant shift in farmer perception over time. “Back in the 90s, farmers by a very low percent thought that there was climate change at a rate much lower than the general population. That’s flipped. Farmers and ranchers now believe there’s climate change at a much higher percentage than the rest of America.”

Doggett emphasized the importance of genuine partnerships between farmers and policymakers. “Farmers and what they want is actual partnerships,” he stated. However, he expressed concern about recent policy uncertainties. “Climate is a dirty word for this administration, and they push back pretty hard on it. We need some answers pretty quickly because we are getting to the season when people need to put seed in the ground. I think there are a lot of questions that need to be answered before that happens, and I’m hopeful, but not optimistic.”

Matt Perrier, a Kansas seedstock producer, spoke with Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays about opportunities in the cattle industry of today.

“It is an exciting time to be in the beef industry, and all of us look at those supply and demand fundamentals and try to figure out where we fit and where we go from here,” Perrier commented.

His own outfit, Dalebanks Angus Ranch, focuses on improving genetics in commercial cowherds. His clientele, the commercial cattle raisers, are likely more excited about the current market conditions.

He said, “Commercial cow/calf folk are seeing prices for all classes of cattle that we have never seen before.”

He spoke of a man who believes that the current market conditions are still primarily demand-driven and that the supply side of it still has yet to kick in.

The American National CattleWomen (ANCW) celebrated its 70th anniversary, bringing together generations of women dedicated to the beef industry. Ruth Coffey, a fifth-generation cattle rancher and past ANCW president, shared her insights with Farm Director KC Sheperd on the organization’s history, the importance of mentorship, and the crucial role women play in shaping the future of agriculture. 

Coffey, wearing her mother’s coat, spoke of her family’s long-standing involvement with cattlewomen. “My mom was a cattle woman – actually, Oklahoma Cattlewomen president in 1979,” she recalled. “She always wanted me to be involved and give service to other organizations.”

She emphasized the importance of mentorship within the organization. “That’s the great thing about our cattlewomen,” Coffey said. “We love to be able to mentor and bring up the next generations to continue sharing our beef stories of how we take care of our cattle and feed the world.”

Coffey described her journey to becoming ANCW president as “a unique decision.” “I couldn’t imagine being a part of such a large organization of ladies that represent cattlewomen from all of our states,” she explained. “It was so comforting as I went to each of the state meetings how much of just a unified spirit [there is] and how we pushed for our ability to be able to spread the word about beef.”

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

When asked whether the turmoil in the stock markets have been affecting the crop markets, Riley said, “For the most part, at the agricultural farm level, we don’t always see that spill over into what we experience with our ag market prices. The biggest impact is how these events are playing into the value of our dollar.”

He said that cotton sees the most impact from the comparative value of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies. Wheat and Soybeans are also impacted on a lesser scale as roughly half of each of those crops is exported each year. Very little corn is exported, so it will be impacted the least.

He reported that cotton markets have improved over the last few days as the U.S. dollar has weakened.

Wheat increased $0.20 since last week, purportedly due to export optimism. In the latest USDA Crop Progress report, winter wheat conditions rated 46% good to excellent.

While corn markets have weakened some since early February, they still show strength in opposition to soybeans.

Soybeans have fallen over the past few days. Global soybean supplies are strong, adding pressure to the market.

BASF Launches Real Results Yield Challenge to Show farmers Firsthand the Benefits of Performance-Driven Fungicides

Over the last 20 years, BASF fungicides have protected an estimated 30 billion bushels and 260 million acres of corn and soybeans. As commodity prices and environmental pressures increasingly factor into farmer decision-making, only an estimated 45% of corn and soybean acres were protected by fungicide applications in 2024. As a result, BASF is launching its largest yield challenge ever, the Real Results Yield Challenge, providing farmers and their local retailers greater access and support to stage yield trials with Veltyma®, Revytek® and Revylok™ fungicides across all key geographies. 

“With the Real Results Yield Challenge, we want to give farmers doing the Biggest Job on Earth the opportunity to see firsthand the yield potential that is being left in their field by not protecting their acres with BASF performance-driven fungicides,” said Scott Kay, Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions U.S. “We are confident in our performance-driven fungicide innovations and believe seeing is believing. In more than 1,000 large-scale nationwide head-to-head comparisons over three years, BASF performance-driven fungicides outperformed other corn and soybean fungicides more than 80% of the time.” 

Participants will be able to experience the results and benefits of BASF performance-driven fungicides in their own fields, while comparing the results against their current approach. Farmers interested in participating in the Real Results Yield Challenge are encouraged to contact their BASF authorized retailer or local BASF representative. 

Always read and follow label directions. Revylok is a trademark and Revytek and Veltyma are registered trademarks of BASF. © 2025 BASF Corporation. All Rights Reserved.