U.S. winter wheat condition was rated 47 percent good to excellent as of Sunday, April 13, down from 48 percent last week, according to USDA NASS’ latest Crop Progress report of the year released on Monday.

Oklahoma's Winter wheat conditions rated 44 percent good to excellent, 39 percent fair, and 17 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 42 percent good to excellent, 40 percent fair, and 18 percent poor to very poor.

Alternately, our neighbors saw a decline in wheat conditions - Kansas has their wheat crop rated 43% good to excellent versus 51% last week. Meanwhile, Texas wheat conditions rated 23 percent good to excellent, down from 26 percent last week.

Pasture and range conditions in Oklahoma rated 39 percent good to excellent, 42 percent fair, and 19 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 34 percent good to excellent, 44 percent fair, and 22 percent poor to very poor.

Range and pasture conditions in Texas rated 19 percent good to excellent, 30 percent fair, and 51 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 16 percent good to excellent, 26 percent fair, and 58 percent poor to very poor.

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- .

On today’s BeefBuzz, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays is talking with Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, about strategies for rebuilding the U.S. beef cow herd.

Johnson first established that the correct set of cows will breed quickly, produce calves early in the following calving season, and raise good calves that fit the production environment. The right set will do the same year after year.

He noted that the signs that the industry needs producers to rebuild their herds are present. “We are at a historical site in our cattle cycle – low inventory, extremely good prices, and it has helped a lot of us pay down bills,” he said. “We are at a point where our cow inventory is going to age out if we don’t begin to keep more replacement heifers back. We anticipate that is going to happen, and typically, when that happens is when we see the market highs for the cycle.”

Introducing Kyriana Beard of the Stillwater FFA Chapter, Your 2025 Central Area Star in Ag Placement

During the month of April, the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and Oklahoma Farm Report are spotlighting the 19 Area Stars of Oklahoma FFA, who are among the highest achievers in the organization.

This week, our coverage of the 2025 Oklahoma FFA Star Award Finalists continues with Ag Placement competitor Kyriana Beard of the Stillwater FFA chapter representing the Central Area.

“I have had a wide variety of livestock and equine placements, and they’ve all been highly interconnected,” Beard explained. “I’ve gone from one to the next because of the previous one.”

Beginning in eighth grade, Beard took an unpaid volunteer position to learn about swine management at Dowdy Livestock, which raises a niche breed of hogs from Portugal. At the time, she was also working at Noble Road Equestrian Center for her performance horse trainer. This led to her Total Equine Services Placement, during which she began riding five to eight horses per day. Her final ag placement is at Rocking E Boarding and Veterinary Services, where her boarding and equine husbandry tasks have continued.

The recent welcome rainfall across Oklahoma has spirits high among agricultural producers, including those anticipating the cotton planting season. Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with Jenny Dudak, OSU cotton extension specialist, who recently shed light on the crucial early planting considerations for this important crop.

The conversation began with a shared appreciation for the much-needed moisture around the state: ” It was well needed, and we were just thanking God for it.”

Dudak emphasized that the recent rain often sparks excitement, although the planting season isn’t yet in full swing. “We’re not quite there yet as far as planting, but with this rain that we got, I’m assuming folks are going to start getting a little excited about plant season coming up,” she noted. She then outlined key factors to monitor as planting approaches. “You want to make sure that you’re monitoring those air temperatures. You want to look for highs in the mid-80s and then lows above 60 because that’s pretty optimal for plant growth and development.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the cancellation of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC). Following a thorough line-by-line review of each of these Biden-era partnerships, it became clear that the majority of these projects had sky-high administration fees, which in many instances provided less than half of the federal funding directly to farmers. Select projects may continue if it is demonstrated that a significant amount of the federal funds awarded will go to farmers. We continue to support farmers and encourage partners to ensure their projects are farmer-focused or re-apply to continue work that is aligned with the priorities of this Administration. With this action, USDA is cutting bureaucratic red tape, streamlining reporting, lowering the paperwork burden on producers and putting farmers first.

Additionally, we have reformed and overhauled the Biden-era Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities initiative into the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative, and the USDA has identified changes to align the initiative with current Trump Administration priorities. USDA will review existing grant agreements based on three Farmer First policy priorities:

• A minimum of 65% of federal funds must go to producers;
• Grant recipients must have enrolled at least one producer as of 12/31/2024; and
• Grant recipients must have made a payment to at least one producer as of 12/31/2024.

The bust of a Ponca City marijuana grow facility last week by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and several partner agencies has resulted in five arrests and the confiscation of more than 11,000 illegal marijuana plants.

The April 9 sweep at 3880 W. South Avenue in Ponca City yielded 11,269 plants and 477 lbs. of processed marijuana. The raid was a collaborative effort of the OCTF, Kay County Sheriff’s Office, Ponca City Police Department, 8th District Attorney Drug and Major Crime Task Force, Oklahoma National Guard, FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Investigators allege the grow operation bore no indicators of being lawful. It did not have an active Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority license, an active registration with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, or any legally tagged marijuana plants.