Farm Broadcaster Carey Martin from the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network had the chance to visit with the CEO of CattleFax, Randy Blach, at the 2025 Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Convention. Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays is featuring comments from their conversation as they discussed beef market fundamentals and tight numbers in the U.S. beef cow herd.

“We are still in a historically small cattle herd situation,” Blach said. “It looks like we will see very slow rebuilding take place in 2025. I would expect that the nation’s beef cow herd might be a couple hundred thousand bigger by the time we get to 2026, but probably not more than that.”

Widespread drought is one of the major reasons that rebuilding will be so gradual. “Mother Nature still rules the roost in our industry, and we all have to remember that,” he said. “A lot of areas don’t have enough tank water for cattle, so they can’t run as many cattle. Other areas certainly don’t have enough feed, so when those things are all finally solved, we’ll see the cow herd respond.”

He expects profitability for cow calf producers to remain good throughout the next couple of years but anticipates a softening of prices by 2027 and decline from there for the predictable future – around 2030.

Midwest Farm Shows is proud to produce the two best Farm Shows in the State of Oklahoma annually- the Tulsa Farm Show each December and the Oklahoma City Farm Show each April.

The Tulsa Farm Show is Oklahoma’s premier agricultural and ranching event- and returns to the SageNet Center (Expo Square) December, 2025. 



Now is the ideal time to contact the Midwest Farm Show Office at 507-437-7969 and book space at the 2025 Tulsa Farm Show.  To learn more about the Tulsa Farm Show, click here. 

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 Davin Budy of the Cherokee FFA chapter representing the Northwest Area.

Having been raised on a family farming operation, Budy’s multifaceted project involves beef, grain, and forage production. “As a little kid, I took on the jobs like refilling the ear tagger when we were processing cattle or all of those hours that I spent on the tractor when I could barely reach the clutch, so I started way before I joined FFA,” he explained. “It is just something that I was going to do because I was born into that family, which I’m very proud of.”

He eagerly joined FFA in eighth grade, following in the footsteps of his older siblings. He shared, “Since I can remember, I have always lived to be in FFA. I had watched all of them go through it, and I couldn’t wait until it was my turn.”

He has taken full advantage of the opportunities available in the organization, having participated in most aspects of it.

Drummond Lauds Termination of Controversial Hydroelectric Plan on Kiamichi River

Attorney General Gentner Drummond praised the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today for dismissing a proposed hydroelectric power plant on the Kiamichi River in Pushmataha County.

The Commission halted the plan last month after finding the Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation’s (SEOPC) Proposed Study Plan (PSP) insufficient to proceed with planning. SEOPC submitted an updated PSP on March 17, which the FERC deemed insufficient to proceed.

“This is a victory for Oklahomans who treasure the Kiamichi River and southeast Oklahoma,” Drummond said. “The power plant threatened harm to property owners, wildlife and the river itself.”

Drummond said he believes the project was inconsistent with numerous mechanisms in the state’s Water Settlement Agreement with the Choctaw Nation and the Chickasaw Nation that is intended to preserve the flow of the Kiamichi River and protect the region.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers are collaborating to revise the definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS), a move prompted by the Supreme Court’s recent Sackett decision and long-standing concerns from landowners.  

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has confirmed the agencies’ commitment to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to review the WOTUS definition. This effort gains further urgency after the Sackett ruling, which has significantly impacted the scope of federal jurisdiction over wetlands and other water bodies. 

Washington Representative Dan Newhouse emphasized the critical need for this revision, particularly for farmers and ranchers. “That’s the way I’m looking at it, that we can finally put into place rules that will have some staying power, which will give certainty to landowners across the country,” Newhouse stated, highlighting the desire for stable regulations.

The search committee for the dean of the College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension position announced four finalists who will interview for the position.

The campus community is invited to attend a Manhattan campus open forum and a town hall in Garden City with each finalist. The finalists are listed below:

• Jane Schuh, Professor and associate dean, director for research and graduate studies in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University
• Manpreet Singh, Professor and head of the food science and technology department at the University of Georgia
• Christopher Gunter, Professor and chair of the horticultural sciences department at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
• Darrell Donahue, Professor and special assistant to the provost and president at West Virginia University

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 talks about challenging traditional paradigms.

During the past half century, the cattle business has seen times when maximizing pounds produced at weaning, or as yearlings, or through finishing equated to profitability. As input costs increased, profit margins in all sectors of our business have become more closely related to efficiency or the cost of each pound gained. Interestingly enough, with current record-high prices, input costs still have significant potential to pull down or wipe out our profit margin.

Curiosity about the beef industry is essential to staying “ahead of the curve” with regard to breeding, managing, and marketing cattle. All pounds are not created equal – not from the cost of production side nor in the marketplace.