According to the latest Oklahoma drought monitor report, Severe drought or worse conditions remain at 13.60 percent from last week..

Moderate drought or worse conditions remain at 39.93 percent from last week.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions remain at 53.11 percent from last week.

Kansas Drought Monitor shows Moderate Drought increased from 55.03 percent last week, to 65.96 percent. Texas Drought ratings were unchanged from 58.37 percent a week ago.



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.

As Oklahoma’s largest John Deere dealer, P&K Equipment is proud to serve our communities & the surrounding areas through 18 Oklahoma locations & 2 Arkansas locations. The entire P&K team is ready to keeping your equipment up & running. So, when it comes time to buy John Deere parts, look no further than GetGreenParts.com. Shop 24/7 from the convenience of wherever you are & have the parts shipped directly to you! This spring and summer- P&K is committed to making it easier than ever to really own your John Deere equipment. And long after the sale- P&K will be here to support you at every step.

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays talked to OSU Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel after the latest USDA Cattle-on-Feed Report was released on Thursday afternoon, and Dr. Peel analyzed the latest numbers.

According to the April Cattle on Feed Report, March placements were up 105% from last year, and March marketings were up 101% from last year. The total on feed number as of April 1 was 2% down from a year ago, similar to last month.

“The placement number was a little bigger than expected, but it wasn’t outside of the range of expectations, so not a huge surprise, but maybe a little bit bigger,” Dr. Peel detailed. “Markets were pretty close to expected. The on-feed number didn’t really drop further on a year-over-year basis, but we’re maintaining a little bit smaller inventory than we’ve had over the last year or more.”

Introducing Bridger Lott of the Hydro-Eakly FFA Chapter, Your 2025 Southwest 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 Bridger Lott of the Hydro-Eakly FFA chapter representing the Southwest Area.

Lott’s project began with a literal disaster. His family home in Madill was destroyed by a tornado a few years ago, and his family moved to the Hydro-Eakly area. That is where he met Tom Entz, with DTE Land and Cattle Co., who subsequently gave him a job.

Explaining a typical day of work on his project, Lott said, “Every morning, we fuel up tractors, then we do whatever has to be done for the day. From driving big, four-wheel drive tractors to swathing, raking, baling hay, hauling hay. We put up a lot of hay during the summer.”

After numerous rounds of reciprocal tariff hikes, the tariffs between the U.S. and China have escalated to 145% and 125%, respectively. This raises a critical question: Can U.S. agricultural exports to China withstand such steep retaliatory tariffs? To delve deeper into this issue, let’s examine the impact of prohibitively high tariffs on U.S. beef exports, a significant component of U.S. agricultural trade with China.

As noted in a previous article, China has emerged as a major player in global beef trade. Although once a minor importer, China is now the largest beef-importing country in the world. In 2010, Chinese beef imports were only $84 million, but by 2022, they increased by 21,000% to nearly $18 billion (See SAT: https://southernagtoday.org/2022/12/01/china-emerges-as-a-leading-destination-for-u-s-beef-exports/).

This remarkable rise can be attributed to several factors, including economic growth, urbanization, and changing preferences for quality protein sources. The increase in imports was further accelerated by the outbreak of African Swine Fever in 2018, which decimated pork supplies and led to a significant shift towards beef. Due to rising demand and imports, coupled with lifting the import restriction on U.S. beef in 2017, China is now the third-largest foreign market for U.S. beef behind South Korea and Japan (USDA, 2025).

A busy U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) trade team season begins with the arrival of Japanese flour milling executives on April 26. It ends in mid-September, when the Taiwan Agricultural Trade Goodwill Mission makes its biennial visit to Washington, D.C. to focus on trade and trade relationships.

Throughout the summer, buyers and milling staff from South America, Ecuador, South Korea, the Philippines, Chile and Southeast Asia will come to the U.S. to learn about the wheat supply chain and meet farmers who provide high-quality U.S. wheat.

In all, nine different teams will visit at least a dozen states this year. Included is a team of South American flour millers that will take what is best described as a wide-angle snapshot of the U.S. wheat industry by visiting farms and facilities in Ohio, Kansas, and Washington State.

The 7th Annual Southwest Ranchers' Bull & Female Sale is slated for tomorrow, Saturday, April 19, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. at the Wheeler Farms Sale Facility in Chickasha, Oklahoma.

109 lots will be offered, including 70 Registered Angus Bulls, 26 Registered Hereford Bulls, and 13 Registered Angus Open Yearling Heifers.

The Sale Catalog & Videos are available at www.mcsauction.com or click here for a Sale Book and more Information.

Easter- ALL ABOUT HOPE!

Easter weekend is a time of hope- and after a year of Election drama, tariffs and market turmoil- we can all use a healthy serving of that. Longtime readers of our daily email know that I take a few moments at a couple of the major holidays that our society celebrates and point to a key driving force in my life- my Faith. And this weekend is the Super Bowl of God's Hope for believers in the One who is the center of this holiday.

This morning- I have decided to go back to a story I shared a few Easters ago- this is a story written by good old Max Lucado about the Hope that was found on the Sunday morning that followed a really tough Friday.

""The women who buried Jesus on Friday returned to visit him early Sunday morning. They brought spices and perfumes to anoint the body. What they found is the substance of Easter hope: no stone in front of the grave, no body within the grave. They found an angel, clothed in white, seated on the stone.  "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Mt. 28:6 NKJV).

Lucado went on to say "With Christ you can face the struggles of Friday. Set your mind on the joy that awaits you.

"With Christ you can endure the silence of Saturday. Be patient. Christ will come.

"With Christ you can celebrate on Sunday. The same power that defeated His death will give you life. Have you asked for it? Have you asked God to help you?"

My prayer for each of you is to know the reason for this Easter Holiday weekend- if these words raise questions about this love story in your mind- drop me an email and I would love to visit with you about the best gift the world has ever been offered!

NOW- my real gift to you this morning is this story from our very own KC Sheperd- Enjoy her take on Easter that she shared a couple of years ago- I know I did!!!

From KC-

Happy Good Friday Everyone! Easter is one of my favorite holidays. It was a time when everyone would get dressed up for Church, and then we would head to my Grandma Leona's to hunt eggs in Lake Valley America (By Gotebo). My Grandma is now with Jesus, but we still love celebrating Easter. We are hiding eggs on Saturday and Sunday and then we will head to Church where I will hear the most fantastic choir and Orchestra at Crossings Church.

Easter is super special to me because it's my 'birthday' in Christ. I remember it like it was yesterday sitting in the pew with my dad at the First Baptist Church in Hobart, Oklahoma. The Church was presenting an Easter Play that day and by the end, I was so moved that I took my dad's hand, and we walked to the front of the church where I gave my life to Christ. So every year at this time I solemnly remember what he gave up, and what I can now celebrate. With all the Uncertainty that we have in the world right now, one of the few things I take comfort in is knowing the Good Lord still knows the outcome, and he is Good. All the time.

I hope your Easter is full of Blessings, Food, and Family and that you don't have to hide too many eggs!