U.S. winter wheat condition was rated 54 percent good to excellent as of Sunday, April 11, up from 51 percent last week, according to USDA NASS’ latest Crop Progress report of the year, released on Monday.

Oklahoma's Winter wheat conditions were rated 53 percent good to excellent, 36 percent fair, and 11 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 48 percent good to excellent, 35 percent fair, and 17 percent poor to very poor.

Our neighbors either saw improvements in wheat conditions or are holding steady - Kansas winter wheat conditions rated 48 percent good to excellent, up from 47% last week. Meanwhile, Texas wheat conditions rated 42 percent good to excellent, up significantly from 32 percent last week.

Oklahoma's pasture and range conditions rated 49 percent good to excellent, 38 percent fair, and 13 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 45 percent good to excellent, 38 percent fair, and 17 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- .

The agricultural markets absorbed the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report released today by the USDA, revealing some unexpected figures in its initial outlook for the 2025 crop year. Rich Nelson from Allendale joined Farm Director KC Sheperd to break down the key findings.

The report forecasts winter wheat and cotton production to increase, corn and soybeans are expecting to decrease.

The livestock numbers presented a mixed picture, with a lowered view of beef production for the year but an increase in imports, suggesting cattle prices are more influenced by consumer demand and imports than solely by production declines.

May Crop Production Report for Oklahoma Indicates Slight Reduction in Wheat Production in 2025

Oklahoma Farm Report’s Stevie White spoke with USDA State Statistician Troy Marshall on the heels of this month’s Crop Production report to hear the numbers for Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas.

For Oklahoma, the projection for harvest acres is down 3.5% to 2.75 million acres; however, a 1 bushel per acre increase over last year is expected – 39 bushels this year over 38 in 2024. “That gives us an overall production of about 107.25 million bushels when we are said and done within that,” Marshall added. “That’s about 99 percent of where we were last year for Oklahoma.” It's also higher than the estimate offered last week at the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association annual meeting of 101 million bushels for the 2025 crop.

Marshall also detailed the wheat production numbers for Kansas and Texas as well as the remaining hay stocks.

House Bill 1126, will require food manufacturers, distributers and retailers to clearly disclose that cell-cultivated or cultured products or those that come from a lab, plants or insect proteins are not meat. Those convicted of false advertising could face a misdemeanor.  

“This law is about truth in labeling, transparency, and ensuring that consumers are not misled by deceptive advertising,” said Sen. Roland Pederson, R-Burlington. “I extend my appreciation to Governor Stitt for signing House Bill 1126 into law to protect consumers and support our state’s meat producers.”

OSU's Dr. Derrell Peel says the continued detection of New World Screwworm (NWS) in southern Mexico, farther north than initially, has prompted USDA-APHIS to again close the U.S. border to imports of livestock. The border closed initially last November and reopened in early February after additional protocols and inspections were implemented. Thus far in 2025, a total of 197,844 head of feeder cattle have been imported since the border reopened, down 60 percent year over year for the year-to-date. In 2024, a total of 1.25 million head of feeder cattle were imported, with none in the last five weeks of the year. 

USDA-APHIS and Mexican officials will continue to cooperate in monitoring and detection of NWS and in the release of sterile NWS flies, the primary means of controlling the spread of the pest. NWS was eradicated in the U.S. in 1966 and, in cooperation with Mexico, the sterile fly program established a boundary at the southern Mexico border, later extended south to Panama. However, over the past two years, NWS has moved north through Central America and again into southern Mexico. The U.S. and Mexico have been working to amp up the sterile fly program since November. Disease metrics will be evaluated regularly, and the border closure will remain in place until progress is made in containing and controlling NWS in Mexico.

Senator John Boozman recently engaged with the National Association of Farm Broadcasters, emphasizing the critical role farm broadcasters play in disseminating vital information to the agricultural community. He acknowledged the current financial struggles faced by farmers across various sectors. He went on to highlight the substantial economic and disaster aid provided to farmers, but stressed the need for sustainable risk management tools, particularly in the upcoming farm bill and reconciliation process.  

Boozman discussed the collaborative efforts with House and Senate colleagues, including Representatives like GT Thompson and Senators like Amy Klobuchar, to address these challenges. He emphasized the importance of securing risk management tools, stating, “What we’ve got to do now is look for some ability for them to hedge for this next year. And that’s really what all the discussions are about right now: how do we get that done? How do we get a farm bill passed? How do we get these essential risk management tools in place?” He expressed a desire to separate the risk management components from the broader farm bill to expedite assistance to farmers, followed by addressing other policy matters like research and trade.  

Soy Farmers Pleased with Administration’s China Tariff Pause & Rate Drop

One of the groups that were pleased with the announcement of lower tariffs by the US and China was the American Soybean Association. Caleb Ragland, American Soybean Association president and a farmer who grows soy in Kentucky, said, “We are very pleased with these first steps toward resolution and appreciate that President Trump has heard our requests to quickly come to the negotiation table for agriculture producers and others who stand to suffer financial losses and lose hard-earned relationships. Farmers want to play their part in supporting broad-based, long-term solutions to the administration’s concerns and help our fellow U.S. citizens when possible; but we cannot sustain tariffs that are exponentially higher than those of the first China trade war, which knocked out our largest export market overnight, if they linger into our fall harvest season. We hope that a deal can be reached in which China commits to robust purchases of U.S. soybeans and other products very soon.”



A joint statement from the two countries explained the U.S. will reduce reciprocal tariffs on Chinese goods to 10% which, combined with a 20% duty on China regarding fentanyl, places Chinese imports at a minimum rate of 30%. China, in return, reduced its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods to 10% and agreed to remove any non-tariff trade barriers and restrictions imposed on U.S. products following “Liberation Day” April 2 when Trump announced his reciprocal tariff plan.