Due in part to a sharp decline in shipments to China, April exports of U.S. beef and pork trended lower than a year ago, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). China’s retaliatory duties are a major headwind for both U.S. beef and pork, while beef exporters face an additional obstacle. China has failed to renew establishment registrations for U.S. beef plants and cold storage facilities, the majority of which expired in mid-March. 

April beef exports totaled 100,659 metric tons (mt), down 10% from a year ago, while value fell 8% to $824.5 million. Exports to China declined nearly 70% and shipments also trended lower to Mexico, Taiwan and the Middle East. These results were partially offset by larger exports to South Korea, Japan and Central and South America.

For January through April, beef exports were 3% below last year’s pace at 411,027 mt. Export value was down just 1% to $3.35 billion.

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Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays talked to OSU Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel after the most recent USDA Cattle-on-Feed Report was released in late May, and Dr. Peel analyzed the likely attitudes of cow calf producers in the countryside. Click here to listen to the first part of their conversation in which Dr. Peel evaluated the number of cattle on feed.

He noted that the only real data point suggesting that rebuilding may be starting is that the heifers on feed number in the April report was at the lowest it has been in five years. “Heifer slaughter in the last five weeks has dropped more significantly; steers have too, for that matter,” he said. “If you put heifer and cow slaughter together and think about female slaughter as a percent of total cattle slaughter, it continues to come down. It is still well above levels that would confirm that we are actively rebuilding the herd, but we are certainly moving in that direction.”

OSU’s Jenny Dudak Details Oklahoma Cotton Planting Challenges Amidst Wet Conditions

As cotton planting season progresses, producers across Oklahoma are facing unique challenges, primarily due to an abundance of rain. OSU Cotton Extension Specialist Jenny Dudak recently discussed the current state of planting with Farm Director KC Sheperd, offering insights and advice for navigating the season.

Nationwide, cotton planting stands at approximately 66%, with Kansas at 82% and Texas at 61%. Oklahoma, however, presents a different picture. Dudak estimates that most irrigated acres in Oklahoma are now planted or replanted. The dilemma for dryland producers often involves balancing the need for moisture with the risk of excessive rain. Dudak noted that this year, the issue is less about waiting for moisture and more about finding a dry window to get equipment into the fields.

While the weekend was a washout for farmers in parts of Oklahoma- there were areas that had only limited amounts of rain- the shot above came in from Fred Schmedt Sunday night in the Tipton area. Fred reported this field was running sixty bushels per acre- its Agri Pro Roadrunner.

While many locations in west central Oklahoma and then further north along the Oklahoma- Kansas line have had heavy rains the last few days- several counties that traditionally where wheat harvest starts in Oklahoma and has been facing delays had less than an inch so we are expecting some progress like we saw in the picture above that came in last night.

Secretary Rollins held a bilateral meeting with her Italian counterpart, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests Francesco Lollobrigida alongside the Charge d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Marta Youth. During the bilateral meeting, Secretary Rollins promoted the legacy of strategic partnership between the U.S. and Italy to ensure greater market access for American agricultural producers in the EU and discussed the opportunities that President Trump’s America First agricultural trade agenda provides for U.S.-Italy relations.

In addition to meeting with members of the Italian government and agricultural industry, Secretary Rollins met with key agricultural leaders at the United Nations. She met with Director General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization Qu Dongyu, and Executive Director of the World Food Programme Cindy McCain. In both meetings, the Secretary reiterated that programs that U.S. taxpayers help fund – including at the United Nations – should be in America’s national interest and should purchase their fair share of American commodities.

Excerpts from the Op-Ed by Bill Bullard, R-CALF.

The Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment Report was an eye-opener. It provided statistics and long-term trends documenting the declining health of America’s children. It then identified what the commission believes are the drivers of what it calls America’s childhood chronic disease crisis.

The report explains that there has been a shift in food production after WWII that included the development of ultra-processed foods, which is defined as a “category of industrially manufactured food products that undergo multiple physical and chemical processing steps and contain ingredients not commonly found in home kitchens.”

It is this shift to ultra-processed foods that the report considers a major contributor to the childhood chronic disease crisis, and why the report intimates that a shift back to “whole foods” is essential if we are to indeed Make Our Children Healthy Again.