Spring planted crops are off to a good start nationally- with the US Corn Crop at 71% Good to Excellent this week, Soybeans at 68% Good to Excellent and the US Cotton Crop at 49% Good to Excellent.

Oklahoma's Winter wheat conditions were rated 58 percent good to excellent, 32 percent fair, and 10 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 55 percent good to excellent, 32 percent fair, and 13 percent poor to very poor. NASS says we have 5% of the crop harvested, down 39 percentage points from a year ago and 18 points from the five-year average. 

As for our neighbors, Kansas winter wheat conditions rated 50 percent good to excellent, down from 51 percent last week. Meanwhile, Texas wheat conditions rated 41 percent good to excellent, up from 30 percent last week. 40% of the Texas crop is harvested.

Oklahoma's pasture and range conditions rated 63 percent good to excellent, 31 percent fair, and 6 percent poor to very poor. Last week’s conditions rated 58 percent good to excellent, 31 percent fair, and 11 percent poor to very poor.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau works to improve the lives of all Oklahomans by supporting our state’s agriculture community. As Oklahoma’s largest general farm organization led by Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, OKFB takes grassroots values and advocates for agriculture at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C., to ensure our way of life continues for generations to come.

Farm Bureau hosts leadership events, supports our state’s agricultural youth and connects consumers with agriculture in order to build a brighter future for our state. Become an OKFB member today online at okfarmbureau.org/join. Together, we are rural Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Wheat Commission’s Mike Schulte provided this latest harvest report and weather forecast midday Monday:

Oklahoma wheat harvest had several locations in Southwest and Central Oklahoma taking small amounts of grain as producers were trying to get into fields on Saturday and Sunday. All locations were getting late starts due to high humidity and producers fighting mud from rains off and on over the past week. Producers are hoping to get back into the fields this afternoon.

Test weights reported at all locations range from 58 lbs. to 64 lbs. per bushel; most of the wheat is still coming in at 60 lbs. per bushel or higher. Yields are being reported from the mid-30s to mid-40s for the most part. Producers with management-intensive plans have been reporting yields in the mid-50s to mid-60s. Protein on early cuttings reported from 10.8% to 11.5%. Most locations are reporting an 11% average.

Cassandra Fish: Cash Fed Cattle Market Experiences Unprecedented Rally in Prices

“Monumental” was the name of one of the latest issues of The Beef, a daily market column written by Cassandra Fish, a beef industry expert with Consolidated Beef Producers.

“We’ve never seen the cash fed cattle market rally this much,” Fish said. “We must be about up to about $30 per hundred weight depending on what market you use.”

She recalled the $208 low in mid-April and compared it to where the markets stood at the time she talked to Hays: $232 in Kansas and Texas, and up to $244 in Western Nebraska. “That is an additional $7 to $10 higher, depending on whether you are going off the top or the average of last week. 

Editor's note- Boxed Beef has started this week with another all time high- Choice at $367.25

Oklahomans have had several weeks of relentless rain, with State Climatologist Gary McManus confirming that more precipitation is on the way before summer truly settles in. While acknowledging the need for rain in some areas, McManus notes that even those regions are yearning for a dry spell to allow the vital wheat harvest to proceed.

In a potentially welcome development, Oklahoma’s intense springtime severe weather season may be entering a brief hiatus. After experiencing significant severe weather on five of the last seven days, a break is much-needed. While storms are still anticipated, the hope is for a reduction in the severe outbreaks that have plagued the state.

A biological sample that Yunqing Jian, a Chinese researcher at the University of Michigan’s Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, was accused of smuggling into the United States and that prosecutors cast as a “dangerous biological pathogen” is a common type of fungus already widespread in U.S. crop fields that likely poses little risk to food safety, experts said.

Agriculture experts interviewed by Reuters this week said fusarium graminearum has been in the U.S. for more than a century, can be prevented by spraying pesticides, and is only dangerous if ingested regularly and in large quantities.

Yesterday, Congressman Frank Lucas – former House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman – reintroduced comprehensive legislation to support substantial improvements in weather forecasting and prediction of high-impact weather events.

The Weather Act Reauthorization builds off the successful implementation of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act, which President Trump signed into law in 2017. It not only reauthorizes critical research programs, but also establishes new programs to advance forecasting, expand commercial data partnerships, strengthen emergency preparedness, and advance tools for farmers, ranchers, and resource manage

IRS announces tax relief for taxpayers impacted by wildfires and straight-line winds in Oklahoma

The Internal Revenue Service announced yesterday tax relief for individuals and businesses in parts of Oklahoma that were affected by wildfires and straight-line winds that began on March 14, 2025. These taxpayers now have until Nov. 3, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.

Following the disaster declaration issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), individuals and households that reside or have a business in Cleveland, Creek, Lincoln, Oklahoma, Pawnee, and Payne counties qualify for tax relief. The same relief will be available to any other counties added later to the disaster area. The current list of eligible localities is always available on the Tax relief in disaster situations page on IRS.gov.

OKFB YF&R to host 2025 Shotgun Shoot Fundraiser Aug. 15 in Guthrie

The Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee will host their annual Shotgun Shoot Fundraiser Friday, August 15, at Silverleaf Shotgun Sports near Guthrie.

Registration is now open through Friday, August 1, on the OKFB website using the form below for sponsors, teams and individuals who will compete in one of three divisions for youth shooters, collegiate shooters and an open division.

The annual event features a sporting-clays-style shoot that tests the shotgun skills of teams of four competitors at stations that mimic real-world hunting scenarios.