Howdy Neighbors!

At the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting in San Diego, Senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays spoke with Dr. Cheryl DeVuyst, vice chair of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB). Our Coverage from San Diego is powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater.

Dr. Cheryl DeVuyst, vice chair of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB), shared some key updates. Dr. DeVuyst talked about concerns over tariffs and how U.S. beef exports are adapting. “Our USMEF team, which receives CBB producer dollars, is able to pivot and still be able to get our beef variety meats and beef to those consumers in the other markets,” she said. Even with trade issues in China, “we actually have increased the volume to Korea over the past few months,” DeVuyst added, noting that beef exports still bring in about $415 per fed head.



DeVuyst also highlighted the success of an educational program by the American Farm Bureau Foundation. “They recently won another award for their beef genetics information that they get to science teachers across the country,” she said. These materials help students who may not know much about farming learn about beef production and sustainability. 

Oklahoma Farm Bureau (OKFB) is making significant strides in supporting rural entrepreneurs and small business owners across the state with its innovative programs, including the recently expanded “In the Weeds” initiative. This program, along with their existing business accelerators, is designed to empower rural Oklahomans to secure funding, develop their businesses, and bring their innovative ideas to fruition.



According to Amarie Bartel, Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s Rural Economic Development Coordinator, the organization is committed to fostering growth in the state’s rural communities. “We’ve been so fortunate to expand our scope this year,” Bartel explains. “We are now offering a program for any rural small business owner, whether you own a coffee shop or an agricultural operation…anyone in that spectrum now has a program hosted by Oklahoma Farm Bureau called OKFB In the Weeds.”

At the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting in San Diego, Senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays spoke with CEO of Cattlefax Randy Blach about beef demand. Our Coverage from San Diego is powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater.

At the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting in San Diego, Randy Blach of CattleFax shared some big-picture insights, starting with a bold statement: “Best beef demand in 40 years.” He said it’s impressive that, even with per capita supply up by a pound or more and prices at record highs, “the consumer hasn’t said ‘uncle.’” Blach credited this strong demand as a major win for the beef industry in 2024. He also noted that the current consumer loyalty is a testament to beef’s value in the marketplace, even amid economic pressures.

Blach also noted that herd rebuilding is slowly starting, thanks to improved weather conditions. “We’re seeing a few more heifers retained,” he said, although he added that it’s not yet a full-blown expansion. “It’s been a tough situation we just haven’t had consistent enough moisture,” but with more confidence in the weather, producers are starting to move forward.

Oklahoma is bracing for a “stormy pattern” in the coming days, characterized by the potential for severe weather, particularly strong winds. This follows recent storm activity that brought significant wind gusts.

State Climatologist Gary McManus indicated that summertime storms, while potentially disruptive due to wind, can also offer beneficial rain and the creation of outflow boundaries, leading to cooler, drier air ideal for outdoor activities like mowing. However, winds reaching speeds of 60 mph are a cause for concern.

A brief respite from the stormy conditions is expected, with a period of no rain or clouds and temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This will be short-lived, as rains are predicted to return by the weekend and potentially continue into next week.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced today that agricultural producers who suffered eligible crop losses due to natural disasters in 2023 and 2024 can now apply for $16 billion in assistance through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP).

To expedite the implementation of SDRP, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is delivering assistance in two stages. This first stage is open to producers with eligible crop losses that received assistance under crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program during 2023 and 2024. Stage One sign up will start in person at FSA county offices on July 10 and prefilled applications are being mailed to producers today, July 9. SDRP Stage Two signups for eligible shallow or uncovered losses will begin in early fall.

“American farmers are no stranger to natural disasters that cause losses that leave no region or crop unscathed. Under President Trump’s leadership, USDA has worked around the clock to deliver this relief directly to our farmers,” said Secretary Rollins. “We are taking swift action to ensure farmers will have the resources they need to continue to produce the safest, most reliable, and most abundant food supply in the world.”

Jonathan Cammack, assistant professor and state Extension specialist, livestock entomology and parasitology, is offering herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner,” published electronically by Dr. Derrell Peel, Mark Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today Cammack talks about stable flies effect on livestock.

It’s hard to believe that in the first week of July that stable flies are still an issue.

While near record rainfall across much of the state has been welcome for forage, hay, and other crop production, it has certainly contributed to pest issues in nearly every aspect of agricultural production, and livestock are no exception.

We typically experience two peaks in stable fly activity during the year: one in the late spring/early summer, and the other in the fall, when daily temperatures stay below ~85°F. A cooler than average June across the entire state (Fig. 1A), coupled with higher than average rainfall (Fig. 1B), has helped stable fly populations proliferate, and remain longer than normal.

Grassroots cattle industry organizations throughout the United States are sharing support for Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ National Farm Security Action Plan:

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President and Nebraska Cattleman Buck Wehrbein: “America is blessed to have hundreds of thousands of family farms and ranches producing beef right here at home. NCBA strongly agrees with Secretary Rollins that farm security is national security. We are pleased that USDA is protecting our family farms and ranches, scrutinizing foreign acquisitions to ensure they don’t threaten American agriculture, protecting U.S. agricultural research from foreign adversaries, and bolstering animal health programs to prevent a foreign animal disease outbreak. Secretary Rollins and President Trump are true friends of American agriculture.”

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall: “The cattle industry faces no shortage of challenges, but threats like foreign animal disease and agriterrorism are what keeps us up at night. NCBA has previously worked with the FBI, Homeland Security, and other federal law enforcement to safeguard American agriculture.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau members around the state are invited to gather and discuss the issues and policies impacting agriculture at the organization’s annual August Area Meetings.

The meetings serve as the beginning of Farm Bureau’s grassroots policy development season. OKFB members are encouraged to bring their ideas for potential changes and updates to the organization’s policy that will help agriculture and rural Oklahoma.

In addition to policy discussions, updates on numerous OKFB programs and events will be shared by committee members and staff.

Checking the Markets...

As we begin the week after the Fourth of July holiday- the big livestock market event is the Superior Livestock Week in the Rockies Sale- 311,727 head will sell over the five days of the sale- Click here for more details from Superior Livestock.

After record prices at OKC West for calves on Tuesday- The barn set new all-time records for both 8-weights and 9-weights on Wednesday, with 59 head at 807 lbs selling for $324.00 and a massive string of 308 head at 906 lbs bringing $309.50. Adding to the momentum, 22 head at 700 lbs sold for $340.00, marking the second-highest 7-weight price ever recorded at OKC West.

OKC West is our Market Links Sponsor- they sell cattle three days a week- Cows on Mondays, Stockers on Tuesday and Feeders on Wednesday- Call 405-262-8800 to learn more.

Click here for our Markets Page on OklahomaFarmReport.Com- there you will find many of the reports we have linked on the right hand column found on the previous format of our email.

Our daily email is free because of our Sponsors!

© 2025 Oklahoma Farm Report - All rights reserved