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The US Winter Wheat Harvest is 73% complete as of July 20, 2025, versus 63% completed a week ago and versus the 72% five-year average. In the southern Plains- Oklahoma and Kansas wheat harvest is now 98% complete- and Texas is at 97% done.

Spring crop conditions nationally show the US Corn crop has remained the same for 3 weeks now at 74% good to excellent.

The US Soybean crop is at 68% good to excellent, down 2 points from a week ago at 70%.

Cotton crop conditions are at 57% good to excellent, up 3 points from last week at 54%.

Grain Sorghum is down one point in the good to excellent category at 68% versus 69% a week ago.

Finally- the US Pasture and Range Conditions are at 43% good to excellent this week, which has dropped 3 points from last week at 46%.

Dr. Amanda Silva, OSU Extension Small Grains Specialist, described the 2024 wheat season as one of the most chaotic in recent memory. “It’s been a really messy year for our wheat growers,” she stated. The season began with drought conditions in the fall, shifted into heavy rains by November causing “some stand issues, some flooding,” and cycled back into drought followed by excessive rainfall again in April. The volatility in weather created inconsistent field conditions and delayed progress throughout the growing season.

When asked about the most significant challenge for producers, Dr. Silva emphasized it wasn’t just one factor, but poor timing of all of them. “The time that we really needed that rain, we were under drought and that drought delayed our planting,” she explained. This led to “a lot of late plant” wheat and limited forage availability in the fall. Then, in the spring, heavy storms complicated harvest efforts. “All that rain, those storms was trouble, especially for us to try to get that wheat out of the field,” she said.

Harvest timing became a major concern, with moisture and soggy field conditions preventing access. “The wheat was ready to be harvested, but the ground was so wet,” she noted. Rain kept returning before the ground could dry, and “we started cutting wheat maybe two weeks after normal.” This created fears of pre-harvest sprouting and quality losses. “There is a lot of fear that we’ll get sprouting the wheat is going to start germinating while it’s still in the head,” which can lower test weight and grain quality.

At the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting in San Diego, Senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays spoke with the Executive Director for Nutrition, Health, and Wellness at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Dr. Shalene McNeil. Our Coverage from San Diego is powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater.

Dr. Shalene McNeill expressed anticipation over the forthcoming dietary guidelines, which are currently being finalized. “We’re anxiously awaiting the release of the 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” she said, noting that the process began under the Biden administration and will wrap up under the Trump administration. McNeill highlighted a sense of optimism despite concerns from earlier drafts, stating, “From all accounts, I think we’re expecting potentially to see some maybe big changes in that report that we’re optimistic about.”

One major concern raised by the advisory committee’s initial recommendations was the suggestion to replace beef with plant-based proteins like beans, peas, and lentils. McNeill pushed back on that logic, emphasizing the nutritional distinctions: “From a nutrition standpoint, that was really concerning we know that beef isn’t interchangeable with beans, peas, and lentils.” She added, “They’re great sources of fiber and other nutrients, but they don’t replace that high-quality protein in beef.” In response, the Beef Checkoff has worked diligently to contribute scientific research supporting the health benefits of beef consumption.

Oklahoma is on the cusp of another scorching summer, with State Climatologist Gary McManus warning that the state is “set to broil.” The dangerous heat, which began over the past weekend, is drawing eerie parallels to the summer of 2023, a year marked by a sudden onset of intense heat and widespread flash drought.

McManus noted the striking similarity to July 21, 2023, when severe heat struck with a vengeance for the first time that summer, quickly leading to the development of flash drought across Oklahoma. That year, temperatures remained warmer than normal for much of the rest of the year. While McManus emphasizes he’s “not saying that’s gonna happen here, just eerily similar,” the current conditions are certainly raising concerns.

A prominent feature of this summer’s forecast is the persistent heat dome overhead. These high-pressure systems trap warm air, suppress cloud formation, and significantly reduce the chances of widespread rainfall. While some isolated showers and storms might pop up along the periphery of this heat dome, significant precipitation is not anticipated. This lack of rain, combined with soaring temperatures, creates ideal conditions for the rapid onset of “flash drought.”

Farm Director KC Sheperd spoke with Dr. Brian Arnall, who joined the discussion to highlight several exciting developments in sorghum research and outreach in Oklahoma. “We’ve had the opportunity this year, with the support of the Oklahoma Grain Sorghum and US Sorghum groups, to do a concerted effort to get out there and help growers with sorghum.”

 One key initiative is the upcoming “Sorghum in the Field” event on July 29 in Dacoma, which aims to be an interactive and hands-on experience. “We’re going to be doing scouting tours. How do we scout for aphids? How do we scout for chinch bugs? Let’s cut some plants and get a little dirty.”

Unlike traditional seminars, the field day is designed to foster conversation rather than lectures. “We really want it to be a back-and-forth. We don’t want this to be a bunch of folks wearing orange talking at the farmers.” Along with Dr. Arnall, the event will feature a strong lineup of specialists from Oklahoma State University. The goal is to provide insights into forage trials, soil fertility, cropping systems, and regional adaptations specific to sorghum.

Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, offers his economic analysis of the beef cattle industry as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner,” published electronically by Dr. Peel, Mark Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today, Dr. Peel discusses drought conditions in Oklahoma.

Drought conditions have diminished significantly in much of the eastern two-thirds of the country while drought continues to expand and deepen in the west, Pacific Northwest and across the northern plains areas of Montana and North Dakota (Figure 1). Drought conditions have improved in the past two months in several major beef cow states including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Range and pasture conditions in the eight western states (AZ, CA, ID, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA) include 39.9 percent poor and very poor conditions, worse than last year and the five-year average for this date. In the Great Plains region (CO, KS, MT, NE, ND, SD, WY), 25.7 percent of pastures and ranges are in poor to very poor condition, higher than last year and the five-year average. In contrast, Texas and Oklahoma have just 15 percent of ranges and pastures in poor and very poor condition, compared to year-ago and five-year averages both over 26 percent for this date.

Under a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), the Government of Bangladesh has committed to purchasing 700,000 metric tons (MT) (25.7 million bushels) of U.S. wheat annually for the next five years. The deal reaffirms the country’s commitment to bolstering national food security and advancing trade relations with the United States, while also helping U.S. wheat farmers gain consistent demand in the Bangladesh market. 

“Through this MOU signing, the Bangladesh government reiterates its commitment to deepening and renewing its longstanding friendship with the United States,” said USW President and CEO Mike Spier. “The delegation emphasized the need to strengthen and expand trade relations with the Trump Administration, with a particular focus on reducing the existing trade imbalance between the United States and Bangladesh. The agreement also provides an opportunity to demonstrate on a large scale how U.S. farmers can reliably meet the country’s need for high-quality milling wheat.”

At a signing ceremony in Dhaka on July 20, U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Tracey Ann Jacobson joined senior officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Bangladesh Ministry of Food. On behalf of the United States, Joe Sowers, USW Regional Vice President for South and Southeast Asia, signed the MOU with the Government of Bangladesh, represented by Md Abul Hasanath Humayun Kabir, Director General of the Directorate General of Food. 

The 2025 Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) Convention and Trade Show is just around the corner, and cattle producers across the state are preparing for what promises to be an informative and innovative event. In today’s Beef Buzz, Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey shared that the event will be held July 25–26 at the Embassy Suites in Norman, Oklahoma. This year’s theme at the convention is “A Heritage of Innovation,” emphasizing both tradition and forward-thinking practices in the cattle industry.

One major highlight of the event will be a session with Dr. Rod Hall, who will discuss the potential threat of screw worm infestations. Kelsey expressed concern, stating, “We know that it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when regarding screw worm.” He commended Dr. Hall and Secretary Arthur for their proactive efforts in preparing Oklahoma for such challenges and stressed the importance of staying informed and responsive. “We want to give Dr. Hall an opportunity to update us on that,” he said, suggesting the topic may warrant further input from the cattle community.

Weather will also be a key topic, with meteorologist Matt Makens returning to provide insight into current and future climate conditions. Kelsey noted the unusual greenness of the landscape this year, saying, “I’ve never seen it this deep green, like this. This is phenomenal.” Makens’ session will explore whether the favorable conditions will persist or give way to drought, particularly in light of possible La Niña patterns. His talks are “always extremely popular, extremely beneficial,” according to Kelsey.

Checking the Markets...

The Feeder market starts another week almost as hot as the temperatures- Oklahoma National reports Yearlings Steers $4-$8 higher and Steer Calves steady. Tulsa had steers steady to $5 higher on Monday- and Joplin compared to last week feeder steers sold 2.00-10.00 higher with feeder heifers selling steady to 3.00 higher.

Boxed beef prices softened Monday afternoon, with the Choice cutout down $1.48 to $372.07 and Select off $1.44 to $350.05—bringing Choice to its lowest level since June 10th and a full $24.42 below the June 27th high.

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