Howdy Neighbors!

Casey Matzke, the president-elect of the American National CattleWomen (ANCW), shared that she didn’t come from a traditional agricultural background, telling Oklahoma Farm Report’s Carli Davenport, “My grandparents had some cattle when we were little,” she explained, but it wasn’t until college that her passion truly formed. “I ended up taking an animal science class as an elective and I immediately fell in love with it.” That course led her to double major and eventually join the Aggie CattleWomen collegiate chapter, where her “passion for the industry really blossomed.”

Casey explained that ANCW is a national organization made up of “close to 25 different state affiliates across the United States,” including Texas and Oklahoma. The group focuses on three core pillars: “education, promotion, and legislation.” One distinguishing feature of ANCW is its ability to engage in advocacy work. “Every year, we take a trip to DC and do that,” she noted. “That’s one thing that’s different from Texas CattleWomen, it’s written in our bylaws that we can’t legislate.”

When asked what led her to seek the presidency, Casey reflected on finishing her term as Texas CattleWomen president. “Maybe I can do some great things at the national level, too.” After conversations with family and colleagues, she realized it was the right move. “Everybody said this would be a great thing for you to do,” she said. Despite early uncertainty, her confidence grew: “I didn’t know what I was really getting into, but I was like, you know what? We’re going to do it and hopefully we can make a positive impact for the industry.”

Cattle producers and industry leaders came from around the country to attend the Celebration of Life Memorial Service for Bob Funk, Sr., on Monday. One of those was Mark McCully, CEO of the American Angus Association, who reflected on the legacy of Bob Funk Sr., founder of Express Ranches and a prominent figure in the cattle industry.

“It’s been just such an incredible legacy that we celebrated today,” McCully said. He recalled meeting Funk more than 30 years ago while judging limousine shows, sharing he “had the opportunity to meet Bob then, take some judging teams to his workout back when they used to host that workout.” McCully emphasized Funk’s broad influence, stating, “The number of tributes we heard today about how he’s reached and impacted the lives of folks all over the world.”

Express Ranches earned high praise from McCully for their far-reaching impact across the Angus breed. “Express Ranches have really had such a huge swath in the Angus breed,” he noted. McCully admired their multifaceted success: “They’ve had a focus on the commercial bull market played at the most elite level with the select breeding females and also been super competitive” in the show ring. He credited Funk and the late Jarold Callahan for building a program that achieved excellence across all fronts.

Imagine managing your cattle herd from a computer, setting and adjusting grazing boundaries with a few clicks, and significantly reducing the need for traditional fencing. The concept of “remote ranching” is becoming a reality, and the Noble Research Institute is at the forefront of exploring its potential through virtual fencing technology.

Dr. Maria Silveira, Director of Research at the Noble Research Institute, recently discussed her work with Farm Director KC Sheperd, highlighting the pros, cons, and surprising insights from their studies.

How Virtual Fencing Works “Remote, virtual fencing is one of the tools that you can use to manipulate your cow herd from your computer, basically,” Silveira explained. The system involves GPS-enabled collars worn by the animals. Ranchers define grazing areas digitally on a map. “If they approach the area, they’ll have a sound cue… if they advance further, they’ll get a shock stimulus,” she detailed. Animals quickly learn to associate the sound with the mild correction, allowing them to remain within the desired boundaries.

Luke Hale with Western Livestock kicked off the update by confirming a strong market despite the intense summer heat. “Was a lighter week this week at Oklahoma City,” he said, referencing the just under 3,000 head sold. “But it sure didn’t stop the markets and the cash markets and what they were doing.” He emphasized, “I believe they ended up calling it 8 to 13 higher, with some showing even 20 higher on the feeder steers… feeder heifers and calves were about 10 to 20 higher as well.”

The demand for cattle remained robust, driven by tight supplies and strong competition among buyers. “There was no problem with demand and good, good quality cattle that were rolling through there,” Hale noted. Despite ongoing reports of low cattle numbers, “it sure hasn’t scared away the buyers and the market, prices that those cattle are bringing just seems to continue marching higher week after week.”

Hale attributed some of the upward momentum in prices to recent rainfall and improved grazing conditions. “Some good rain over the last couple of months has obviously created a lot of opportunity, as far as lots of grazing,” he explained. “That money continues to compete for those lower numbers of cattle, which obviously is where some of these higher prices have been coming from.”

The Screwworm Coalition of Texas, a coalition of 13 Texas landowner, livestock, equine and wildlife groups, today launched a new website to deliver reliable information about the New World screwworm.

The site compiles information from lead agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS), Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The new online resource offers the public and media easy access to factual information. It also serves as a platform to dispel rumors and correct misinformation regarding the status, planning, preparedness, prevention and response to New World screwworm in Texas.

The site showcases the efforts underway to combat New World screwworm, including the establishment of the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team by Gov. Greg Abbott directing TAHC and TPWD to lead the state’s prevention and response efforts. As outlined in the governor’s directive, both agencies are charged with ensuring Texas remains informed, prepared and aligned to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite in the U.S.

Congresswoman Stephanie Bice will be holding a Live town hall Tonight.

The Call-in Event will take place at 7 p.m. CT, with special guests Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith and Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman.

They will provide a brief update on what's happening in Congress, then we will open the phone lines to take questions.

Producers who finish their own calves or consumers who purchase a finished butcher calf often face the question of how much beef they will take home after the harvest and cutting process. The answer to the question dictates how much freezer space will be needed. The amount of product yielded from a finished beef calf is often misunderstood. Accordingly, this topic addresses what to expect in terms of the relationship between live weight, carcass weight and actual take home product from the carcass.

Dressing Percentage (DP) is the portion of the live weight that will result in hot carcass weight (HCW) after removal of the head, hide and internal organs. For most fed cattle, the HCW will range from 60 – 64%. HCW will vary and is influenced by gut fill, degree of muscularity and fatness, mud or manure on the hide, and pregnancy status. For example, a 1500 live finished beef calf with a dressing percentage of 63% DP would yield a 945 pound carcass. The 945 pound HCW is not the amount of beef the consumer will take home to put in the freezer. It is noteworthy that a chilled carcass weight will be 2 – 5 percent lower than HCW. A beef carcass is 70 – 75 percent water, as it chills water evaporation will cause the carcass weight to decrease.

External Carcass Fat has the greatest impact on the percentage of retail product from a carcass. As more fat is trimmed away, less weight will be in the packaged meat.

Brandon Wipf, American Soybean Association director and soybean farmer from Huron, South Dakota, testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee during a hearing on reauthorization of the U.S. Grain Standards Act.

Wipf emphasized the critical role the law has in supporting U.S. ag exports and protecting America’s reputation as a reliable supplier.

“Our grain standards, backed by the force and weight of the U.S. government, are one of the strongest reputational enhancements available to U.S. soybean farmers,” Wipf said. “The official grain grades provide our international customers with the knowledge that the commodity they receive has been assessed for quality, purity, moisture, and soundness. Should those standards no longer be in place, it would cause chaos in the markets.”

Checking the Markets...

Superior Livestock is holding Day Three of their 2025 Video Royale sale today at 10 AM central- 133,826 are selling over the next four days. 

The Beaver County Stockyards sold 3,196 head on Tuesday- Compared to last sale: Feeder steer 15.00-20.00 higher. Steer calves 7.00-12.00 higher. Feeder heifers 9.00-14.00 higher. Heifer calves 11.00 15.00 higher, with 350-400 pound heifer calves 25.00 higher. Quality attractive with few fancy. Despite lower receipts, demand remains strong with notable buying interest from the north.

Tuesday’s close in August Live Cattle futures surged $1.85 to settle at $229.725, marking the highest close ever recorded in live cattle futures history. Since July 15th, when the contract settled at $222.40, the market has gained $7.325—a 3.29% increase in just ten trading sessions.

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.

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