Howdy Neighbors!

It's time for the friday farm funny! Farming can be stressful so enjoy a little laugh

Despite the social media world buzzing about the flies that lay the eggs that produce the maggots that are what we call the New World Screwworm, the Oklahoma Farm Report has been told that there are no confirmed cases of the NWS in Oklahoma- or for that matter- in Texas.

Oklahoma State Veterinarian Dr. Rod Hall says there have been a handful of samples that have been submitted to Oklahoma labs qualified to test whether the maggot samples are New World Screwworm or not. In every case- they are not- and Dr. Hall says the maggots are from blowflies.

Dr. Hall adds the location in Mexico that had the closest confirmed NWS- about 370 miles south of the southern tip of Texas- has not seen any new cases of NWS since the initial positive test. Dr. Hall told Ron Hays ” there have been no new cases of New World Screwworm in that area 370 miles south of Texas for several weeks” and that USDA officials believe that they may have stopped any advance from that location- and in fact are reporting the new cases in Mexico are occurring about 700 miles south of Texas. He adds he understands that some sterile flies continue to be released in the area of the case in Veracruz (370 miles south of Texas) but that most of the flies are being used in that hot zone 700 miles south of Texas.

According to the latest Oklahoma drought monitor report, exceptional drought remains at zero percent, unchanged from the start of the calendar year.

Extreme drought or worse conditions remain at zero percent, unchanged since the week of October 29, 2024. Severe drought or worse conditions remain at zero percent, unchanged since the week of May 29, 2025. Moderate drought or worse conditions remain at zero percent, unchanged since last week. Abnormally dry or worse conditions have spread into the central and eastern parts of Oklahoma this week.

According to the 6-to-10-day precipitation outlook map, Oklahoma is experiencing near-normal conditions, with small parts of southeastern Oklahoma leaning above a 33-40% chance of rain through August 23.

In the south, Patches of moderate to heavy rain were observed over southernmost Louisiana and adjacent Texas, much of the Red River (south) Valley, the southern Texas Panhandle, and the northern tier of Oklahoma. Other areas saw scattered to isolated showers that did not markedly improve any extant dryness. Farther west, less widespread short-term moisture deficits led to several patches of new D0 this week in western Arkansas, Oklahoma, and northeastern Texas.

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays spoke with Dr. Patrick Webb of the National Pork Board, who discussed the importance of preparedness for foreign animal disease outbreaks, especially in the show pig sector. “When we think of the foreign animal diseases—African swine fever, classical swine fever, foot and mouth disease—there are plans that have been developed. And if you don’t test your plans, you’re going to find out in an emergency that they may or may not work like you thought.” He emphasized that show pig breeders, exhibitors, and event organizers “need specific plans as well,” because their operations differ from the commercial pig industry.

Webb explained the scale and mobility of the show pig population: “If you were to put them under one umbrella, that’s as many pigs that would be in one of the top 10 companies.” This level of movement and activity “drives home the importance of making sure that we’ve got good plans, good biosecurity, and a good idea of what we would do in an unfortunate case of African swine fever in Oklahoma.”



Starting those conversations requires bringing the right people together. “Getting people around a table like the table that we have here today is a really good way to get the conversation started,” Webb said. He pointed out that having state veterinarians and agency representatives involved is key, because “these outbreaks… might have a prolonged period of time by which we may have to deal with it.” His goal is to “get a framework from what can work and what may not work.”

Oklahoma Farm Report intern Karleigh Erramouspe spoke with Dr. Ramon Tosta of New Life Veterinary Services. Dr. Tosta described estrus synchronization as “one of the greatest tools that we have developed as cattlemen,” emphasizing that “our cows need to be pregnant in order to be profitable for the ranch.” He explained that “the only way that we’re going to get those cows pregnant is we efficiently make them come into a heat If the cows are not calving every year, we have open cows” and thats bad for the bottom line.

When asked about other ways to improve reproductive efficiency, Dr. Tosta noted that producers “can enhance the value of bulls that are evaluated every year through a bull soundness exam.” He also encouraged “utilizing pregnancy diagnosis” and “evaluating your heifers,” pointing out that “your heifers have the highest genetic potential in your herd” and “you should be aiming at getting them pregnant every year” to introduce better genetics.

Discussing embryo transfer, Dr. Tosta said it can “basically change the genetic component of your herd.” He tells producers that “by doing embryo transfer, you’re going to turn 50 years of genetic improvement into five.” With superior cows, “the best way to do multiplication is through embryo transfer,” producing “many, many embryos” that can be “transferred fresh or frozen for a long period of time” to use later.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond has filed a brief this week supporting cattle ranchers against manufacturers who are selling foreign-sourced beef products under the “Product of USA” label. 

“Ranchers in Oklahoma and across the United States put in tremendous effort to produce the world’s highest quality beef,” he said. “The ‘Product of USA’ label symbolizes the quality of American beef. Using such a label for foreign-sourced beef is dishonest and just plain inaccurate.” Drummond and 10 other state attorneys general argue in the amicus brief that the U.S. Department of Agriculture now acknowledges that use of the label for foreign-sourced beef products conflicts with federal requirements. The coalition is asking the court to order manufacturers to stop falsely labeling foreign-sourced beef as a “Product of USA.”

The brief supports a lawsuit by South Dakota ranchers against manufacturers. A district court ruled in favor of the ranchers; the case is on appeal to the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. “Defendants’ marketing and sale of foreign beef products – whose only apparent connection with the USA is that some processing or packaging took place in the United States – is deceptive, anti-competitive and detrimental to consumers and the reputation of genuine, domestically produced beef products,” Drummond and the coalition of attorneys general wrote.

Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur: “Thank you to Administrator Zeldin and EPA for listening to American farmers and ranchers and taking action to provide common sense relief from overburdensome regulation that impacts agriculture production and public safety. Seeing the Trump Administration take a tailgate conversation in rural Oklahoma about real issues impacting rural communities and promptly implement change is sincerely appreciated and an encouraging example of responsive leadership.” 

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “Farm Bureau thanks the EPA and Administrator Zeldin for their common-sense approach to heavy trucks and off-road equipment that use Diesel Exhaust Fluid. When a vehicle runs out of DEF or there is an error in the software, it loses power, causing delays that could be the difference between getting a crop harvested or animals to their destination. EPA’s decision to grant a grace period to make repairs or refill DEF is the right thing to do. It keeps commerce moving and farmers in the field.” 

Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey: “OCA applauds the Trump Administration’s EPA for listening, recognizing, and acting upon the issues surrounding DEF. Cattle Producers should not be hamstrung by onerous issues when transporting their livestock or supplies. Thank you, EPA, for his common-sense step in the right direction.” 

Oklahoma Farm Bureau has teamed up with Launch Rural OK to host the first-annual Pitch the Plains competition during the 2025 Oklahoma Farm Bureau Annual Meeting.

The competition is designed to celebrate bold ideas and spark entrepreneurship in both adults and youth across rural Oklahoma.

The competition features two separate categories, including an adult category and a youth category that is broken out into two divisions. The two youth divisions range from first through seventh grade and eighth through 12th grade. In the adult category, participants must have an idea, a prototype or be in the early revenue stage for a startup.

In late May, farmers and the agricultural industry were bracing for the release of the Make America Healthy Again report, which was to focus on children’s health and chronic diseases. Then came the 68-page report, which was responded to by farmers and more than 300 agriculture organizations sharing their concerns. Per the President’s executive order establishing the timeline for the MAHA report, policy recommendations were to be given to the president by Aug. 12.

The White House said not to expect MAHA policy recommendations to be announced quite yet. The Commission will deliver its recommendations by the deadline, per the executive order; however, per White House spokesman Kush Desai, the schedules of the President and cabinet members need to be coordinated for the public announcement.

Particularly in focus for the agricultural groups in their response to the MAHA movement has been any references to three crop protection active ingredients: glyphosate, atrazine, and chlorpyrifos. These three were included in the MAHA report as a list of products that can contribute to chronic disease in children.

Checking the Markets...

It was a wild ride for Cattle Futures on Thursday- Cassie Fish of the Beef Read offers this explanation- "CME cattle futures are melting down rapidly today, live cattle futures with a 500 point daily trading range so far and feeder cattle futures with an over 900 point daily trading range. Why? USDA Secretary Rollins will hold a press conference tomorrow(Friday) in Austin, Texas to announce an update on the agency’s fight against New World Screwworm. It’s rumored that part of her comments will announce a plan for reopening the border to the importation of Mexican feeder cattle from Mexico into the U.S.. The anticipation of that rumored announcement is the reason for today’s cattle futures’ break." Low of the day for August Live Cattle was $231.75 but it bounced over a dollar higher to settle at $233.35.

Boxed beef made another big jump on Thursday, with Choice cutout up $3.30 to $393.79- This brings the Choice cutout $32.47 higher for the month. 

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