Howdy Neighbors!

Its time for the friday farm funny! Farming and ranching can be stressful so enjoy a little laugh!

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 have emerged in Logan, Kingfisher, Noble, Pottawatomie, Seminole, and Cleveland County.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions have spread into western Oklahoma this week.

According to the 6-to-10-day precipitation outlook map, Oklahoma is leaning above 60-70% chance of precipitation, with eastern Oklahoma leaning above 50-60% chance through August 30.

The South saw widespread drought expansion over the week, despite scattered thunderstorms that brought brief, localized relief. Texas saw some improvements due to heavy rains and flooding in south-central counties earlier in the month that continued to ease drought there. Temperatures across the region stayed hot and humid, with heat index values topping 100°F in Texas and Oklahoma. Fire danger also crept higher in Oklahoma and Texas, where persistent heat and dry rangelands created favorable conditions for grassfires. Abnormal dryness (D0) formed in the Panhandle and north-central Texas. There was widespread expansion of abnormal dryness (D0) and moderate drought across much of Oklahoma under hot, windy conditions.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins tannounced the latest slate of presidential appointments for key Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development (RD) State Director roles.

Eddie Fields Appointed as State Executive Director, Oklahoma Farm Service Agency

Eddie Fields serves as State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency in Oklahoma. From Wynona, Oklahoma, Eddie is a third-generation cattleman and ag producer. Most recently Eddie served as Chairman of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. He previously served on the Oklahoma Mining Commission and is a former State Senator and State Representative from 2008 to 2018.

Zac Swartz Appointed as State Director, Oklahoma Rural Development

Zac Swartz serves as State Director for Rural Development in Oklahoma. Raised in Sulphur, Oklahoma, he brings experience from the private and nonprofit sectors, including roles in community affairs for NextEra Energy, policy work with the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, and economic development with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Anne Anderson, who says her journey with Speckle Park cattle began in Canada during efforts to build a supply alliance. “We went out to buy some cattle and the one that brought the most money was speckled. Well, you’re a new company trying to get started, and if you can get $30 more for this hide that’s speckled, I thought we’re gonna go buy all the speckled cattle we can find.” She started small, purchasing ten head, and was surprised by the results: “They called back and said, These were wonderful. These are Y1 primes.”

As she continued testing groups of cattle, the pattern held true. “For the most part, not much fat on the outside, internal marbling. The cattle were moderately sized.” When carcass data was shared with Canadian breeders, demand exploded. “People thought, if I can just get $2,500 for my top heifers, that would be great. I want you to know, the top heifer bought by the people from Australia brought $18,000.” That global attention made it increasingly difficult for her to purchase cattle, as values skyrocketed in the early days of selling this breed.

Anderson recalled how Australia quickly seized on the opportunity. “At that sale, Australia brought every straw of semen they bought. We couldn’t afford to buy any because by that time, I decided I wanted to bring them to Texas.” Eventually, she was successful in bringing Speckle Park genetics from Canada into Texas, noting that “it’s not just the purebred animals, but the crosses are phenomenal as well.”

At a Women in Agriculture Conference, OSU’s Audrey King shared valuable insights on how agricultural professionals can effectively navigate the complexities of social media. In a discussion with Farm Director KC Sheperd, King emphasized that the key to social media success starts with finding your brand. This isn’t just about a logo; it’s about establishing a consistent “vibe” and voice so that your audience knows exactly what to expect from you every time they interact with your content. She advised producers to sit down and list adjectives that describe who they are or how they want their operation to be perceived, such as “enthusiastic” or “trustworthy.” These guiding words can then be used to create all their online messaging.

For producers looking to sell products directly to consumers—whether through a “you-pick” farm, a farm-to-table business, or selling beef—King’s top tip was to prioritize the audience. Deciding where, when, and how often to post should be based entirely on where your target audience spends their time and when they are most likely to be online. For example, a producer targeting working parents might find success posting on Facebook during school drop-off or pick-up times, or after children have gone to bed. By focusing on the audience’s digital habits, producers can ensure their content reaches the right people at the right time.

When it comes to handling online conversations, especially with misinformation, King encouraged a more intentional and less combative approach. She reminded the audience that there are real people on both sides of a screen and that the goal should be to engage rather than just educate.

“Let’s start with corn. That was the one that really shocked the market,” Riley explained. USDA increased both planted and harvested acres while also raising yield estimates, leading to “a big surprise there, with regard to corn.” Much of the additional corn acreage came at the expense of soybeans, though soybeans still saw a small yield bump. “Soybeans really saw some positive note on the day,” he added.

Looking at the numbers, Riley noted, “We had an increase of 7.7 bushels per acre for the national corn yield, up to 188.8,” along with about 2.5 million more harvested acres than previously expected. This marked an unusual shift for the August report, which typically doesn’t include such large revisions. For soybeans, harvested acres dropped, but yield rose slightly to 53.6 bushels per acre. “Farmers are reporting that they put more corn in the ground than beans,” Riley said, pointing to data gathered from Farm Service Agency reports.

Closer to home, Riley said Oklahoma’s crop outlook has been mixed. “Good to excellent ratings throughout the summer have been strong but we’re starting to see some growing pressure here in Oklahoma,” he explained. Early rains gave crops a boost, but recent dryness has led to declines in ratings, particularly for soybeans, which dropped about 25 percentage points in just a few weeks.

The United States and the European Union are pleased to announce that they have agreed on a Framework on an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade “Framework Agreement”.

This Framework Agreement represents a concrete demonstration of our commitment to fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial trade and investment. This Framework Agreement will put our trade and investment relationship – one of the largest in the world – on a solid footing and will reinvigorate our economies’ reindustrialization. 

It reflects acknowledgement by the European Union of the concerns of the United States and our joint determination to resolve our trade imbalances and unleash the full potential of our combined economic power. The United States and the European Union intend this Framework Agreement to be a first step in a process that can be further expanded over time to cover additional areas and continue to improve market access and increase their trade and investment relationship.

U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom :USMEF is encouraged to see that the European Union will provide preferential market access for pork and bison meat, has committed to streamlining requirements for U.S. pork sanitary certificates, and intends to address other non-tariff barriers affecting agricultural trade – including its deforestation regulation.These changes are long overdue, and USMEF greatly appreciates the Trump administration making agricultural market access a top priority in negotiations with the EU and with other key trading partners. 

National Pork Producers Council President Duane Stateler, a pork producer from McComb, Ohio, thanked the administration for including U.S. pork, saying “America’s pork producers are encouraged by the specific inclusion of pork in the U.S.-EU framework to address tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade. We look forward to continued collaboration to address longstanding market access issues.”

US Dairy Export Council & National Milk Producers: U.S. dairy leaders stressed that America can no longer afford to tolerate Europe’s entrenched protectionism, which has cost U.S. dairy farmers billions and stifled real market access. The Framework provides an essential opportunity to address those harms to benefit American dairy farmers and manufacturers. According to the White House, the new agreement would provide preferential market access for U.S. dairy products and commit to resolving certain non-tariff barriers, including streamlining requirements for dairy export certificates.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond is demanding answers from a radical climate action organization after it released a new standard for its members, intending to enforce net-zero carbon emissions.

He and 21 other state attorneys general sent a letter earlier this month to Science Based Targets (SBTi), which partners with both the United Nations and a group of anti-growth nonprofit organizations, after the organization released a Financial Institutions Net Zero Standard for its members. 

Drummond noted it is illegal for companies to agree to limit output of goods or services. States already have had success in holding members of the radical green Climate Action 100+ and Net Zero Insurance Alliance groups accountable.  “This is another misguided attempt by radical environmentalists to force American industries to eliminate carbon dioxide production,” said Drummond. “Enforcing net-zero carbon emissions would have severe consequences, including higher costs for energy and food.” 

Checking the Markets...

We have seen limited trade in the northern feedlots- but no cash cattle trade here in the south. DTN says "no large strings of cattle have sold, and there's not been a hoof traded in the South. Asking prices in the South are firm at $240 plus, and in the North at $386 plus. Feedlot managers know that packers need their cattle, and it's not likely that they're going to let them slip away for cheaper money."

Boxed beef values were firmer Thursday with Choice cutout at $407.86/cwt, up $2.01 from Wednesday and establishing a new annual high for 2025.

Woodward reported 1,037 head on Thursday- Compared to last week: Feeder steers 15.00 to 20.00 higher. Feeder heifers 5.00 to 10.00 higher. Steer calves steady to 10.00 lower. Heifer calves steady. Very few weaned calves in the offering today.

A reminder- the regular monthly Cattle on Feed report will be out this afternoon- at 2 PM central. Pre report guesses are 98.1% for the August 1 on feed number- 91.1% for July placements and 94.5% for July marketings.

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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