Howdy Neighbors!

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Dr. Derrell Peel, who began by reviewing recent cattle reports, saying they show little evidence of herd rebuilding so far. “We just haven’t seen much change yet in any sort of heifer retention,” he explained. While many producers are “kind of interested in it” and “a few of them are doing it,” Peel stressed that, across the industry, rebuilding is “not happening at a very aggressive pace yet.” He warned that failing to hold back heifers this fall means fewer replacements in 2026 and 2027, delaying recovery for years.

Peel said the delay comes with a cost, particularly as cattle prices remain historically high. “Up until now, we’ve been pretty content to sort of take the money and run with these prices,” he noted. But he cautioned producers that, sooner or later, they will need to think about the “financial cost associated with making that investment” in replacements. Starting today, he said, would mean the industry likely wouldn’t see added beef production until “2028 into 2029,” underscoring how long rebuilding takes.

Discussing herd stabilization, Peel said cow slaughter has slowed enough in 2025 that “even the small number of heifers we had this year could stabilize the herd, or maybe even show just a fractional increase in 2026.” Still, he emphasized that the number of bred heifers coming into 2026 is “pretty small, so there’s very little potential for growth there.” The longer producers wait to act, the more expensive and delayed herd rebuilding becomes.

Farm Director KC Sheperd recently sat down with Sarah Diamond of Diamond Grants and Consulting to demystify the process of grant writing for agricultural producers and other business owners. Diamond emphasized that grant writing is a skill worth understanding for anyone who owns a business, even if they don’t have an immediate need for a grant. Being familiar with the process means they can be prepared to act quickly when an opportunity arises, whether it’s from a local community foundation or a state-level program.

For those new to grant writing, Diamond shared that it’s largely a self-taught skill. She recommends starting with simple grants for a local nonprofit to build confidence and experience. There are numerous free resources available, such as online workshops, webinars, and YouTube videos, that can help people get started. When asked about using AI, she clarified that it’s a great tool for organizing ideas and structuring text, but it cannot replace the human element. The business owner, who is the expert, must ensure the grant application authentically reflects their specific project, community needs, and unique voice.

For busy farmers and agricultural producers, Diamond suggested a practical first step to feel out the landscape of available grants.

Ben Hale of Western Livestock said the August market “keeps moving stronger,” pointing to “feeder steers and heifers, 4 to 10 higher, calves 10 to 20 higher.” He added, “Just lots of demand on everything. And now it’s raining, over a big part of the state,” which sets producers up to pull the trigger on some wheat pasture, if they feel like they’ve got some cattle to graze.

In his weekly conversation with Ron Hays, Hale noted the rainfall has been significant in parts of Oklahoma. “Yesterday morning in Woodward, they had almost five inches,” he said, adding that much of the wheat belt “is going to have extremely good moisture to drill into.” While parts of southwest Oklahoma also received significant moisture, Hale noted, “North Texas is still awfully dry.”

Discussing market runs, Hale explained that “lots of new crop calves are coming to town” with “just about everything bringing 2000 plus, right off the cow.” He said some five-weight calves are “going to get up there at $2,200–$2,300 a head.” With prices this strong, Hale said producers “really have a lot of incentive” to sell early rather than hold calves another 60 days.

At the Agherculture Conference, associate farm reporter Carli Davenport spoke with Dr. Mandy Tolar, a mixed animal practitioner specializing in advanced reproductive technologies at the Western Prairie Veterinary Hospital in Altus, who led a hands-on session on cattle reproduction. “We were showing the girls how we aspirate oocytes,” she explained. “We talked a little bit about what the cow’s reproductive cycle looks like, and how different hormones affect different areas of that. Based on those things, what we’re feeling internally when we’re feeling that reproductive tract and then showing them on the ultrasound, what different parts of that look like.” Participants even got to glove up and practice the techniques for themselves.

When asked about her journey into veterinary medicine, Dr. Tolar described how her interests evolved. “I had always liked math and science and knew I wanted to do something in the medical field,” she said. But her path shifted in high school after being exposed to FFA. “I saw the impact that a local veterinarian could make on my projects and in a production setting, and I really got interested in the animal agriculture side of things.” That early inspiration carried her into Oklahoma State University, where she pursued animal science and discovered her passion for cattle reproduction.

Internships helped her refine her focus. “I was really drawn to reproduction, specifically on the cattle side of things,” she shared. “I did some internships to further elaborate on that knowledge, and just fell in love with the industry and what that could look like and the value that it could add to a production operation.”

The National Corn Growers Association is concerned about the tough financial reality facing many farmers today. While NCGA maintains a persistent focus on driving additional sources of demand for U.S. corn in effort to improve the outlook, it is also analyzing input costs that remain near record highs. This is Part 1 of a three-part series highlighting the financial challenges facing corn farmers and a deeper look at the cost of growing corn.

Average production costs have dropped just three percent from their peak in 2022 to 2025 while corn prices have declined by over 50 percent over the same period. Even with higher yields, farmers are unlikely to be able to offset these high costs, resulting in continued and widening negative profit margins for the third consecutive year. The outlook for 2026 is even worse, with the forecast for lower corn prices and rising costs.

Extreme High Costs Relative to Price The average cost to grow corn has dropped just 3 percent from 2022 to 2025 while corn prices have dropped more than 50 percent since 2022. The average total cost to grow an acre of corn in the United States jumped 26 percent from 2021 to 2022, to a record high of $928 per acre.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced 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 started in-person at FSA county offices on July 10 and prefilled applications were mailed to producers starting July 9. SDRP Stage Two signups for eligible shallow or uncovered losses will begin in early fall.

SDRP Stage One FSA is launching a streamlined, pre-filled application process for eligible crop, tree, and vine losses by leveraging existing Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) indemnified loss data. The pre-filled applications were mailed on July 9, 2025.

Information asymmetry refers to a situation where one party in a transaction has more or better information than the other. When one party has more relevant, up-to-date, or detailed information it can lead to potential exploitation and unfair pricing. The less informed party may make poor decisions leading to negative outcomes. In the case of marketing cattle, the less informed party may not be willing to bid or pay fair value as a result of lack of information.

The commercial cow-calf operation serves as the initial source of product in the segmented chain of beef production. In conventional beef production weaned calves will become stockers, then go through a feedlot operation and fed to a compositional endpoint, at which time they be harvested and turned into the product of beef. Your weaned calves will likely have multiple owners and be 18 – 24 months of age by the time they are beef, the product.

When marketing your weaned calves, have you ever felt at a disadvantage? Are you able to document your investment in genetics and management practices that give your calves additional value to the next owner? Can you show evidence that calves have been vaccinated, have a functional immune system, are likely to remain healthy, grow and gain efficiently through the next phases of production, and ultimately yield a carcass of value that meets consumer demand?

 Oklahoma State University Agriculture will host its biennial Cotton Field Day in September for producers to learn about OSU’s cotton variety trials, weed control, irrigation and chemical applications.

OSU Agriculture Field Days are educational events presented by OSU Ag Research and OSU Extension that share research-based information and resources with Oklahomans. Field days showcase current agricultural research and relevant best practices through presentations, tours, hands-on workshops and discussions. Research at OSU locations across the state is often designed for specific applications based on region.

Check-in begins at 8 a.m. Registration is required by Sept. 15. Pesticide and Certified Crop Advisor Continuing Education Units will be offered.

Checking the Markets...

Boxed beef was sharply higher on Tuesday, with Choice at $413.17, up $4.68 from Monday, and Select at $390.76, up $5.38 The Choice/Select spread narrowed by almost a dollar to $22.41. For the month, Choice boxed beef is now up $51.85 in August, with the sharpest strength coming from the Rib primal and steady gains in the Round.

OKC West in El Reno had 2,300 head of stockers and calves on Tuesday- Compared to last week: Steer calves steady to 3.00 higher. Heifer calves unevenly steady. Demand good. For the Yearling Trade on Wednesday 8/27/25- OKC West is Expecting 4,500 Head 1,700 Feeder Heifers @ 9:00 am- 2,800 Feeder Steers @ 11:30 am.

Beaver County Stockyards traded 5,372 of feeder and stocker cattle on Tuesday- Compared to last sale: Feeder steer 5.00-10.00 higher, with 650 lb steer being 20.00 higher. Feeder heifers 3.00-6.00 higher. Steer and heifer calves 10.00-20.00 higher. Demand was strong with new buyers in the barn today helping to shatter both Oklahoma's and National records for 5-,7-,8-,9- and 10- weight classes.

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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