Howdy Neighbors!

It's Time for the Friday Farm Funny! Farming is stressful, so enjoy a little laugh.. Maybe.. because the jokes are always bad!

According to the latest Oklahoma Drought Monitor report, exceptional drought remains at 0 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 remained in Noble County and Pottawatomie County.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions have spread in southeastern Oklahoma.

According to the 6-to-10-day precipitation outlook map, Northwestern Oklahoma is leaning above 33-40% chance of precipitation, southeastern Oklahoma is leaning below 33-40% chance of rain, while central Oklahoma has near normal conditions.

In the southern plains, On this week’s map, improvements were made in eastern Texas, northern Louisiana, northern Arkansas, and central Oklahoma in response to locally heavy rainfall (ranging from 2 to 6+ inches) observed during the past week. Elsewhere, short-term dryness led to introduction of areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) in areas of Texas including the Panhandle and Edwards Plateau.

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays continues a look at the changes the industry is working on in modernizing red meat yield grading. Texas Tech’s Dr. Dale Woerner was featured as he explained the efforts to use something similar to a CT scan to more accurately calculate red meat in a carcass. Today, Hays speaks with Kelli Retallick-Riley, president of Angus Genetics on how genomics can follow once we improve the yield grade.

She says incorporating genomics into beef grading is both a challenge and a necessity. “Anytime that you have a new trait, it’s hard to balance that with all the other individual expected progeny differences [EPDs] in that Angus national cattle evaluation, it’s definitely a task.” She explained that selection indexes will be critical to simplify choices, adding, “Maybe we’ll land at a point where, when we have a red meat yield calculation, maybe things like ribeye area become less important but it’s way too early to tell.”



She stressed that red meat yield is a terminal trait and that the process of building it into cattle genetics is still in the early stages. “until we get to that metric and then figure out, how do we actually collect it at scale? How do we collect it, potentially, on live animals? Because we know that if we can collect it on live animals, we can usually better understand the management around those animals to get to a true genetic component.”

In a bold move to revolutionize agriculture, Greenfield Robotics is using autonomous technology to reduce the reliance on chemicals and improve farming efficiency. In a conversation with Farm Director KC Sheperd, Clint Brauer, founder and head of innovation at the company, discussed the development and benefits of their robotic solutions.

Clint Brauer founded Greenfield Robotics with a singular mission: to get chemicals out of agriculture. The company’s primary innovation is the “Weedbot,” an autonomous robot designed to work between crop rows. “It goes between the rows and cuts weeds,” Brauer explained, noting that the robots also have the ability to foliar spray plants. This technology is particularly beneficial for combating difficult-to-control weeds, like pigweeds, especially in regions that experience frequent wet weather that prevents traditional spray rigs from entering the field.

The robots, which run on a set-and-forget system, have been in development for four years and are now working in paid fields. They can be deployed in a variety of crops, including soybeans, cotton, sunflowers, and Milo, and are even being used in pumpkins and sweet corn.

Well, roll out the Pumpkin Spice, as it appears that the changing weather in Oklahoma’s summer temperatures is almost gone for good. According to State Climatologist Gary McManus, a strong cold front is set to move into the state, bringing another taste of fall. The recent trend of highs in the 70s and 80s has replaced the punishing temperatures of earlier in the month, except for a few 90s and triple-digits in southwest Oklahoma.

This weekend promises more lovely fall weather, with lots of gray skies and scattered showers. Temperatures are expected to be in the 60s and 70s for most of the state, with some 80s lingering in a few areas. The cold front is so significant that lows could drop into the 40s on Saturday morning, which would be the first time since Eva saw a low of 43°F back on June 4. While 40s often suggest 30s are not far behind, McManus reminds us that we are still about a month away from the earliest fall freeze probabilities for the state.

One major difference with this new front is the lack of moisture. Unlike the fronts that ended August’s summer heat with plenty of rain, this one is not expected to bring a lot of precipitation. This is of particular concern for southwest Oklahoma, which has largely missed out on the recent heavy rains. As a result, the U.S. Drought Monitor has introduced “D0,” or abnormally dry conditions, in the region, a precursor to potential drought if rain doesn’t arrive soon.

Cattle keep getting better, but that doesn’t mean producers should slow down progress. That’s what attendees took home from the 2025 Feeding Quality Forum, Aug. 14 and 15 in Rochester, Minn. It’s call to action for the entire beef industry. Better cattle, yet new and old challenges for each segment.

“I would say congratulations to those of you responsible for the genetic selections behind this [improvement],” said Paul Dykstra, Certified Angus Beef (CAB) director of supply management and analysis. “The rest of you added the management to it, and together, the choices that we’ve all made bring the consumer back to a very elite-priced protein item in the meat case.”

Cattlemen who focus on carcass traits are paid on grid performance, which is one of their biggest opportunities to capture more dollars. Quality tracks seasonal trends—primarily based on the cattle cycle and when those calves are born—which leads to periods of high premiums and months with just okay premiums, Dykstra said.

The White House has released the Executive Order that details the US-Japan Agreement It includes "purchases of United States agricultural goods, including corn, soybeans, fertilizer, bioethanol (including for sustainable aviation fuel), as well as other United States products, in amounts totaling $8 billion per year." This deal, which aims to reduce the trade deficit and strengthen the U.S. industrial and defense base, also includes a commitment from Japan to invest $550 billion in the United States, creating jobs and boosting domestic manufacturing.

Section 1. Background. On July 22, 2025, I announced a framework agreement between the United States and Japan (Agreement), which lays the foundation for a new era of United States-Japan trade relations grounded in principles of reciprocity and our shared national interests. The Agreement establishes a tariff framework that levels the playing field for American producers and accounts for American national security needs. 

“This news comes at a critical time as U.S. soybean farmers begin harvest,” said ASA President and Kentucky farmer Caleb Ragland. “We appreciate President Trump prioritizing agriculture in trade negotiations with key partners like Japan and urge the Administration to finalize additional trade deals in the weeks ahead.

US Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19) reintroduced the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2025, which would take government shutdowns off the table and force Congress to stay in town until their work is done.

“We have to change the way Washington spends money. Our debt is now more than $37 trillion. Congress cannot keep avoiding the hard choices to fix it,” said Lankford. “Shutting down the government does not fix the debt problem, it just makes it worse. The best way to finish negotiating the hard issue is to keep Congress in Washington until the budget is finished. That puts the pressure on lawmakers, not on families and important services.”

“In the real world, if you fail to do your job, there are consequences. Yet, when Congress fails to pass appropriations on time, the burden falls squarely on hardworking Americans – taxpayers, seniors, and our men and women in uniform,” said Arrington. “My Prevent Government Shutdowns Act is commonsense legislation that would shift the burden of a shutdown away from We the People and onto the politicians where it belongs – by forcing Members of Congress to stay in Washington until their work on appropriations is complete.” 

Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01), recently introduced the American Protein Processing Modernization Act, which would provide a permanent framework to increase poultry and pork line speeds, a clear danger to workers and America’s food supply. Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which represents over 15,000 poultry workers at facilities across the southern United States, as well as meatpacking and processing workers in other parts of the country issued the following statement:

“Once again, we are seeing a push by industry groups to prioritize profit and production over the health and safety of workers on the frontlines of America’s food supply chain. The ‘American Protein Processing Modernization Act’ is nothing more than a green-light for poultry and meat processing companies to run even faster line speeds, ignoring years of evidence that increased speeds endanger workers and compromise food safety. If companies want to move faster, they should move faster to protect their workers, not to squeeze more profit out of them.

“Workers in poultry and meat processing plants already face some of the most dangerous conditions in the country, with high injury rates, repetitive stress disorders, and exposure to hazardous conditions. Faster line speeds mean fewer precious seconds to work safely, meaning greater risk of cuts, slips, and other serious injuries, and not to mention less time to ensure food safety.

Checking the Markets...

After hitting a new high for calendar year 2025 on Wednesday, Choice Boxed Beef retreated $1.80 and finished Thursday at $414.21. Select Beef slipped just 4 cents to $387.77. The Choice-Select spread narrowed to $26.44, with volume a substantial 142 loads, up from 103 loads on Wednesday.

Woodward was still dealing with wet conditions for this week's market- and the Market news reports there were not enough cattle last week for an accurate trend this week. However, a strong market was noted. Demand was moderate- Receipts totaled 1,438

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.

Our daily email is free because of our Sponsors!

© 2025 Oklahoma Farm Report - All rights reserved