Howdy Neighbors!

At the Diamond Hats annual gala in Oklahoma City, JanLee Rowlett, Deputy Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, was named the 2025 Oklahoma Ag Woman of the Year. Reflecting on the honor, Rowlett said, “Oh, it’s just a huge surprise, a huge honor, it’s very humbling and very much appreciated, but a huge surprise, a very fun evening, and just a huge thank you to everybody that played a part from Tennessee to Oklahoma.”



Rowlett credited Oklahoma State University and agricultural leadership programs with opening doors for her professionally and personally. “OSU was kind of the start of that, and the Diamond Hats are such a huge part of what has kept me here… I’m just one little piece of so many stories of people brought here by one thing, but kept here by so many other things and so many opportunities,” she said.

As the first Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Encounter graduate to receive the award, Rowlett called that recognition “exciting to learn as well, and kind of surprising… absolutely the best thing that I ever did as a student it helped me figure out what I wanted to do professionally and start to pave the way.”Looking ahead, Rowlett emphasized her passion for mentoring youth in agriculture.

On Sunday evening, Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA) confirmed a new case of New World screwworm (NWS) in Sabinas Hidalgo, located in the state of Nuevo León, less than 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.

This is now the northernmost detection of NWS during this outbreak, and the one most threatening to the American cattle and livestock industry. Sabinas Hidalgo is located near the major highway from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, to Laredo, Texas, which is one of the most heavily trafficked commercial thoroughfares in the world.



“Protecting the United States from NWS is non-negotiable and a top priority of the Trump Administration,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. “This is a national security priority. We have given Mexico every opportunity and every resource necessary to counter NWS since announcing the NWS Bold Plan in June 2025. Nevertheless, American ranchers and families should know that we will not rely on Mexico to defend our industry, our food supply, or our way of life. We are firmly executing our five-pronged plan and will take decisive action to protect our borders, even in the absence of cooperation. Furthermore, we will pursue aggressive measures against anyone who harms American livestock.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its latest monthly Cattle on Feed report this past Friday afternoon, presenting figures that largely aligned with industry expectations. In this Beef Buzz, Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays talks with Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Darrell Peel, who believes these seemingly stable numbers mask a more significant, ongoing tightening of cattle supplies within the system.

The report indicated that cattle on feed for September 1 stood at 99 percent of last year’s total, a modest 1 percent decline. Delving deeper into the August activity, placements of cattle into feedlots were down by 10 percent, coming in at 90 percent of last year’s figures. Marketings in August saw an even sharper decline, falling 14 percent to 86 percent of the previous year’s level. “This report was pretty well anticipated, so no real surprises compared to expectations in terms of the on-feed total,” Dr. Peel noted. “However, what we see is a very slow pull-down of the on-feed numbers, but the placements and marketings are down more sharply than that would imply.”

This trend is also reflected in longer-term data. Over the past six months, placements have been down 5 percent compared to the same period last year, while marketings for the same timeframe were down 6 percent. This close margin explains why the overall feedlot inventory isn’t falling dramatically despite a clear reduction in the total cattle entering the system.

Whether a large or small-scale pig farmer, all stand to lose when faced with a patchwork of differing—and ever-changing—state sow housing laws spurred by California Proposition 12. The issue goes well beyond animal welfare and safety—farmers’ top priority—and rather to the root of the Constitution’s interstate commerce regulations and how bending them can break a farmer.

In testimony before the House Agriculture Committee in July, Ohio pig farmer and National Pork Producers Council Vice President Pat Hord spoke to the need for patchwork prevention—even for those who, like him, have chosen to retrofit barns to be Prop. 12-compliant: “Pork producers throughout the country have already collectively spent hundreds of millions of dollars converting existing structures or building new barns to continue selling pork in California,” he testified. 

That compliance does not future-proof farmers from more financial burdens if patchwork laws are not addressed. Hord explained, “Whatever I do today could need to be changed when a new state decides they want a different housing standard. These are expensive changes, and some farmers may exit the business amid this uncertainty, which increases consolidation.”

A few weeks ago, the current state of beef and pork prices was addressed in Southern Ag Today. Poultry, namely chicken and turkey, make up the bulk of the remainder of the American animal protein diet. Chicken is at the top of the list, with over 100 pounds per capita annually consumed. Turkey, on the other hand, is last on the consumption list. 

However, Thanksgiving is Turkey’s time to shine. This seasonal demand certainly affects price, but it is also part of the turkey production schedule. Late May or early June placements of young toms are targeted to be ready to hit the fresh market for Thanksgiving. August placements would target smaller young hens. So far in 2025, poult placement is down every month leading up to August compared to last year. Also, turkey egg set was lower in most months in 2025 compared to 2024.

However, July eggs set in hatcheries for August poult placement are up 1 percent over last year. Depending on the hatch, these eggs could bolster more fresh birds ready for the table in November. But overall, there have been fewer poults placed in 2025, likely meaning fewer fresh young toms and hens, which could lead to higher prices this holiday. The frozen market, while seasonally trending up, has less pounds of turkeys in cold storage compared to years past (Fig. 1), which also suggests a lower supply this holiday season. 

The U.S. Senate today approved the nominations of three presidential appointments to the Department of Agriculture. Those approved were Richard Fordyce, undersecretary of farm production and conservation; Dudley Hoskins, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs; and Scott Hutchins, undersecretary for research, education and economics. In response to this development, Illinois farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. released the following statement: 

“We applaud the Senate for approving the nominations of these leaders, all three of whom have extensive experience in agriculture and have shown a commitment to American farmers and rural America. We look forward to working with them to advance the interests of the nation’s 500,000 corn farmers.”  

The American Soybean Association congratulates Richard Fordyce on his confirmation as USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC), Dudley Hoskins as USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP), and Dr. Scott Hutchins as USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE). “Richard, Dudley and Scott are trusted leaders with deep agricultural experience and proven records of service,” said ASA CEO Stephen Censky. “I had the privilege of working closely with all three during my time at USDA, and I know they are outstanding public servants. Richard’s background as a farmer and former FSA Administrator uniquely positions him to guide FPAC programs that farmers rely on.

In the world of Oklahoma’s agriculture, a significant weather pattern is unfolding, bringing much-needed rain to the state after a prolonged dry spell. According to State Climatologist Gary McManus, September has been “a veritable dud” for moisture in most areas, making it one of the driest in at least the last 100 years. This extended period of dryness has led to a “yet another expansion of drought” across the state, particularly impacting southwest Oklahoma, which has been “pretty desperately” in need of rain.

A big storm system made its way across Western Oklahoma this weekend that gave Apache 2.52" of much-needed rain, Altus with 1.18", Weatherford with 1.85", Ft. Cobb came in with 2.55", and portions of Tulsa got 2.14". Western Oklahoma had previously missed the rain, so this was a nice drink of water.

McManus reports that rain chances started last week and are expected to “extend through the middle of this week”. This rainfall is not only crucial for replenishing soil moisture but should also help “clear some of those allergens out of the air.” McManus summed up the welcome forecast with relief, stating, “Now let’s spread it across the state.” The above Graphic is clickable, so you can view the rain in your area. Another chance of rain moves in tonight and continues through Wednesday.

The nation’s commissioners, directors and secretaries of agriculture gathered in Rogers, Arkansas, for NASDA’s 2025 Annual Meeting to collaborate on leading advancements, challenges and opportunities impacting the agricultural industry with a record-breaking 453 in-person and 116 virtual attendees.

“Guided by this year’s theme, ‘Securing Our Future Through Agriculture,’ we hosted productive discussions focused on the vital role agriculture plays in safeguarding our nation’s food supply, strengthening the economy and protecting national security,” NASDA CEO Ted McKinney said.

Highlights from the meeting included: Remarks from Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. Rollins announced the establishment of the America First Trade Promotion Program, which will launch on Oct. 1, 2025. The PFAS and Agriculture Policy Workgroup released the nation’s first comprehensive set of federal recommendations to address PFAS contamination of agricultural land. The workgroup led by American Farmland Trust and 16 farmer, commodity, conservation, research and health groups, as well as state departments of agriculture and NASDA, contributed to the recommendations. NASDA CEO Ted McKinney gave a statement on the group’s announcement at NASDA’s conference.

Checking the Markets...

No cash cattle trade had developed as of Friday afternoon in the southern plains- Texas Cattle Feeders reported no cash cattle trade out of their feedlots in the three states last week- compared to $240 a hundred the week before.

Boxed beef continued its slide on Friday, with Choice cutout at $382.05, down $3.76 from Thursday, while Select slipped to $359.92, down $1.39. The Choice/Select spread narrowed to $22.13, and total loads moved increased to 131, compared with 99 the prior day. Choice has now fallen for 12 straight sessions, dropping a total of $33.96 during that stretch.

At the Oklahoma National Stockyards- they had 3,918 head on the yards as of 9 PM Sunday night. The sale will start at 8:00 am. We are expecting to start with 4,000 to 4,500.

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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