Howdy Neighbors!

Farm director KC Sheperd spoke with Greg Kloxin, Soil Health Program Director with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, who shared his journey from a long career in water quality to leading the state’s soil health initiatives. “I come from a 25-year background and multiple degrees in water quality,” he said. “That has been my focus career-wise up until about three or four years ago, when I had an opportunity to assume directorship of our soil health program.”

Kloxin described a key turning point in his perspective on natural resource management. He explained that after a conversation with soil scientist Greg Scott, he realized, “The water around the soil particle is the same water that outlets a watershed.” That insight led to what he called “a paradigm shift for me to realize that our natural resources management is a management of systems and not components.”

Discussing ongoing work across the state, Kloxin said the Commission assesses over 300 streams across Oklahoma in a five-year rotation. “We literally make those measurements, take those samples to assess what is going on in that water, as well as the things that live in that water,” he explained. 

Oklahoma State University agricultural economist Dr. John Michael Riley says the markets have been unusually stagnant due to the ongoing government shutdown. “We’re still in the midst of a shutdown with the government,” he explains, noting that critical USDA data is unavailable. “About this time of the month is when we receive our monthly crop report and world ag supply and demand estimates report.

We’re not getting that right now.” Riley expects the agencies will “just skip October and roll right into November, unless something changes pretty quickly.” In the absence of those reports, the markets have been uneasy.

Riley says, “Most were expecting bigger supplies for our summer crops… There was some of that angst and anticipation.” Without the usual data, “markets are kind of trying to find their way right now.” He describes the tone as “sour,” adding that “trade talks fizzled out,” leading to a “roller coaster” few days before the cancellation of a meeting between Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping.

Senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Buck Wehrbein, who has spent decades in the beef industry, with experience in feedlots across Texas and Nebraska. Reflecting on his time leading the association, Wehrbein said, “It’s incredibly rapid. I didn’t expect it to go by so fast. I have enjoyed every minute of it.”

Despite enjoying the role, he noted that serious challenges face the industry—chief among them, the New World screwworm outbreak. “We’ve got the screw worm hanging over everybody’s head, and that’s a serious issue,” he said. “It’s not going to be any fun, and it’s going to take time to get the sterile fly facilities up and going, but we know how to get rid of it.” Wehrbein emphasized that while the problem is daunting, the cattle industry has the experience and tools to manage it.

“We know how to deal with it, We also have more tools than we used to, like ivermectin,” he explained. His confidence is grounded in history—this isn’t the industry’s first battle with screw worm infestations. However, he cautioned that it will still be a difficult and lengthy process for those directly affected. Another pressing concern for NCBA is the closure of the U.S.–Mexico border to feeder cattle due to disease control measures. Wehrbein noted that this restriction adds stress to already low cattle numbers.

Steady demand for operating and feeder livestock loans boosted farm lending at commercial banks in the third quarter. According to the National Survey of Terms of Lending to Farmers, the volume and average size of loans for operating expenses and feeder livestock continued to grow considerably.

Demand for larger loans has grown as cattle prices have surged and production costs have remained elevated. Farm loan interest rates decreased slightly, but the drop was less pronounced for feeder livestock loans and rates on those loans remained comparatively higher than other loan types. Conditions in the U.S. agricultural economy remained disparate as weak crop prices weighed on growers and strong cattle prices boosted profits for many operations.

Despite strength in the cattle and other livestock industries, farm financial conditions have deteriorated gradually and weak crop prices moving into harvest could further deplete working capital for many producers. The distribution of assistance from the American Relief Act earlier in the year provided modest support to the sector and financial stress has remained relatively limited, but further deterioration in farm finances and credit conditions is likely in the coming months.

Associate farm reporter Carli Davenport spoke with Oklahoma State University forage specialist Brian Pugh, who discussed the challenges and benefits of managing Johnson grass and foxtail in pastures and hay systems, emphasizing both plants’ forage potential and management complications.

Pugh began by addressing producers divided opinions about Johnson grass, saying, “I think more probably should love it just because it is a high quality forage.” He explained that the grass is “highly digestible,” “very drought tolerant,” and “tolerant to a lot of the conditions that we have in Oklahoma.” Its biggest advantage, he added, is that “cattle absolutely love it. It is an ice cream forage, so they will selectively graze it out in the pasture.” However, he cautioned that its main drawback is “some of the toxicity issues like nitrates and prussic acid that we run into when we have our dry Oklahoma weather.”

When asked why Johnson grass poses management challenges, Pugh noted that “it is hard to manage in combination with Bermuda.” He explained that timing is a key issue for hay producers: “When you need to cut the Johnson grass at a younger vegetative state, the Bermuda grass is just really starting to grow.” But if producers wait for Bermuda to mature, “then the Johnson grass is already headed out. 

Oklahoma Farm Bureau hosted the organization’s 2025 High School Discussion meet at Redlands Community College in El Reno Wednesday, Oct. 8. Ten students competed in two initial rounds of competition with the top four students competing in the final discussion meet round.

The High School Discussion Meet is a roundtable discussion format where participants discussed agricultural issues and possible solutions.

The questions for the first two rounds were, “What are some ways that young farmers and ranchers can utilize diversification to explore new revenue sources,” and “How can Farm Bureau work with energy companies, local governments and rural communities to increase domestic energy production, minimize loss of agricultural land and private property rights.” 

The winners of the High School Discussion Meet were: first place, Katelee Martin of Alva FFA; second place, Hailey Helmke of Fox FFA; third place, Cierra Collins of Frederick FFA; and fourth place Bailey Matlock of Cyril FFA.

Oklahoma Senator James Lankford sent out a memo about federal Employees missing paychecks. He Writes:

Congress has yet to enact full-year appropriations bills or a continuing resolution to fund programs that operate on annual spending plans, which represent approximately one-quarter of government operations. As a result, the federal government has entered a shutdown.

On October 1, the U.S. federal government shut down due to a lapse in appropriations. During this current shutdown:

*At least 700,000+ federal employees have been furloughed, with nearly as many continuing to work without pay.

*3 million active-duty personnel and over 750,000 National Guard and reserve personnel are also required to serve, potentially without pay.

*The first federal paychecks have been impacted as of October 10.

*October 15 would be the first time in history that members of all branches of the military miss a paycheck due to a government shutdown. The Trump administration announced that $8 billion would be reallocated to cover military pay for the first paycheck, although there is uncertainty over whether this action will run afoul of the Antideficiency Act.

Recent media reports indicate President Trump is working to lower beef prices in the United States, with some reports indicating Argentina may play a role in the administration’s price-lowering strategy. 

Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA, issued the following statement in response to the president’s efforts. “We appreciate President Trump’s interest in addressing the U.S. beef market, which has been producing all-time record-high consumer beef prices. We urge the president to address the fundamental problems in the beef market, not just its symptom.    “The symptom is that the U.S. has shrunk its beef cow herd to such a low level that it can no longer produce enough beef to satisfy domestic demand.

“But the fundamental problem is that decades of failed trade policies have allowed cheap, undifferentiated imports to displace the domestic cow herd, driving hundreds of thousands of cattle farmers and ranchers and millions of domestic beef cows out of the domestic beef supply chain. “In addition, the nation’s beef packers and beef retailers have been allowed to concentrate to monopolistic levels, enabling them to interfere with competitive market forces.

Checking the Markets...

Texas Cattle Feeders Association’s market report shows that the top price for the week for fed cattle- steers and heifers- was $240 and they are calling that $8.14 per hundred better than the steer prices they uncovered in the TCFA trade area of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico one week ago.

Choice Boxed Beef prices on Friday, October 17, 2025, showed Choice at $366.77, up 66 cents, and Select at $350.27, up $1.34, with the Choice-Select spread at $16.50 and 188 loads sold.

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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