Howdy Neighbors!

John Bode, president and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, spoke with Oklahoma Farm Reports’ Maci Carter. Bode opened by outlining who he sees as the current “winners” and “losers” in the MAHA effort. He said the wins include recognizing “that obesity-based chronic disease is a real problem,” which helps policymakers target real solutions.

Bode explained that MAHA often goes wrong when it drifts away from what major scientific organizations agree on. He said these groups “are supportive of vaccines,” encourage drinking pasteurized milk instead of raw milk, and back science-based reviews of pesticides and other crop protection tools. These positions may not create big headlines, he noted, but they are the safest and most reliable way to improve public health while keeping costs under control.

Bode also discussed how MAHA can encourage evidence-based policymaking without unfairly targeting specific foods or ingredients. He said the key is following sound procedures, including listening to stakeholders and upholding the “radical transparency pledge” made by Secretary Kennedy. 

Governor Kevin Stitt criticized the recent judgment in State of Oklahoma v. Tyson Foods, Inc., and urged Attorney General Gentner Drummond to request a stay in the case, noting the severe consequences of the chicken litter plan will have for family farms across the state. He denounced the judgment that requires Tyson, Cargill, George’s, Simmons, and Cal-Maine to fund decades of cleanup and comply with strict new limits on how poultry waste can be used.

“These family farmers did everything the right way. They got the permit, followed the rules, and they’re still getting sued,” Governor Kevin Stitt said. “If you can do exactly what the state requires and still end up in court, what are you supposed to do? This isn’t about chicken litter or clean water anymore — that’s what the Legislature is for. Laws should be made in the open, not forced on families through lawsuits.”

Under the judgment, the court adopted Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s deeply misguided proposal that punishes producers. As a result, poultry companies and the farmers who raise birds under contract will be bound to decades of oversight by a court-appointed Special Master. This will fundamentally change how litter is managed and applied.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond accused Governor Kevin Stitt of “completely misrepresenting” a federal court judgment against out-of-state poultry corporations, saying Stitt’s latest comments distort both the facts of the case and Oklahoma’s interests.

“Governor Stitt is completely misrepresenting this case, the court’s judgment, and Oklahoma’s interests,” Drummond said. “The State of Oklahoma has never sued a single farmer, and the court has not entered judgment against any Oklahoma person or Oklahoma company.”

“If anyone has failed Oklahoma, it is Kevin Stitt—who stood idle while the Illinois River Watershed suffered extensive and preventable damage, all to protect corporate interests. Stitt and his hand-picked attorney general, John O’Connor, had 18 months to manage this litigation. Instead, he chose inaction. Only now, after the court has ruled, is he attempting to deflect from his own failure of leadership,” Drummond said.

Final livestock sales for 2025 wrapped up on a strong note across Western Livestock markets, according to Ben Hale. Looking first at the Oklahoma National Stockyards, Hale said receipts totaled about 8,500 head, up from 7,400 a year earlier. While some classes eased slightly, overall demand remained solid.

“The feeders were higher, heifers were higher, steer calves and heifer calves were a little lower,” Hale explained, adding that the declines were modest given recent price strength. “It was such a big jump the week before… it’s still extremely strong.” Hale said momentum carried through the rest of Western Livestock’s markets, including Waurika, Comanche, and Woodward.

Strong demand was fueled in part by favorable weather and buyers wanting to secure cattle ahead of the holiday shutdown. “The weather is good, and I think everybody just wanting to get some inventory, since we’re going to be shut down for those three weeks,” he said. Overall, Hale described the tone simply as “strong, strong markets on all classes.”

In his Monday analysis that is a regular part of the Cow-Calf Corner- OSU Cattle Market Watcher Dr. Derrell Peel says the December Cattle on Feed report showed a feedlot inventory of 11.727 million head, down 2.1 percent year over year and the smallest December feedlot inventory since 2017. Feedlot inventories have declined year over year for 13 consecutive months, leading to a 12-month moving average total the lowest since October 2018. Average feedlot inventories have declined 3.6 percent from the peak in September 2022.  

The rather slow decline in feedlot inventories masks a sharper drop in feedlot placements and marketings. Feedlot placements in November were down 11.2 percent year over year and have decreased 8.6 percent in the last six months. Marketings in November were down 11.8 percent from one year ago and have decreased 7.9 percent in the last six months compared to last year. Figure 2 shows the 12-month moving average annual trends for both placements and marketings. As of November, average of feedlot placements the past year are at the lowest level since April 2016 and average marketings are the lowest since August 2016.

The regional changes are significant. Feedlot inventories in Texas have been smaller than Nebraska the past two months, which has only happened a few times since 1971. Table 1 shows the current on-feed inventories and feedlot placement totals the past six months for the top eight cattle feeding states. Placements have decreased 16.2 percent year over year in Texas compared to 7.2 percent in Nebraska. December feedlot inventories are down 9.4 percent in Texas but actually up 2.7 percent year over year in Nebraska. Colorado, the number four cattle feeding state, has also dropped sharply with the six-month total of placements down 21.8 percent and the on-feed total for December down 14.2 percent compared to last year.    

Senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays features comments with Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Glynn Tonsor of Kansas State about new Meat Demand Monitor data and whether heightened political and economic discussion around beef prices may be influencing consumers.

Looking at November data, Tonsor notes a clear softening in consumers’ willingness to pay for meat across proteins. “There was a decline in demand for this measure, willingness to pay for meat items, and it didn’t matter which protein we’re looking at,” he said, adding that demand weakened both at retail and in food service compared to October. While beef demand was still up year over year, it declined month over month, while pork demand fell both month over month and year over year.

Tonsor points to broader economic stress as a key driver behind the numbers. “We have even fewer people saying our finances have improved compared to a year ago, and I think that is putting some pessimism on their general budget,” he explained, calling it a clear headwind for meat demand in November. He also acknowledged that public discussion about beef prices late in October may have played a role.

Farmers and ranchers interested in signing up for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) have until Jan. 15 to submit initial paperwork.

Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs allow for continuous sign-up, the agency is implementing this national batching period to ensure producers have access to funding and support following the government shutdown. Administered by NRCS, CSP and EQIP provide financial and technical assistance for producers implementing conservation practices while maintaining agricultural production.

“CSP and EQIP are voluntary programs designed to help producers meet their conservation goals while maintaining their bottom lines,” said Andrew Tonnies, policy associate with the Center for Rural Affairs. “The financial support provided through these programs is especially important given the tight profit margins producers are facing.”

U.S. Senator James Lankford and his wife, Cindy, released a Christmas video message this week from the nation’s capital, reflecting on the meaning of the season and extending gratitude to Oklahoma’s service members.

Standing in Washington D.C., the Senator and his wife connected the “glow of Christmas lights” seen across Oklahoma—from Ardmore and Rhema to Guthrie, Yukon, and Chickasha—to the spiritual significance of the holiday. “For followers of Jesus, we remember the words in the Gospel of John when Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness because you will have the light that leads to life,'” Cindy Lankford shared in the message.

Senator Lankford encouraged Oklahomans to use this season as a time to pause and reflect on faith, family, and the nation. The couple also offered a special tribute to the armed forces and first responders working through the holiday. “We’re especially thankful for the almost 200 National Guard members who have volunteered to protect America’s capital away from their families this Christmas,” Senator Lankford noted, also recognizing those serving overseas.

Checking the Markets...

It was a successful day for the live cattle complex as the market not only closed higher thanks to the added support of last Friday's bullish Cattle on Feed report, but the market also saw the positive uptick in boxed beef prices. December live cattle closed $0.32 higher at $230.72, February live cattle closed $0.62 higher at $231.42 and April live cattle closed $1.07 higher at $231.07. 

Boxed beef prices closed higher: choice up $1.24 ($362.87) and select up $4.67 ($350.69) with a movement of 68 loads 

January feeders closed $0.90 higher at $346.50, March feeders closed $1.10 higher at $340.50 and April feeders closed $1.40 higher at $339.00. Mostly sale barns are shut down until after the New Year holiday, when their regular sale schedules will resume. 

Click here for our Markets Page on OklahomaFarmReport.Com- there you will find our latest reports on cattle auctions, boxed beef, cash grains and market analysis.

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