Noble Foundation Signs on to Assist Prescribed Burn Association to Control Invasive Species 

There was a special signing ceremony to further prescribed burning in the state of Oklahoma at this year's Conservation Day Celebration on Monday. Bill Buckner, president and chief executive officer of the Noble Foundation, spoke with me and said that the foundation has agreed to work with the Oklahoma Prescribed Burn Association to try to get infrastructure in place to take prescribed burning to the next level.

"The mission of the Noble Foundation is to enhance agriculture through proper land stewardship and we see prescribed fire as one of those elements that should be in every farmer and rancher's tool box to preserve our natural landscape."

I also spoke with John Weir, president of the Oklahoma Prescribed Burn Association. He is a research associate within the Natural Resources Division of the Oklahoma State University Division of Agriculture. Weir described the association and said it is very important for the state to have this organization.

"A prescribed burn association, if you don't know what it is for sure, is where a group of land owners in an area or community get together, pool their resources, pool their labor and equipment and help each other burn their lands. Because, as people have seen, fire is one of the most economical and beneficial practices that we can do on the landscape to, number one, control Eastern Red Cedar, number two promote our native plants and wildlife species that we have in the state. They've all been adapted around fire over the centuries and we've taken that out of the mix."

You can read more about the plans of the OPBA or listen to the interviews with Bill Buckner and John Weir by clicking here.   

The Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts praised the partnership agreement.  Click here to read more on their reaction to the two year partnership.

Crop Conditions Lag as Drought Fights to Hang On 

The weekly USDA Crop Condition and Progress report shows Oklahoma ended the month with only half of the normal precipitation for the state.  Wheat jointing was halfway completed by Sunday, 15 points behind the five year average.  Overall, wheat condition was reported as 10 percent very poor, 23 percent poor, 40 percent fair, 25 percent good, and only two percent excellent.

Canola continued to be rated mostly fair to poor.  Only eight percent of the crop was blooming this week compared with 84 percent last year.  (You can read the full Oklahoma report by clicking here.)

Conditions of pasture and range improved slightly, but continued to be rated mostly poor to very poor.

Winter wheat was mostly fair to poor in Texas as soil moisture continued to be short across most of the state. Thirty-five percent of the state's wheat crop was listed in fair condition, 34 percent was in poor shape, 15 percent was very poor, and one percent was rated excellent.  (Click here to read more on Texas crop conditions.

For the first Crop Progress Report of the season from USDA, please click here.

Days and Days of Rain Challenge the Drought- the Latest Graphics

Significant rainfall is headed for Oklahoma, based on the five day precipitation map released by the National Weather Service. If the rainfall model holds- a lot of Oklahoma can expect one to two inches of rain- including the western half of the state that was largely missed over this past weekend.

Click here to go to our web page and see the graphic that plots the rainfall between now and this coming Saturday- and it could be just what the doctor ordered for both winter wheat and winter canola- as well as for permanent pasture and rangeland. The rainfall of this past weekend was greatest in eastern Oklahoma, although it was a spotty precipitation delivery model, with some Mesonet stations getting tenths of an inch while the next Mesonet location a few miles away scored well over an inch of rain.

A good example of that was seen in Central Oklahoma- Guthrie recorded 1.54 inches of rain over this past weekend- while just a few miles away at Lake Carl Blackwell- the rain gauge showed just .07 inches of rainfall. That map is also available on our web site.

As of 5:30 AM  this morning- rain is moving across parts of the state- heaviest amounts in the last six hours or so has been in the Chickasha and Ninnekah areas- with both of those Mesonet stations reporting just over a half inch of rain. 

Deteriorating Drought Conditions Threaten as Critical Forage Period Approaches

Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, writes in the latest Cow-Calf Newsletter:

Drought conditions across Oklahoma are significantly improved compared to three months ago. At the end of 2012, all of Oklahoma was in D2-D4 drought with 37 percent of the state in the D4 (Exceptional) drought category and 95 percent of the state in the D3 andD4 categories. The most recent Drought Monitor shows that all of Oklahoma is still in D1-D4 drought but less than 10 percent of the state is in D4 and 53 percent in the D3 and D4 categories. However, the improvement may be temporary.

Cool weather has slowed forage development this year compared to last year but things are greening up nevertheless. Most of Oklahoma has received moisture in the last few weeks that ensures that some green up will happen. However, most of the moisture came more than a month ago and moisture totals across much of Oklahoma have been well below normal for the last 30 days. Some areas of the eastern part of the state continue to receive moisture and drought conditions continue to moderate. There has been some recharge of stock ponds in parts of the southeastern region of the state. However, the driest regions across the north and western parts of the state have received little moisture in the last two weeks. Drought conditions will worsen again very soon without additional rain.

Click here for more of Derrell Peel's analysis.   

 

CRP General Sign-up Offers Conservation Opportunities

Beginning on May 20, the US Department of Agriculture will hold a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up. According to PLJV Conservation Policy Director Barth Crouch, this is a good opportunity to enroll expiring or new acres of marginal, highly erodible land into the Conservation Reserve; however, like all opportunities, the details are important. The program currently has around 27 million acres enrolled with 3.3 million acres due to expire on October 1 of this year. This means there is the opportunity for approximately 7 million acres of highly erodible cropland to be protected during this sign-up.

"With droughts plaguing the western Great Plains, this gives landowners a chance to decide which of their acres are best suited for farming and conserve the acres least suited for agricultural production," says Crouch. "When that land is enrolled and converted to a grass and forb cover, it will provide homes for grassland birds for the next ten years, and hopefully beyond."

You can read more of this story on our website by clicking here.

 

Farm Bureau Praises Governor Fallin for Signing Horse Legislation

The state's largest farm organization wants Gov. Mary Fallin to know they appreciate her strength and courage in signing HB 1999 into law. Oklahoma Farm Bureau, along with other agricultural organizations, has supported the legislation throughout the legislative session.

"Oklahoma Farm Bureau would like to thank Gov. Fallin for listening to the people of Oklahoma and farmers and ranchers across the state on this issue," said Mike Spradling, Oklahoma Farm Bureau president. "We sincerely appreciate Gov. Fallin for standing with and supporting the agricultural industry in Oklahoma. With the signing of this bill, there will now be a solution to the challenge of unwanted, abandoned and neglected horses in Oklahoma."

Gov. Fallin announced the signing of HB 1999 through a press release and released a statement on the issue of horse abandonment and neglect. 

Click here for more.

 

Answer Plot Events Set for Today and Tomorrow 

The Croplan folks remind us that their April Canola and Wheat Answer Plot Knowledge Events will be held THIS MORNING in Apache and tomorrow morning (April 3) in Kingfisher. Both events start at 9:30 a.m. The Apache plot is located one mile north of the Apache Livestock Sale Barn on the west side of N2590 Road, and the Kingfisher plot is on the north side of the fairgrounds.

Canola and Wheat Answer Plot Knowledge Events are full agronomic tours in a four-acre outdoor classroom that allow for hands-on learning opportunities with the newest genetics and best agronomic practices, demonstrating the best available options for maximizing yield potential in the area.


At the events, experts in agronomy will be available to meet with you to answer questions about the technology on display, as well as address your unique field challenges.

For last minute directions or more information about Croplan- please contact John Stotts at 405-826-8603 or Justin Stejskal at 405-747-4415.