Recent Rains Prove to be a Blessing for Lagging Wheat and Canola in Southern Oklahoma 

Farmers in southern Oklahoma are assessing their wheat and canola crops as the weather fluctuates between winter and spring. Jimmy Kinder, a farmer from Walters, spoke with me about the progress of his crops at the recent Croplan Answer Plot Education Event in Apache. He said it appears the wheat in his area is a couple of weeks behind where it was at this time last year. But, he said, that's not all bad. 

"It may be a blessing in disguise as we're getting some rain right now and I'm just glad the crop is a little bit behind where it was last year developmentally, so maybe this rain will be able to help us develop a better crop."

Kinder said a couple of nights of freezing temperatures in the last week did affect his crop, with heads freezing in the boot.

"It's probably almost ten percent of that field that was affected that way. Yield-wise, the drought is the big yield drag in that field. So, I think we definitely got hurt, but the drought is going to be the major issue for the day."

With rain falling in Apache during the Answer Plot Event, Kinder said with continued moisture his crops might be average to slightly above in some fields.

You can listen to my full conversation with Jimmy about crop conditions near Walters by clicking here.  

Proposed COOL Regulation Still Concerns and Confuses Producers and Consumers 

In response to the determination by the World Trade Organization that U.S. Country of Origin Labeling requirements didn't meet WTO standards for according imported products no less favorable treatment than domestic products, the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service issued a proposed rule to rectify the situation.

Daryll E. Ray of the University of Tennessee has written about what the proposed rule means to producers.  The rule requires that "all origin designations for muscle cut covered commodities slaughtered in the United States specify the production steps of birth, raising, and slaughter of the animal from which the meat is derived that took place in each country listed on the origin designation. The requirement to include this information will apply equally to all muscle cut covered commodities derived from animals slaughtered in the United States. This requirement will provide consumers with more specific information on which to base their purchasing decisions without imposing additional record keeping requirements on [the] industry."  (You can read more from Darryl Ray by clicking here.)

Recent Corn Stocks Report has Big Impact on Cattle Prices, Derrell Peel Says

The feeder cattle market has had its ups and downs recently and Oklahoma State University Livestock Marketing Economist Derrell Peel says a price fall off about a month ago still has economists scratching their heads.

"Feeder cattle prices, particularly at the heavier weight cattle, the feedlot placement kind of cattle, over the last six to eight weeks have dropped significantly. It wasn't something that, at least, I expected to see. And I think it's become apparent recently that feedlots were sort of sitting on the sidelines because their margins had been so poor and they certainly couldn't afford what they were having to pay for feeder cattle. They found a way, largely in anticipation of waiting to see what this next corn crop was going to look like. They've been kind of sitting on the sidelines and letting those feeder cattle prices weaken.

"I think this last report with the bigger stocks in it, the grain stocks higher, and the reaction of the grain markets to fall in response to that may be the trigger, sort of, for the feedlots to get back in the game, if you will. I really sort of expect to see these feeder cattle markets recoup quite a bit of the weakness that has been there for the last several weeks as we go forward from here."

Derrell joins me for the latest Beef Buzz.  You can listen or read more by clicking here. 

Adapting to a Changing Climate: 25x'25 Alliance Offers Recommendations to U.S. Agriculture, Forestry

A report issued today by the 25x'25 Alliance offers recommendations that will enable the U.S. agriculture and forestry sectors to meet the challenges posed by increasingly variable and unpredictable weather.

"Agriculture and Forestry in a Changing Climate: Adaptation Recommendations" was compiled by the 25x'25 Adaptation Work Group, a collaboration of agriculture, forestry, business, academic, conservation and government leaders who have spent more than 18 months exploring the impacts of a changing climate and other variables on U.S. agriculture and forestry. Their work has focused on production systems, risk management, ecosystem services and communications.

The report notes that the impacts of changing weather patterns vary by region, but include higher temperatures; changing precipitation patterns; news threats from weeds, pests and diseases; increased humidity and stronger storms. However, the work group asserts that there are many options available to address this uncertainty while achieving their four overlapping goals of productivity, profitability, stewardship and self-determination.

Click here to read more.  

Oklahoma Sorghum Commission Seeks Applicants for Board Position

The Oklahoma Sorghum Commission is holding an election to consider applications for the District 4 board of director position.

Anyone who is at least 25 years of age, is a resident of Oklahoma, has been actually engaged in the production of sorghum in the state for a period of at least five years and derives a substantial portion of their income from the production of sorghum is eligible to serve on the Commission. The nominee must also reside and farm in the district for which he or she is seeking election.

Voters in District 4 will elect one director to serve a five-year term. District 4 consists of Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Garfield, Grant, Kay, Lincoln, Logan, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Noble, Nowata, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Rogers, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner, and Washington Counties. 

You can read more on how to make a nomination to the board on our website by clicking here.

 

Taking a Closer Look at Alternative Weaning Dates for Fall-Calving Cows

Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist, writes in the latest edition of the Cow-Calf Newsletter:

Oklahoma State University animal scientists evaluated weaning dates of 158 Angus fall-calving cows over a 4 year period. Cows were allowed to nurse their calves for about 210 days (April Weaning) or 300 days (July-Wean). All cows calved in September or October and were weaned in mid-April (April-Wean) or mid-July (July-Wean). April-weaned young cows had greater re-breeding percentages (98.4% versus 89.3%) than July-weaned young cows. Young cows were defined as the two and three year old cows.   

However, there was no advantage in the re-breeding performance of April-weaned mature cows compared to July-weaned mature cows (90.2% versus 96.7%).    Mature cows were defined as cows that were 4 years of age and older. April-weaned cows were heavier and fleshier at calving than July-weaned cows. 

Click here to read more.
 

This N That- Drought Busting Rains for Some Folks Across the State and Superior Livestock Ready for Friday Sale

Rainfall totals continue to pile up across the middle of Oklahoma, with some light snow showing on radar in west of I-35 and rain persisting in east central Oklahoma as of early Thursday morning. The snapshot of rainfall as of 4:45 AM Thursday morning shows Clayton and Talihina both hitting five inches of rainfall this week- and another two Oklahoma Mesonet stations in central Oklahoma exceeding four inches of rain since Sunday morning through Thursday AM- and another twelve locations topping three inches of rain- with several of those in central Oklahoma.


The heaviest band of rainfall has set up from Bessie (along the Custer- Washita County line in western Oklahoma) where they have recorded almost two inches of rain this week and extends east to the Arkansas state line- following along just south of Interstate 40 for the heaviest of the rainfall totals.


The Oklahoma Panhandle and the western most counties in the state have had less rainfall in this stretched out event- but every Mesonet station in the state has recorded at least a fews hundreths of an inch of rain- the dubious honor of the least rainfall in this period rests with Beaver- they have recorded a paltry 4 hundreths of an inch of rain.

Click here to check out the Thursday morning snapshot and the link to the Mesonet Four Day realtime rainfall map.

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Friday morning- you may want to head over to RFD-TV to check out the latest Superior Video Livestock Auction- it begins at 8:00 AM- Superior Sunrise starts thirty minutes before that at 7:30 AM central- the offering of cattle that you can watch sell and bid on totals over 30,000 head- including 13,100 yearling steers, 4,800 yearling heifers, 9,500 weaned calves, 1,400 calves on cows, 800 bred heifers, bred cows and cow-calf pairs.

Click here for the Superior Livestock auction webpage for full details about the Friday April 5th sale.