Category: Ag News

U.S. farmers work every day to make the United States a sustainable source of wheat for domestic and overseas use. They assume enormous levels of risk. And, as they are asked to do more with less by their customers and society, farmers lead…

Harvest is approaching for Oklahoma summer crops, and fields are either looking really good or really bad with no middle ground, according to Oklahoma State University Extension crop specialists.

Overall yields for crops, such as corn, soybeans, milo and cotton, are projected to be lower statewide.

“Even the crops that look good probably don’t look as good as they normally do,” said Josh Lofton, OSU Extension specialist for cropping systems. “We always have this heat in July, but this has been a long period to be at over 100 degrees and expect crops to be able to come out of it positively on the back end.”

Corn

For corn fields, Lofton said the biggest problem with the heat wave was pollination.

“Some of the corn in the state tasseled right before this big heat wave, and that corn is probably okay, but some corn tasseled during this heat wave, and that has left us with whole cobs of corn that have very few kernels on them,” he said.

A lot of Oklahoma corn, especially dryland corn outside the Panhandle region, has been repurposed for animal feed.

“Hay and animal feed stocks are low, so it’s good to have something, especially for folks who have cattle. It’s just unfortunate we are having to sacrifice corn crops to get that,” Lofton said. “I know more people not taking corn to yield than previous years. We might have a short harvest season due to the total number of acres being taken for grain being significantly down.”

Milo and Soybeans

The story for milo and soybeans is much the same.

“Crops like soybeans are very indeterminate, so just as easily as it can look bad, we can get a good rainfall and some cooler temperatures, and it can still finish out,” Lofton said.

He cautioned producers on haying out crops too soon but also with waiting too long.

“Don’t pull the trigger on haying out a crop, especially soybeans, before you are sure that most of the bulk yield has been lost because soybeans can still surprise you,” Lofton said. “But in saying that, the inherent risk is you don’t know when it will freeze for the first time.”

If producers wait too long to give their crops the opportunity to mature, they could lose the crops anyway in an early frost.

“We’re behind on soybeans. We should be filling pods vigorously by now, and a majority of people I’ve heard from are saying the pods are set, but the seeds and pods are very small or don’t seem to be growing. That’s a concern,” Lofton said. “Making hay out of soybeans may be more worth it to a grower than risking waiting to see if their soybeans will mature.”

Alfalfa

Alex Rocateli, OSU Extension forage systems specialist, said this is the hottest and driest year he has experienced in his seven years in Oklahoma.

Right now, alfalfa crops are going into dormancy, meaning the plant is not growing anymore and is flowering.

“If you see your alfalfa has been stunted, flowered and has less than 6 inches of growth, do nothing. Just let it be,” Rocateli said. “As soon as the rainfall returns, new growth is going to come from the bottom part of the plant.”

When the new plant’s growth reaches about 10% bloom, producers can consider harvesting.

“On the other hand, some producers started to experience drought when alfalfa was in advanced vegetative growth, meaning it had high plant stands and was close to flowering,” he said. “In these circumstances, I would say let the plant get at least halfway bloomed, preferably 100% bloomed. That way, producers can count on a regrowth.”

Rocateli said it does not make sense for producers to cut a high stand of 6 inches or above because the parts of the plant that will be left in the field are deteriorating, and new leaves are not growing.

“Make sure you have minimal trampling if you opt to graze a drought/dormant alfalfa stand as a last forage resort,” he warned. “Do not graze lower than 6 inches to keep a minimum amount of leaves there for the alfalfa to continue doing minimal photosynthesis to resist the drought.”

Rocateli said the alfalfa growing season is only halfway complete right now, so the drought does not mean producers won’t get any more forage from the crops.

“We just need to hope for more rain and wait for four weeks after rain, and alfalfa could really catch up with growth. You could have at least two cuts this season,” he said.

Learn about the cost of bailing summer crops at SUNUP TV.

Cotton

With lake water not being released to Lugert-Altus irrigation district producers in southwest Oklahoma this summer, yields are likely to be low or fail with typically irrigated and dryland cotton, according to Gary Strickland, Jackson County director and Southwest Research and Extension Center regional agronomist.

Strickland said some cotton on the eastern side of the southwestern region and some under center pivot and drip irrigation systems where water is supplied by a well are faring better and have the potential of making some yields. However, a lot of cotton acreage has burned up in the drought.

“There’s no question that the amount of cotton we produce in this area will be down from previous years,” Strickland said. “There have been pockets where producers have been able to irrigate that may have average harvests, but even with irrigation, temperatures have been so high during the day and evening hours, even irrigated fields have suffered.”

Strickland advised that producers considering planting wheat in a field with a failed cotton crop should take soil samples. He said most of these fields will have nutrients available from the fertilizer applied to the cotton because of the crops’ limited growth. This can help save significantly on the fall wheat crop budget.

“Of course, the other side to that thought is that we still need rain to start planting winter wheat,” Strickland said.

Josh Bushong, northwest Extension agronomy specialist, said with many producers turning failed summer crops into hay, they need to test the hay’s nitrate levels. Producers can work with their OSU Extension county offices to have hay samples tested through the Soil, Water and Forage Analytical Laboratory.

OSU Extension uses research-based information to help all Oklahomans solve local issues and concerns, promote leadership and manage resources wisely throughout the state’s 77 counties. Most information is available at little to no cost.

Early voting for the August 23 Runoff Primary begins today for voters in all seventy-seven (77) counties.

Early voting is available Thursday, August 18 and Friday, August 19 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early voting will also be available Saturday, August 20, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. No excuse is needed to vote early.

Voters are reminded that Oklahoma is a closed primary state. In order to vote in a party’s primary or runoff primary election, you must be a registered member of that party. However, state law allows all recognized parties to open its primaries and runoff primaries to Independent voters by notifying the Secretary of the State Election Board. For the 2022-2023 election years, only the Democratic Party has opened its primaries and runoff primaries to Independent voters. Independents may request a Democratic Party ballot at their voting location.

The Republican Party has chosen to keep its primaries and runoff primaries closed. No Libertarian primaries were held this year.

It is important to remember, that voters without a runoff primary election are still eligible to participate in all non-partisan elections on the ballot.

Sample ballots are available in the OK Voter Portal. The election list and list of early voting locations are available on the State Election Board website. Voters must vote in the county where they are registered to vote.

Voters with questions should contact their County Election Board or the State Election Board at (405) 521-2391. Information can also be found on the State Election Board website.

The Walmart Foundation announced it has provided a $2,000,000, three-year grant to the Soil Health Institute’s (SHI) U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF) to scale activities of the project and expand the initiative to Alabama and Sou…

Today’s report does not reflect some of the rains the state has received this week- those will show up in next week’s report.

According to the latest drought monitor report, in Oklahoma, exceptional drought is now at 3.5 percent, up from last week’s .67 percent.

Extreme drought or worse has increased to 59 percent, up from last week’s 48.8 percent.

Severe drought or worse has decreased about 2 percentage points from last week and is now at 90.6 percent. (Last week as at 92.4 percent)

Moderate drought or worse is the same as last week at 99.3 percent.

Abnormally dry or worse has held steady for a few weeks now at 100 percent.

The 6-10-day precipitation outlook map shows the majority of the state is leaning above a 40-50 percent chance of precipitation, with the eastern part of the state a little higher, leaning above a 50-60 percent chance.

Oklahoma is forecast to receive 3-5 inches of precipitation over the next week. For September, the Oklahoma Mesonet predicts increased odds of above-normal temperatures across western Oklahoma, but the rest of the state is variable.

To view the Oklahoma drought map, click here.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Report, precipitation again varied widely across the Lower 48 this week, which is not unusual during the summer. Across the interior West, monsoon rains were not as intense as last week, but remained heavier than normal. Several times the normal amount soaked most areas in the western half of the Four Corners Region, much of Nevada, southeastern California, reaching as far north as southeastern Oregon and Wyoming. Other areas receiving widespread heavy rains (and thus some improvement from recent dryness) included Deep South Texas and northwestern Nebraska. Parts of Deep South Texas recorded over 10 inches of rain, and 2 to 3 inches were common across northwestern Nebraska. Elsewhere, relatively narrow swaths of moderate to heavy rain dampened parts of the middle Mississippi Valley, Upper Midwest, and Great Lakes Region. Meanwhile, a broken pattern of moderate to heavy rain covered roughly the southeastern quarter of the contiguous 48 states. The higher amounts were in the 2 to 3 inch range though some small, highly-isolated areas recorded a bit more. In contrast, light precipitation at best fell on the Northeast, which teamed with abnormally high temperatures to induce significant and widespread intensification. Other areas observing light rain at best included part of the Upper Midwest, the north-central and south-central Plains. Conditions were seasonably dry along the West Coast.

In the Southern Plains, last week’s precipitation – though variable – followed the same general pattern as the precious week. Heavy rains drenched much of the eastern reaches of the Region while lesser amounts and localized deterioration were noted farther west. On significant exception was Deep South Texas, where heavy to intense rainfall brought significant improvement to areas of abnormal dryness and drought. Amounts exceeding 2 inches were widespread south of a line from Webb and LaSalle Counties eastward through San Patricio County, and amounts of 5 to locally over 10 inches drenched areas north of the Mexican border counties. This prompted nearly universal 1-category improvements on the Drought Monitor, with small areas of 2-category improvement where rainfall was heaviest. Extreme drought (D2) or worse are now confined to areas north and west of Duvall County. Elsewhere, increasing rainfall brought additional improvement to the Lower Mississippi Valley and Tennessee, but amounts were generally below-normal from central Texas northward through Oklahoma. Enough rain fell on central and northern Texas to keep areas of deterioration small, but little rain fell from the Red River (South) into northern Oklahoma, where larger areas of intensification were observed. Broad areas of exceptional drought (D4) still cover much of a large area from the southern Texas Panhandle southeastward toward the Gulf Coast. Over the last half-year, rainfall deficits of 8 inches to locally over a foot have affected areas of central Texas near and south of Dallas/Fr. Worth to the Gulf Coast.

In the High Plains, light rainfall at best fell on Kansas and farther north across the Dakotas. In contrast, heavy precipitation augmented by intrusions of monsoonal moisture covered large areas from Colorado and Wyoming eastward into western Nebraska. Dryness and drought eased in these areas, with improvement most widespread across the southern half of Wyoming and in the Colorado High Plains. Precipitation in these areas generally exceeded an inch, with 2 to 4 inches falling on several areas from southeastern Wyoming into northwestern Nebraska. Outside of the band of heavy precipitation that brought some improvement to Nebraska and adjacent areas, little or no rain fell on central and southern Kansas, and across most of the Dakotas, with South Dakota recording less rainfall than areas to the north. As a result, dryness persisted or intensified in these areas. Most of the Dakotas and the eastern tier of the Region measured near or below half of normal for the last 3o days, with several patches across the central Dakotas and southeastern Kansas receiving 25 percent of normal or less. In sharp contrast, most areas from central Wyoming through eastern Colorado and western Nebraska reported 150 to locally over 300 percent of normal since mid-July.

In the West, ample rains from the North American Monsoon continued through mid-August. Seven-day totals of 1 to 3 inches – with isolated higher amounts – fell across southwestern New Mexico and Arizona northward through much of the central and eastern Great Basin, and the western half of Utah. As a result, several large areas of improvement were noted this week, with the heaviest rains and most widespread improvement covering Arizona. After an extended period of serious drought, the heavy rains have prompted broadscale improvement in monsoon-affected areas. Two-category improvements over the past 4 weeks have occurred in areas recording the heaviest rainfall. Meanwhile, drought and dryness have been changing in the opposite direction across the northern tier. Most notably, abnormal dryness and moderate drought have been expanding across central and western Montana due to deficient precipitation and well above normal temperatures, while intensification has been slower and covers smaller areas in Idaho and Washington. Most of the Pacific Coast states have been dry and periodically hot as well, but this is their dry season, so totals are not far removed from normal.

To view the contiguous U.S. drought map, click here.

Looking ahead, the next five days could see heavy rainfall and improvement across a large part of northern Texas and southern Oklahoma eastward along the Arkansas/Louisiana border. Amounts of 2 to 3 inches are expected to be widespread here, with small areas south of the Texas Panhandle and in southeastern Oklahoma expecting over 4 inches of rain. Farther west, the robust monsoon looks to continue unabated. Between 2 and 4 inches are expected over southern sections of the Four Corners Region. But monsoon moisture is not expected to bring tropical moisture and heavy rainfall north of the central Rockies. Farther east, the rest of the southern tier of states are expected to get near or above an inch of rain, with bands of heavier rainfall expected in the Carolinas, southeastern Georgia and the central Gulf Coast. Much of the Upper Midwest and northern Ohio Valley should get several tenths to nearly 2 inches of rain, although the highest totals should be highly isolated. In stark contrast, little or no rain is expected over the contiguous states to the north and west of Kansas.

To view the 6-10-day precipitation outlook map, click here.
To view the 6-10-day temperature outlook map, click here.
To view the monthly drought outlook map, click here.

Collaboration is the key to success and dairy organizations have been collaborating for years to move the dairy industry forward. Dairy MAX recently hosted evaluators with the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program at AT&T Stadium for insight into Dairy MAX’s nutrition partnership with the Dallas Cowboys and the school nutrition program, Fuel Up to Play 60.

With more consumers growing concerned about where their food comes from and its safety, the National Dairy FARM Program works to actively earn the trust of everyone who makes dairy a part of their diet. By setting high standards for animal care, workplace settings, and environmental and antibiotic stewardship, FARM helps ensure the entire industry’s success by demonstrating that U.S. dairy farmers are committed to producing the highest quality milk. Created in 2009, the program focuses on five key areas – animal care, environmental stewardship, antibiotic stewardship, workforce development, and biosecurity. Through the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, the dairy community has aligned behind FARM as the industry-wide social responsibility program. Open to all farms, milk processors and cooperatives, program evaluators are trained and certified to conduct evaluations on behalf of FARM participants.

The annual FARM Evaluator Conference brings evaluators together for animal care and industry updates, consumer concerns, and more. Mary Dickson, RDN, LD, Dairy MAX school marketing territory manager, spoke to the group on the importance of reaching youth and educators with evidence-based nutrition science while increasing trust in dairy beyond the school building. One program area of work highlighted included the partnership between the Dallas Cowboys and Dairy MAX through Fuel up to Play 60.

Launched by the NFL, National Dairy Council and America’s dairy farmers, Fuel up to Play 60 has been helping kids lead healthier lives for over a decade. The program focuses on empowering students to lead their schools in fueling up with nutrient-rich foods, including dairy, and actively playing at least 60 minutes every day. Dairy MAX is the official nutrition partner of the Dallas Cowboys. The partnership provides Dallas Cowboys star-power to get students excited about healthy living.

“The power of many is why collaboration is key to dairy’s success,” said Marty McKinzie, Dairy MAX chief growth officer. ‘Dairy MAX is committed to bridging the gap by building understanding around dairy as a healthy, beneficial, everyday food choice; connecting the role of the dairy farmer and industry to American tables.”

Through continued collaboration with partners like the National Dairy FARM Program, consumers can rest assured that dairy farmers across the nation are taking great care of their animals and the planet while producing their favorite dairy foods and beverages. These industry partnerships also raise awareness of programs, like Fuel Up to Play 60, that are giving school kids the tools they need to “fuel” their growing minds and bodies.

“While touring AT&T Stadium, I witnessed firsthand the invaluable relationship Dairy MAX has built with their partner organization, the Dallas Cowboys,” said Ray Egan, Southeast Milk, INC. director of member services and sustainability. “This partnership with an internationally-recognized brand grants instant credibility with the children the Fuel Up to Play 60 program focuses on – a program stressing the importance of health and wellness and how milk and dairy foods help achieve those goals. I can’t thank Dairy MAX and the FARM program team enough for providing this truly unique experience to our group and their continued support of our nation’s dairy farm families.”

For more information about Dairy MAX visit DairyMax.org.

Click here to listen to audio

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, visited with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Senior Director of International Trade and Market Access, Kent Bacus, giving an inter…

Oklahoma Second District Congressman Markwayne Mullin has written the following Op-Ed looking at protecting American farmland from foreign interests. The op-ed was posted on Thursday, August 18 in the McCarville Report.

Agriculture is …

Persistent drought continues to hammer farmers and ranchers in Western, Central and Southern Plains states, with far-reaching implications for not only farmers’ and ranchers’ bottom lines, but also food availability and affordab…

OKC West – El Reno, OK
Wed Aug 17, 2022

AUCTION
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