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Wednesday through Saturday of this past week were generally excellent days for harvest in many locations across the wheat belt in our state- by Friday afternoon, we saw a lot of combines rolling as we traveled home from the Lahoma Wheat Field Day at the OSU North Central Research Station which is due west of Enid on the Garfield-Major County line.  

We'll have some percentages to chew on later today when the latest Crop Weather Update is released by NASS at the USDA.  By late Saturday afternoon- we started getting some rainshowers in northwestern Oklahoma down as far south as the Elk City area- those moved east and based on Mesonet data- we see the heaviest amounts of rainfall in Grady and Caddo Counties, with a lot of locations south of I-40 ending up with more than an inch of rainfall.  

It appears only limited amounts of rainfall have hit Garfield, Noble and Kay Counties- which means that wheat and canola harvest may resume in those areas with little delay.  Other areas that have had more rainfall may be out til close to midweek.  By Tuesday, the forecast for much of Oklahoma is for sunshine, windy conditions and mid to upper 80s- and even some 90s in southern counties.

We got some pictures from the Lahoma Wheat Field Day- as well as a custom cutting crew with three combines rolling a little south of Waukomis on the west side of US 81.  You can take a look at these pictures by clicking here for our Flickr set for Wheat Harvest 2012.  These pictures are a part of our ongoing WheatWatch 2012 which is a service of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, working hard for the Oklahoma wheat producer.    

CanolaTV- A Harvest Visit with Josh Bushong  

The 2012 Winter Canola harvest is well underway- and Josh Bushong, OSU Extension Canola Specialist, joins yours truly in the latest episode of Canola TV. Bushong discusses the various ways that farmers are approaching the harvest process, saying that probably the most common method being used this season is swathing. 

Bushong says that harvest has literally been going from southwest Oklahoma near the Red River all the way north to the Oklahoma-Kansas border- and early yields have been very acceptable to producers. He believes most fields have come in around 30 bushels per acre- or 1500 pounds per acre. Higher yields, closer to 2000 pounds per acre (or 40 bushels per acre), have also been reported- while some farmers have only combined 1000 to 1250 pounds per acre. Those lower yields are still making producers money, given the $12.50 to $13.00 per bushel price for canola this season.

Click here for the latest CanolaTV segment- as found on our website- you can also find the link there for the YouTube Channel where you will find all of our CanolaTV segments dating back over this past year. Remember- CanolaTV is a service of the folks at PCOM, Producers Cooperative Oil Mill. 

AND- we added some pictures to our Winter Canola 2012 photo set as found on Flickr- these latest shots are of some canola that has been swathed, is really dried down to a dull gray color and is to ready for the combine to roll- click here and scroll down to the bottom of the total photo set to see these latest pictures as we near the end of the canola cropping cycle.  

Oklahoma Makes Conservation Progress, Removes 11 Streams From EPA 'Impaired' List

Oklahoma has made a lot of progress in the last year with water quality issues. So much so that several streams that have long had issues with sedimentation, excessive nutrient levels and bacterial contamination are being removed from the EPA's list of impaired streams.

Clay Pope, executive director of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, says the success is due to the hard work of farmers and ranchers working in concert with their local conservationists. He recently spoke with Ron Hays about the progress of conservation efforts in the Sooner state which, in many ways, are leading the nation.

"What we've been able to do in Oklahoma this last year is take over 11 of those streams off of that list. That makes over 30 streams we've been able to take off in Oklahoma, which is one of the best records in the United States."

We talked with Clay at the end of this past week- and we have both our audio visit with him- as well as our Int he Field video that you can see by clicking here. 

U.S. Cattle On Feed Report Bullish- On Feed Numbers Fall Below Year Ago Levels for First Time in Almost Two Years

The latest USDA Cattle on Feed report was released Friday afternoon showing the on feed number at 99 percent of year ago levels. This is the first time the on feed number has been lower than year ago levels in 23 straight reports. The placement number came in at 85 percent o year ago levels, the smallest placement since June of 2009 and the third smallest April placement in the last 17 years. For the Monday morning Cattle Futures trade at the CME, the report is being called friendly to bullish. 

Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.1 million head on May 1, 2012. The inventory was 1 percent below May 1, 2011.

Placements in feedlots during April totaled 1.52 million, 15 percent below 2011. Net placements were 1.44 million head. During April, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 355,000, 600-699 pounds were 250,000, 700-799 pounds were 380,000, and 800 pounds and greater were 536,000.  

Take a few moments and listen to Tom Leffler's comments in our report linked below- he believes that this report is just the latest indicator that as the supply of cattle available for our feedlots tighten- wholesale beef and cattle prices are responding.  Leffler talked to our own Ed Richards shortly after the report was released.  

Prices for Feedlot Cattle were $3 to $3.50 higher on Friday afternoon, according to the Texas Cattle Feeders Association- the range at the top was from $123.00 to $123.50.  

 Click here for the latest Beef Buzz- featuring a look at the latest Cattle on Feed numbers with Tom Leffler of Leffler Commodities.  

Kim Anderson of OSU--Sell Wheat Into This Rally

We've witnessed a rally in wheat on the Kansas City and Chicago Boards of Trade this week. It was unexpected as harvest is now underway on the Southern Plains. The price has gained 90 cents in the last four days.

We spoke with Dr. Kim Anderson, a grain marketing specialist with Oklahoma State University, at the Lahoma Wheat Field Day about the significance of the rally.

"I think the significance of the rally is looking at that down trend that started late last winter and has gone on all throughout the spring. If this price holds today, then we will have broken that down trend." 

Anderson says producers would do well to sell some of their crop into this rally.

"You just don't know what is going to happen in this market. There is a lot of uncertainty. The market is giving you almost a dollar more than it was going to pay you early Monday morning. I think it's a wise move to sell into that."

You can hear our full conversation as well has read more by clicking here.

Shrunken and Broken Proposal a 'Very Bad Deal for the Oklahoma Wheat Farmer'

The Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration has proposed that the grade limit on shrunken and broken kernels for U.S. No. 1 wheat be reduced from three percent to two percent. Under the same proposal, the grade limit for U.S. No. 2 wheat would be reduced from five percent to four percent.

In a letter to Oklahoma's secretary of agriculture and to Oklahoma agriculture organizations, Joe Neal Hampton, president of the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association, argues that if this proposal is adopted it will severely damage the marketability of Oklahoma-originated grain.

"Based on some analysis that I've done on rail cars shipped from various points over the last five years, it's going to make a huge impact on Oklahoma wheat farmers and grain industry."

Hampton said from 50 to 80 percent of the wheat shipped from Oklahoma would be dropped from No. 1 grade to No. 2 grade if this proposal goes into effect.

Click here for more on this story including an interview with Hampton and the full text of his letter. 

Registration Open For May 31 OSU Specialty Crops Workshop

Agricultural producers interested in possibly taking advantage of crops that can be grown commercially but do not require hundreds of acres should register now to attend the May 31 Oklahoma State University Specialty Crops Workshop at Lane.

"There are a number of crops well-suited to small-scale commercial production in Oklahoma and the region," said Jim Shrefler, OSU Cooperative Extension area horticulture specialist. "To be effective, though, a grower needs to be knowledgeable. The workshop is sort of one-stop shopping, tackling the necessary topics to get a grower up and running."

The Thursday 9 a.m. to mid-afternoon workshop will take place at OSU's Wes Watkins Agricultural Research and Extension Center, located 10 miles east of Atoka of Highway 3.

There is no cost to attend but participants are asked to pre-register by contacting Shrefler at 580-513-5544 or Jennifer Jensen, OSU Cooperative Extension risk management education assistant, at 605-210-0191. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

You'll find more information about this program by clicking here.