As part of National FFA Week, the National FFA Foundation is celebrating today, "Give FFA Day," a day-long campaign encouraging the public to support various needs impacting FFA members.

Financial gifts donated by supporters of the FFA Organization today, will go to fund teacher resources, agricultural education programs, leadership workshops, individual student scholarships and official Blue Jackets that will encourage members to learn, compete, celebrate and grow through agricultural education.

In fact, for each dollar you give to the FFA, a generous donor has agreed to match. Essentially, your contribution will be automatically doubled when you give today. Remember, your contribution impacts the success of student members at the local, state, and national levels.

To find out how you can make a difference through your generosity to an organization that I know has positively impacted many of you that read this daily newsletter, click here and be sure to share your FFA story this week on social media, using #FFAWeek. For each shout out using that hashtag, a generous donor will donate $5.

First Hollow Stem has arrived in the state of Oklahoma in at least some fields- OSU Wheat Specialist David Marburger blogged in recent days that he found several varieties in the Stillwater plots at First Hollow Stem- click here for his post on the Stillwater findings and click here for his findings in Chickasha as well- which was not quite as far along.

If you find your crop has reached this growth stage, you need to move your cattle off your wheat pasture as soon as possible.


Grazing prior to first hollow stem, typically has a limited effect on wheat yields but extended grazing beyond that stage can greatly reduce yields up to 1 to 5 percent per day, according to OSU Small Grains Specialist Dr. David Marburger.


FHS occurs when wheat stems begin to elongate and the stem above the roots and below the developing head becomes hollow. Typically, this occurs when the hollow stem portion of the plant is 5/8 inch long.


To check for FHS, go to a non-grazed area of the pasture and pull four to five plants. Plants must be dug up because much of the hollow stem present will be below the soil surface.


Good places to find suitable plants are the corners of a pasture or non-grazed areas just outside the fence line. Select the largest tillers on the plants. Split the stems open lengthwise starting at the base.


"A sharp razor or box cutter will make the job easier," Marburger said. "If there is 5/8 inch of hollow stem below the developing wheat head, it's time to pull cattle off the wheat pasture. If you don't have a ruler, a dime is a good measuring device for first hollow stem as the coin is about 5/8 inch diameter."

Click here to continue reading this story for more tips on identifying FHS.

Age, quality, weight, stage of gestation, hide color, time of year and location - all specific traits factoring into the value of your bred cattle, so writes Dr. Derrell Peel in this week's Cow/Calf Corner Newsletter, citing 15 years of auction data in Oklahoma.

Overall quality though has some of the greatest impact on total price for bred cows, contends Dr. Peel. 

"Cow quality has a significant impact on bred cow value with high quality cows bringing about 14 percent higher value compared to average quality while low quality cows bring about 15 percent lower than an average quality cow."

The market has even developed some biases that producers may consider using to their advantage.

"The auction data does not report breeds but does distinguish black colored animals from all others. A black-hided cow brings an average premium of nearly seven percent or $70/head more in the current market. In Oklahoma, bred cow values peak in March and are seasonally lowest in October, with generally low values from June through October. At current market levels, the seasonal swing in bred cow value would be about $140/head from the March peak to the October low."

Concluding his analysis, reading between the lines a bit, Dr. Peel says the research suggests cattle markets, at least in this segment, are holding up fairly well.

"The research model appears to be capturing current average bred cow values reasonably accurately. However, demand for high quality cows appears to be stronger than usual with current values for high quality cows in Oklahoma reported at roughly $1550/head or $200-$250 per head higher than the research model would predict. This is likely another indication that herd expansion is still going strong."

Get Dr. Peel's full analysis of this market research, by clicking or tapping here.

As I'm sure many of you are aware, the Express Ranches Spring Bull Sale is coming up soon. And when it comes to dealing with the quality seedstock this operation has to offer, you can't really go wrong buying any bull that takes the auction block. Nonetheless, whether you're buying from Express or your neighbor down the road, you want to find the bull that fits you and your operation first and foremost. I met up with Jarold Callahan, CEO and president of Express Ranches, recently to find out what his strategy is for selecting the right bull.


"I think first off, you have got to use a common-sense approach to the cattle business," Callahan said. "You have to let the cattle and the environment kind of talk to you and tell you what you need to be doing."


And while he contends there are just some things data can't tell you, the Express operation is nevertheless built and driven in large part by data collection.


"Each and every year, we get more and more data. We try using that data as intelligently as we can," said Callahan referencing Express' collection of genomically enhanced EPDs. "That allows the commercial man to come in here and buy them with a little more confidence that those bulls are going to sire calves that are reflective of those EPDs."


Regarding cow/calf producers, Callahan suggests when looking at your next potential bull's EPDs, start with birthweight (1.5 or below) and calving ease directs, or CED (8 or above). If you are looking to maximize growth, he advises you pay close attention to both the weaning and yearling weight EPDs.


For more information on the Express Ranches Spring Bull Sale, click here.


Listen in on our conversation about EPD based decision making when buying bulls for more tips on how to interpret those data points, on yesterday's Beef Buzz - click here.

Storyteller and agricultural advocate Trent Loos appeared at AFR's 112th Annual Convention as the keynote speaker this past weekend, sharing his ideas on how the average person can become a better advocate for agriculture. I had the chance to speak with him before he took to the stage.

According to Loos, the best way to combat the negative messaging of agriculture's critics is to get out there in our local communities and share our stories. However, Loos says it's the farmers and ranchers, the very people who practice agriculture everyday that feel the least qualified to tell the industry's story. The best explanation he can come up with is that it boils down to a lack of confidence.

"Really I'm nothing more than a glorified cheerleader and a little bit of a confidence coach for the men and women who do it every day to tell the story," he said.


He explains that in our absence, outsiders have taken our place to tell our story for us, often criticizing the practices and methods we use in our work daily.


"They don't like what we do; the problem being they don't know what we do," Loos injected. "There is an entire cottage industry that has learned how to make money by selling fear."


Ultimately though, Loos contends, it's not the farmers that are hurt by the efforts of organizations like HSUS, but rather the consumers who, because of the elitists in our society who want to make unnecessary changes to an honorable and respectable industry, in the end have to pay more money for the food they eat every day.

To listen to my complete conversation with Trent during the AFR Convention this past weekend, click here.

American Farmers & Ranchers recognized Beckham, Love and Wagoner counties with the organization's highest honor for county groups, the Five Star award, for outstanding achievement during the past year at their recent annual convention.

"We wanted to recognize the many great things our county organizations do each year," Terry Detrick, AFR President said.

To receive the Five Star award, counties must achieve 100 percent based on activity in four key areas involving community engagement and participation, support for both policy and youth and educational programs, and innovation in local service and community development.

For more details and a look at what each of these counties accomplished over the past year, click here.

 
The 13th Annual Production Sale for Quartermaster Creek Angus will be happening tomorrow, February 22nd at the ranch in Leedey, Oklahoma.

Mike and Annie Switzer invite you to their ranch at 12:30 pm on February 22nd for this sale. They will be selling 90 Spring Two-year old bulls that have been Bred to be Tough and Developed to Last!

These bulls have been parent verified and have genomically enhanced EPDs using the i50K test.

Also to be offered- 70 Open Yearling Commercial Heifers by QC Sires

To learn more about the Quartermaster Creek story- and to be able to view the sale catalog for tomorrow's sale- click or tap here.

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We saw a small amount of Drought Relief this past week in the latest Drought Monitor for Oklahoma- a lot of the rain from a week ago came after the Tuesday morning cut off for consideration for the Thursday morning Drought Monitor maps- here is what they gave us this past Thursday morning:



We a drop in all drought from 79.46% to 73.46%- we had some pretty good rains in southeastern Oklahoma after the cut off so those areas should be improved this week- and the blob of severe drought in central Oklahoma ought to be lessened based on good rains on Sunday and Monday:



We shall see.

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Going forward with the Nine Day Forecast- courtesy of Jed Castles of News9- very spring like weather and milder than a normal end of February:



It appears we get seasonal Friday night and Saturday- but otherwise- looks springy.

There is some fog in eastern Oklahoma this morning- and our friend Alan Crone of the News on 6 explains all of that plus sunshine for much of the balance of the week in his morning blog- read his words of weather wisdom by clicking or tapping here.