New OSU Ag Dean Excited to Tackle Water Challenges

Dr. Thomas Coon comes to Oklahoma with experience in research, extension and teaching, the three key principles of land grant institutions. Coon is the new Vice President and Dean of Division of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources at Oklahoma State University. Recently Coon sat down with Farm Director Ron Hays of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and talked extensively about his academic and research journey that has led to Stillwater and the opportunity to lead the Division of Ag at OSU. 


Coon comes to OSU from Michigan State University, where he was director of Extension and a professor in the department of fisheries and wildlife. At Michigan State, he directed more than 600 staff and faculty on campus and in Michigan's 83 counties. In that role he developed a deep appreciation for the extension educators.


"Our educators are incredible people, they are inspiring to me," Coon said. "I really enjoyed that work because it put me in contact with people that have a big heart, that have a very curious mind and they cannot help but teach."


"There is something in their DNA that those extension folks are dedicated to helping people learn and put to use really good solid research based information," he said.


Coon grew up in Iowa and he has gained research experience in California, Utah, Missouri and Peru. In moving to Oklahoma he was intrigued by the environmental challenges with water.


"As we look at where we are going with agriculture in this country and what are the challenges we are going to be facing, climate is going to be a part of it," Coon said.  

Click Here to read more about Dr. Coon or to listen to my conversation with him about his vision for OSU.

Rains are Beneficial to Row Crops in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas

Heavy rains this past week benefited Oklahoma's row crops, but progress continued to lag behind the five-year average for the various stages of development. All row crop conditions continued to be rated mostly good to fair. Corn silking reached 66 percent complete by Sunday and 29 percent had reached the dough stage. Sorghum headed has reached 32 percent and 95 percent of the soybean crop has emerged. Peanut pegging reached 59 percent complete and cotton squaring is at 78 percent complete. The second cutting of alfalfa hay is 84 percent done and third cutting is at 27 percent. Pasture and range conditions are mostly rated in good to fair condition and topsoil and subsoil moisture conditions continued to be rated mostly adequate to short.

Click Here for the full Oklahoma report.

Winter wheat harvest is virtually complete in Texas. Row crops continue to mature with corn silking reaching 91 percent, dough at 61 percent, 48 dented and 29 percent mature. Sorghum has 88 percent headed, ahead of last year and the average. Soybeans are behind with blooming at 60 percent. In the Northern Low Plains, cotton continued to square from recent rainfall and warm weather, while cotton bolls were opening in the Coastal Bend. Peanuts are behind with pegging at 45 percent, which compares with the average of 67. Pastures across the state benefitted greatly from rainfall last week. Cattle were in good condition, as field grasses were greening up from recent precipitation. In the Trans-Pecos, cattle producers continued to provide supplemental feed.

Click Here for the full Texas report.

Kansas has reached 95 percent completion of winter wheat harvest. That's behind last year and the five year average. Corn silking is at 75 percent, well ahead of last year and the average. Corn in the dough stage is at 22 percent. Sorghum headed is at 7 percent, equal to average. Soybeans are running on track with normal with blooming at 44 percent. Cotton squaring at 39 percent, well behind last year's 64. Haying is running behind. Second cutting of alfalfa hay is 88 percent complete and third cutting is 13 percent complete.  Pasture and range conditions are mostly rated in good to fair condition. Topsoil moisture rated 9 percent very short, 24 percent short, 63 percent adequate, and 4 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture rated 15 percent very short, 28 percent short, 55 percent adequate, and 2 percent surplus.

 Click Here for the full Kansas report.

Corn Crop Maturity Keeps Pace, Quality Remains High 

The percentage of corn acres having reached the silking stage remained one point ahead of the five-year average last week, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released today. The report also indicates that the overall corn crop condition remained strong, with 76 percent of all corn acres rated in good or excellent condition.

"Again this week, we saw crop condition remain strong while maturity moved ahead pretty much on pace," said NCGA President Martin Barbre. "Challenges remain ahead for farmers despite what appears to be an exceptional crop in the fields. Our nation's corn farmers are using the best and most sustainable practices and most advanced tools to grow a quality crop that may surpass demand for fuel, food and fiber. It is imperative that we now work just as diligently to maintain and grow markets, maximizing both the potential of the crop for consumers and opportunities for farmers."

On July 20, 56 percent of all corn acres had reached the silking stage, remaining one point ahead of the five-year average. States in which silking surpassed the five-year average, such as Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois, made up for lagging progress in states such as North Dakota and Pennsylvania, which trail the five-year average by 18 and 15 points respectively.

The 2014 corn crop condition estimate remained stable from last week, still indicating quality far superior to that seen in the 2013 crop at this point. With 76 percent of the crop in good or excellent condition and only one percent of corn in very poor condition, reports continue to suggest a crop of quality superior to that of the record-production seen the year prior. At this point in 2013, only 63 percent of the total crop was rated in good or excellent condition.  

Click here for state-by-state details.

NRCS Chief Address Watershed Renovation and Claims His Agency Won't Become the Water Police Under 'Waters of the US'

The head of the Natural Resource Conservation Service was in Oklahoma last Friday to announce a $262 million dollar investment to rehabilitate dams that provide critical infrastructure and protect public health and safety. Oklahoma will be the largest recipient of the funding in receiving over $26 million to renovate 14 structures across the state. NRCS Chief Jason Weller says this amount of funding through the 2014 Farm Bill increased the typical annual investment in watershed rehabilitation by almost 21 fold.


"This is a massive infusion, this is significant investment that is going take what would normally we would get the period of 10 or 12, 15 years, we're getting in one year and that's being delivered by the Farm Bill, that was recently passed by Congress and signed into law by the President, gave us these resources to go out and get the job done much faster provide that protection and benefits to communities much quicker," Weller said


The nation's infrastructure will need more investment in the future. From the 1940s through the 1970s, local communities using NRCS assistance constructed more than 11,800 dams in 47 states. Weller says every day for the next two decades another dam is going to reach the end of its design life. 


At the national announcement at Perry Lake, our own Leslie Smith  also spoke with Weller about the 'Waters of the US' Proposal and how this could affect the NRCS and it's working relationship with landowners. 

He denied that the NRCS would be enforcing rules established by the EPA rule and insists that NRCS would remain what it was always been- conservation professionals that work with land owners who come to them in a voluntary manner. 

Click Here to read or to listen to Weller's full response as he talked with Leslie about WOTUS.  

More Rain in Oklahoma and Feeder Cattle Price Adjustments

Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, writes in the latest Cow/Calf Corner newsletter


Most of Oklahoma received rain in the past week with roughly half the state receiving 1 to over 3 inches and a few areas receiving even heavier rains that filled ponds which have been low or dry for many months. Forage growth, which had just begun to stall under summer heat, has picked back up. Summer heat is forecast to return this week and, along with high humidity from recent rain, will lead to sweltering heat indices that will impact both cattle and the producers who care for them.


Cattle markets once again appear to have topped...at least for now. Both boxed beef cutout and fed cattle prices were lower last week compared to the week prior although fed prices did move higher last Thursday and Friday from mid-week lows. Feeder markets were lower last week with the sharpest declines on lightweight feeders compared to heavy feeders. Feeder markets were no doubt heavily influenced by the sharp correction in Live and Feeder cattle futures the past week and a half. Cattle futures showed signs of stabilization and some recovery late last week and this adds to questions of what to expect in the next month or so.


Interestingly, last week's cash feeder cattle prices suggest that additional price adjustments are ahead. As hard as it is to say at these price levels, the decrease in lightweight feeder cattle prices, combined with improving (decreasing) feedlot cost of gain suggests that lightweight feeder cattle are somewhat undervalued relative to heavy feeder cattle from a feedlot perspective.  Feedlots face rising breakevens due to high feeder cattle prices and are no doubt concerned about future fed cattle prices and view the lightweight feeders as more risky. Fed cattle futures in coming months are not sufficient to cover projected feedlot breakevens. Feedlots may also be holding back temporarily to get closer to corn harvest and the expected additional decrease in feed costs.

Click Here to read more from Dr. Peel about stocker prices and the latest Cattle on Feed report.

Heat Stresses Cattle- and OSU's Dr. Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo Talks Common Sense Ways to Help Cattle Cope

Our friend Alan Crone of the News on 6 is talking heat indexes of 105 today- and it could get worse as we work toward the weekend- you can read Alan's Tuesday morning blog by  clicking here.

With this amount of heat on top of us- how to recognize and deal with heat stress in your cattle herd is good information to know.  

Dr. Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo is with the Animal Science Department at Oklahoma State University and she talked in recent days with Dave Deken of the OSU Ag Communications Department about how you can help your cattle cope with the heat. She indicates that cattle producers need to be watching for signs of heat stress- and among the surest indicators of heat stress during hot weather are cattle breathing faster, in some cases panting- that's where animals are breathing fast with open mouths and usually drooling. If they are out in the open and you see these indicators- it's time to respond with aggressive action in a hurry.   

She has several common sense ideas that will go a long way in helping your cattle survive the hot temperatures.  You can click here and read more and listen to Dr. Calvo-Lorenzo on today's Beef Buzz.  

Your cattle will thank you.