US Corn Harvest Continues Slowly 

The U.S. corn harvest for 2014 gained only five percentage points in the last week, standing now at 17 percent, compared to a five-year average of 32 percent harvested by this date, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports. 

Crop quality continues virtually unchanged, with 74 percent rated good or excellent.

"This is a very busy season for our growers as they deal with harvesting a record corn crop," said NCGA President Chip Bowling. "As we hit the combines, we know we have challenges ahead to keep our markets strong and growing, and to ensure we have a good infrastructure in place to move our grain around the country and across the globe."

Harvest progress has now reached all 18 tracked states, ranging from 1 percent complete in North Dakota up to 79 percent complete in North Carolina. Seventy-seven percent of the corn crop is rated mature, compared to a five-year average of 81 percent. 

Click here for the complete USDA National Crop Progress Report.

On Friday, USDA will provide its monthly updates on crop production, supply and demand.

Harvest Gaining Momentum Across Southern Plains

Corn and sorghum harvest continues across Oklahoma. In the latest crop progress report from the US Department of Agriculture corn and sorghum harvest both gained 16 points this past week.  Corn harvest reached 74 percent completion. Sorghum harvest was 49 percent complete. Peanut and soybean harvest was underway with both crop reaching nine percent harvested. Cotton harvest is getting close with 93 percent of the cotton bolls opening, 15 points ahead of normal. Hay harvest finished with good yields and quality reported.

Small grain planting was progressing and rain was still needed for emerged stands, and to promote germination. There were also reports of armyworms in recently seeded wheat.  Wheat planting has reached 70 percent complete with 27 percent emerged. Canola planting was 80 percent complete as of Sunday and 26 percent had emerged.  Click Here for the full Oklahoma report.

Rainfall delayed harvest for the second straight week across Texas. Corn harvest gained one point to reach 69 percent complete. Sorghum harvest continued across the state in gaining five points to reach 73 percent done. Cotton harvest gained two points to reach 19 percent complete. Soybean harvest continued in gaining 12 points in reach the halfway point. Peanut harvest was five percent complete. Some peanut producers in the Northern Low Plains anticipate harvest in the upcoming week, while peanut fields in areas of South Texas were undergoing preparation for digging. Wheat planting reached 54 complete with 31 percent of the crop emerged.  Click Here for the full Texas report.

Rain showers of up to two inches fell across north central and eastern Kansas. Corn harvest gained 11 points to reach 46 percent completion, well behind the five year average of 56. Sorghum harvest struggled gaining only four points over a week ago to reach nine percent complete. Soybean harvest was eight percent complete. The fourth cutting of hay was 79 percent complete. Cotton maturity was running behind with 55 percent of the cotton bolls opening. Winter wheat planting was at 51 percent complete and 26 percent emerged. Both are slightly behind average.  Click Here for the full Kansas report

Peel Answers How High is High for Cattle Prices?

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


"Feeder and fed cattle prices are at or near all time highs and are poised to keep moving higher. Both Feeder and Live cattle futures suggest that higher prices are yet to come. In several recent meetings and conversations with producers, I am seeing a couple of reactions to the current situation. There seems to be an overall feeling of disbelief or a sense that there is another shoe to fall. The basic question seems to be one of "Is this for real?". Given everything we have been through in recent years and the amount of volatility in most input and output markets, such hesitancy is understandable. It is easy to remember corn and wheat markets in 2008 which soared to astronomical heights for a brief period of time. Are cattle markets in the same situation: set for a wild but short-lived ride into the stratosphere?"


The preceding paragraph was taken from an article that I wrote in January of 2011. I stumbled across it recently and realized that it applies to an even greater extent today with a market situation that is significantly different than when the original article was written. Feeder cattle prices today are nearly double (up over 90 percent) the level when the question was posed in 2011. Fed cattle prices are up over 50 percent from early 2011. No one knew in January, 2011 that the beef industry would suffer tremendously with drought impacts into 2014 that would take an already tight supply situation to extreme levels and provoke the current unimaginable production and market situation. 

It appeared in early 2011 that the beef cattle industry was poised for herd expansion with cattle inventories already lower than intended by the industry. Instead, we find ourselves in 2014 with the beef cow herd down another 6 percent from the 2011 level.  Click here to read Peel's outlook on when herd expansion will begin and how long it will take to expand the cowherd.

STIR Loves WOTUS-  BUT EPW Staffers See It Filled with EPA Lies 

A group that has been highly critical of farming practices for years  in northeast Oklahoma has come out strongly in favor of the Waters of the US proposed rule from the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers. In a statement issued this week, STIR(Save the Illinois River) gives the federal agencies a pass and accept at face value what they have been saying about the proposed rule


"EPA and the Army Corps proposed the changes after court rulings on the confusing issue of navigable waters. EPA apparently didn't do a real good job communicating the changes, arousing unnecessary concerns from folks already nervous at the service.


"According to EPA, the changes will not hurt farming and ranching practices that are exempt from the rules. But some want to scare us into believing the EPA's motive is to have more power over our lives. These folks don't grasp the impact that wetlands, marshes and normally dry ditches can have on streams, lakes and ground water. To these people dirty water is alright because there's an endless supply of bottled water."

There's more from STIR- which you can read here.

On the flip side of WOTUS, there is an analysis that has been published by Dr. Bonner Cohen of the National Center for Public Policy Research.  In the analysis, "WOTUS: The Facts About EPA's Wet Fiction," Dr. Cohen points out that the EPA contends that its regulatory onslaught is necessary to clear up "uncertainties" arising from U.S. Supreme Court decisions from 2001 and 2006. Those rulings restricted the EPA's authority and cast doubt over the legitimacy of its schemes to regulate wetlands and intermittent bodies of water.


"Despite losing both cases," Dr. Cohen says, "EPA now claims that ambiguities in the rulings give it greater authority than ever before to regulate isolated and intermittent bodies of water on private land."

In his report- Cohen cites a half dozen statements that have been made about WOTUS by the EPA that staffers of the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee have labeled as "not true."

Those statements include:

-- The EPA says WOTUS does not apply to ditches. (Not true.)

-- The EPA says WOTUS does not require permits for normal farming activities, like moving cattle. (Not true.)

-- The EPA says WOTUS will not apply to groundwater. (Not true.)

You can jump over to our webstory here on this analysis and read the other "not true" statements according to staffers on the EPW.

The Rabobank Q3 Beef Quarterly reports that global beef supply is in a tightening phase, with most key producing and export regions already experiencing record tight supplies. Further tightening is expected throughout the remainder of 2014 and into 2015. Russian import bans are unlikely to have a large impact on world beef markets with Brazil's industry likely to be the ban's largest beneficiary. The impact on major exporters, such as Australia and the US, will be minimal given increased impediments to trade with Russia prior to the current ban.


"There is largely positive news for the global beef industry as strong demand and tight supply are showing no signs of slowing, pushing prices, in some cases record prices, even higher", explains Rabobank analyst Angus Gidley-Baird.


Regional Outlook -- US: Volatility continues to characterize the U.S. market as cattle prices continue to trade at record levels, and consumer appetite remains firm 

Click Here to read the outlook for Brazil, Australia, China, New Zealand, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Indonesia and the EU.

OSU Dean Coon Loving Oklahoma

Dr. Tom Coon, the newly appointed vice president, dean and director of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (DASNR) at Oklahoma State University is getting used to Oklahoma.   Coon officially assumed his new role July 1 directing DASNR's academic programs, research and Extension activities. Since joining the OSU faculty he has spent a lot of time traveling the state.


"It's a beautiful land," he said. "It's also a land of beautiful people. My heart has really been touched by a lot of people I have encountered and grown to know.   It's hard to imagine how many people I have met in three months and how deeply they have affected me, but this is a wonderful place, wonderful people."


Last week he spent some time at the Tulsa State Fair to see the youth participate in livestock shows. I caught with Dean Coon at the McDonalds Night of Champions at the Fair and we talked about seeing youth actively engaged in agriculture. You can read or listen to the full interview by clicking here. 

Armyworms Invading Oklahoma Wheat Fields- Tom Royer Says Time to Scout and Attack is Now 

Tis the season for Fall Armyworms in newly planted winter wheat. OSU's Dr. Tom Royer says that you need to be checking your fields early in the morning and late evening for worms and window panes in leaves. Threshold for control is 2 to 3 larvae per linear foot of row of wheat. Activity will continue until we get a killing frost.

Dr. Royer has issued the alert- and we have more on it here- including links to some excellent pictures of what you are looking for- and the detailed OSU brochure on control options for Armyworms and other fall pests of small grains in our state.