Harvest has been limited in parts of Oklahoma this week, even before the arrival of Tropical Depression Bill on Wednesday afternoon.  

While Bill did not bring much if any rain into areas where wheat harvest is on hold- he did push a lot of cloud cover and high humidity into north central and even parts of northwestern Oklahoma on Wednesday.  Jessica Wilcox, who farms in the Fairview area in Major County, reported on Twitter yesterday afternoon that the moisture levels were too high for the wheat samples they cut- around 16%- caused by the excessive humidity, which means sitting and waiting another day before resuming wheat and canola harvest.

The latest Oklahoma Wheat Commission Harvest Report was released on Wednesday afternoon. Executive Director Mike Schulte reports:


"Harvest is beginning after the rains this past week, in certain locations of North Central and Northwestern Oklahoma with some loads received yesterday evening. Producers in many areas are still fighting high moisture as of this afternoon.   Once machines get moving it will be a late start today. In areas of Southwest and South Central Oklahoma producers are having to contend with mud in many locations which is keeping them from even trying until the weekend.    

"We have seen some wheat hauled into the Hinton area yesterday, but harvest in this region was very minimal. Test weights have gone down in many areas, with lower than expected yields reported in South Central and Central Oklahoma. Some fields in Southern and Central Oklahoma will never be harvested because of the extremely low test weights and will be turned in for crop insurance.  

"Areas on the Oklahoma/Texas line are 90% to 95% complete with harvest. In regions of South Central Oklahoma around Hobart and Lone Wolf approximately 10% to 20% of the crop is left in the field, with Lawton now reported to be 85% complete. Parts of Central Oklahoma are reported to be 95% complete around the Okarche, Kingfisher and Cashion areas. " 

Mike has more- you can read his entire harvest update by

New Report Shows Biobased Industry Contributes $369 Billion, 4 Million Jobs to American Economy

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Wednesday announced the release of a new report that shows the U.S. biobased industry is generating substantial economic activity and American jobs. He also announced changes under the 2014 Farm Bill that will create additional opportunities for growth in renewable plant-based materials, supporting the Obama Administration's efforts to develop a new, rural economy and promote creation of sustainable jobs.


"This report is the first to examine and quantify the effect of the U.S. biobased products industry from an economics and jobs perspective. Before, we could only speculate at the incredible economic impact of the biobased products industry. Now, we know that in 2013 alone, America's biobased industry contributed four million jobs and $369 billion to our economy," Vilsack said. "Today, we are also adding to the number of innovative products carrying USDA's BioPreferred® label and expanding options for our nation's biorefineries. This means small businesses and global companies alike can continue to harness the power of America's farms and forests to create new and innovative biobased products that are used all around the world."


According to the Economic Impact of the Biobased Product Industry report, each job in the biobased products industry is responsible for generating 1.64 jobs in other sectors of the economy. In 2013, 1.5 million jobs directly supported the biobased product industry, resulting in 1.1 million indirect jobs in related industries, and another 1.4 million induced jobs produced from the purchase of goods and services generated by the direct and indirect jobs.  Click here to read more about the BioPreferred® program.  

Lapses in Biosecurity Partly to Blame for Bird Flu Spread

A new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that while lapses in biosecurity and environmental factors are among the most common causes of the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), there are several reasons as the cause of the disease. The agency's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) says the information will continue to be analyzed and updated.


APHIS scientists believe wild birds were responsible for introducing HPAI into commercial poultry. While wild birds are the original pathway for the virus' introduction into the United States, it appears the virus was spreading in other ways as well, given the number and proximity of farms affected by HPAI. For instance, the report provides evidence that a certain cluster of farms was affected by identical viruses, pointing to possible transmission among those farms. In addition, genetic analyses of the HPAI viruses suggest that independent introductions as well as transmission between farms were occurring in several States concurrently.


For example, APHIS has observed the following: sharing of equipment between an infected and noninfected farm; employees moving between infected and noninfected farms; lack of cleaning and disinfection of vehicles moving between farms; and reports of rodents or small wild birds inside the poultry houses. APHIS is compiling these practices and will present these findings in a subsequent update of this report.  Click here to read more about how environmental factors may also play a part in transmitting avian influenza.

'Red Ink' Will Continue for Feedlots for Remainder of 2015, Tonsor Says

Every cattle operation has its own breakeven. The amount of money you're making or not making, as the case may be. Depends on how old of a pickup you may be driving, the amount of infrastructure that you have on your operation. Right now, cow-calf operators are in the black. They have made a lot of money, including record breaking amounts in 2014. That profitability continues this year based on prices being paid for calves.


Meanwhile, feedlots are experiencing a different story. Some are making money, but the average feed yard is in the red. Kansas State University Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Glynn Tonsor figures feedlot returns, break evens and close-outs on feedlot cattle on an ongoing basis. The current numbers show a lot of red ink. In every month except August, there are projected losses ahead. He said August has a projected return of $35, but for the rest of the months between now and February 2016 there are negative returns for feedlots.


"Underneath this, the main reason that there are projected losses is that, at the moment, project fed cattle prices are in the low $150's, maybe even mid-$150's, depending on the close-out month and the break evens needed are usually in the mid-$160's and actually a couple cases of breaking $170," Tonsor said.


That gap between making or losing money comes down to input costs. Tonsor said feedlots are still paying too much for feeder cattle, relative to the cost of gain.  Click here to read or to listen to this Beef Buzz feature 

Better Switchgrass Traits, Increases Biofuel Production

Using switchgrass to produce biofuel is one way to decrease the United States' dependence on oil, but growing it and making it profitable can be complicated.


Switchgrass is an excellent candidate for biofuel production. It is an adaptable plant that can grow on millions of acres of U.S. lands that cannot support crop or food production. It is also a renewable resource.


Harvesting switchgrass samples by hand for laboratory analysis. Samples are cut by hand to avoid contamination with soil or other debris. Credit: M. Casler


"Many of these lands are currently in the Conservation Reserve Program," says Michael Casler, a research geneticist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, located at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center. "They are set aside for soil and water conservation only, with no crop production allowed. Growing switchgrass could serve both soil and water conservation goals and provide biomass for energy production."


Click here to read more about breeding efforts for improve biomass production and processing of switchgrass.

Award winning broadcast journalist Jerry Bohnen has spent years learning and understanding how to cover the energy business here in the southern plains- Click here to subscribe to his daily update of top Energy News.

Fast Track Authorization for the President Gets Another Vote Today  

The House will attempt to break an impasse over the fast-track trade bill after GOP congressional leaders reached agreement to separately enact an extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance programs.

 

The plan involves splitting a bill that included both the TAA extension and the fast-track Trade Promotion Authority that Obama needs to complete new trade agreements. With this split by the House- it means that now the Senate will also be facing new votes on TPA and TAA.