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The 2015 Oklahoma Hard Red Winter Wheat harvest moves closer to a conclusion- but the 83% harvested number released on Monday afternoon by USDA is behind the 87% percent complete one year ago and the five year average of 89%. It did show that one fourth of the total expected acreage was harvested this past week- as the state jumped from 58% complete a week ago to 83% as of Sunday. The 2015 Winter Canola Crop Harvest is called by USDA at 89%- a smaller number than was indicated by the Executive Director Ron Sholar of the Great Plains Canola Association in an interview that we did with him this past Friday. Click here to take a look at the complete Oklahoma Crop Progress report. 

Also released on Monday afternoon was the latest Oklahoma Wheat Commission Harvest Report- and it sure feels like we are further along than at 83% based on the Commission report showing large areas of the state either complete with harvest or at the 85 to 90% complete level. The report compiled by Mike Schulte and his team is available here.


Meanwhile in Kansas, it was truly harvest jumping into road gear with forty percent of the expected crop was harvested over the last week. Harvest progress in Kansas jumped from 8% a week ago to 48% this week. The 48% was ten percentage points ahead of the pace set in 2014, but twelve points behind the 60% completion that is the five year average. For the complete Kansas Crop Progress report- click here.


The Texas Wheat harvest was at a slower pace with another 6% of the crop was harvested over this past week- with the total harvested number in Texas now at 70% done. That is compared to the five year average of 78% and the 2014 number as of the end of June at 76%. To check out the entire Crop Progress report for Texas- click here to jump there.

Nationally- the story is about the wet conditions and their impact on the corn and soybean crops in the midwest.  The overall US Corn crop condition rating slipped three points off of the good to excellent ratings from one week ago.  

In the major corn producing state of Iowa, corn remained at 83% good to excellent while Illinois dropped to 62% from 70%.   

"Rain continues to plague northern and southern Illinois, delaying the winter wheat harvest and hay cutting," Illinois said. "This June will be the wettest June on record dating back to 1895."

In Indiana, corn dropped to 48% good/excellent from 58%. Soybeans in that state fell to 49% good to excellent from 58%.  

Ohio also has had excess rain with corn there rated 42% good/excellent, down from 61% a week ago, and soybeans at 44% compared with 55% a week ago.

TPA Signed Into Law by President Obama- Ag Groups Cheer and Look Ahead to Finalization of TPP 

President Barack Obama signed into law a trade promotion bill that ensures new agreements can get through Congress without risk of amendment, but he warned that "tough negotiations" were still ahead before the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership is ready for lawmakers to consider.  At the brief White House signing ceremony, the President did not offer a timeline on when the TPP might be concluded.

Several Ag Groups were quick to praise Congress and the Administration for getting the Fast Track Authority in place.  And they were all looking ahead to seeing the US close the deal with other countries involved with the TPP.

On our website, we have reaction from the American Farm Bureau, American Soybean Association and the US Wheat Associates/National Association of Wheat Growers - click on the name of the group to review their comments.

NCBA Calls Obama Administration Arrogant Over Decision Allowing Fresh Beef From South America

On Monday, the USDA APHIS released their final rules for the Importation of Fresh Beef from Northern Argentina and a Region in Brazil. With this step by the Administration, these areas with a known history of Foot-and-Mouth disease would be allowed to begin the inspection process to import fresh and frozen beef products into the United States. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association stands firmly opposed to this regulation, not on the basis of trade but on the basis of animal health concerns; no trade is worth jeopardizing our herd health.


"The arrogance of this administration in continuing to press forward with rules that have a profound impact on industry, without consulting those affected, is appalling," said NCBA President and Chugwater, Wyoming, cattleman, Philip Ellis. "FMD is a highly contagious and devastating disease, not just for the cattle industry, but for all cloven-hoofed animals and it can be introduced and spread through the importation of both fresh and frozen products. In 1929, our industry took profound and personally devastating steps to eradicate this disease and the United States has been FMD free ever since. But the actions of this administration for purely political gain threaten the very viability of our entire industry and threaten hundreds of thousands of American cattle-producing families."   

Click here to read more of the NCBA release that is critical of this decision that has been made by USDA-APHIS.

Thirteen States Sue EPA and the Army Corps for Their Clean Water Rule- WOTUS; NCBA Looking at Lawsuit as Well 

Thirteen states filed suit Monday against the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers over the EPA's Clean Water Rule, also called by many in the ag community as Waters of the United States- or WOTUS. The rule is set to take effect in latter part of summer.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in North Dakota. In the lawsuit, filed Monday, June 29, 2015, - the same day the rule was published in the Federal Register - the states contend the new definition of "Waters of the United States" violates provisions of the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the United States Constitution. The suit seeks to declare the rule unlawful and to prohibit the agencies from implementing it.

The thirteen states involved in this lawsuit against Gina McCarty include North Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota; also, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming. Click here for more details as well as a chance to read their lawsuit.  

I would suspect that the Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt will have a similar lawsuit cooking in the near future.

AND- Colin Woodall with the NCBA says that the organization does not hold out much hope when it comes to Congress slowing down the EPA before it goes final.  He tells us in our latest Beef Buzz that NCBA is working with other industry groups (ag and otherwise) in preparing legal action of their own- saying that the group does not believe Gina McCarty's claims that ag won't face new regulations from the Rule.   

Click here for today's Beef Buzz with Colin on the NCBA's plans to go after EPA over WOTUS.

Derrell Peel Sees Tighter Beef Supplies and Higher Prices- But Little Substitution Away from Beef to Pork or Chicken

Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel writes in his Monday market analysis that we post weekly on our website- available in full here- that beef prices are higher and pork and chicken retail prices are cheaper. "The All-Fresh retail beef price was 2.2 cents higher than last month at $6.059/lb., up 10.8 percent year over year. Retail pork price in May was $3.696/lb., down 7.3 cents from April and 9.8 percent lower than one year ago. The May broiler composite retail price was $1.932/lb., down 6.6 cents from last month and 0.7 percent lower than one year ago."

The thing that surprises Dr. Peel is that there seems to be little substitution away from beef by consumers. Peel says "there continues to be surprise at the apparent lack of substitution between beef and the other meats, in terms of retail prices. Retail price ratios in May pushed to higher record levels for beef relative to pork and broilers. May retail beef prices were 3.14 times retail broiler prices, a new record beef-broiler retail price ratio and the sixth consecutive month with a ratio at 3 or higher. The beef to pork retail price ratio advanced to 1.64 in May, a new record level and the sixth consecutive month with a ratio of 1.5 or higher."

Peel also talks about what he sees in last Friday's Hogs and Pigs report- click on the link in the first paragraph and you can read all that Dr. Peel has to say.  

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.

Signup Begins Wednesday for the Dairy Margin Protection Program at Your Local FSA Office

USDA 's Number Two- Krysta Harden- announced on Monday that starting July 1, 2015, dairy farmers can enroll in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Margin Protection Program for coverage in 2016. The voluntary program, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides financial assistance to participating dairy operations when the margin - the difference between the price of milk and feed costs - falls below the coverage level selected by the farmer. 

"More than half of our nation's dairy producers enrolled in the 2015 program, which exceeded our expectations for the first year of the program," said Harden. "We are confident that dairy farmers across the country will again take advantage of this safety net program for 2016. USDA will continue outreach efforts, including partnering with cooperative extension services, to ensure dairy producers are fully informed about the protections that this safety net program can provide during periods of market downturns."

Read more by clicking here.  

CEO Forrest Roberts Leaving National Cattlemen's Beef Association- Effective July 31

Forrest Roberts has announced his resignation as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), effective July 31. Roberts has been the CEO of NCBA since 2009.


Roberts is leaving NCBA to pursue other opportunities in the cattle industry and agribusiness. He will remain with NCBA until the end of July to help NCBA with transition of staff leadership, including his roles in several industry related organizations.

NCBA Chief Operating Officer Kendal Frazier has been named interim CEO to manage the day-to-day operations, including NCBA staff, until a new CEO is identified. NCBA President Phlip Ellis says that  "Frazier has more than 30 years of experience working in the different areas of NCBA. I know he will do a good job of guiding the organization during the transition period."


Ellis said the NCBA officers will work with the NCBA Executive Committee to develop a process to search for and identify a new CEO.  

Earlier this year- we sat down and did a "State of the Cattle Industry" interview with Roberts. You can hear that conversation between Hays and Roberts by clicking here.