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Drought Monitor: Oklahoma Drought Conditions Persist as Rainfall Chances Increase

Oklahoma’s drought continues to put pressure on much of the state, even as recent rainfall this week has offered some relief in parts of the region. The latest outlook offers some hope for more rain across the state in the coming days, though drought remains a concern for producers heading further into fall.

Recent rainfall from Tuesday and Wednesday may not yet be fully reflected in this week’s Drought Monitor report, as the data may not capture the latest precipitation received across Oklahoma.

According to the Drought Monitor, exceptional drought has grown by .46% this week, now covering 16.55% of the state. Moderate to extreme drought conditions in the current period affect 95.16% of the state. At this point, 4.84% of Oklahoma has only abnormally dry conditions, the lowest tier on the drought monitor, in the panhandle and southern Oklahoma.

At Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s Grassroots Demo Day, entrepreneurs Callie Beech and Tyler Hadley showcased technology designed to help livestock owners improve animal care, increase efficiency and simplify daily management.

Beech developed MedX, a dart that treats cattle while marking them for identification, while Hadley created EqTek, a digital management system that helps livestock owners organize animal records, feeding schedules and water monitoring.

MedX is designed to help cattle producers treat animals while keeping track of which animals have already received treatment. The two-in-one dart delivers medication while leaving a visible paint mark on the animal, helping producers monitor herd health without having to repeatedly identify or handle the same calf. EqTek is designed to simplify animal care by bringing livestock records, feeding instructions and other important information into a single digital platform. 

Senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Dr. James Mitchell, Extension Livestock Market Economist at the University of Arkansas, about the Trump administration’s plan to import 300,000 metric tons of lean beef over three months in an effort to lower ground beef prices for consumers.

With the first month of the September-November import program complete, Mitchell explains how much of the available quota was used and why consumers have yet to see a noticeable price decline.

The administration’s plan allows 300,000 metric tons of beef to enter the country over September, October and November without out-of-quota tariffs. The program is divided into three monthly allotments of 100,000 metric tons.

2026 Winter Crops School Dec 15-16, Registration is Live

Registration is now open for the 2026 Oklahoma State University Extension Winter Crops School Dec. 14-16 in OSU’s Agricultural Hall. The event is open to the first 160 registered. Early Registration: $175 After December 1st: $225 No Refunds after December 1, 2025. Substitutions are allowed.

The CCA Exam Prep course is being offered on Monday December 14 from 12-5pm. Course cost is included in the registration fee for the conference. If only attending the CCA Exam course the cost is $50. A box lunch is included.

Keynote Session : Fertilizer Market, It’s a International Game Speakers: Josh Linville with StoneX and Alex Dye, Head of Agri Inputs Trading ETG. Other Sessions include speakers from Texas A&M and Mississippi State. Session Topics: Advancements in Soil Fertility, Area Agronomist Corner, Pest Management in Crops and Forage, Crop Management from Cotton to Wheat, Soil Water Conservation, Managing Oklahoma’s Resources.

Global crude oil markets pushed higher at the start of the week, driven primarily by ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Despite the upward movement in crude, retail fuel prices across the country continue to show a mixed trend.

Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, noted significant divergence across state lines, with approximately 30 states seeing pump prices drop while 20 states recorded increases. Nationally, diesel averages offered slight relief for commercial haulers and ag producers, dipping roughly six cents over the past week.

Across the Southern Plains and Midwest, local diesel prices remain significantly below the nation-leading highs seen on the West Coast, where California sits at $8.36, Washington at $7.33, and Hawaii at $7.22 per gallon. 

The United States Department of Agriculture recently announced the election and enrollment deadlines for the Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage programs for the 2026 and 2027 crop years.

For the 2026 crop year, elections and enrollment are open now through December 11, 2026, while the 2027 decision period runs from November 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027 (see USDA 2026). As producers prepare to make these decisions, it is important to recognize that program election can have significant financial implications.

PLC is designed to stabilize income from low prices, while ARC covers revenue shortfalls from a combination of low prices and/or low yields. However, decisions are often cited as difficult for producers and can also be related to prior experiences (Fischer, et al. 2022 and Taylor, et al. 2017). 

Every day that livestock harvest their own forage means another day producers rely less on hay. For many grazing operations, extending the grazing season is one of the most effective ways to reduce winter feeding costs while keeping cattle on pasture longer.

That’s one reason Jim Johnson, ranching advisor with Noble Research Institute, regularly hears questions about fall-planted cover crops. Producers want to know how they fit into a grazing plan, whether they’ll pencil out economically and what it takes to make them successful. Johnson believes cover crops can answer those questions, but only when producers think beyond the seed mix itself.

“People often use the term ‘cover crop’ as a catch-all for anything we plant in addition to our perennial forage,” Johnson says. “I don’t want people to necessarily look at them just as a grazing crop.”

Sounds of wind and wildlife break the prevailing silence at 2 Bar C Ranch. “It’s so peaceful,” guests say. The word comes up when visitors arrive here, just east of Luling, Texas. Clyde Sommerlatte knows why, because he spent two decades creating the environment.

That’s how a commercial cattle ranch evolved into a registered Angus seedstock program built on practical genetics, disciplined selection and a commitment to making cattle that commercial producers can use to deliver a better eating experience.

Clyde now works alongside daughter Kimberly, son-in-law Jason Booth, grandson Riley Somerlatte and a dedicated team of 11 employees who help run the ranch. About five miles away, he also owns Hometown Meat Market, a USDA-inspected processing facility that employs 26 full-time team members from the surrounding community. Through the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) brand’s Ranch to Table™ program, the family connects consumers with the beef they raise.

Checking the Markets...

Traders continue to hold onto the hope that this week's fed cash cattle market could trade higher, which is the optimism that helped drive the contracts higher through Thursday's trade. October live cattle closed $2.05 higher at $225.95, December live cattle closed $2.12 higher at $227.25 and February live cattle closed $2.20 higher at $229.62. 

Boxed beef prices closed lower: choice down $2.52 ($373.98) and select down $5.85 ($352.62) with a movement of 101 loads.

And with the support of traders, the live cattle complex and the bullish undertone that is alive and well in the cattle sector, the feeder cattle contracts were able to round out the day higher as well. October feeders closed $2.42 higher at $343.37, November feeders closed $3.50 higher at $341.95 and January feeders closed $4.30 higher at $337.90.

Click here for our Markets Page on OklahomaFarmReport.Com- there you will find our latest reports on cattle auctions, boxed beef, cash grains and market analysis.

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