Contrasting wheat trends - Texas up, Kansas down

Oct 02, 2023

Wheat's the word and the USDA’s latest report is chock-full of interesting tidbits. Different states, different fates.

Chatting with Rich Nelson from Allendale gave some clarity. "USDA has bumped up the wheat production estimates," he mentioned. However, not all varieties saw this boost.

A total of 1.81 billion bushels this year, a solid 10% jump from 2022. Breaking it down, Oklahoma played it steady. With 4.5 million acres sown, they're looking at a familiar 6.8 million bushels, mirroring last year's numbers.

Kansas? A bit of a twist in their tale. Though they planted 11% more, they harvested less by 12%. They're bracing for about 201.25 million bushels, sliding down 17% from 2022.

Texas, the star of the show, is all about growth. With 21% more acres planted and 61% more harvested, they're on track to produce 77.7 million bushels. That's nearly twice the previous year.

Source : wisconsinagconnection

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.