Wheat producers in Southwest Oklahoma are hoping for one more good rain and a crop much better than they’ve seen in several years.

Across the state, conditions are mixed as farmers near harvest.

“We’ve just started crop tours,” says Oklahoma State University Extension Small Grains Specialist Amanda de Oliveira Silva, Stillwater.

“Wheat near Altus looks good,” Silva says. “We’ve seen some stripe rust that came in earlier than usual, but overall the crop looks good. Wheat in the Northwestern part of the state does not look good. Some fields started off good but are going backwards. It’s dry; they need rain.”

‘Hit or miss’ wheat conditions

Silva says wheat in West Oklahoma, near Sentinel and some other parts of the state, is in a “hit or miss” situation. Wheat that received the latest rains looks good, but there is some that missed a lot of rain, so we see short wheat, thinner stands, and some damage from early-season stripe rust infestation. Overall, I think we are in a much better shape than we were the past two years, but we could still use some rain, especially on the West, the Northwest, and North Central areas.”

She says acres for harvest likely will be down from earlier expectations as there were some people that had the field disastered out or are grazing out the wheat. I thought in early spring, we could have a bumper crop, but as conditions get drier in some places, yields will not be as high as we thought. Next week, at the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association annual meeting, we will have harvest estimates from each region.

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“We’re better than last year, but we’re off from a month ago as conditions get drier and storm chances with possible hail damage increases in some regions.”

Stripe rust

Stripe rust came in earlier than usual at around wheat jointing stage, Silva says.

“Farmers sprayed fungicide early for stripe rust. I’ve heard that as much as 90% of the wheat in Southwest Oklahoma was sprayed for stripe rust. That’s atypical, but we had a lot of it.

“A big issue was that most of the wheat varieties grown in Oklahoma do not have seedling resistance against stripe rust, they only have the adult plant resistance (and not all varieties have the adult plant resistance either). So, what happens is that the adult plant resistance genes only get turned on after flag leaf stage. As stripe rust came in earlier than that, the genes were not activated and could not protect the plant.

Resistance comparison: The plot on the left is damaged by stripe rust next to a plot with a variety showing better resistance. (Photo by Amanda De Oliveira Silva)

“We have seen a lot of damage in Southwest Oklahoma. Some varieties have performed better than others.”

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Conditions that favor good wheat growth also favor rust, she adds.

English grain aphids

OSU Extension IPM Coordinator Ashleigh Faris says she’s seen some English grain aphids in some areas. “They are not typically economically important in Oklahoma, but they can transmit the barley dwarf virus, so it is worth paying attention to them in the field.

“The other ones we’re seeing are the bird cherry oat aphids. Numbers are low though, and every time I see these aphids, I’m also seeing a lot of natural enemies. So we’re seeing lady beetle larvae and lady beetle adults, and they’re all pretty voracious.”

Faris says considering crop maturity and natural predation, growers shouldn’t need to spray these pests. “The good news is the natural enemies are helping to manage the aphid populations.

“Some areas are still holding up yield potential,” Silva says. “Wheat at Apache, in South Central Oklahoma, looks great. Chickasha looks great.

“I think the main lesson for producers this year will be stripe rust resistance. We’re seeing one of the heaviest stripe rust pressures we have seen in a long time. Now, as it starts getting drier and drier, that’s another story.”

Silva says that if the weather conditions remain warm, many wheat farmers will harvest early, but cool temperatures should help the wheat slowly down and properly fill the grain. Southwest Oklahoma farmers are especially excited. They have not seen a crop like this in a long time. We all need a win.”

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Oklahoma State has added more size for next season.

Xavier transfer Abou Ousmane announced on social media Tuesday that he is committing to OSU. Going into his fifth season, Ousmane offers the Cowboys more experience.

Ousmane played a key role at Xavier last season, starting 29 of 34 games. However, his production took a hit when he moved to the Big East.

In his only year at Xavier, Ousmane averaged 6.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. With the Musketeers, he posted four double-doubles and had 13 games with at least two blocks. 

Before transferring to Xavier, the 6-foot-10 big man spent his first three seasons at North Texas. He had his best campaign in his final season there, making the All-Conference USA third team.

As a junior, he averaged 11.1 points, six rebounds and 1.3 blocks. In 2023, he helped North Texas post a 31-7 record and win the NIT.

Although Ousmane only played one game of the Mean Green’s NIT run, his impact that season earned him interest from a number of larger schools. However, that interest was not only because of his performance that season.

In 2021-22, Ousmane averaged 10.2 points and 5.9 rebounds. In his final two seasons at North Texas, Ousmane started all 66 games he played.

Before that, he played a limited role on North Texas’ NCAA Tournament team in 2021.

After OSU fired seven-year coach Mike Boynton, many key players entered the transfer portal. Athletic director Chad Weinberg chose Steve Lutz to lead the program into next season.

Ousmane is the latest addition to an OSU team that will look vastly different next season. Alongside the Cowboys’ other additions, Ousmane will look to help OSU back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.

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Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has signed into law Monday a bill, which aims to provide financial grants to construct or retrofit homes, making them more resilient against the destructive forces of tornadoes, windstorms and hail.

Under the new law, known as the Strengthen Oklahoma Homes Act, grants will be made available by the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) to residential property owners who meet specific eligibility criteria.

These criteria include an owner-occupied, single-family primary residence. The grants are intended to help homeowners achieve safety standards outlined by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS).

Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready praises the Oklahoma Legislature and the Governor for approving this measure and the difference it will make to assist Oklahomans in fortifying their homes against natural disasters.

“The recent destruction we have seen across our state is a grave reminder why this legislation will be so important to help Oklahomans rebuild and protect their homes from severe weather,” said Mulready. “I am grateful to legislative leaders and the Governor for understanding our goal to help Oklahoma consumers reduce their homeowners insurance rates and fortify their homes against mother nature.”

The Strengthen Oklahoma Homes Act will establish a grant program aimed at assisting homeowners in reinforcing their roofs with impact-resistant materials that meet FORTIFIED standards set by the IBHS. These funds will enable consumers to construct or retrofit their homes with impact-resistant shingles and other enhancements. Additionally, many insurance companies offer reduced premiums for homes with such modifications.

The new grant program created by the law will be in development through the end of the year, with the first grants going out in 2025.

Source: Oklahoma Insurance Department

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