A tornado may pass in minutes, but the work it leaves behind can threaten an entire planting season. In this episode of the Red Dirt Agronomy Podcast, north-central Oklahoma farmer Karen Eifert Jones recounts the April 23 tornado that passed directly over her family’s farm headquarters near Enid and followed a path across five of their farms. Although their home was spared a direct strike, miles of damaged fence, barbed wire, shingles, lumber and household belongings were scattered across fields and pastures that needed to be planted immediately. Karen explains how more than 150 volunteers, local emergency personnel, churches, neighbors and complete strangers helped clear the land. Two urgently needed hydraulic wire winders were located after days of searching, crews walked fields shoulder to shoulder, and one heavily damaged field was cleared by 3 p.m. and planted by 5 p.m.—just before the next rain. The conversation also explores what farmers actually need after a disaster. Karen discusses why flexible cash donations can be more useful than unsolicited supplies, how local organizations can identify needs faster, why accessible community shelters matter and how tornado losses affect mental health long after the debris is removed. The episode closes with lessons about USDA fence-replacement assistance, crop rotation, canola production and the strength of rural communities that show up when the work cannot wait.

How can research conducted on a fraction of an acre produce recommendations for an entire farming operation? In this episode of the Red Dirt Agronomy podcast, Oklahoma State University Extension specialists Brian Arnall Ph.D. and Josh Lofton Ph.D. explain why small-plot research remains one of the most important tools in agricultural science. Small plots allow researchers to control soil, rainfall, pests and other variables while repeating treatments enough times to determine whether a result is dependable or simply field variation. The conversation follows an idea from its earliest controlled trial through multi-year testing, larger demonstrations and eventual use on commercial farms. Arnall and Lofton also discuss statistical confidence, the financial consequences of a poor recommendation and why an isolated yield response is not enough to justify changing a producer’s management program. The researchers emphasize that producer cooperators are essential. On-farm trials expose practices to different soils, weather patterns and management systems while giving farmers a way to test a recommendation on limited acres before adopting it across an operation. The main message is practical: research should not simply show that something worked. It should help producers understand where it works, why it works, when it may fail and whether the likely return justifies the risk.

One of Oklahoma agriculture’s most recognizable pieces of ground is entering a new chapter—but the research farmers depend on is not being paved over. Oklahoma State University’s new veterinary teaching hospital is expected to be built on the footprint now occupied by buildings at the Agronomy Research Station in Stillwater. That announcement raised understandable concerns about the future of the farm, its teaching plots and long-term experiments, including research that has been underway for more than a century. In this episode of Red Dirt Agronomy, OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences head Wade Thomason Ph.D. joins Dave Deken, Brian Arnall Ph.D. and Josh Lofton Ph.D. to separate settled decisions from questions that are still being worked through. The historic Magruder Plots and other irreplaceable long-term fertility research are being protected. OSU also expects to retain much of the main research ground, although approximately 20 to 50 acres used by other programs may need to be recreated nearby. The change also creates an opportunity to replace aging buildings with modern greenhouses, field laboratories, shared seed and sample-processing areas, improved research storage and a producer-friendly education center. That center could provide a new home for soil, water and forage testing as well as plant disease and insect diagnostics. For Oklahoma producers, this is more than a construction story. It is about preserving unbiased crop research, strengthening Extension services, improving wheat and crop breeding, giving students meaningful field experience, and making the university’s diagnostic resources easier to use. The current target is to move agronomy operations into their new facilities during the summer of 2028, although final land and funding decisions remain in progress.

This week on the Red Dirt Agronomy Podcast, Dave Deken, Brian Arnall Ph.D., and Josh Lofton Ph.D. sit down with Amanda Silva Ph.D., Oklahoma State University Extension small grains specialist, to unpack one of the toughest Oklahoma wheat seasons in recent memory. The conversation follows the crop from dry planting conditions through warm winter development, cool grain fill, scattered April rains, wheat streak mosaic pressure, and the uneven results showing up across variety trials from southwest Oklahoma to the Panhandle. The biggest lesson is that this year did not come down to one simple answer. Moisture timing drove much of the story, but planting date, variety maturity, stand establishment, disease pressure, and trial variability all shaped what producers saw in the field. Silva also explains why stressful seasons still matter for research: even when yields disappoint, Oklahoma’s wheat trials can reveal which management choices and varieties hold together when conditions get rough.

After a dry start to the season, June rain and cooler weather have changed the outlook for Oklahoma summer crops. In this episode of the Red Dirt Agronomy Podcast, Dave Deken checks in with Brian Arnall, Ph.D., and Josh Lofton, Ph.D., on soybean size, corn pollination, sorghum development, double crop decisions after early wheat harvest, forage needs, and where fertility dollars may make the most sense right now. Josh explains why smaller soybean and sorghum plants may not be a bad thing in Oklahoma dryland systems, especially if July turns hot and dry. Brian walks through nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, lime, and fertilizer market considerations, then shares observations from a recent agronomy trip to Brazil. The group also previews the Chickasha Summer Crop Demo Day, a hands-on OSU Extension event focused on scouting, soil pits, spray nozzles, nitrate testing, summer crops, and practical field decisions.

At the Central Oklahoma Cattle Conference, the Red Dirt Agronomy crew sits down with Jennifer Patterson, Payne County Extension ag educator, to talk about what it really takes to serve cattle producers in rural Oklahoma. Jennifer shares how local questions about weeds, forage quality, fertility, and livestock management help shape Extension programming, and why events like this conference still matter in a fast-changing agricultural landscape. The conversation also gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at county Extension work: adapting to local needs, connecting producers with university specialists, creating practical educational programs, and building trust one conversation at a time. It is a thoughtful, funny, and highly practical episode about the value of Extension and the people doing that work every day.

In this episode of the Red Dirt Agronomy Podcast, the crew sits down with OSU forage specialist Brian Pugh at the Central Oklahoma Cattle Conference to talk pasture recovery, forage management, and what cattle producers need to rethink in today’s market. The discussion covers why many operations are still stocked for a low-input era that no longer exists, how native and introduced forages recover differently, and why pasture should be managed with the same attention producers give a crop. From resting native grasses after July 10 to rebuilding bermudagrass with fertility, weed control, and reduced pressure, this episode is packed with practical advice for producers trying to balance cattle prices, input costs, and long-term pasture productivity.

In this episode of Red Dirt Agronomy, Dave Deken and Brian Arnall sit down with Rick and Ginger Reimer of the Oklahoma Soybean Board to talk about the many ways soybeans impact Oklahoma agriculture beyond the field. From producer-funded research and soybean checkoff investments to teacher workshops, student outreach, virtual reality learning, and consumer education, this conversation shows how one crop can connect farming, livestock, classrooms, and communities across the state. The episode also explores soybean production trends in Oklahoma, the crop’s expanding footprint, and why building agricultural understanding with future voters matters just as much as agronomic progress. Learn more at RedDirtAgronomy.com

When wheat weeds start outrunning the old game plan, what should producers change first? In this episode of Red Dirt Agronomy, the crew sits down with Oklahoma State University’s Liberty Galvin at AgriFest in Enid to talk about what is actually working right now in wheat weed control. From pre-emergent herbicides and burndown programs to delayed planting and variety selection, this episode digs into the choices that can make herbicides work better instead of harder. The conversation also goes beyond spray recommendations and into weed biology, seedbanks, no-till challenges, competitive canopies, and even fire as a possible post-harvest tool. It is a practical, Oklahoma-focused discussion for producers trying to keep wheat clean, protect yield, and think more strategically about long-term weed management.

Commodity prices are squeezing margins, and “hoping for the best” isn’t a business plan. In Episode 508, the team sits down with Clay Burtrum of Farm Data Services at the Central Oklahoma Cattle Conference to talk real-world risk—market swings, weather variability, and the insurance tools producers are using to stay bankable. Clay breaks down Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) in plain language, shares what producers commonly misunderstand (including how coverage works and what you must document), and explains why deadlines on the crop side can sneak up fast—especially the March 15 sales closing date in our area. If you’re running wheat, cattle, pasture, or all of the above, this episode is a practical roadmap for protecting margins in a year where every decision counts.