Halito (Hello) from Dr. Evan Whitley, Executive Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The new year – now readily upon us – has launched with a bang.
2025 has already impacted many facets of agriculture, both positively and negatively… with some levels of uncertainty throughout: on the positive side, our commodity markets are absolutely buzzing – with both Live and Feeder Cattle leading the charge. Consumer demand for beef is holding strong, and supply levels for all classes of cattle are down, causing fundamental principles to drive funds and futures investor sentiment, which is certainly a good direction.
On the flipside, from a weather standpoint at least, the first few weeks of the new year has not been all that great. Southeastern Oklahoma witnessed significant (and in some areas, the most ever on-record snowfall: 10-12 inches!) during mid-January. I realize we always need moisture, but this 3–5-day event – for me, at least – was costly: when the snow had cleared, with it went some very valuable calves. The current and short-term market uncertainty primarily resides in our agricultural export/import matrix, specifically the continued effects the New World screw worm will have on feeder cattle imports from Mexico, along with possible retaliatory actions from tariffs placed on incoming foreign products, potentially impacting agricultural exports.
All this brings to mind a commonly-used, often-satirical phrase I’ve heard over the years:
“Are we having fun yet?”
I’m sure all of us have either used or at least heard the phrase at some point. Little works better to describe a challenging, short-term event (often completely outside our control) intertwined within a satisfying, long-term life choice. The “joy” of parenting is a good example of this conundrum—nothing being more “rewarding-but-challenging.” Another shining example is the “artform” that is successful and sustainable utilization of natural resources that don’t (and won’t!) conform to your expectations or wishes.
I guess, in the long run, the best way to describe both is, “They’re fun all the time, and really fun some of the time.”