OSU Farm Management

08/29/2026

In June 2024, we wrote about a novel new concept for adding base acres to farms that had been proposed in the House Ag Committee-passed version of the 2024 Farm Bill (Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024). The concept ultimately was adopted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) that was signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. As we noted in July 2025 (link), the provision allowed up to 30 million additional base acres across the nation. Over the past year, USDA has been working to implement the provision. On June 1, 2026, USDA began notifying producers about the opportunity to add base acres to farms. The notification includes a “Base Allocation Summary” that provides the farm’s reported acres by covered commodity for any planted, prevented planted, failed, double crop, and subsequent acres (acres planted after an initial commodity)—along with the total number of acres of non-covered commodities—for each year from 2019 to 2023. While the calculations in the worksheet can be a little confusing to follow, the good news is that the additional base allocation will occur automatically (and can only increase the base acres on your farm—in other words, the additional base allocation cannot take base acres away from you nor reallocate existing base acres). Since the process is largely automated, you really only have to make some basic decisions by the August 31, 2026, deadline.

Read at https://southernagtoday.org/2026/07/23/upcoming-farm-policy-decisions-for-producers/

Article by Bart L. Fischer and Joe Outlaw, Texas A&M University Agricultural & Food Policy Center

Authors: Bart L. Fischer and Joe Outlaw In June 2024, we wrote (link) about a novel new concept for adding base acres to farms that had been proposed in the House Ag Committee-passed version of the 2024 Farm Bill (Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024). The concept ultimately was adopted in....

08/28/2026

Farm Business Operating Agreement

This agreement is similar to a partnership and involves the entire operation. Farm Business Operating Agreements are used when both parties contribute labor and management, invest capital, and share the income generated from the farm business. Often the older party furnishes all the land, although the parties may rent additional land. Many variations of ownership of machinery, feed, and livestock are used. The accounting requirements are simplest if the parties have equal ownership of much of the personal property.

Learn more at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c4-43.html

Find additional farm and ranch transition resources at https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/farm-transitions/putting-your-game-plan-into-action/index.html

A Farm Business Operating Agreement is one of your farm business choices and can be the next step in the farm business transfer process. It can be used after an Enterprise Operating Agreement. It can also be used as an intermediate arrangement between a Wage and Incentive Agreement and a partnership...

08/27/2026

This fact sheet begins with a brief overview of data centers and a discussion on why Oklahoma is being considered as a potential location for these facilities. This is followed by an overview of some of the most frequently discussed economic considerations, including revenue, employment and infrastructure. The purpose of this fact sheet is to offer a high-level introduction for communities navigating data center proposals. Additional fact sheets will explore specific topics (such as water or electricity use) in greater detail. This fact sheet is informational only and does not indicate support for or against data centers.

Read at https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/the-economics-of-data-centers-considerations-for-communities

Fact Sheet by Mckenzie Boyce, Brian Whitacre, OSU Department of Agricultural Economics

08/26/2026

On February 3, 2026, the Department of the Treasury and the IRS officially unveiled the long-awaited proposed regulations for the I.R.C. §45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit. The proposed regulations are more than just a technical update; it represents a historic pivot in how the U.S. government incentivizes energy. By formally integrating the sweeping changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) of 2025, these rules transition the industry away from traditional, technology-specific subsidies toward a performance-based, technology-neutral framework.

Read at https://www.agmanager.info/ag-law-and-human-resources/ag-law-issues/proposed-irc-45z-regulations

Article by Roger McEowen, Washburn University School of Law

08/25/2026

Grain storage infrastructure including bins, elevators, bunkers, and sheds, allows farmers, grain merchants, and others to take advantage of price differences across time, storing grain when it is relatively cheap and bringing it to market when it is more valuable. Storage also facilitates grain aggregation and movement to end-users. Thus, storage infrastructure is critical to the effective operation of US grain supply chains and the efficiency of US grain markets. Robust grain storage infrastructure allows farmers to receive the highest possible price for their crops, conditional on demand.

Read at https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2026/02/us-grain-storage-capacity-growth-has-stopped.html

Article by Joe Janzen, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois

Joe Janzen - US grain storage capacity grew parallel to production from 2000-2019 but has stagnated since 2020. Combined with rising production, this led to record 80% on-farm capacity utilization in December 2025. The storage constraint raises concerns about supply chain bottlenecks and questions a...

08/22/2026

The most common type of flexible lease bases the final cash rent on an estimate of the actual gross revenue realized from the crop each year. In many cases, the rate is simply a percent of the price times the yield. Some agreements also include government payments in the gross revenue, and some specify a maximum and/or minimum rent.

Read at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c2-22.html

Article by Ann M. Johanns, extension program specialist and William Edwards,
retired extension economist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Ann M. Johanns, extension program specialist, 515-337-2766, [email protected] William Edwards, retired economist. Questions?

08/21/2026

Faculty within OSU Ag have created several web-based and mobile applications. These decision support tools assist clientele in making calculations, assessing environmental impact, and predictive modeling using existing conditions. Apps for budgeting, grazing, calculating fertilizer application, and many more are available.

All OSU Ag apps are available on iTunes and/or Google Play. Click on https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/mobile-applications/index.html to find available apps.

Faculty within the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources have created several web-based and mobile applications. These decision support tools assist clientele in making calculations, assessing environmental impact, and predictive modeling using existing conditions.

08/20/2026

Of all the factors that might influence the cost of producing poultry for U.S. contract growers, data centers likely would not come to mind. Yet their impact may be broader than expected, bringing both benefits and challenges.

Read at https://southernagtoday.org/2026/07/14/data-centers-and-poultry-growers/

Article by Dennis Brothers, Alabama A&M & Auburn University Extension

Of all the factors that might influence the cost of producing poultry for U.S. contract growers, data centers likely would not come to mind. Yet their impact may be broader than expected, bringing both benefits and challenges. First, we might consider what a data center does.  They are physical bu...

08/19/2026

Cost of New World Screwworm

In response to the USDA’s confirmation of New World Screwworm (NWS) cases in Texas and southeast New Mexico, coordinated state and federal safety protocols are underway. To actively manage the situation, official containment efforts such as localized quarantines, strict animal movement restrictions, the deployment of expert teams and strategic release of sterile flies (a highly effective method to stop NWM spreading).
What are the economic implications?

As Dr. Peel, OSU Livestock Marketing Specialist, noted in one of his recent newsletters, cattle markets had already begun pricing in this risk prior to the official confirmation, essentially shifting from the state of uncertainty to reality. For this reason, there was a slight drop in cattle futures the day following the official announcement, but prices quickly rebounded and rose again as the market stabilized.

Although the supply and demand fundamentals remain secure, because this pest is not considered a food safety issue, the presence of NWS is another challenge for herd expansion at a time when cattle supplies are already tight. Consequently, this low supply situation could last a long period of time. What remains a fact is that the re-opening of Mexican border is highly uncertain, despite some rumors of a possible re-opening in recent months. Although Mexican feeder imports are relatively small compared to the domestic calf-crop (around 5%), they have been a significant source of feeder cattle for feedlots in states near the border.
How does NWS impact cattle operations?

According to the USDA, prevention is the best way to manage NWS. Because the larvae feed on live tissue in fresh wounds, monitoring the cattle is crucial. For that reason, Cow-Calf operations are more vulnerable than feedlots. According to literature, in the mid-1950s NWS caused losses of millions of dollars, with an estimation of $20M per year and between $50M to $100M per year in the Southeast and Southwest regions respectively. There are three costs that could impact the cow-calf margins. 1) Medicines and veterinary services, for prevention and treatment. 2) Extra Labor hours, monitoring and checking cattle grazing across large pastures ranch/surface requires more time and resources. 3) Low performance, the hidden costs, this is only for infested animals whose production performance is affected (weight and milk) or results in an increased death loss rate.

At this point, Oklahoma is safe, but we should wait and see how the situation is handled. The information above is only to raise awareness of the threat we are facing and the possible risk to cow-calf operation margins in the state, and not to spread panic. I highly encourage you to stay tuned to official news. If you want to stay informed and up to date, visit the OSU Extension Livestock Entomology website: https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/livestock-entomology/new-world-screwworm-info or contact your local Extension Office. We’d be happy to help you.

Article by Alberto Amador, West Area Ag Economics Specialist

Information relating to the current spread and distribution of new world screwworm.

08/18/2026

In case you missed today's Get found on Google: A Guide to Setting up your Google Business Profile webinar, find it at https://youtu.be/gGnznzN8KtA or click the link below to view.

In this webinar, viewers will learn how to set up a Google Business...