The episode also looks at what Roosevelt’s visit left behind, including his role in designating the Wichita Forest and Game Preserve, now known as the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. It is a story about statehood, conservation, Southwest Oklahoma, and the moment a young, unfinished state found a president who believed in its future.

Key takeaways

1. Theodore Roosevelt had Oklahoma connections before statehood through the Rough Riders.
2. His Rough Riders included men from Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory.
3. Roosevelt visited Oklahoma City in 1900 for a Rough Riders reunion.
4. In 1905, he traveled by train through Indian Territory and spoke in several towns.
5. Frederick became the center of one of Roosevelt’s most famous Oklahoma stories.
6. Jack “Catch-Em-Alive” Abernathy’s wolf-catching reputation drew Roosevelt to Southwest Oklahoma.
7. The Deep Red Creek camp connected politics, ranching, tribal nations, and statehood dreams.
8. Quanah Parker’s presence reminds listeners that this was a complicated historical moment.
9. Roosevelt’s conservation legacy helped shape today’s Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.
10. Roosevelt later signed the 1907 proclamation admitting Oklahoma as the 46th state.

Timestamped rundown

00:00–00:13 — Dave Deken opens the episode and frames it around agriculture, rural life, and Oklahoma.
00:13–01:19 — The episode sets up Theodore Roosevelt’s connection to pre-statehood Oklahoma, then divided into Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory.
01:20–01:56 — Roosevelt’s Rough Riders connection is introduced, including men from Oklahoma and Indian Territories who served with him.
01:57–02:09 — Roosevelt visits Oklahoma City in 1900 and tells the crowd he hopes to see Oklahoma become a state.
02:10–03:12 — The story moves to Roosevelt’s 1905 presidential trip by train through Indian Territory, including stops in Vinita, Muskogee, South McAlester, Atoka, Caddo, and Durant.
03:12–04:15 — Roosevelt arrives in Frederick and heads toward the Big Pasture and Deep Red Creek for a hunting trip with Jack Abernathy.
04:16–04:31 — Dave pauses to explain the deeper historical setting: tribal nations, ranching, politics, federal power, memory, and change.
04:32–05:00 — The wolf hunt becomes legend as Abernathy proves the stories Roosevelt had heard about him.
05:01–06:18 — Roosevelt’s conservation legacy is tied to the Wichita Forest and Game Preserve, now the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.
06:18–07:03 — The episode connects Roosevelt’s Oklahoma affection to statehood, ending with his 1907 proclamation admitting Oklahoma to the Union.
07:04–07:35 — Dave closes with a reminder to learn more at the show website and wishes listeners a happy Fourth of July weekend.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken looks at how soybeans fit into Oklahoma’s farm country, especially behind wheat in double-crop systems. The episode explains why soybeans are different here than in the I-states, how heat and rain shape production decisions, and why practical research on planting dates, maturity groups, weeds, insects, and feral hog damage matters to Oklahoma producers.

Key takeaways:

• Oklahoma sits on the western edge of traditional soybean country, where moisture and heat make every season a calculated risk.
• Double-crop soybeans can give farmers a second crop after wheat, but success depends heavily on timing and late-season weather.
• Soybean production in Oklahoma often fits best in rotation, river bottoms, eastern areas, and fields where moisture holds.
• Weeds, stink bugs, feral hogs, and hot, dry Septembers can quickly change the outlook for a promising soybean field.
• Soybeans contribute protein, oil, feed, fuel, and income while helping diversify Oklahoma farm systems.

Detailed timestamped rundown

00:00–01:05 — Oklahoma’s overlooked soybean story
Dave opens by framing Oklahoma as wheat, cattle, and red dirt country, then introduces soybeans as a quieter crop with an important place in the state’s agricultural story.
01:06–01:44 — Farming on the western edge
The episode explains that Oklahoma sits on the western side of traditional soybean country, where producers must weigh moisture, heat, timing, and cost more carefully than in the central Corn Belt.
01:45–02:11 — Soybeans in perspective
Dave notes that soybeans are a real crop in Oklahoma, but they sit behind winter wheat in scale and visibility.
02:12–02:51 — Double-cropping after wheat
The episode explains double cropping in plain terms: wheat is planted in the fall, harvested in late spring or early summer, and soybeans are planted into the wheat stubble soon after.
02:53–03:51 — The opportunity and risk of double-crop beans
Double-crop soybeans can help Oklahoma farmers use a wheat system while still chasing a summer crop, but later planting shortens the growing season and puts more pressure on late-summer and early-fall weather.
03:52–04:16 — Weather can humble a crop
Dave uses 2021 as an example of a year when weather disrupted soybean development and reduced yield expectations.
04:17–04:52 — Field-level challenges
The episode turns to practical soybean problems, including weeds, insects, stink bugs, and feral hogs that can damage fields.
04:53–05:22 — Practical research for real farms
Soybean research in Oklahoma is described as “fence row agriculture,” focused on real problems farmers face: weed control, planting dates, maturity groups, double-crop management, and feral swine control.
05:24–06:05 — Where soybeans fit
Soybeans are shown as part of a larger farm plan: behind wheat, in rotations, in river bottoms, and in fields that can hold enough moisture.
06:06–06:39 — A crop built for uncertainty
Dave explains the biological and economic value of soybeans, from nitrogen-fixing roots to protein, oil, feed, fuel, and income.
06:40–07:15 — Closing reflection
The episode closes by describing soybeans as a steady crop that survives in Oklahoma because farmers are practical, watchful, and willing to take a chance when the season allows it.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken follows the longhorn drives that moved north from Texas through present-day Oklahoma toward Kansas railheads. The episode explains why the Chisholm Trail and Western Trail mattered, how cowboys and Native nations fit into the story, and why the open-trail era faded as railroads, quarantine laws, barbed wire, blizzards, and land openings changed the rural landscape.

Key takeaways:

• Oklahoma was the critical middle ground between cheap Texas cattle and higher-value northern markets.
• The Chisholm Trail and Western Trail were shaped by water, grass, river crossings, railroads, and settlement pressure.
• Native nations in Indian Territory were not background scenery; they had their own ranching economies, land systems, and complicated relationships with the cattle-drive economy.
• Cattle drives were dangerous, practical work involving stampedes, river crossings, weather, disease concerns, and long days in the saddle.

The end of the open range came through a combination of barbed wire, railroads, quarantine laws, the 1887 blizzard, and new farming settlements.


Timestamped rundown

00:00–00:13 — Opening
Dave Deken introduces the episode as a look at agriculture and rural life across Oklahoma.
00:13–00:42 — Ordinary roads, historic trails
The episode frames modern roads like Highway 81 and county roads near Duncan, Chickasha, and El Reno as routes that once carried massive cattle movement.
00:42–01:45 — Why the cattle moved north
After the Civil War, Texas had an oversupply of cattle, while northern markets connected to railroads could pay far more. The solution was simple but hard: walk the cattle north.
01:45–03:21 — Oklahoma as the middle ground
Present-day Oklahoma, then Indian Territory, became the long stretch between Texas ranches and Kansas rail towns. The episode explains the shift from older routes to the Chisholm Trail and the role of Jesse Chisholm and Black Beaver.
03:22–04:09 — Life around the herd
A typical herd could number around 3,000 cattle, moving slowly while grazing north. Cowboys from different backgrounds worked the drives, drawing from Anglo, Black, Mexican, Tejano, Native, and vaquero traditions.
04:10–05:06 — Danger on the trail
Trail bosses had to plan around water, grass, rivers, weather, and stampedes. The episode highlights how quickly a quiet night could become dangerous.
05:07–07:01 — Indian Territory, Native nations, and the Western Trail
The episode explains that this was not empty land. Native nations had communities, livestock, and economies, while some collected grazing fees or tolls. The story then shifts west to the Western Trail and Doan’s Crossing, where huge numbers of cattle passed north.
07:02–07:54 — The end of the trail-drive era
Barbed wire, railroads, Kansas quarantine laws, the 1887 blizzard, and land openings brought the open-trail era to a close.
07:55–09:03 — What the trails still mean
The closing reflection argues that Oklahoma’s cattle trails left behind a story bigger than beef: a story of movement, cost, survival, ambition, and change.
09:04–09:27 — Outro
Dave directs listeners to RedDirtAndRoundBales.com and closes the episode.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken takes listeners inside the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide weather monitoring network that has helped Oklahoma watch, learn, and prepare for more than 30 years. Built through a partnership between Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma, the Mesonet collects weather and soil data from stations across the state, giving farmers, ranchers, emergency managers, fire managers, teachers, and local communities information they can use close to home. The Oklahoma Mesonet is operated as a joint project of OU and OSU, with quality-assured observations reported every five minutes.

Key takeaways:

• The Oklahoma Mesonet was commissioned in 1994 and now serves as a statewide weather decision tool.
• Mesonet stations help track wind, rain, humidity, temperature, soil moisture, soil temperature, solar radiation, and more.
• Farmers and ranchers use Mesonet data for spraying decisions, cattle comfort, soil conditions, and weather planning.
• Emergency managers and fire officials rely on Mesonet tools for storm response, wildfire risk, prescribed fire, and public safety.
• The Mesonet combines Oklahoma’s long tradition of reading the sky with real-time, local, quality-checked weather data.

Timestamped rundown

00:00–01:15 — Dave Deken introduces the episode and frames the Oklahoma Mesonet as a quiet but powerful tool serving rural Oklahoma.
01:16–01:41 — The episode explains why weather in Oklahoma is more than small talk: it affects business, livelihoods, crops, cattle, roads, and safety.
01:42–02:30 — Dave introduces the Mesonet’s origin story, noting its 1994 commissioning and the unusual but important collaboration between Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma.
02:31–03:35 — The episode describes the network’s reach: 120 stations, at least one in every county, measuring air, soil, rain, wind, humidity, pressure, solar radiation, and more.
03:36–04:25 — Dave explains why the Mesonet is considered a gold-standard weather network: density, consistency, maintenance, calibration, and quality control.
04:26–05:15 — The episode highlights major Mesonet weather records, including Oklahoma’s all-time low temperature at Nowata, extreme wind at El Reno, and other remarkable heat, rainfall, and solar-radiation observations.
05:16–06:25 — The episode turns toward practical use: teachers, ranchers, farmers, emergency managers, and fire managers all use Mesonet data to make decisions.
06:26–07:38 — Dave reflects on the Mesonet as both science and public service, connecting universities, technicians, meteorologists, taxpayers, and landowners.
07:39–08:19 — The episode closes by placing the Mesonet in Oklahoma’s larger story of watching, learning, preparing, and helping one another.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deacon looks back at cotton’s deep roots in Oklahoma, from early production in the Choctaw Nation and the painful history of enslaved labor to tenant farming, boll weevils, Depression-era crop controls, mechanization, irrigation, and modern production. The episode connects the crop’s economic importance with the human cost carried by farm families, sharecroppers, gin towns, and rural communities.

Key takeaways:

• Cotton was once grown across nearly all of Oklahoma and became one of the state’s major cash crops.
• The crop’s history includes both opportunity and injustice, including enslaved labor and tenant debt.
• Boll weevils, price crashes, drought, and the Great Depression reshaped cotton country.
• Mechanization helped farms survive but reduced the need for hand labor and changed rural communities.
• Modern Oklahoma cotton depends on improved seed, irrigation, pest control, research, gins, warehouses, and global markets.

Detailed timestamped rundown

Time

Segment

00:00

Dave Deacon opens the episode from Oklahoma and introduces the focus on agriculture and rural life.

00:13

The episode frames cotton as more than a crop in Oklahoma: it shaped money, hardship, communities, and rural identity.

00:47

Dave begins the history before statehood, noting early cotton production in the Choctaw Nation and the crop’s deep roots in Indian Territory.

01:03

The episode plainly addresses the role of enslaved African-Americans in pre-Civil War cotton production in what is now Oklahoma.

01:20

After the Civil War, cotton production slowed but returned by the 1870s as railroads, settlers, tenants, merchants, and towns expanded.

01:42

By statehood, cotton had become a widespread Oklahoma crop, with fields, gins, wagons, mule teams, and family labor defining rural life.

02:11

Dave shares a personal family connection through his grandmother, who picked cotton as a child on land later bought by the family.

02:45

The episode explains the yearly rhythm of cotton: planting, chopping weeds, watching weather and insects, harvesting, and hoping prices covered the bills.

03:00

Tenant farmers and sharecroppers are described as living on razor-thin margins, often moving season to season in search of better chances.

03:17

The boll weevil arrives around 1905 and begins changing cotton farming across the South and Oklahoma.

03:23

Dave explains how boll weevil damage worked inside the cotton boll, often hidden until the damage was already done.

03:46

World War I demand pushed cotton prices higher, encouraging Oklahoma farmers to plant more acres.

04:04

Cotton prices collapse after the boom, creating a painful cycle where indebted farmers planted more cotton, increasing supply and pushing prices lower.

04:25

The 1920s become cotton’s high-water mark in Oklahoma, with acreage peaking and the state rising near the top of national production.

04:49

The Great Depression, drought, and federal crop controls bring a reckoning, including major acreage reductions and families leaving the land.

05:07

Dave emphasizes that these were not just farm adjustments but human adjustments affecting gin towns, schools, and rural families.

05:25

Post-World War II mechanization changes cotton production as tractors, pickers, and strippers replace much of the hand labor.

05:47

Mechanization improves efficiency but reduces the need for labor, permanently changing rural communities.

06:02

Cotton production becomes more concentrated in southwest Oklahoma, where irrigation helps sustain the crop in dry years.

06:36

The episode explains the modern decline of cotton’s statewide dominance because of synthetic fibers, markets, costs, fewer farm families, and crop competition.

06:56

Dave brings the story to today’s cotton industry: improved seed, irrigation, pest control, research, harvest technology, gins, warehouses, and global markets.

07:15

The episode gives modern Oklahoma cotton production figures and connects today’s crop to the many layers of history behind it.

07:39

Dave closes with the central message: cotton has been valuable and cruel, a lifeline and a gamble.

08:08

The episode closes by directing listeners to RedDirtAndRoundBales.com for more on Oklahoma cotton history.

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Mike also explains why wheat demand still matters, even in a tough production year. From miller interest to global grain stocks and the changing balance between wheat production and consumption, this episode looks at how an Oklahoma crop connects to dinner tables around the world — and why farmers keep moving even when the year does not go according to plan.

Key takeaways

1. Oklahoma’s 2026 wheat crop was stressed from the start because many western areas had little moisture after planting.
2. Harvest arrived two to three weeks early in parts of southwest Oklahoma.
3. Late rains helped some areas but also slowed harvest when combines were ready.
4. Yield capability is the biggest concern for this year’s crop.
5. Even with lower yields, millers are still interested in sourcing Oklahoma wheat.
6. Global wheat production is uneven, with large crops expected in some regions and losses in others.
7. Wheat consumption trends may be shifting ahead of production.
8. Wheat remains an affordable calorie source worldwide, especially for cost-conscious consumers.
9. Oklahoma wheat is local at harvest but global in the marketplace.
10. The episode frames 2026 as a year of drought, early harvest, market opportunity, and producer resilience.

Timestamped rundown

00:00–00:17 — Dave Deken opens the episode and introduces the theme of Oklahoma agriculture and rural life.
00:18–01:07 — The episode sets the scene for Oklahoma’s 2026 wheat crop: dry conditions, stress, an early finish, and a difficult year for producers.
01:07–01:34 — Mike Schulte explains that western Oklahoma saw very little moisture after planting, with rains arriving only shortly before harvest.
01:34–02:04 — Dave describes the usual Oklahoma wheat harvest rhythm, from the Red River northward, and explains how 2026 moved much faster than normal.
02:05–02:35 — The episode looks at the challenge of rain arriving at harvest instead of during the crop’s critical growing period.
02:35–03:06 — Mike says southwest Oklahoma was ready to cut two to three weeks early, with harvest expected to wrap up much sooner than in many normal years.
03:06–03:41 — Dave reflects on what “yield capability” really means for producers: fuel, seed, rent, operating notes, and the difference between getting ahead and getting by.
04:02–05:18 — Mike explains the market side, including miller interest, global wheat production, and the shift from production outpacing consumption to consumption outpacing production.
05:18–05:58 — Dave widens the lens, connecting Oklahoma wheat fields to global markets and families buying flour, bread, and other staple foods.
05:59–07:06 — The episode closes with a reflection on drought, early harvest, muddy finishes, market surprises, and the resilience of Oklahoma producers.
07:07–07:31 — Dave directs listeners to learn more about the 2026 Oklahoma wheat crop and the final crop update.

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In this episode, Dave Deken looks at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa and the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, the inland waterway that links Oklahoma commerce to the Mississippi River and Gulf shipping lanes. From wheat moving out to fertilizer moving in, this episode explains why a working port in a landlocked state matters to farmers, co-ops, grain handlers, truck drivers and rural communities.

Key takeaways:

• The Tulsa Port of Catoosa sits at the head of navigation for the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.
• The McClellan-Kerr system connects the Verdigris, Arkansas, White and Mississippi Rivers through a 445-mile navigation route.
• Barges provide another transportation option when rail, trucking, fuel and fertilizer costs pressure farm margins.
• Tulsa Ports says one towboat moving up to 1,500 tons of freight can replace about 60 trucks or 15 rail cars.
• The port supports agriculture, industry and jobs by moving grain, fertilizer, steel, petroleum products, machinery and oversized freight.

Detailed timestamped rundown

00:00–00:40 — Dave Deken opens the episode and introduces the idea that some of Oklahoma’s most important roads are not made of asphalt. He sets up the episode around waterborne commerce and the surprising fact that Oklahoma has a working port.
00:41–01:36 — Dave introduces the Tulsa Port of Catoosa, located near the Verdigris River north of Tulsa. He explains that it is the head of navigation for the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and describes its role in moving wheat, soybeans, fertilizer, steel, machinery and crop inputs toward the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico and global markets.
01:37–02:51 — The episode turns to the history and engineering behind the system. Dave explains that the Arkansas River was not naturally dependable for freight traffic, so the dream of a working river required surveys, politics, engineering, public investment and persistence. He notes the system’s dedication in 1971 and describes the locks and dams that help freight move across hundreds of miles.
02:51–03:57 — Dave connects the port directly to wheat country. Wheat is framed not just as a crop, but as a way of life tied to planting, weather, harvest, elevators, test weights, protein and price boards. Once wheat leaves the field, the Port of Catoosa helps connect it to domestic and international markets.
03:57–04:49 — Dave explains why barge transportation matters for farm economics. Heavy bulk freight may move slowly by barge, but it can save money and reduce pressure when trucking, rail, diesel, fertilizer and commodity prices squeeze producers’ margins.
04:49–07:29 — The episode broadens from grain and fertilizer to the full supply chain behind Oklahoma commerce. Dave highlights the workers and industries connected to the port, including welders, tugboat operators, grain merchandisers, truck drivers, elevator hands, mechanics and warehouse crews. He closes by describing the Port of Catoosa and McClellan-Kerr as Oklahoma’s water road to the world.

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Dave Deken visits with Mark Turner Ph.D., Oklahoma State University Extension wildlife specialist, about what Oklahoma landowners can do to support turkey brood survival. Turner explains why young poults need insects, usable cover, bare ground and the right plant structure to grow fast enough to escape predators and environmental stress.

Key takeaways:

• Nesting cover matters, but poult survival may be a bigger limiting factor for turkey populations.
• Poults spend about their first two weeks on the ground before they can roost in trees.
• Young turkeys need insect-rich habitat because fast growth requires high-protein food.
• Good brood habitat has cover overhead, open movement at ground level and plant structure a hen can see through.
• Predators, heavy rain, heat and poor habitat can all reduce poult survival.

Detailed timestamped rundown

00:00–01:12 — Dave Deken opens the episode from Oklahoma and sets the scene with a tom turkey in the pasture. He shifts the focus from adult birds to tiny poults, explaining that the future of the flock is decided in the grass during the first days after hatch. He introduces Mark Turner Ph.D., Oklahoma State University Extension wildlife specialist.
01:12–01:52 — Turner explains that a lot of turkey management attention has gone to nesting, and nesting still matters. But he says available data suggest nest survival has not fallen sharply enough to explain the full population decline. Instead, brood survival appears to be very low, making poult survival a key management focus.
01:52–02:57 — Dave expands on the point: a hen can successfully lay and hatch eggs, but if poults hatch into poor habitat, the year’s production can disappear quickly. He describes what poults need — bugs, overhead cover, bare ground and vegetation that is tall enough to hide them but open enough to move through.
02:57–04:14 — Turner explains why the first two weeks are so risky. Poults cannot yet roost in trees, so they and the hen remain on the ground. He outlines threats from mammalian predators, avian predators, rain, exposure and heat. He also explains why insects are crucial: poults need high-protein food to support rapid early growth.
04:14–04:59 — Dave closes by reminding listeners that every gobble began as a vulnerable poult in the grass. He points listeners to RedDirtAndRoundBales.com to learn more about increasing turkey habitat and bird numbers in Oklahoma.

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Dave Deken visits with Amanda Silva Ph.D., Oklahoma State University Extension small grains specialist, about what early wheat variety trials and producer fields are showing across Oklahoma. They discuss why yields have been so variable, how stored soil moisture carried some fields farther than expected, and why timely rainfall still proved to be the biggest yield-limiting factor.

Key takeaways:

• Rainfall timing was the biggest driver of Oklahoma wheat yield differences this season.
• Trial yields ranged widely, showing how variable the crop was across regions and even within counties.
• Planting date mattered because it affected whether fields could take advantage of limited rain events.
• Variety selection still showed value through drought tolerance, resilience and nitrogen-use differences.
• Some producers faced practical harvest decisions: cut, bale, graze, leave or move on.

Detailed timestamped rundown

00:00–00:13 — Dave Deken opens the episode from Oklahoma and introduces the focus on agriculture and rural life across the state.
00:13–00:47 — Dave frames the wheat season as fast, dry and hot, but not without surprises. He introduces Amanda Silva Ph.D., Oklahoma State University Extension small grains specialist, and explains that he spoke with her while recording a wheat crop update for the Oklahoma Wheat Commission.
00:47–01:54 — Silva explains that yields are lower than hoped, but variable across Oklahoma. She says some plots and fields have ranged from roughly 1 to 70 bushels, with a 40-bushel crop looking strong in this environment. She emphasizes that fields catching rain at the right time performed better.
01:54–02:26 — Dave notes that harvest data is still coming in from plots around the state. He describes the crop as one of the most mixed he has seen and asks Silva to compare the importance of variety selection, moisture availability and planting date.
02:26–03:48 — Silva ranks rainfall as the top yield-limiting factor in Oklahoma wheat. She explains that stored water can carry the crop partway, but in-season rain is still essential. She also discusses how planting date can affect whether the crop lines up with rain events and how variety selection contributes through genetics, drought tolerance, resilience and nitrogen use.
03:48–04:35 — Dave reflects on how a fast harvest can sometimes mean fewer acres were worth cutting. He broadens the story beyond drought, pointing to speed, stress, shortened growing windows and the real-world decisions producers made with the crop they had.
04:35–04:57 — Dave closes by saying the lessons of this wheat year remain in the stubble and directs listeners to RedDirtAndRoundBales.com for more information.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken looks at the evolution of wheat harvest technology in Oklahoma, from binders, threshing crews, wagons, and steam-powered machines to modern combines with GPS, yield monitors, and onboard data. The episode explains how combines gave farmers speed, how custom cutters became part of the Plains harvest tradition, and why today’s technology sharpens rather than replaces a farmer’s field knowledge.

Key takeaways:

• The combine changed wheat harvest by cutting, threshing, separating, and collecting grain in one pass.
• Oklahoma custom cutters helped farmers access harvest technology without owning every machine themselves.
• Modern combines bring speed, precision, moisture readings, yield maps, GPS guidance, and real-time field data.
• Harvest technology helps farmers make better decisions about seed, fertility, varieties, and field management.
• Even with better machines, Oklahoma wheat harvest still comes down to land, weather, timing, and people.

Timestamped rundown

00:00–00:12 — Dave Deken opens the episode from Oklahoma and introduces another look at agriculture and rural life on Red Dirt and Round Bales.
00:13–00:55 — The episode opens with the sound and image of combines in Oklahoma wheat country, tying that sound to the arrival of summer and the urgency of harvest.
00:55–01:31 — Dave notes that Oklahoma wheat harvest is underway in June, with a stressed crop, an early season, and farmers watching the sky closely.
01:31–02:18 — The episode looks back at pre-combine harvest, when wheat had to be cut, gathered, hauled, threshed, cleaned, and moved through separate jobs requiring horses, mules, wagons, binders, headers, pitchforks, threshing crews, cooks, children, and neighbors.
02:18–03:03 — Dave explains the pressure of ripe wheat. Once the crop is ready, farmers must move quickly because hail, rain, wind, and shattering can damage the year’s work in a matter of days.
03:03–03:51 — The combine is introduced as a major turning point because it could cut, thresh, separate, and collect grain in one pass, collapsing several old harvest jobs into one moving machine.
03:51–04:33 — The episode explains why adoption took time. Machinery was expensive, horses were familiar, and early engines could break down, but the combine eventually proved its value through speed.
04:33–05:02 — Dave connects the story to Oklahoma custom harvesters, especially crews that began in southwest Oklahoma communities like Walters, Frederick, Altus, and Hollis before moving north with the ripening wheat.
05:02–05:47 — The episode shifts to modern combines with wide headers, climate-controlled cabs, onboard computers, grain loss sensors, moisture readings, yield monitors, GPS mapping, and auto steer.
05:48–06:02 — Dave emphasizes that even with technology, the operator still listens, watches, smells the dust, checks the grain sample, and reads the weather.
06:03–06:55 — The closing reflection ties together binders, threshing crews, early combines, modern GPS, yield monitors, and the continuing relationship between harvest, land, weather, and people.
06:56–07:15 — Dave closes by directing listeners to RedDirtAndRoundBales.com for more on harvest technology in Oklahoma.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken visits with Raedan Sharry Ph.D. of Oklahoma State University about delayed nitrogen management in Oklahoma sorghum. They discuss when holding nitrogen back can improve efficiency, why rainfall after application matters, and why yield potential should guide every fertility decision.

Key takeaways:

• Delayed nitrogen can help high-yield sorghum fields put more nitrogen into grain.
• Lower-yield or late-planted sorghum may benefit more from early nitrogen, especially when tillering matters.
• Nitrogen needs to be available to the roots, not just applied to the field.
• Rainfall after application is critical, especially with surface-applied urea.
• Urea, UAN, and ammonium nitrate carry different loss risks depending on timing and conditions.

Timestamped rundown

00:00–00:10 — Dave Deken opens the episode with a look at agriculture and rural life in Oklahoma.
00:13–01:10 — The episode sets up sorghum as a dependable Southern Great Plains crop that handles heat and dry conditions better than many crops, while still needing good fertility management.
01:10–01:55 — Dave introduces delayed nitrogen management and explains the basic idea: instead of applying all nitrogen before planting, growers may hold some back and apply it closer to when the sorghum plant can use it.
01:55–02:37 — The episode explains that delayed nitrogen is not a blanket recommendation. High-yield fields may benefit, while lower-yield or late-planted fields may need nitrogen earlier.
02:37–03:26 — Raedan Sharry Ph.D. explains that delayed nitrogen can help move more nitrogen into grain yield in higher-yield situations, but lower-yield sorghum may need nitrogen up front for tillering. He also notes that nitrogen should be coming into the plant by about 63 days after planting, based on OSU data.
03:26–04:06 — Dave emphasizes that applied nitrogen is only useful if it becomes available to the plant, which often depends on rainfall moving fertilizer into the root zone.
04:06–04:48 — Sharry explains nitrogen use efficiency: later applications can help reduce losses to biomass, leaching, volatilization, or the environment when yield potential is strong.
04:48–05:22 — Dave shifts to nitrogen source, noting that urea, UAN, and ammonium nitrate behave differently when left on the soil surface.
05:22–06:18 — Sharry discusses volatilization risk with urea and UAN, the lower volatilization concern with ammonium nitrate, and why rainfall within roughly 14 days is important. He warns that urea losses can increase quickly after about five days without rainfall.
06:18–07:23 — Dave closes by reinforcing the main lesson: delayed nitrogen is useful in the right field, season, and timing, but poor stands, drought, late planting, or low yield potential may make waiting less valuable.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken looks at why hard red winter wheat took root in Oklahoma and why it still fits the red dirt today. From the science of vernalization to the arrival of Turkey Red wheat with Mennonite farmers, this short reflection connects Oklahoma agriculture history with the hard seasons that shape both crops and people.

Key takeaways:

• Winter wheat needs cold weather before it can shift from leaf growth to grain production.
• Turkey Red hard winter wheat helped shape wheat production across the Plains.
• Mennonite farmers, mills, railroads, and elevators all played a role in building wheat country.
• Oklahoma settlers faced drought, uncertainty, and borrowed seed before wheat became part of the state’s rhythm.
• Wheat’s story is also a rural lesson in patience, endurance, and faith.

Detailed timestamped rundown

00:00–00:37 — Opening from the road
Dave Deken introduces the episode and reflects on traveling Oklahoma since early April while documenting the wheat crop for the Oklahoma Wheat Commission.
00:38–01:17 — Why winter wheat is different
The episode explains that hard red winter wheat is planted in the fall, settles in before winter, and depends on the cold season in a way many crops do not.
01:18–01:45 — Vernalization explained
Dave introduces vernalization, the cold-weather process winter wheat needs before it can move from leaf growth to grain production.
01:46–02:30 — Turkey Red wheat arrives on the Plains
The story shifts to Turkey Red hard winter wheat, brought by German-speaking Mennonite farmers from the Russian Empire and Black Sea region.
02:31–03:05 — Bernhard Warkentin and Kansas wheat
Warkentin’s role in encouraging Mennonite settlement, experimenting with hard red winter wheat, and helping bring wheat seed from Russia to Kansas is highlighted. The Kansas Historical Society identifies Bernhard Warkentin as a key Mennonite promoter and miller associated with Turkey Red wheat in Kansas.
03:06–03:35 — Wheat needed infrastructure
Dave points out that wheat was never just a field crop. It needed mills, railroads, elevators, growers, harvesters, shippers, and markets.
03:36–04:05 — Wheat moves into Oklahoma
The episode follows wheat into Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory, noting the timing of the 1889 Land Run and the dry years that followed.
04:06–04:35 — Borrowed seed and quiet faith
Oklahoma settlers facing drought borrowed seed wheat from railways, a moment Dave frames as a quiet act of faith: planting anyway.
04:36–04:59 — Closing reflection
The episode closes by connecting wheat’s biology to rural endurance: sometimes the hard season is what prepares a crop, and people, to bear grain.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken looks back at how Cyrus Avery and Oklahoma helped shape U.S. Highway 66, why the road mattered to farmers and towns, and how places along the route built livelihoods from gas stations, cafes, motels, repair shops, and roadside attractions. The episode also reflects on harder chapters, including the Dust Bowl migration and the challenges Black travelers faced during segregation.

From the Blue Whale of Catoosa to the Round Barn in Arcadia, the Rock Cafe in Stroud, and the Threatt Filling Station near Luther, this episode reminds listeners that history is often found in the places people drive past too quickly. Route 66 may no longer be the fastest way across Oklahoma, but a century later, it still carries the stories of the people and towns that made it matter.

Key takeaways

1. Route 66 was created in 1926 as a practical road, not a legend.
2. Oklahoma played a major role in shaping the route and its identity.
3. Cyrus Avery saw highways as tools for prosperity, especially for towns and businesses.
4. About 400 miles of Route 66 crossed Oklahoma, making the state a major part of the road’s story.
5. The road helped farmers, truckers, families, and businesses connect to wider markets.
6. During the Dust Bowl, Route 66 became a road of migration and survival.
7. Black travelers faced unequal access to safety, rest, fuel, and dignity during segregation.
8. Postwar travel brought neon signs, diners, motels, and roadside attractions to life.
9. The interstate era bypassed many towns and threatened Route 66 businesses.
10. Preservation efforts helped turn the old road into a living piece of Oklahoma history.

Detailed timestamped rundown

00:00–01:00 — Opening and centennial setup
Dave Deken introduces Route 66’s 100th birthday in 2026 and frames the episode around Oklahoma’s connection to the Mother Road.
01:00–02:10 — Why Route 66 was built
The episode explains that Route 66 began as a practical road meant to connect people, towns, farms, trucks, and markets.
02:10–03:32 — Cyrus Avery and Oklahoma’s role
Cyrus Avery’s vision is introduced, along with Oklahoma’s central place in shaping and benefiting from the highway.
03:33–04:13 — Dust Bowl migration and unequal travel
The episode shifts to the Depression and Dust Bowl, when Route 66 carried families west. It also notes that Black travelers faced serious barriers during segregation.
04:14–05:35 — Roadside business and postwar travel
After World War II, Route 66 became a travel corridor filled with neon signs, diners, motels, attractions, and family businesses.
05:35–06:58 — Interstate decline and preservation
The arrival of interstates pulled traffic away from Main Street, but communities later began preserving Route 66 landmarks and stories.
07:00–07:42 — The deeper meaning of the centennial
The episode reflects on how Route 66 carried poverty, tourism, memory, and rural identity forward.
07:43–08:06 — Closing and listener resource
Dave closes by directing listeners to RedDirtAndRoundBales.com for more information.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken visits the question of nitrogen timing in forage sorghum with insight from Steve Phillips Ph.D. of Oklahoma State University. Phillips shares field research from Stillwater and Perkins looking at nitrogen rates, split applications, hay yield, protein, TDN, and nitrate levels. The results point to strong forage production potential, but also remind producers that nitrate risk is driven heavily by plant stress, erratic rainfall, and growing conditions.

Key takeaways:

• Forage sorghum can make hay, silage, or grain and fits Oklahoma’s weather and livestock systems.
• OSU research showed yield increases up to 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre in the trials discussed.
• Split nitrogen applications may improve efficiency compared with older nitrogen-per-ton assumptions.
• Hay quality held around 7–8% protein and about 60% TDN in the research.
• Nitrate levels did not exceed 3,000 parts per million in the trial, but drought stress and erratic rainfall can change nitrate risk quickly.

Detailed timestamped rundown

00:00–00:10 — Opening from Oklahoma
Dave Deken introduces the episode as a look at agriculture and rural life across Oklahoma.
00:13–01:35 — Why sorghum fits Oklahoma
The episode frames sorghum as a crop that does not need perfect weather or the richest ground. Dave explains that sorghum can produce grain, silage, and forage, making it especially useful for livestock producers trying to make hay during tough summer conditions.
01:35–01:59 — The producer question
Dave introduces the central management question: how much nitrogen does forage sorghum need, when should it be applied, and can producers push yield without creating nitrate problems in the hay?
01:59–03:47 — Steve Phillips on nitrogen research
Steve Phillips Ph.D. explains OSU research on nitrogen rates and timing for forage sorghum hay. Trials near Stillwater and Perkins showed forage yield increases up to 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Phillips notes that yields ranged from about 9 tons at 100 pounds of nitrogen to about 13 tons at 200 pounds, suggesting split applications may offer a more efficient path than older recommendations.
03:47–04:09 — Yield is only part of the story
Dave shifts the focus from tonnage to feed value. Hay must be safe and useful for cattle, so quality and nitrate levels matter as much as yield.
04:09–04:59 — Protein, TDN, and nitrate results
Phillips says nitrogen rate did not create major differences in protein in this trial. Hay tested around 7–8% protein and about 60% TDN. Nitrate levels stayed below 3,000 parts per million, even at 200 pounds of nitrogen, which was below the level of concern discussed in the episode.
04:59–05:41 — Weather still drives risk
Dave closes by emphasizing the value of field research and the reality of Oklahoma weather. Phillips explains that nitrate toxicity is environmentally dependent, with plant stress, growth surges, and erratic rainfall playing a major role in nitrate accumulation.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken visits with Pete Matheson of Matheson Farms near Billings, Oklahoma, about a wheat crop that has been all over the board — from fields in the 20-bushel range to others that may do much better. Dave also talks with Todd Hubbs Ph.D., Oklahoma State University Extension grain marketing specialist, about why a small hard red winter wheat crop does not automatically mean higher local prices, especially when global wheat supplies and export competition are still shaping the market.

Key takeaways:

• A hot, dry March pushed wheat development early and limited tillering in parts of north-central Oklahoma.
• Some fields are thin, but larger heads may help offset part of the yield loss.
• Oklahoma wheat prices are being shaped by local basis, futures movement, and global supply.
• A short U.S. hard red winter wheat crop still has to compete with wheat from the Black Sea, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and later-season Australian production.
• Marketing decisions matter when yields are uneven and prices have already pulled back from recent highs.

Timestamped rundown

00:00–00:52 — Dave opens the episode from Oklahoma and sets up wheat harvest across the Southern Great Plains. He explains that he has been visiting Oklahoma wheat fields while filming crop updates for the Oklahoma Wheat Commission.
00:52–02:11 — Pete Matheson describes the crop near Billings as extremely mixed. Some wheat is running in the 20s, while other fields may be closer to 50 bushels. He points to an unusual March with very little rain and near-100-degree days that pushed the crop ahead too fast.
02:11–02:47 — Dave thanks Pete and notes the fifth generation of the Matheson family was cutting wheat during the interview. He shifts from harvest conditions to the marketing decisions that come after the crop leaves the combine.
02:47–04:22 — Todd Hubbs Ph.D. explains the wheat market picture. Oklahoma and Texas are dealing with a poor winter wheat crop, but global supplies and overseas production are limiting price upside. He walks through futures, basis, EU conditions, Black Sea wheat, North Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and possible El Niño impacts.
04:22–04:59 — Dave closes by thanking Hubbs, Pete, and the Matheson family, then points listeners to the Oklahoma Wheat Commission crop update and Red Dirt and Round Bales.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken looks back at the tracks, depots, grain elevators, and train lines that shaped Oklahoma before and after statehood. From the Katy and Santa Fe to the rise of wheat, coal, cattle, and oil, this episode tells the story of how railroads brought opportunity, pressure, movement, and lasting change to rural Oklahoma — while also acknowledging the cost to Native nations whose homelands were crossed and transformed.

Top 10 takeaways

1. Railroads shaped Oklahoma’s map by determining which towns grew and which ones struggled.
2. Indian Territory was already home to Native nations with established communities before rail expansion.
3. The Katy was one of the major early railroads pushing through Indian Territory.
4. Depots became practical and emotional centers of rural town life.
5. Railroads connected farmers, merchants, miners, oil workers, and families to a broader economy.
6. The 1889 Land Run was not only a horseback-and-wagon story; trains brought many settlers to the edge of change.
7. Wheat, cattle, coal, cotton, timber, and oil all depended on transportation to become larger economic forces.
8. Railroad growth brought opportunity, but also land pressure, lawsuits, speculators, and harm to Native nations.
9. The rise of cars, roads, pipelines, and buses reduced the railroad’s role in daily small-town life.
10. Oklahoma’s rail story still lives in freight movement, grain shipping, old depots, abandoned tracks, and the Heartland Flyer.

Detailed timestamped rundown

00:00–00:42 — Opening and personal railroad memory
Dave opens with the image of old tracks cutting through Oklahoma towns and remembers growing up where two train lines divided part of town from the rest.
00:44–01:21 — Tracks as clues to Oklahoma’s past
The episode shifts from personal memory to the bigger idea: in Oklahoma, railroads did not just move goods; they helped determine where towns would grow.
01:22–02:25 — Indian Territory before the railroads
Dave emphasizes that what became Oklahoma was not an empty map. Native nations had governments, farms, schools, laws, newspapers, and communities before rail lines entered the story.
02:27–03:13 — The Katy pushes south
The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway — known as the Katy — moves into Indian Territory in the early 1870s, seeking routes, cattle, coal, timber, cotton, grain, and passengers.
03:14–04:33 — Depots become the heartbeat of town
The episode explains how trains changed time, distance, commerce, mail, travel, newspapers, schooling, soldiers’ departures, and family goodbyes.
04:34–05:12 — Railroads make towns, not just serve them
Dave explains that a settlement missed by the railroad could decline, while towns near the tracks could shift their entire center of gravity toward the depot.
05:13–05:58 — The 1889 Land Run and arrival by train
The land run is usually pictured with horses and wagons, but many people arrived by train, stepping off platforms with families, tools, hopes, and uncertainty.
05:59–06:35 — Boom years and expanding rail lines
From the 1890s into statehood, major lines and smaller railroads spread across Oklahoma, chasing coal, wheat, cotton, cattle, and oil.
06:37–07:05 — Railroads and the oil economy
Dave connects railroads to oil development, noting that wells mattered only if the product, equipment, workers, tanks, and barrels could move.
07:06–07:42 — Progress and pain together
The episode pauses to hold both truths: railroads helped build Oklahoma’s economy, but they also brought settlers, speculators, lawsuits, land fights, and deeper losses for Native nations.
07:44–08:43 — Oklahoma’s rail peak and decline
By 1920, Oklahoma had more than 6,500 miles of track. Then automobiles, roads, pipelines, buses, hard times, and abandoned branch lines changed daily life.
08:45–09:13 — Railroads never fully leave
Freight still moves across Oklahoma, grain still ships, industries still depend on rail, and the Heartland Flyer carries passenger rail into the present.
09:15–10:22 — Closing reflection
Dave closes with the image of old tracks, depots, grain elevators, and the railroad’s role in telling Oklahoma where to grow.

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The biggest reminder is that grazing pressure is not just a head count. Cattle distribution, drought, water and shade placement, patch burning, rest periods, bare ground, plant recovery, and harvest efficiency all matter. Goodman explains why stocking rate decisions should protect the plant and the soil, not just feed the cow today. For Oklahoma ranchers, the episode offers a grounded way to look at pastures as living systems where every bite is a withdrawal and every rest period is a deposit.

Key takeaways:

• Grazing pressure is the relationship between mouths, forage, time, and recovery.
• Cattle do not graze evenly, so overgrazing can happen in specific areas even when the whole pasture looks fine.
• A practical stocking-rate goal is to use about 25% of available productivity for livestock while leaving enough forage for the plant, soil cover, and natural losses.
• Drought increases grazing pressure even if cattle numbers stay the same.
• Bare ground, shorter desirable grasses, weeds, poor regrowth, and runoff are signs the pasture may be under stress.

Detailed Timestamped Rundown

00:00–00:09 — Dave Deken opens the episode and frames it around Oklahoma agriculture and rural life.
00:12–02:18 — The episode introduces the central question: how much grazing pressure is too much? Dave explains that the real issue is not how many cows can be squeezed into a pasture, but what the pasture can handle right now, given forage, rainfall, cattle numbers, and the time needed for recovery.
02:18–02:58 — Laura Goodman Ph.D. explains how patch burning can help balance forage quality and rest. Burning a rested patch draws cattle to higher-quality regrowth and helps move grazing pressure away from other areas.
02:58–03:13 — Dave emphasizes that grazing pressure is not only about what cattle consume. What remains behind matters too: leaf area, soil cover, and roots that help catch rainfall.
03:14–05:06 — The episode unpacks why “take half, leave half” can be misleading. Producers still need to account for trampling, wildlife and insects, plant needs, soil protection, forage estimates, cattle class, time of year, and rest periods.
05:06–05:34 — Goodman explains the stocking-rate goal of using about 25% of available productivity for the cow, losing some to the environment or soil return, and leaving about 50% with the plant.
05:34–06:22 — Dave lists pasture warning signs: desirable grasses getting shorter, cattle grazing regrowth too soon, bare ground increasing, water running off instead of soaking in, and pastures greening up after rain without rebuilding strength.
06:23–07:59 — The episode closes by tying grazing decisions to Oklahoma weather risk. In dry years, the same number of cattle creates more pressure because there is less forage. Dave ends with the idea that a pasture is a living account: every bite is a withdrawal, and every rest is a deposit.

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In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken reflects on eight weeks of wheat tour stops across Oklahoma, from the Red River country to north-central Oklahoma and the Panhandle. The 2026 crop tells a hard story: USDA numbers point to a short crop, while field observations show thin stands, uneven rainfall, drought stress, disease pressure, and some acres already headed toward hay or grazing instead of the combine.

Dave looks at what this wheat crop is teaching about rain timing, planting date, variety maturity, residue, no-till ground, scouting, wind risk, and producer resilience. Along the way, he shares how Oklahoma farmers keep showing up, even when the sky does not hold up its end of the bargain.

Key takeaways:

• Oklahoma’s 2026 wheat crop is highly variable, with conditions changing sharply from field to field.
• Rain timing mattered as much as rainfall totals, especially for late-planted or later-maturing wheat.
• Drought stress opened the door for disease, insects, weeds, and tough harvest decisions.
• Early harvest, shortened grain fill, hot wind, and shatter-prone varieties could cost bushels if fields are not cut on time.
• The season reinforced hard lessons about scouting, residue, rotation, planting date, and variety maturity.

Detailed timestamped rundown

00:00–00:17 — Opening and setup
Dave Deken opens the episode with the promise of a look at Oklahoma agriculture and rural life, then sets up the main idea: this was not a uniform wheat year.
00:18–01:15 — A statewide wheat tour
Dave describes eight weeks of wheat tour stops stretching from Cookietown in southern Oklahoma to Cherokee in the north and Hooker in the Panhandle, a route that would have covered roughly 750 miles if driven in one run.
01:15–02:05 — A short crop by the numbers
The episode compares USDA’s May winter wheat forecast with the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association’s tougher estimate. Both point to the same conclusion: Oklahoma is looking at a short wheat crop.
02:05–02:55 — Southwest Oklahoma stress
Fields around Altus, Walters, Chickasha, and Cotton County carried the effects of dry fall conditions, winter warmth, and spring heat. Some stands were short, uneven, and limited in tillers, and some fields had already shifted toward hay or grazing.
02:55–03:35 — Central Oklahoma pockets worth protecting
Around Apache, El Reno, and parts of Caddo and Washita Counties, Dave notes that some fields still had enough yield potential to justify careful management, scouting, and disease decisions.
03:35–04:10 — Variability, no-till, and maturity timing
In areas such as Kingfisher, Homestead, Lahoma, Seiling, and Canton, variability becomes the main word. Rain path, planting date, variety maturity, and moisture-holding capacity all mattered.
04:10–04:45 — Disease, pests, and thin stands
The episode connects drought stress with added pressure from barley yellow dwarf, wheat streak mosaic, leaf rust, aphids, mites, armyworms, and weeds in thin stands.
04:45–05:10 — Western Oklahoma and harvest urgency
Out toward Balko, Hooker, and the Panhandle, the crop simply ran out of chances in some places. Dave also flags the risk of smaller kernels, shortened grain fill, hot wind, and shattering as harvest arrives early.
05:13–07:13 — What the crop teaches
Dave reflects on weather as the biggest variable in wheat production and price, quoting Kim Anderson’s longtime point about weather risk. The episode closes around hard-earned lessons in residue, rotation, planting date, variety maturity, scouting, and farmer resilience.
07:14–07:30 — The Oklahoma optimism line
Dave compares wheat farmers’ outlook to OSU Cowboy football optimism: the best years are 1945, 2011, and next year.
07:31–07:47 — Closing callout
Dave directs listeners to learn more about his trip documenting the 2026 Oklahoma wheat crop and closes the episode.

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The episode traces how the Panhandle went from No Man’s Land to Cimarron Territory to three Oklahoma counties built on grass, grain, cattle, water, weather, and grit. It’s part history lesson, part agricultural reflection, and part love letter to a place where the sky is wide, the wind is honest, and the people have had to endure more than most.

Key takeaways

1. The Oklahoma Panhandle is not just an odd shape on the map; it has one of the most unusual histories in the state.
2. For about 40 years, the area now known as the Panhandle was unattached to any state or territorial government, which helped give it the name No Man’s Land. The Oklahoma Historical Society describes it as a 34.5-by-167-mile strip that was unattached from 1850 to 1890.
3. The Panhandle’s agricultural story has always centered on grass, grain, cattle, water, weather, and grit.
4. Wheat, cattle, grain sorghum, feedlots, pork production, and natural gas all helped shape the modern Panhandle economy.
5. The Panhandle’s Indigenous history predates state lines, county names, trails, ranches, and settlements.
6. The Dust Bowl was more than drought; it was a human, agricultural, and community crisis. The Oklahoma Historical Society notes that Oklahoma’s Panhandle was hit hardest by Dust Bowl drought.
7. Cimarron, Texas, and Beaver Counties carry much of the region’s history, from ranching and wheat to small towns and long distances.
8. The episode works because it blends personal story with place-based history: a dad, a daughter, a wheat trip, and a region that still feels different.
9. The Forgan/Hank the Cowdog moment gives the episode emotional warmth and makes the history feel personal.
10. The strongest theme is that Oklahoma places become meaningful because families keep choosing them, working them, and telling their stories.

Timestamped Rundown

 00:00–00:35 — The odd shape of the Oklahoma Panhandle
Dave opens by describing the long, skinny strip of Oklahoma tucked under Kansas and Colorado and above Texas, setting up the Panhandle as one of the state’s most unusual places.
00:35–01:10 — Wheat scouting across the state
He explains that he has been traveling Oklahoma to look at the wheat crop and produce updates for the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, with this trip focused on the Panhandle.
01:10–02:05 — Molly joins the road trip west
Dave shares that he brought his 11-year-old daughter Molly along as they crossed into Beaver County, talked about Slapout, stopped for a selfie, and gathered wheat video near Balko.
02:05–02:55 — Lake Optima, Guymon, Hooker, and wheat fields
The trip continues through Lake Optima, Guymon, Texas County, Cimarron County, Hooker, and more Panhandle wheat stops.
02:55–03:35 — Forgan and Hank the Cowdog
The personal heart of the episode comes when Molly sees Forgan’s Hank the Cowdog connection, giving Dave a father-daughter moment worth remembering.
03:35–04:20 — Why the Panhandle feels different
Dave shifts into the feel of the place: bigger sky, more wind, distant towns, grain elevators, and land that does not hand out easy livings.
04:20–05:30 — No Man’s Land explained
The history begins with the boundary decisions that left the Panhandle outside Texas, Kansas, and organized territory. Dave explains how it became known as No Man’s Land.
05:30–06:25 — People, trails, cattle, and limited law
Dave describes the Indigenous history, Santa Fe Trail connections, traders, cattlemen, ranches, and families who lived there before formal government arrived.
06:25–07:15 — Cimarron Territory and self-government
Settlers tried to organize their own territory in the 1880s so they could register land claims, settle disputes, and bring order to the region, but Congress never fully accepted it.
07:15–08:00 — Beer City and ghost towns
The episode turns to rough settlements like Beer City, along with the saloons, drifters, dreamers, town builders, and disappearing communities that marked Panhandle history.
08:00–08:55 — Becoming part of Oklahoma
In 1890, No Man’s Land was attached to Oklahoma Territory. After statehood in 1907, it became Cimarron, Texas, and Beaver Counties.
08:55–09:55 — Agriculture built the Panhandle
Dave explains how the Panhandle economy came to rest on grass, grain, cattle, water, weather, and grit, with wheat, cattle, sorghum, feedlots, hogs, natural gas, and large-scale agriculture shaping the region.
09:55–11:00 — Dust Bowl hardship and adaptation
The Dust Bowl section describes black skies, dirt in homes, failed crops, suffering families, and farms lost — but also the people who stayed, adapted to dryland farming, rebuilt, and kept communities alive.
11:00–11:45 — From overlooked land to Oklahoma resilience
Dave reflects on how the Panhandle was underestimated by mapmakers, politicians, weather, and markets, yet people still built lives, towns, schools, wheat fields, stockyards, and roots there.
11:45–12:07 — Closing: the Panhandle became home
The episode closes by tying the history back to the road trip with Molly and the idea that No Man’s Land became something much stronger: home. Dave directs listeners to RedDirtAndRoundBales.com and signs off.

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The conversation starts with the early history of wheat breeding in Oklahoma, including Joseph Danne and the variety Triumph, then moves into OSU’s public breeding program and the practical challenges that make Oklahoma wheat different. 
From dual-purpose wheat and cattle grazing to acid soil tolerance and the stress of planting early, this episode shows why one wheat seed can carry decades of science — and why that work matters to farmers, harvest crews, rural businesses, and small-town Oklahoma.

Key takeaways:

Oklahoma wheat breeding has roots going back more than a century, including early farmer-led crosses that helped produce Triumph.
Public wheat breeding is a long game; Carver describes it as roughly a 10-year cycle from cross to useful variety.
Dual-purpose wheat matters in Oklahoma because many producers use wheat for both cattle grazing and grain.
Breeding for Oklahoma means preparing varieties for early planting, acid soils, weather stress, and the Southern Great Plains environment.
One wheat seed can represent decades of science, selection, and farmer-focused decision-making.

Timestamped rundown

00:00:00–00:01:08 — Opening: why Oklahoma wheat matters
Dave opens the episode by explaining that wheat is Oklahoma’s largest planted crop by acreage and that its impact stretches beyond grain sales to harvest crews, equipment service, rural meals, and local businesses. He introduces his conversation with Brett Carver Ph.D. about OSU wheat breeding.
00:01:08–00:01:35 — The first Oklahoma wheat crosses
Carver explains that one of the first wheat crosses tied to Oklahoma was made by farmer Joseph Danne in the early 1920s, leading into the development of Triumph.
00:01:35–00:02:51 — OSU enters wheat breeding
Dave notes that OSU’s formal wheat breeding work came later. Carver discusses Dr. Schlehuber, federal and state breeding work, OSU’s program history, and why limited turnover matters in a crop where variety development takes years.
00:02:51–00:03:56 — Oklahoma’s dual-purpose wheat opportunity
Dave explains Oklahoma’s unique geography and milder winters, which allow wheat to serve as both forage and grain. Carver describes seeing a gap: Oklahoma producers were grazing wheat, but breeding programs were not fully focused on that dual-purpose system.
00:03:56–00:04:17 — Breeding for trouble: early planting and acid soils
Carver explains that planting wheat six weeks earlier creates problems that varieties must be bred to handle. He also points to acid soil tolerance as an area that needed more genetic attention in the Southern Great Plains.
00:04:17–00:04:59 — Closing: one seed, many people
Dave closes by reflecting on how decades of wheat science inside one seed can affect producers, small towns, and people around the world when that seed grows from Oklahoma red dirt.

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Dave visits with Amanda Silva Ph.D., Oklahoma State University Extension small grains specialist, at the Lahoma Field Day about what this year’s crop is showing. Silva says the crop is rough overall, but not uniformly bad. Some pockets still look better than expected where timely rainfall lined up with planting date, variety maturity, and grain fill. The episode gives producers a practical reminder: watch fields closely, especially early-maturing varieties, because Oklahoma wind and dry weather can turn wheat quickly and increase shattering losses.

Key takeaways:

• The 2026 Oklahoma wheat harvest is running ahead of a normal mid-May schedule.
• Rainfall timing, planting date, and variety maturity are driving major yield differences across the state.
• Some fields have already been abandoned, grazed out, or hayed because drought reduced yield potential.
• Shortened grain fill may lead to smaller kernels in parts of the crop.
• Early-maturing varieties may need extra attention because wind and shattering can cost producers grain at harvest.

**Timestamped rundown

00:00:00–00:00:08 — Opening theme and show introduction
Dave Deken opens the episode with a quick welcome to Red Dirt and Round Bales, focused on Oklahoma agriculture and rural life.

00:00:12–00:01:07 — An early Oklahoma wheat harvest
Dave explains that in a typical mid-May, custom harvesters are often headed south on highways like US 183, US 81, and US 283 toward Texas. This year, Oklahoma wheat is already moving into bins, with some of the first combines seen near Okarche two Fridays earlier.

00:01:07–00:01:46 — Lahoma shows pockets of better wheat
Amanda Silva Ph.D. says it has been a rough year because of dry conditions, but she has still seen pockets of wheat that look better than expected. She notes that Lahoma does not have normal yield potential, but considering the limited water, some fields still look encouraging.

00:01:46–00:02:18 — Rainfall timing created a variable crop
Dave notes that Oklahoma crops are rarely uniform, and Silva explains that yield differences depend heavily on where rain fell, when it arrived, planting date, and variety maturity.

00:02:18–00:03:07 — Smaller kernels and reduced acres
Silva says the shortened grain-fill period may lead to smaller kernels. She also expects a major reduction in harvested acres because many fields have already been abandoned, grazed out, or hayed.

00:03:07–00:04:05 — Harvest advice: watch maturity and shattering
Silva says the wheat is turning fast, especially early-maturing varieties. She advises producers to pay close attention to harvest timing because windy conditions can increase shattering and leave grain on the ground.

00:04:05–00:04:58 — Closing: a crop with sweat and tears in it
Dave closes by saying this Oklahoma wheat crop is one for the books. Projected numbers are down, but producers continue to care for the crop because the world needs wheat.

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