Hello, everyone, we have another great show lined up for you today on SUNUP.

Wildlife in Oklahoma and the disease affecting deer once again is identified in the state.

Plus, SUNUP's Elizabeth Hokit tags along in the field to learn about the wildlife research underway with OSU scientists, their peers in Texas and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

And with wildfire season far from over, helpful tips for horse owners.

How animals behave and what to prepare for if a fire is closing in on your land.

Grab that hot cup of coffee because an all new SUNUP starts right now.

Good morning, everyone.

We begin today talking about chronic wasting disease, which is a serious and fatal illness that impacts deer.

And there has been a case reported in Oklahoma.

Here's SUNUP's Kurtis Hair with our OSU Extension Wildlife Specialist, Dr.

Mark Turner, to learn more.

As Lyndall just mentioned, a case of chronic wasting disease was found in Oklahoma.

So, Mark, where exactly was this case reported?

Well, the most recent case that was just found in a hunter harvested mule deer was reported in Cimarron County.

There's a couple of different places in Oklahoma where CWD has been found, both in the panhandle as well as a little bit more downstate of that.

ODWC, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, has excellent resources in terms of those areas.

I think that they're calling them selective surveillance areas, which basically would be an area that we might expect to detect CWD and also a place that the state is providing for testing.

And you mentioned mule deer, and we actually have a story later in the show about mule deer.

What type of deer does this affect?

Yep.

So CWD affects any animal within the cervid family or the deer family.

So in Oklahoma, that would include whitetail deer, mule deer, and elk.

Pronghorn, on the other hand, are not infected by CWD.

So just members of the deer family.

So let's take a step back.

You know, I've been with SUNUP for a little bit, and we've been covering this over the years and I think even going back as far as 2017.

So it's always been something that we've been thinking about.

What exactly is chronic wasting disease?

So CWD is an always fatal prion-based disease that's caused by misfolded prions that eventually long term lead to death always.

There's no cure for it.

There's no vaccine for it, unfortunately.

It's most similar to, in humans, Crutchfield-Jacobs disease.

In cows, obviously a lot of folks know about mad cow disease.

And then in sheep, there's also scrapie.

So these prion diseases are a very different type of disease compared to either bacterial infections or compared to viral infections.

They're kind of their own thing.

And unfortunately right now, these are always fatal.

There's no cure.

And these are things that are just always in the environment as well, right?

Right.

So there's a lot of new information coming out about how these diseases spread.

They certainly spread between animal to animal transfer.

But yes, if an animal dies, that actual location can become, have prions within the soul that then could be taken up by plants.

A deer could come along and eat it and then they would become infected potentially.

So yes, it's very much so in the environment.

And there's a lot of new information coming out and there's a lot of work being done to try to better understand it because again, it's very different than any other class of disease out there.

And correct me if I'm wrong, over the years from what I remember about this, is that one of the main things that's concerning isn't just for the deer population.

It's just maybe in theory that it could be transmissible from deer to human.

Right.

So thus far, there's no data to suggest that CWD is transmissible to humans.

There's been a lot of people eating deer meat for a long time, including areas that would have CWD and have had CWD for several decades, in fact.

And there's thus far been no known case that we've directly linked CWD in a deer to Cruetzfeld Jacobs in humans.

However, there certainly have been cases with mad cow disease.

And so that gives us a little bit of pause.

And we would not recommend eating meat from an animal that's infected with chronic wasting disease.

And in fact, we also would recommend if you're in an area where chronic wasting disease is known to occur, take the time to test that deer.

Again, within Oklahoma, there's great opportunities within the state for free testing.

Is there any kind of biosecurity measures when it comes to harvesting the deer that hunters can actually just kind of take to keep in mind of like just, you know, just kind of self-cleaning actually type of thing?

Absolutely.

So CWD, you know, obviously from deer to deer, but deer really in general, on average, don't move all that far throughout their life.

So CWD jumping long distances predominantly is happening from people moving deer, either live deer or harvested deer.

And so certainly for hunters, if you're hunting in a place with CWD, and in fact, in most cases, depending on state to state regulations vary, most places you actually can't transport whole deer or specific parts of deer such as bones, the spinal column, the brain tissue, those parts of the deer that have more infectious material.

It's illegal to transport that from one place that has the disease out into other places.

And certainly, even if it's not illegal, just a best practice is if you're hunting in an area with CWD, debone all of your meat, you know, at the site of the kill or relatively close to the site of the kill.

Dispose of those bones and those waste parts, again, either at the site of the kill or at a landfill.

Again, regulations vary a little bit depending on where you're at.

But simply avoiding moving animal parts except for deboned meat outside of places that have CWD is a great step that hunters can take to help contain the disease and keep it from spreading.

Because if you harvested a deer in a place with CWD and that deer had CWD, you moved it to another place, maybe hundreds of miles away without the disease, and you dumped the carcass out on your property.

Certainly, it's very possible that you could have just infected some animals or at least, you know, added some environmental contamination that could lead to animals being infected with the disease down the road.

All right.

Thanks, Mark.

Mark Turner, OSU Extension Wildlife Specialist here at Oklahoma State University.

And if you'd like a link to find out more information on chronic wasting disease, just go to our website, SUNUP.OKSTATE.EDU.

Good morning, everyone.

Spring has sprung in Oklahoma and the weather is acting like it.

We actually got some rain over the last few days and also some severe weather comes with the territory here in the state.

But where did we end up on the drought monitor?

Let's take a look at that new map.

Well, where we ended up is worse, unfortunately.

So we have a lot more of that D1 and D2 moderate to severe drought, especially across central up into north central Oklahoma.

So a little bit more up in northeast Oklahoma as well.

The Oklahoma Panhandle now fully engulfed.

So not a good time in Oklahoma.

We did need the rainfall, but we needed a lot more.

Let's take a look at where we were before the rainfall.

We did have out in the Panhandle up to 100 plus days without at least a quarter inch of rain in a single day and other parts of the state getting close to 60.

So up close to two months.

And really all across the state, we were getting close to three weeks in this current dry spell.

So not a good time over that time period across Oklahoma.

Let's take a look at the water year rainfall from the Mesonet.

The water year runs from October 1st through September 30th of each year.

So the 2025-26 water year, October 1st until March 3rd, we did have very little rainfall across the Panhandle, less than two and a half inches in most cases.

Now, if we look at the percent of normal rainfall for that same time frame, October 1st through March 3rd, we do see southwest Oklahoma and the Panhandle starting to show up a little bit more starkly with those areas less than 40 percent of normal in many cases.

But a large part of the state, less than 50 percent of normal over the water year thus far.

Let's take a look at the soil moisture currently at the Oklahoma Mesonet, at least before the rainfall.

This is the 16 inch plant available soil moisture.

A lot of the area at least above 90 percent.

Now, when we get out across west central Oklahoma, the Panhandle doing a lot worse.

But as far as the large wildfire potential, which is gauged by this soil moisture value, really not looking too bad across most of the state.

Taking a look ahead after the early part of next week as we go out through the week after that, we do see increased odds of above normal temperatures, not a shock there, and also maybe back to a little bit of a dry pattern.

This is valid through March 12th through the 18th.

So we definitely need this rain to hit over the next few days and we might be drying out after that.

So as I said earlier, we definitely need some more storm systems, some reinforcing rainfall, maybe start to pound some of this drought out of the state.

That's it for this time.

We'll see you next time on the Mesonet Weather Report.

The popular Thursday Rancher's Lunchtime Series webinars are back.

And this time they're diving into the ongoing tug of war in the cattle industry.

Here's Dr.

Dave Lalman with the details.

My name's David Lalman.

I'm in the Animal and Food Science Department at Oklahoma State.

We are beginning a new Rancher's Thursday Lunchtime Series.

And we're real excited about this series of topics.

We think you will be too.

Those will begin on March 12th at noon.

On March 12th at noon, I'm going to present an update on our forage efficiency program here at Oklahoma State.

Essentially just how we've learned to find forage efficient cattle.

Then Dr.

Paul Beck is going to give a nice summary on the management effects and cow size on carcass weights in the beef cattle industry.

We've seen escalating carcass weights throughout the industry and that's expected to continue.

With that, with the strong genetic correlation between carcass weight and cow size, you wind up with larger and larger cows that have a greater appetite.

And basically forces you over time to adjust your stocking rate.

So we're going to get into that and the profitability ways to address that through selection and management strategies.

So we hope you'll consider joining us on this next Rancher's Thursday Lunchtime Series.

We're joined now by our crop marketing specialist for OSU Extension, Dr.

Todd Hubbs.

And Todd, since we last had you on SUNUP a couple of weeks ago, my goodness, a lot of things in the news.

A lot of things happening in the world.

Yes, an incredible amount of chaotic activity, geopolitical and here at the national level.

We saw the Supreme Court rule the administration's tariff policy unconstitutional.

Then the administration said they'd come back with some more tariffs.

We've seen conflict in Venezuela and now another batch of conflict in the Middle East with Iran.

We've seen biofuels policy move forward and it looks like it'll be finalized by the end of March.

So yeah, there's just been a lot of stuff going on.

It feels like a bit of a hot mess at present and the markets are reflecting that.

Talk more about that, how the markets have reacted.

It's kind of a day-by-day scenario, isn't it?

It really is and there's going to be volatility and I think it's going to continue until we get some resolution.

The activity in the Arabian Gulf with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has practically been shut down.

So we're seeing a lot of feedback through the energy sector and that's seeing prices rise on oil.

But for the ag in particular, it's a fertilizer issue.

We've seen fertilizer prices spike.

We're in early March, so I think a lot of people maybe already reserved their fertilizer for spring.

But if you haven't, you're running into issues.

And so all of that is going on and inside of our crop markets, it's been up and down.

We've seen some rallies recently to get us out of where we were from November forward.

So a little bit of strength on good demand at these lower prices.

And all of this geopolitical uncertainty and political uncertainty is sort of taking the top out of it.

It's still really dry in Oklahoma and other areas, although we are seeing a little bit of rain on this day that we're filming, which is certainly a very, very welcome sight.

How is that playing into the markets and the things that you're keeping an eye on?

It's welcome rain for sure, and we can get some more.

You know, it'd be great.

We might see a little bit of weather premium come out of the wheat markets, particularly the hard red and soft red winter wheat markets, which would be Kansas City and Chicago contracts, because it was very dry here in the Southern Plains.

What was less talked about is very dry in the Ohio River Valley as well.

So Southern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Ohio, and they've gotten a significant amount of rains recently.

So all that's building back moisture in the eastern Corn Belt and down here in the Southern Plains, and you might see a little bit of the weather premium that was building come out of it.

On the positive side, hopefully this is great for our wheat crop here in Oklahoma.

We need all the help we can get.

I'd like to see more rain out west, and hopefully we see that come in the next week.

Talk about the corn and milo market and just briefly what you're keeping an eye on there and what producers may want to know.

The corn market, we have really good demand.

Exports have been incredible.

The USDA's forecast are record high at 3 .3 billion bushels, and we're on pace to hit that.

Corn's cheap, and we have it, and the world's buying it, and that's great.

We're seeing a really nice ethanol grind.

We needed to pick up here in 2026 to hit the forecast, but it's been strong both on corn and on milo.

And overall, I mean, the corn market's seeing really strong demand.

We've seen the prices sort of rise after that just devastating January report from USDA.

We've seen them come back to areas where they were in November.

These prices aren't something to throw a party about, but it's better than it was, and it's basically demand-driven.

Alrighty, Todd.

Thank you very much, and we will see you again in a couple of weeks.

Good morning, Oklahoma, and welcome to Cow-Calf Corner.

Our topic this week as we kind of continue on this calving season theme is dystocia and abnormal presentations.

Now, dystocia means we have a difficult birth or something happens abnormally, may require assistance.

It prolongs the process.

None of us want to have to pull calves or help.

We like for that to go well, and typically the biggest thing we see that causes dystocia is a fetus that's too big to fit through a birth canal too small.

This can be a calf issue.

It can be a cow issue or a heifer issue or a combination of both, but we have found over the last few decades that effective application of selection pressure for calving yeast traits like birth weight, shape of that fetus, we can pretty effectively identify calving yeast bulls to use on our heifers and eliminate or go a long ways towards eliminating that cause of dystocia.

Second biggest cause of dystocia is an abnormal presentation of the fetus.

Now, what's a normal presentation?

Well, if we imagine that I'm a calf fetus and I start through the birth canal with front feet out and head tucked right above them, that would be a normal anterior presentation of a beef fetus.

That's what we expect to see.

Over 80% of the time, if we see a normal presentation and the fetus isn't too big to fit through the birth canal, we see an unassisted birth and no problems.

So what is the incidence of an abnormal presentation?

Well, from the literature I review, it's somewhere around 5% on average.

Anything that deviates from that normal presentation, whether it is a front leg bent back, tucked back a little bit, a calf coming backwards, sideways, twisted, we've got an abnormal presentation, and we need to be on top of that in order to try to correct it so that we can get that calf actually born alive, which is why we always talk about even if we're calving cows or we've effectively identified calving ease bulls to use, it's worth observing the cows during calving, particularly those first calf heifers.

The earlier we can correct an abnormal presentation, the more likely we are to see a calf born unassisted.

It sometimes takes a little skill in order to get that done.

It may require the assistance of a veterinarian.

If we can't correct that abnormal presentation, that calf may come out through a C-section birth.

So let's keep an eye on cows during calving season.

Let's realize that abnormal presentations are really not a genetic thing.

If we compare those to a birth weight, which in the American Angus Association Sire Summary has got about a 46% heritability, or a calving eass direct phenotype, which in that same database has got about a 19% heritability, the heritability of an abnormal presentation is effectively zero, which means in essence it is a random event and beyond our ability to select against.

So it may happen.

Let's keep an eye on those cattle during calving season.

I hope this helps.

And as always, thanks for being with us on Cow-Calf Corner.

Oklahoma is receiving some much needed rain, but of course wildfire season is far from over.

With that in mind, we have some tips for handling horses if a wildfire is approaching from our OSU Extension Equine Specialist, Dr.

Chris Heine.

Hi, I'm Chris Hiney, and I'm the Equine Specialist for Oklahoma State University.

Springtime in Oklahoma can certainly bring its own unique challenges.

So with our dry weather and high winds, that means it's fire season.

For horse owners, we need to be prepared and think thoughtfully so that we can prevent any catastrophes.

So think about maintaining your property.

If there are fence lines that we can mow or have fire breaks, that's extremely important.

Be weather aware.

Know if there's any fires in your area if horses need to be moved.

Certainly horses housed on dry lots or where there's no vegetation will be at less of a risk.

Be aware of fire structures or buildings, hay storage.

All of those can be extremely dangerous if the sparks are flying.

We also want our horse owners to be prepared.

Have photographs of your horses.

Have their records.

Trucks and trailers should be ready to go.

Horses should be loaded before you're really seeing fire right at your property.

Remember, horses load better with friends and company, so that can help your loading process.

Know where you're going so that you're not driving into ongoing fire or traffic, so make sure your escape route is clearly marked.

And mostly make sure that you are paying attention, again, to all weather alerts that are in your area.

So many animals, when fire is coming, it causes panic, and so they may be harder to handle.

So, again, if you're thinking about trouble is coming, maybe having the horses already up in a small lot where you can catch them.

In a burning building, horses won't want to leave, but now we're talking about a threat to human safety as well.

So recognize horses will often be reluctant to leave what they consider a safe environment, even if it may not be in their best interest.

So expect a little bit more excitement.

Again, keep the horses together.

Try not to isolate one horse at a time because that can create further panic.

So move them as a group.

Try to load them quietly and calmly.

Again, the more calm the handler can be, the better the horses will act as well.

For more information about animals and wildfire danger, visit the SUNUP website to find more information.

Finally today, to western Oklahoma now, where SUNUP's Elizabeth Hokit shows us how science and collaboration are helping a long-hidden Oklahoma wildlife gem step into the spotlight.

Find the deer, carry it in, collect the samples, and release.

In, out, and on to the next.

A fast-paced environment and everyone working together to get it done.

So we have a pretty solid stack team across the two universities.

And the project overall is funded by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

So they were initially the ones who wanted to know what was going on with the mule deer population.

Molly Koch, an Oklahoma State University graduate assistant and Ph.D.

student, is one of the two leads on this project between OSU and Texas A&M University at Kingsville.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, an experienced helicopter team, and researchers like OSU assistant professor Coulter Chitwood, round out the group that collects multiple data points from these deer, all in less than 15 minutes.

So they shoot a net down over the top of the deer, and then their team restrains that individual and brings it back to our processing site.

And then we can collect all the data that we need and turn it loose here.

Everything from taking blood samples where we can screen for nutritional metrics and disease exposure.

We can check pregnancy status.

We can estimate body condition.

We can collect fecal pellets.

We can look at ectoparasites like ticks, body weight.

And because we're interested in reproductive information, once we ultrasound for pregnancy, we use something that allows us to later detect in the spring when that female that we know is pregnant today, when does she give birth, where does that happen, does she have a single fawn or twin fawns.

We're actually able to follow up and collar those fawns.

And so kind of start to finish, we've got the full population ecology suite.

The popular whitetail deer is more widespread, making the mule deer something of a hidden gem in Oklahoma.

Marcus Thibodeau, a department of wildlife senior biologist, says people have always been less aware of this species.

Historically, up and down the western side of the state, mule deer occurred in some pretty good numbers.

There's been some declines, and now it's kind of just in some isolated pockets.

Mule deer have remained in the shadows until now.

Mule deer in the state of Oklahoma have not been studied before, so we don't really know anything about how their population is doing.

We've already got more information in, what, two and a half years than the state of Oklahoma has ever had on mule deer in history.

So we know what habitat are the mule deer selecting for, how are they navigating around things like roads or fences or anthropogenic infrastructure to include agriculture, energy, all types of things that are changing on the landscape constantly.

There are a lot of landowners and hunters who care about mule deer.

Some of them do care because they want that to be a harvestable species, but a lot of them care because they know it's unique.

And the only way you can keep that being unique is to make sure you've still got the habitat that supports that population.

The thing is, none of this would be possible without the landowners.

Sure, the scientists are a critical piece, but without the land to conduct the research, data is limited.

To land or to net that deer, you need permission from that landowner to be on their property.

And out in western Oklahoma, it is over 90% private land, and that means this work is not possible without the cooperation of landowners and ranchers.

That's who's going to make the difference in Oklahoma.

So if we're going to make changes to benefit the wildlife, that's where it's got to happen.

And we've been pretty fortunate out here that these landowners are really excited about this population of mule deer.

I mean, they genuinely care about the conservation of the species, and they want to make sure that they see them for years to come.

And with studies like this one, they will.

If we can provide scientific data that allows the agency or extension personnel to get that info, there are landowners that will change their practices to benefit the wildlife they care about.

And we've seen that in the wild turkey world.

We see that in the whitetail deer world.

I think we're going to see that in the mule deer world because there's a lot of landowners and ranchers out here that care about mule deer, and our data might inform how their ranching or farming or energy practices are potentially influencing mule deer.

Getting good, robust information out to the public, to managers, to the state agency, all of that is really, really crucial to making sure that we conserve all of these species and we manage them in a way that's going to prove successful.

Conservation through collaboration.

Bringing the science into the everyday and sharing that knowledge with others.

For SUNUP at Oklahoma State University, I'm Elizabeth Hokit.

That'll do it for our show this week.

A reminder, you can see SUNUP anytime on our website.

Follow us on social media and stream our segments anytime on our YouTube channel.

YouTube.com slash SUNUP TV.

We leave you today with more great footage of the mule deer research underway in western Oklahoma.

I'm Lyndall Stout.

Have a great week, everyone, and we'll see you next time at SUNUP.

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