Business

A Burgeoning Bureau

e Oklahoma Farm Bureau ensures the state’s farmers and ranchers have their voices heard.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s members are family farmers and ranchers, like the Wayland family pictured here, who ranches near Arnett in Ellis County. Photo courtesy the Oklahoma Farm Bureau A nonpro t organization, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau was created to promote, protect and represent the interests of Oklahoma’s farmers. e OKFB is the largest farm organization in the state and the Oklahoma level partner of the American Farm Bureau Federation. e OKFB o ers “programs and events that promote and build agriculture and rural Oklahoma in our state,” says Rodd Moesel, OKFB president. “Our mission is to support the agriculture community to improve the lives of Oklahomans.”

Moesel goes on to describe OKFB as a “grassroots organization, which means farmers and ranchers decide the direction and policies of our organization. Our board of directors consists of 10 farmers and ranchers who are elected by their peers to serve the organization, ensuring OKFB is directly connected to agriculture.”

On any given day, the OKFB sta can be found working with legislators, farmers and ranchers to develop laws and regulations that help agriculture continue to feed, clothe and fuel Oklahomans. ey organize and run leadership programs for young farmers and ranchers. OKFB’s Safety Services sta provides safety training ranging from ATV safety to DUI prevention and beyond.

“We also work daily to tell the story of Oklahoma agriculture, to help consumers understand what our Farm Bureau members do each and every day on their farms and ranches,” says Moesel. “OKFB’s advocacy e orts start with our grassroots farm and ranch families, who write and vote on our organization’s policy. Sta members take this policy and work with the state legislature, state agencies, Oklahoma’s congressional delegates and federal regulators to help them understand the importance of agriculture.

“We work to enact laws that help our farmers and ranchers continue their farming and ranching legacies while watching out for burdensome regulations that would hinder Oklahoma’s ability to produce safe, a ordable and abundant food. Farm Bureau members themselves are civically engaged from their local communities all the way up to our nation’s capital, making their voices heard to support agriculture and their local communities.”

A Look Backward and Forward

OKFB was founded in 1942 by farmers and ranchers from around the state who wanted an organization that could help solve the speci c problems they faced, says Moesel. Today, OKFB has approximately 80,000 member families. e future is abundant with growth – within the last year, OKFB has started new programs and activities to continue to build momentum after the pandemic. e OKFB hosted a new Youth Legislative Experience, providing an opportunity for more than 60 high school students to conduct a mock legislature at the Oklahoma State Capitol to learn about their government. Other initiatives included a new Generation Bridge program to better connect with mid-career agriculturalists. OKFB was also recently named one of three partners who will conduct the State of Oklahoma Business Accelerator Program. e Farm Bureau has a federated structure, which means there are 77 county farm bureau organizations across Oklahoma, all belonging to OKFB. OKFB works on state-level issues and conducts state-level programs, and partners with AFBF to work on national issues facing agriculture to ensure Oklahoma agriculture is represented nationally. TRACY LEGRAND