PERSPECTIVE OKLAHOMA FARM BUREAU
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February 11, 2011
Congressional Action Tour deadline is February 25
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Developments in OFB policy By Kinsey Money, OFB Director of Research & Policy Development
Oklahoma Farm Bureau has long championed the rights of private property owners and isn’t about to let up. This session, the policy development team is working to enact safeguards in eminent domain law and new provisions to strengthen Oklahoma’s trespass law. EMINENT DOMAIN: ENACTING THE LANDOWNER’S BILL OF RIGHTS Mirroring Texas legislation, Rep. Fred Jordan has introduced HB 1562, which contains language to create a “Landowner’s Bill of Rights.” The Bill of Rights would detail the rights of a landowner facing eminent domain. Entities seeking to enact the power of eminent domain would be required to provide a copy of the Bill of Rights to the landowner before proceedings begin. The Bill of Rights will be prepared by the attorney general and written to be easily understood by all. In addition to this, failure of an entity to follow the eminent domain procedures set forth in statute would create a private cause of action between the landowner and the entity. This would allow the landowner to initiate legal action. TRESPASS LAW: CREATING THE OKLAHOMA PRIVATE LANDS AND PUBLIC RECREATION ACT Legislation was introduced by Sen. Don Barrington in SB 494 to create the Oklahoma Private Lands and Public Recreation Act. The Act would allow any law enforcement agency to issue a citation to individuals engaged in recreational activities on private land without the landowner’s consent. The Act will address many issues Farm Bureau members have had with trespassing, including mud bogging. The citation would operate similar to a traffic citation. Individuals can choose to pay the fine or protest the fine in court. The fine amount (minus taxes and fees) is to be credited to the land owner for restitution.
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Oklahoma Farm Bureau is planning its annual Congressional Action Tour, which will be held March 27-31 in Washington, D.C. This year’s trip is all inclusive with flights, four nights lodging at the Holiday Inn Capitol and a group breakfast included. The cost is $1,520 for single occupancy and $2,070 for double occupancy. Each additional person is $600, with a limit of four per room. *Airline tickets are non-refundable. (See Congressional, page 3)
YF&R Speech Contest, Scholarship apps available online Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee has made available applications for its upcoming speech contest and scholarship program. The applications are available for download on OFB’s website at www.okfarmbureau.org. (See YF&R Speech Contest, page 2)
Food Check-Out Week is Feb. 20-26 Farm Bureau Women will reach out to consumers with practical information and tips on how to stretch their grocery dollars with healthy, nutritious food during Food Check-Out Week, Feb. 20-26. America’s farmers and ranchers are committed to producing safe, healthy and abundant food. And they share a common concern with consumers when it comes to putting nutritious meals on the table while sticking to a tight budget. (See Food Check-Out, page 2)
OFB to hold Commodity Tour OFB’s 2nd annual Commodity Tour will be held March 23-24 across the north central and northeastern sections of the state. This tour is for producers interested in learning more about the beef cattle industry, including management practices, what buyers are looking for and how to add value to their livestock. Participants on the commodity tour will make several interesting stops during the two-day trip. The group will tour a processing plant in Kansas, learn about management practices on the Tall Grass (See OFB to hold Commodity Tour, page 4)
Member Benefits • Sherwin-Williams – Offers members a 15% discount on select items offered at all state stores and 14 border location stores.
• TSC Security, Inc. – Will install a Home
Security System at no cost in any member’s home in exchange for a three-year monitoring service agreement. www.tscsecurity.com
OFB will highlight a few benefits in each issue of Perspective as a reminder of the savings available to OFB members. Find a complete list of savings online at www.okfarmbureau.org.
OFB Calendar Food Check-Out Week February 20-26 • Nationwide Contact: Marcia Irvin, 405-523-2405 OFB Leadership Conference February 21-22 • Oklahoma City Contact: Melisa Neal, 405-523-2475 Farm Bureau Week February 21-25 • Statewide Contact: Thad Doye, 405-523-2307
Food Check-Out Week... (continued from page 1) Although the focus of Food CheckOut Week has evolved, the Farm Bureau – Ronald McDonald House Charities connection that began more than a decade ago remains strong. The Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Committee will continue its support of the Oklahoma City and Tulsa Ronald McDonald Houses with food donations in recognition of Food Check-Out Week. County Farm Bureau Women’s Committees across the state also will commemorate Food CheckOut Week with events in their areas, such as donations to local shelters and other activities. Now in its 13th year, Food CheckOut Week also highlights America’s safe, abundant and affordable food supply, made possible largely by America’s productive farmers and ranchers. According to the most recent (2009) information from the USDA’s Economic Research Service, American families and individuals spend, on average, less than 10 percent of their disposable personal income for food.
Oklahoma Farm Bureau Online Monitor the latest Farm Bureau and agricultural news and information online at www.okfarmbureau.org. Currently online: • Legislative Update – Check OFB online for information on Oklahoma Farm Bureau priority legislation during the legislative session. Public Policy staff regularly record action on legislation of interest to keep members informed. • Congressional Action Tour – Download a registration form for OFB’s Congressional Action Tour, which will be held March 27-31 in Washington, D.C. Registration forms are due February 25.
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YF&R Speech Contest, Scholarship apps available... (continued from page 1) Following is information on both: YF&R SPEECH CONTEST Oklahoma youth are invited to participate in the annual Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Speech Contest, which will be held in conjunction with the 2011 Oklahoma Youth Expo on Monday, March 14 on the OSU-OKC campus in Oklahoma City. Entry forms have been mailed to all ag teachers and 4-H Extension offices across the state and also are available at each county Farm Bureau office. Forms also are available for download on OFB’s website at www.okfarmbureau.org. The forms must be postmarked by March 1. Registration begins at 2 p.m. on March 14. The YF&R Speech Contest will include three age divisions: Junior, nine-12 years old; Intermediate, 13-15 years old; and Senior, 16-18 years old. YF&R SCHOLARSHIPS Nine $1,000 scholarships, offered by Oklahoma Farm Bureau & Affiliated Companies and its Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee, are available. ® The nine scholarships, representing the nine OFB board districts, will be awarded to graduating high school seniors planning to further their education in an agricultural field. Each recipient must enroll full time at an accredited Oklahoma institution of higher learning in an agricultural program and must remain in good standing for the duration of the scholarship. Applicants must be a member of a Farm Bureau family holding a voting membership. Children of paid employees of OFB & Affiliated Companies are not eligible for the scholarships. Scholarship applications have been mailed to all ag teachers and 4-H Extension offices across the state and also are available at each county Farm Bureau office. They also are available for download on OFB’s website at www.okfarmbureau.org. Applications must be returned to Oklahoma Farm Bureau by March 15. For more information, contact state YF&R Coordinator Chris Kidd at 580228-4001 or Chris.Kidd@okfb.org.
Oklahoma Agricultural Hall of Fame • S.F. “Pamp” Howe-1998 • Alvin “Buck” Clements-1999 • George W. Stone-2000 • Erwin R. Duerksen-2001 • Henry Jo VonTungeln-2002 • Paul Jackson-2003 • Ralph Chain-2004 • Tom Gilliam-2005 • Murray Williams-2006 • L. E. Castle-2007 • Paul Hitch-2008 • Elmore Bathurst-2009 Lew Meibergen-2010
Nominations are being accepted for Oklahoma Agricultural Hall of Fame Nominations are being accepted for the coming year’s recipient of the Governor’s Outstanding Achievement Award in Agriculture. The person selected will become the 2011 member of the Oklahoma Agricultural Hall of Fame. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry (ODAFF) distributes nomination forms and accepts completed applications. An independent selection committee comprised of leaders from various agricultural organiza-
tions chooses each year’s inductee. Nomination forms are available online at http://www.oda.state. ok.us/. Entries are due February 17. Any living person who derives the bulk of their income, or has retired from an agricultural enterprise, is eligible for nomination. Candidates for consideration are agricultural leaders who have exemplified personal values, excelled in production and performance and who have provided a strong role model for the state’s youth.
Congressional... (continued from page 1)
Those interested in attending the trip can download the registration form at www.okfarmbureau.org and send it in to the OFB office. Registration forms are also available in each county office. The deadline for registration is February 25. For more information contact OFB’s Marcia Irvin at 405-523-2405 or Daniel Brown at 405-530-2681.
Dairy MAX, NFL join forces with Fuel Up to Play 60
Farm Bureau members Val Evans, left, and Laura and Robert Gruntmeir, right, met former Sooner and current St. Louis Rams Quarterback Sam Bradford during the recent Fuel Up to Play 60 event in Oklahoma City.
We need your digits!
By Kinsey Money, OFB Director of Research & Policy Development
Each legislative session, OFB’s Public Policy Division strives to ensure that Oklahoma Farm Bureau policy is carried out. Still, the job could not be done without dedicated members informing the division of critical issues affecting their communities. Likewise, the policy division must be able to make like Paul Revere and call members to action when important policy decisions are being made at the Capitol. In order to get members on the phone with their legislators when voting draws near, we need your digits so we can call you. The policy division promises to never share numbers with anyone else, and a robot will never be on the other end. Greeted by friendly Farm Bureau staff, members will be given detailed information about the bill being voted on. Members can then be connected to their elected officials with the push of a button. Members will get the information and resources they need instantly to inform their legislators about the bill and its impacts on constituents. The best part about the action calls is they will save your Farm Bureau a bundle in postage and paper. So, give us your digits and we promise to call! You can contact us at 405-530-2681 to provide your phone number for action calls.
Putnam City’s Lake Park Elementary and its students celebrated the Fuel Up to Play 60 program by holding a school-wide pep rally Jan. 31 to empower youth to take action to improve nutrition and physical activity at their school and for their own health. Former Oklahoma Sooner and current St. Louis Ram Sam Bradford made a special appearance at the school to speak with the children about eating healthy and being active for 60 minutes a day. Robert Gruntmeir, a Kingfisher elementary school student and member of a Canadian County Farm Bureau family, was honored for his winning recipe in the Fuel Up to Play 60 Recipe Challenge and prepared his dish, Hawaiian Touchdown Mac & Cheese, on site during the pep rally. For more on the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, visit www.FuelUptoPlay60.com.
Cotton and Grain Marketing Seminar slated for March 7 Oklahoma crop producers who want to learn more about marketing and contracting should plan to attend the Cotton and Grain Marketing Seminar March 7 in Chickasha. The event will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Canadian Valley Technology Center. No registration fee is required. “Crop production continues to have a significant impact on the Oklahoma agricultural industry,” said Michael Pettijohn, Grady County Agriculture Educator for the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service. “This event should be of interest and value to anyone who grows or markets cotton, corn, wheat and other grain crops.” Mark Gold is the special guest who will lead the seminar. Mark is a former 20-year member of the Chicago Board of Trade where he was a pit trader and floor broker. As managing partner of Top Third Ag Marketing, Mark can be heard daily on numerous radio programs. In addition, Mark is (See Cotton and Grain Marketing, page 4)
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OFB to hold Commodity Tour... (continued from page 1) Prairie Reserve and visit with buyers and cutters at a Reesor’s store in Tulsa, to name a few. OFB will have one tour bus, which will seat approximately 50 people. Seats are being offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. The only cost for attendees is an overnight stay at the LaQuinta Inn in Bartlesville, which will run approximately $55. The reservation deadline is March 15. Please contact your field representative or Field Services Vice President Thad Doye, 405-523-2307, to reserve your seat on the bus.
Leadership Conference is February 21-22 Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s annual Leadership Conference will be held February 21-22 at the Marriott Hotel on Northwest Expressway in Oklahoma City. The two-day event will kick off Monday, February 21 with a call to order and welcome by OFB President Mike Spradling at 1:30 p.m. The day’s lineup will include a Public Policy Update, Farm Bill Panel, legislative reception and dinner, an address from Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and presentation of OFB’s Meritorious Service Awards. On Tuesday, February 22, Farm Bureau leaders will hear from a Legislative Leadership Panel, state officials and OFB staff before the conference adjourns at 11:30 a.m.
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Cotton and Grain Marketing... (continued from page 3) a regular guest analyst on U.S. Farm Report and Ag Day TV. Mark’s daily audio grain marketing comments are featured on AgWeb. “This meeting is focused more on contracting, futures prices, and hedging, we’re expecting a large attendance of producers,” said Dennis Crawford, Ag Business Management Coordinator for the Canadian Valley Technology Center. “This meeting will include a blend of topics that should be of interest to anyone who wants to learn about the new marketing trends and opportunities.” For more information or to receive a meeting flier, contact Pettijohn at 405-224-2216 or michael.pettijohn@okstate.edu. LEFT – Rep. Lisa Billy, left, visited with Garvin County Farm Bureau Director Ronnie Akerman, right, and county Women’s Committee Chair Jo Williamson during a legislative dinner January 27 at the Garvin County Farm Bureau office in Pauls Valley.
RIGHT – State Sen. Susan Paddock spoke to Garvin County Farm Bureau leaders during the county’s annual legislative dinner, which was held January 27 in Pauls Valley. Paddock spoke to the group about issues to be tackled during this year’s legislative session.