Spring 2011

Spring 2011

The Magazine Of The Oklahoma Farm Bureau

Inside:

A Destination Point Animal Agriculture Advocacy

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One Hour.

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Oklahoma Country

Contents

Features

8

8 – A Destination Point – A 100-Year-Old House Provides Respite From Urban Madness.

Kevin and Lori Kraft turn an old house in small town America, population 138, into a top-rated restaurant that attracts visitors from across the country.

By Sam Knipp

16

16 – Animal Agriculture Advocacy Oklahoma State University animal science

students are learning how to be successful advocates through a new course designed to develop leaders and spokespeople for the agriculture industry.

By Traci Morgan

Columns

Departments

2 – Presidentially Speaking 4 – Executive Outlook 6 – Country Gardening

22 – YF&R Profile 24 – All Around Oklahoma 42 – Country Classifieds 44 – Country Kitchen

Hidden number worth $50!

O

ne member family’s Oklahoma Farm Bureau membership number is hidden somewhere in this issue of OKLAHOM COUNTRY, and could earn that member family $50.

To claim the cash prize, the member family must find its own hidden membership number and contact Staci Armstrong before the last day of the month Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.

to 4 p.m. at 405-523-2320.

The OFB membership number hidden somewhere in OKLAHOMA COUNTRY must match the number on the face of your individual OFB membership card for you to claim the cash prize. The membership number that appears on your magazine’s mailing label is not the hidden number, but also must match the hidden number for you to claim the cash prize.

Cover Image Kevin and Lori Kraft stand in one of their Burlington, Okla., pastures with one of the hearty steaks they serve at their restaurant, The Vintage House, located in Burlington.

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 1

Presidentially

Speaking

By Mike Spradling President, Oklahoma Farm Bureau & Affiliated Companies

What does it take to get the job done?

Farm Bureau leaders know the answer

W

hile attending an American Farm Bureau Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, I had the opportunity and privilege to hear from several outstanding speakers with important and educational messages. Though I received something from each of the speakers that will benefit me throughout life, there was one speaker who delivered a message that reminded me of several traits of the members and leaders of Oklahoma Farm Bureau.

The individual I am talking about is James Lovell…Commander James Lovell… the Apollo 13 James Lovell. Commander Lovell talked about the mission that launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970. Two days into the flight, an oxygen tank exploded, damaging the spacecraft’s electrical system. This was when the words heard around the world, “Houston, we have a problem,” brought the world’s attention to the ship’s crisis and challenges. The entire goal of the mission changed from a lunar landing to now getting the astronauts back home alive.

Commander Lovell mentioned three components necessary to turning what could be a disaster or failure into a very successful mission.

As he talked of how NASA met the goals of salvaging the mission, I couldn’t help but to think of our grassroots members and what Oklahoma Farm Bureau has in common with NASA officials in the way we solve problems, meet challenges and accomplish goals.

First, Commander Lovell mentioned LEADERSHIP. Leadership is something we know a lot about. We spend much of our time and financial resources developing leaders within our organization. Oklahoma Farm Bureau is known for its outstanding programs of leadership development. Whether developing county leaders, Women’s programs, Young Farmers & Ranchers programs or putting on a campaign school for those interested in running for public office, Farm Bureau knows how to train and develop leadership traits in people. County leaders are 2 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

the essential component to the success of the mission of Farm Bureau.

Second, Lovell mentioned TEAMWORK. You talk about teamwork. Remember State Question 744? That was a textbook example of teamwork at its finest. Oklahoma Farm Bureau was asked to be a part of the One Oklahoma Collation from the beginning because of our political success, our statewide leadership, our statewide network and our ability to execute teamwork. Thousands of Farm Bureau leaders pulling together in the same direction at the same time is what makes us so successful in achieving whatever goal we set out to achieve.

The third thing Commander Lovell spoke of was the desire to SUCCEED. If you know anyone in production agriculture, you know what determination farmers and ranchers have. Failure is not in their vocabulary. Farmers and ranchers perform their best when under the worst of conditions. When Farm Bureau leaders first got involved in SQ 744, 80 percent of people surveyed in the polls stated they would vote in support of the question. The polls did not deter our members in the least. The bigger the challenge, the harder they worked. Visiting with county leaders at our Leadership Conference about the Blizzard of 2011, they knew the worse the weather got, the lower the temperature dipped, the deeper the snow got, the more important it was for them to be out there caring for their livestock. No matter the odds or obstacle, they do what it takes to get the job done or meet the challenge.

So, as I listened to Commander Lovell explain how his crew met their challenge and achieved their goal, I realized what Oklahoma Farm Bureau and NASA have in common. Whether the problem arises thousands of miles in space or at the state or nation’s capitol, we meet our challenges and achieve our goals in the same manner, through LEADERSHIP, TEAMWORK, and THE DESIRE TO SUCCEED.

Spring 2011 Volume 64 No. 2 Oklahoma Country (ISSN 1544-6476) Published four times per year in April, July, October and January by Oklahoma Farm Bureau, 2501 N. Stiles, Oklahoma City, OK 73105-3126, Telephone 405-523-2300.

Periodicals postage paid at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Additional Mailing Offices.

Postmaster: Send address corrections to: Oklahoma Country, P.O.B. 53332, Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3332.

EDITORIAL TEAM Traci Morgan Publications & Online News Manager Sam Knipp Vice President Corporate Communications / PR Dustin Mielke Multi-media Producer / Writer Carter Campbell Marketing & Advertising Coordinator Staci Armstrong Office Administrator DIRECT YOUR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES TO: Oklahoma Country Attn: Carter Campbell 2501 N. Stiles Oklahoma City, OK 73105 405-530-2618 ADVERTISING POLICY All advertising is subject to publisher’s approval.

Advertisers assume all liability for content of their advertising. Publisher maintains right to cancel advertising. Publisher does not guarantee advertiser service or products, and assumes no liability for products or services advertised.

TO SUBSCRIBE Oklahoma Country subscription rate is $1 per year for members as part of the dues, $15 for non-members.

WEBSITE www.okfarmbureau.org Oklahoma Farm Bureau DIRECTORS Mike Spradling, President Tom Buchanan, Vice President Roland Pederson, Treasurer Charles Sloan, Secretary Ervin Mitchell, Director Rodd Moesel, Director Bob Drake, Director Larry Boggs, Director Billy Gibson, Director Phyllis Holcomb, Director Monica Wilke, Executive Director

Try explaining This To an ouT-of-sTaTe agenT.

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For details about Oklahoma Farm Bureau, visit us online at okfbins.com

Outlook

Executive

By Monica Wilke Executive Director Oklahoma Farm Bureau & Affiliated Companies

Enjoying the Past while Preparing for the Future

A

s we approach Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s 70th Birthday, the maturity and depth of this organization continues to run deep.

We are a steadfast organization, with our roots going back to 1942 when our “founding fathers” built the foundation of the state’s premier agriculture organization. The vision and mission of those early leaders continues to direct us today. When I am asked, as I so often am, what it is that makes me the most proud to serve the Oklahoma Farm Bureau as Executive Director, the first thought that comes to my mind is our mission. It is a rare thing in today’s business environment to work for a group of people who have stayed true to their initial mission for sixty-plus years. That, my friends, is something to celebrate!

However, as we continue to celebrate our history, it is necessary that we consider our future. As we consider that future, we must also remember who we are and how we plan to sustain our mission into the future. As a student of history, I believe it is extremely important when considering a course to reflect upon where you have been. Let’s start with that.

I can almost visualize a delegate at a convention many years ago speaking in support of a resolution calling for the “still new” farm federation to do something to help meet the insurance predicament faced by rural Oklahomans. So, we did. In 1946, our insurance company was born. The insurance company more than met the predicament described by that delegate, and today, Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company remains the largest domestic property and casualty insurer in the state of Oklahoma. However, it is important to remember that our insurance company is just one of the many services offered to Farm Bureau members. Member service remains the number one priority of Oklahoma Farm Bureau!

Your annual Oklahoma Farm Bureau membership dues allow the federation to offer 4 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

many services and benefits that reflect our agriculture mission. Those dues that all members pay – generally less than the cost of a dinner for two at your favorite restaurant – enable all counties to have offices near you. Those offices are the “front line” to serve your needs.

A few years ago, when I was lobbying for our organization, I came across a piece of legislation that would have negatively impacted our bottom line. When discussing that particular piece of legislation with a legislative member at the Capitol, I was able to share with him all the things Farm Bureau did specifically for his community and constituency. Everything I mentioned centered around our core agriculture mission and service to members, not our corporation. I encourage you the next time you are at any worthwhile community event across this state to take a look around and you will see the Farm Bureau presence. Many of our county Farm Bureaus have stepped up to the plate to support their local public safety personnel as well as multiple other county programs and causes across this state.

O

ne of our most recognizable services to our membership is our public policy influence on local, state and national issues. If it is important to you, you can bet that your best interest will be represented by our volunteer leaders and paid staff. That influence has grown beyond the halls of the legislature to the walls of the courthouse with our Farm Bureau Legal Foundation.

Through our Legal Foundation, we have enjoyed the opportunity to “get in the ring” with our members in their efforts to set or change legal precedents that reflect the values and philosophies of our organization. We also continue to support those legislative members and candidates who reflect our mission through our OKAgFund. The number of rural and urban candidates who understand the Farm Bureau policy book and introduce legislation to support

our beliefs continues to grow.

Our Safety Division stays engaged around the clock in schools and communities across this state offering free programs designed to save lives and educate the public. Whether it is our Fire Safety for Kids program, DUI Prevention course, Defensive Driving course, ATV or Texting While Driving seminars, Oklahoma Farm Bureau continues to deliver a message that resonates with all who come into contact with this division and their programs!

Many Farm Bureau services translate directly into money-saving benefits for our members.

The FB Card continues to provide no hassle savings on a variety of goods and services.

Whether it is recognized savings on home improvements, security systems, farm supplies, hotel and restaurant chains, retail outlets, medical supplies and much more, you will want to have your FB Card with you at all times, so you will not miss an opportunity to save. The savings you will earn with just one night’s stay at one of our participating hotel chains will almost equal the amount you initially paid to acquire your membership.

We continue to provide a commodity tour to our membership, which allows each participant the opportunity to travel across our state and see the many agriculture enterprises in Oklahoma as well as experience the local flavor that each venue has to offer. The numbers climb annually for those wishing to be a part of this tour.

I

f you have been around our organization for some time, an apparent trait, much like the farm community demographic across our state, is noticeable among our group. We’re getting a little grayer and continue to add more candles to our birthday cakes. This is welcomed, because we have great experience, wisdom and knowledge on our side. However, as we think back again to our future, a muchneeded demographic becomes apparent. Where Continued on page 7

Enjoy Retirement On your Terms As you plan for your future years,

it’s wise to consider your options, outline your goals and fine-tune your expectations. Your Farm Bureau agent can help make it simple to: v Continue your standard of living. v Remain in control of your finances. v Maintain your independence.

Make the most of your future years by staying in control. Contact your Farm Bureau agent today.

Visit www.fbfs.com to sign up for our free e-newsletter. It’s filled with useful tips to help you protect your family and save time and money.

Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company/West Des Moines, IA. Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company/Oklahoma City, OK. © 2011 FBL Financial Group, Inc. A131-OK (2-11)

OK-Retirement(2-11).indd 1

2/18/11 2:22:25 PM

Country

Gardening

By Joe Benton

Extension Education, Ag & CED Pottawatomie County OSU Extension Service

2011 Oklahoma Proven Selections

O

klahoma weather extremes often make adding plants to our landscape a trial and sometimes costly error proposition.

The Oklahoma proven varieties for this year have recently been released.

For a number of years now, the Oklahoma State University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, OSU Botanical Gardens, Oklahoma Botanical Garden and Arboretum and Oklahoma Green Industry Cooperators have been making selections of plants that thrive in Oklahoma.

The following is a list of “2011 Oklahoma Proven Selections.” These selections have been made since 1999. A trip to their website, which is at the end of this column, will give you past years’ selections. Photos also are available on this site. I would encourage you to try some of these plants as they have taken out some of the guesswork in growing them in our harsh conditions.

Collector’s Choice Silver Linden, Tilia tomentosa Silver linden is a beautiful large shade tree that can grow 50’ to 70’ tall. It is quite tolerant of high pH soils and urban conditions and is more heat tolerant than other lindens making it a great street or shade tree for large yards in Oklahoma. Leaves of silver linden are dark green on the upper surface and silvery beneath, providing an interesting effect when the wind blows; leaves can have a nice yellow fall color. Tiny, fragrant, white, flowers attract bees in late June to July. Cultivars selected for brilliant fall color as well as outstanding performance are available.

• Exposure: Full sun • Soil: Prefers moist, well-drained soil; tolerant of high pH soils and pollution • Hardiness: USDA Zone 4-7

Silver Linden

American Elm

6 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

Tree American Elm Collection, Ulmus americana ‘New Harmony’, ‘Princeton’ and ‘Valley Forge’ With the release of improved, diseaseresistant American elms, they are once again in demand. ‘Valley Forge’, ‘New Harmony’ and ‘Princeton’ are a few of the cultivars available today. ‘Valley Forge’ is upright, arching, and broadly vase-shaped with a full, dense canopy.

‘New Harmony’ develops into a broad vaseshaped crown with arching branches terminating in numerous slender, often drooping branchlets. ‘Princeton’ is also vaseshaped. American elms are adapted to a wide variety of soil conditions, tolerate deicing salts, air pollution, drought, and a range of soil pH. They have yellow fall color.

• Exposure: Full sun to part shade • Soil: Prefers well-drained soil • Hardiness: USDA Zone 5-9

Shrub Abelia Collection, Abelia x grandiflora ‘Kaleidoscope’, ‘Little Richard’, and ‘Rose Creek’ Several new, compact forms of glossy abelia are becoming very popular. ‘Kaleidoscope’ grows 2-3’ high and slightly wider. In spring, leaves appear on bright-red stems with limegreen centers and bright-yellow edges, but variegation does not scorch or burn in hot weather, and in fall color deepens to shades of orange and fiery red. Soft pink flower buds Abelia

"

Executive Outlook continued from page 4

open to white in late spring. ‘Little Richard’ is 3’x3’, evergreen, with vivid green leaves in summer, taking on a tangerine-pink color in fall; white flowers bloom from summer to first frost. ‘Rose Creek’ grows 2-3’ high and 3-4’ wide; is evergreen, with crimson stems. New leaves have a pinkish cast, maturing to lustrous dark green, and turn purple in cold weather. Small white flowers are surrounded by persistent rosy pink sepals. Use these abelias in containers, as formal or informal hedges, accent plants, in mass plantings or in foundation plantings under windows. Abelias also attract hummingbirds and butterflies to the garden.

• Exposure: Sun to part shade • Soil: Moist, well-drained, acidic • Hardiness: USDA Zone 6-9, evergreen in 7 and warmer

Perennial Giant Coneflower, Rudbeckia maxima Giant coneflower is native to eastern Oklahoma, but does well throughout the state.

It is tolerant of moist soils and is quite drought tolerant once established. Giant coneflower has silvery-blue foliage. Flowers have bright yellow ray flowers that dangle from a large, upright, dark-brown cone on stems that reach 5-6 feet high. Giant coneflower blooms in early summer, but deadheading the spent blossoms will encourage another flush of blooms in late summer. Plant in masses for best effect. Can be

used in mixed borders, meadows, native gardens, and open woods. This species makes a strong, vertical statement in the landscape.

• Exposure: Sun, part shade • Soil: Moist, well-drained • Hardiness: USDA Zone 4-8

Annual Pink Crystals Ruby Grass, Melinus nerviglumis ‘Savannah’ Pink Crystals Ruby Grass is a warm-season grass that likes it hot and performs best in those conditions. Growing only 18" to 22" tall, it is an attractive ornamental grass with blue-green foliage and ruby-pink blooms with glistening silky hairs in late spring. Flowers retain their color even when dried and may be used for cut flower arrangements. Pink Crystals Ruby Grass is excellent in beds, borders, and is spectacular in a container planting.

• Exposure: Full sun to part shade • Soil: Well-drained • Hardiness: Use as an annual

Giant Coneflower

Pink Crystals Ruby Grass

For more information about Oklahoma Proven, go to http://oklahomaproven.okstate.edu/, Oklahoma State University, U. S. Department of Agriculture, state and Local Government’s cooperating. The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or status as a veteran and is an equal opportunity employer.

is our next generation of leaders?

Oklahoma Farm Bureau has been actively cultivating a new crop of members over the past several years. We continue to entice the younger generation to participate through groups like Collegiate Farm Bureau and the Young Farmers and Ranchers Program. I am extremely optimistic as I continue to watch the leadership traits of this group. The current theme for the YF&R, “You’re Next…Ready?,” says everything about the future of our organization. I encourage county leaders to continue to help your county boards and state YF&R Committee find those young leaders who are ready to serve!

We continue to actively support youth programs, such as FFA and 4-H, in an effort to continue to find the best and brightest to call our own. We purchase show animals and provide scholarships on many levels to help introduce young people to our organization and better prepare them for their future endeavors.

We have more services than I have space or time to mention. Our Women’s Committee reaches out to serve and involve others on multiple levels. We have a reward program to fight crime and an accidental death and dismemberment benefit program free to all member families.

H

opefully, as you have read through ths list, you have learned something new about your Farm Bureau membership, or if you are like me, remembered something you knew at one time, but had somehow forgotten. It is my desire that we continue to remember our “founding fathers” and our core mission as we prepare for our future.

One of my favorite songs is titled, “You’ve Got to Stand for Something or You’ll Fall for Anything.” I will close with where we stand, “Farm Bureau is local, county, state, national and international in its scope and influence and is nonpartisan, non-sectarian and non-secret in character. Farm Bureau is the voice of agriculture producers at all levels.” Let’s go build our future. I am ready… are you?

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 7

A Destination Point A 100-Year-Old House Provides Respite From Urban Madness.

By Sam Knipp 8 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

B

When guests at the Vintage House enter through the front door, they are greeted with a beautiful dining area with all the accents of a Victorian-style home.

Several generations of Burlington families have lived in the 100-year-old house remodeled by the Krafts almost six years ago.

efore you walk up the steps of the Vintage House Restaurant, the strains of Elvis’s “When Fools Rush In…” glide out to greet you. Then you’re teased with the aroma of fresh baked bread, the tinkle of silverware and sounds of gentle laughter. Fruitwood smoke mingles with filet mignon as it drifts from the cookhouse out back and reaches out to grab your senses. You’re tempted to check the GPS coordinates. Is this Burlington, OK? Yes, and Kevin and Lori Kraft are no fools. Quite the opposite is true. How do you explain taking an old house in small town America, population 138, hundreds of miles from the nearest urban center, and turning it into a top-rated restaurant attracting visitors from across the country?

“I had this vision of providing a refuge from the hustle and bustle, giving people a chance to rest and enjoy a great meal in the middle of nowhere,” Lori said.

Husband Kevin (pronounced Kee-vin) and the banker did not share that same vision. There was no “rushing” here. But Lori’s passion won out.

“I kept saying, this will work,” Lori said.

And now, almost six years later, the Vintage House Restaurant has become a destination point.

“We try to provide a place out of the whirlwind of life, where you can have a pleasant evening together,” Kevin said.

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 9

A table setting equal to the finest city restaurants can be found at the Vintage House in rural Burlington.

A specialty salad featuring greens tossed with fruit prepares the palate for the star attraction‌a fine beef filet or southwestern lobster.

Fresh-baked bread is one of the many tantalizing treats that keep guests returning to the Vintage House. Many of the recipes for the highquality entrees found at the Vintage House are retrieved from the memory of Lori’s grandmother’s kitchen.

Kevin prepares a steak for the grill by handrubbing a secret mixture of ingredients.

L

THE BEGINNING

B

THE HOUSE

S

THE MENU

et’s go back to the beginning, when Kevin and Lori were cooking meals for weary hunters. A friend of theirs owned a guided hunting business and asked the couple to help feed them after a long day in the field.

“I fed hunters out of our home for three years,” Lori said. “They encouraged me to open a restaurant.”

They satisfied the appetites of hunters from Alabama, Georgia, Florida and other states.

This was just a part-time job for Kevin. He was already farming with his dad, Bob. It seemed like a natural fit to turn some of the food he was growing into a popular restaurant.

“I’ve always been a farmer and rancher in my heart as well as in reality, so it was a no-brainer for me to serve people some of the highquality food we grow here in northwest Oklahoma,” Kevin said.

Kevin remodeled an unattached garage behind the house to use for grilling the meat.

“There’s something about man, meat and fire. There’s something cool about that,” Kevin drawled.

uilt on the corner of Fourth and Main in 1906, the house provided a home for several Burlington families before gaining new life as a restaurant. It sits across the street from the Burlington Elementary School and just a few blocks from the Burlington Co-op Grain Elevator.

“I saw this charming, Victorian-style house and thought it would be perfect for what I wanted to do,” Lori said.

The Krafts bought the house in 2005 and immediately set about making Lori’s vision a reality. They stripped and refinished the wood floors and woodwork, then knocked out a few walls.

“That’s when the vision really started to take shape, when I could actually imagine people sitting down in our dining area and enjoying good food with each other,” Lori said.

“There were lots of people raised in this house, their grandmothers, children, brothers, sisters. It makes it special for our patrons,” Lori said.

teak and seafood top the food chain at the Vintage House. Lobster, shrimp and salmon are partnered with beef, buffalo and an occasional smoked chicken. Many of the recipes are from Lori’s grandmother’s kitchen.

“These are things she taught me as a little girl and that make it special,” Lori said.

A typical five-course meal starts with a bowl of steaming chicken and noodle soup and fresh-baked bread. A specialty salad featuring greens tossed with fruit prepares the palate for the star attraction.

“The ribeye steak is our most popular choice, but a lot of folks order our southwest lobster,” Kevin said.

Lobster? In northwest Oklahoma, thousands of miles away from prime lobster country?

“I told Lori if we are going to have lobster we need to do it with a southwestern flair,” Kevin said.

The Rio Grande lobster has a strip of cheddar-jack cheese with a sliver of jalapeno covered with a strip of bacon. The Salt Fork lobster has shredded cheddar-jack cheese with bacon bits and chives sprinkled on top.

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 11

C

THE SECRET TO A GOOD STEAK

hefs seldom share all their secrets, but Kevin is a rancher, too, so he wants customers to always enjoy beef.

“You need to let the meat rest at room temperature to let the meat tissue relax,” Kevin starts. “And then I have a special rub that seals the juices.“ A hardwood fire is a necessity.

“I prefer apricot,” Kevin said. “It gives the meat a different flair.”

The fire’s heat has to be just right, too.

“You don’t want to cook it too fast. Sear it on the outside, but keep it tender on the inside,” he said.

A

THE MUSIC

dd musician to their titles of farmer, rancher and gourmet cook.

A love for music first brought the Krafts together.

“We love to entertain and sing to our guests,” Lori said.

The Krafts are often asked to stroll through the dining area and sing to their guests. It’s just another example that makes the Vintage House special.

One of the more popular songs is one made famous by Elvis (need his last name be mentioned?), “When Fools Rush In.” A sampling of the words helps one understand the deep affection these two have for each other as well as the people they serve.

“Wise men say, only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you. Like a river flows to the sea, our love was meant to be.”

If this was a Hollywood movie, the sun would be setting as Kevin and Lori are holding hands, singing to their guests. Maybe with a little imagination, and animation, the old house would be slowly rocking, a huge smile formed by the upstairs windows.

To enjoy Elvis and a good steak, here’s all you need to know: the Vintage House is open Thursday through Saturday, 6 to 10 p.m.

Reservations are required. Call (580) 431-2600. Expect to be treated like a good friend, because that is what all guests of the Vintage House are considered.

Kevin and Lori Kraft entertain guests of the Vintage House restaurant with great songs including Elvis’ “When fools rush in.” It is part of the overall experience that makes dining at the Vintage House a special event.

You won’t find a better tasting steak than this high-quality ribeye at the end of a Vintage House guest’s fork.

Chef and rancher Kevin Kraft says one of the secrets to grilling a good steak is to sear it on the outside while keeping it tender on the inside.

A hot, hardwood fire is necessary for cooking the perfect steak and Kevin says he prefers wood from an Apricot tree because of the delicate flavor it imparts on the meat.

12 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 13

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Exp____ /____Phone______________________________ Signature________________________________________ © 2011 Indiana Botanic Gardens, Inc.

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 15

A panel of Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders and agriculture producers spoke to the advocacy class about production practices and animal welfare on their own farms and ranches. All four panelists are actively advocating for the agriculture industry by writing columns and editorials in statewide newspapers, hosting ag tours on their farms and ranches and speaking to civic groups and other community organizations about agriculture. From left, are Brent Bolen, poultry producer from Altus; Monte Tucker, cattle producer from Sweetwater; Tom Buchanan, cotton producer from Altus; and Karen Brewer, swine producer from Okemah.

Oklahoma State University animal science students are learning how to be successful advocates through a new course designed to develop leaders and spokespeople for the agriculture industry.

By Traci Morgan 16 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

Farm Bureau leader Monte Tucker feeds cattle on his ranch near Sweetwater. Tucker participated in the producer panel for Oklahoma State University’s Animal Agriculture Advocacy & Policy course. Among his advocacy work, Tucker writes a weekly print column, What’s Under My Hat, and invites groups to tour his operation.

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Agriculture is at the very root of society. Food, fiber, pharmaceuticals and fuel. Mankind cannot exist without these resources, but the way they are produced and the people who produce them are under attack.

Overreaching regulations and repeated aggression by animal rights and environmental activists have those in agriculture fighting for their livelihood and defending the very practices that enable them to feed a rapidly growing world population.

It’s because of these threats that agriculturists are speaking up more than ever before and telling their story to a public who are either unaware of the industry’s positive contributions, or have heard differently.

Developing spokespeople for agriculture is the purpose of a new partnership between the Oklahoma Farm Bureau (OFB) and Oklahoma State University’s (OSU) Department of Animal Science.

The two have combined to develop a groundbreaking course in animal agriculture advocacy.

The first of its kind in the nation, ANSI 4900: Animal Agriculture Advocacy & Policy, equips animal science upperclassmen with the information and skills needed to become agriculture advocates and industry spokespersons.

“I have not been this excited about a course at OSU in 22 years as I am right now,” said Dr. Jerry Fitch, OSU Extension sheep specialist and undergraduate advisement coordinator in animal science.

Fitch, who devised the course along with Tyler Norvell, OFB vice president of Public Policy, and Sam Knipp, OFB vice president of Corporate Communications/Public Relations, considers advocating for animal agriculture in today’s world a necessity.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt it’s a necessity,” Fitch said. “We are being forced to go down paths we really don’t want to go down. But, in order for us to tell our story, we need every graduate in animal science, we need every agriculture person out there to talk to consumers and help them understand that animal agriculture is strong, and that we are doing everything we possibly can to keep our animals comfortable.”

The first half of the course, which debuted January 14, 2011, is built around a slate of guest speakers, who are leading the fight against those looking to end traditional animal agriculture in America. These speakers are experienced, proactive and vocal in their protection of agriculture.

They bring with them a variety of perspectives from legislation to science to economics.

Animal Agriculture Advocacy

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 17

(left) ANSI 4900: Animal Agriculture Advocacy & Policy students pay close attention as nationallyrecognized leaders in animal welfare and agriculture advocacy speak to the class about their efforts.

(Center) Sen. Mike Schulz, left, visited with OSU animal science senior Tyler Peck of Sentinel following the legislative panel. Sen. Schulz is the Majority Floor Leader in the Senate and also farms in Jackson County.

(Right) Tulsa Sen. Brian Crain, right, was the lone urban legislator on the advocacy class’ legislative panel and told the students they must tailor their message carefully. “When you’re doing advocacy work, when you’re trying to get a legislator motivated to vote your way,” he said, “what you need to recognize is that what motivates you, doesn’t necessarily motivate that legislator. You need to find out what it is that motivates that individual to support the bill or oppose the bill that you want addressed.”

Also participating in the panel were rural legislators Sen. Mike Schulz, center, and Rep. Don Armes.

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“We’ve brought in speakers who have actually been in these battles in other states,” Norvell said, “who have wisdom through experience.

They can show these students how to debate animal rights activists with science, economics and emotion.”

A variety of different speakers have addressed the class, including Jim Reese, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture; David VonTungeln, USDA Veterinarian; Charlie Arnott, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity; Tim Amlaw, Vice President of Farm Animal Welfare for the American Humane Association; Dr. Bailey Norwood, associate professor of agricultural economics for Oklahoma State University; and Chris Chinn, Missouri swine producer and agriculture advocate.

A panel of state legislators was the first to address the animal science students. Sen. Brian Crain of Tulsa, Sen. Mike Schulz of Altus, and Rep. Don Armes of Lawton discussed with the class advocacy from a policy perspective.

Sen. Schulz and Rep. Armes, both rural legislators and supporters of agriculture, underscored the need for leaders within the industry to get involved and use their expertise in the legislative process.

“One of the things you always look for is involvement,” Sen. Schulz said.

“You always look for somebody that has knowledge on an issue that you may not have as much on as you’d like.”

Rep. Armes had some useful lobbying tips for the class.

“If you come in as an advocate for a position and you’re respectful and can talk about it in a sane manner, you have a lot more chance of getting something done,” he said. “You just need to be respectful. I think that gets you a lot farther.”

Unlike his fellow panelists, Sen. Brian Crain comes from a small, but heavily populated district in one of the most urban areas of the state.

“We don’t have much in the way of production agriculture,” he said, “but we have a great deal of consumption.”

Agricultural issues, although familiar to the rural legislators and animal science students, are foreign to Sen. Crain. He exemplifies the very group of people these students must learn to educate, and he said they must learn to tailor their message carefully.

“When you’re doing advocacy work, when you’re trying to get a legislator motivated to vote your way,” he said, “what you need to recognize is that what motivates you, doesn’t necessarily motivate that legislator. You need to find out what it is that motivates that individual to support the bill or oppose the bill that you want addressed.

“When we start talking about Ohio livestock bills, when we start talking about BSE, these are foreign languages to me,” he said. “But, when you start talking about how economic development is affected, how the taxes are going to be changed, these are things I understand.”

When presented with the opportunity to show these students how to motivate people by telling their story, Trent Loos jumped at the chance.

Loos is a sixth-generation rancher from Nebraska. He’s also a radio host, columnist, speaker and a tireless advocate for the agriculture industry. He travels the country at every opportunity to talk about the importance of agriculture, driven by a need to educate the non-farm public.

“As we continue to implement science and technology to be more efficient with food production, we didn’t worry about telling our story because we had a job to do. And that job was to make sure we have a plentiful food supply,” Loos said. “Now we’re at the point in time when we have done such a tremendous job, but we have people that actually don’t know where their food comes from. They just take it for granted, and we can’t allow that to be taken for granted any longer.”

Correcting misinformation about animal agriculture and the industry as a whole is becoming another mission of Loos’.

“Believe it or not, we do have people day in and day out attempting to mislead not only consumers, but policymakers and legislators and regulators about what all is involved in animal agriculture and agriculture in general,” he said.

Loos, like most advocates today, are using every tool at their disposal to not only defend, but champion the agriculture industry. These include social networking, blogging and YouTube, to name a few. He urged the students to jump into the discussion.

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“If you see something you don’t like, fix it,” he said. “If you hear somebody misspeak, correct them. Get involved, one person, one day at a time.”

A producer panel – consisting of Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders Karen Brewer, Brent Bolen, Monte Tucker and Tom Buchanan – brought to the class “in-the-trenches” experience. These men and woman grow crops and raise livestock, both of which are cared for 24 hours a day, seven days a week on their farming and ranching operations. They know what their crops and animals need to survive and thrive and understand that success in this business comes with sound science and healthy, well-cared for animals.

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 19

Trent Loos, an agriculture advocate and sixth generation rancher from Nebraska, calls on a student during a question and answer session. Loos “jumped at the chance” to speak to the animal science students about speaking up for their industry.

“If you see something you don’t like, fix it,” he said. “If you hear somebody misspeak, correct them. Get involved, one person, one day at a time.”

Jett Eder (right), an Oklahoma State University senior from Kansas, visited with Trent Loos following his address to the class. Eder, an animal science major with a pre-vet option, says threats to animal agriculture in the U.S. make advocating for the agriculture industry a necessity today.

All four of the panelists also actively advocate for the agriculture industry at every opportunity. Combined, they host ag tours on their farms and ranches, write columns and editorials for local and statewide newspapers, speak before civic groups and other organizations in their communities and make themselves available to educate anyone interested in what they do on their farms and ranches.

Brewer, a swine producer from Okemah, often speaks to groups in her community and around the state about her job as producer of healthy, well cared for animals and a good, safe food product.

“I have pride that we produce such a good food product for the whole world,” she said, “and I think it’s very important to take the time and explain that to people. We care about the animals, we care about the environment and we plan on our family being on the farm forever. Most people are interested in what we do, and they’re very receptive.”

The Brewers’ independent farrow-to-wean operation consists of approximately 600 sows with 12,000 to 14,000 baby pigs, on average, shipped out each year. The family business is carefully managed to be healthy, humane and efficient.

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“Everything we do on our operation has come from years of study.

It’s come from science…trying to find the better way to be more productive and to raise the best, healthiest animal,” she said. “People are depending on us for food more than they ever were. We’re feeding a lot of people, so we need to have as productive a farm as we can and do a good job taking care of our animals.”

Brewer believes young people in agriculture are the best hope to present the true story of agriculture.

“I’d like to encourage them to get out there and just talk about it,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to talk about it, and just spread the word for us. The youth – they’re our best advocates.”

While the first half of the semester gave students the opportunity to hear from industry leaders and how they are advocating for agriculture, the second half of the semester will focus on the students’ training, including media relations and interviewing techniques designed to help 20 20 •• Oklahoma Oklahoma Country Country •• Spring Spring 2011 2011

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the students become better spokesmen and women. Knipp is leading this section of the course.

“The remainder of the semester will be focusing on media relations, messaging and helping the students get their word out there in a concise, accurate way,” he said.

Knipp said knowing how to deliver your message is key for advocates.

“If you can’t communicate what you know, then it doesn’t do any good,” he said. “Our goal is to equip students with the tools to communicate and articulate the agriculture story.”

Knipp said media plays a huge role in the public’s perception of agriculture and using all of the different types of media available – print, radio, TV, Internet, Facebook, blogging, YouTube, etc. – combines for a powerful message.

“All that combined, the social media with the traditional media, has a huge role to play in determining and forming the public’s image of what we’re doing out here on the farm,” he said.

Norvell said in future courses, he would like to invite speakers involved in animal rights activism to present the other side’s perspective.

“The best thing I’ve learned as a lobbyist is there are two sides to every issue,” he said, “and you need to be able to understand the other side to have the best plan of attack for your side.”

With a global population that is growing larger year after year, agriculture is poised to grow with it. By 2050, according to the United Nations, farmers and ranchers will have 9.2 billion mouths to feed. In

order to do this, they must be more efficient than ever before, they must be able to use all the science and technology at their fingertips and they absolutely must find a way to stop the attacks that threaten their ability to produce enough food to sustain us all.

Every single person involved in the agriculture industry must be willing and able to educate those who don’t understand what they do, how they do it and why they do it. There is a great need to deliver this message and that is why the advocacy course was created.

“For better or worse, agriculture is something that is heavily regulated, not only by the state, but federally,” Sen. Crain said. “In order for the industry not only to survive but thrive, those in agriculture need to be able to explain their position to those who make the laws, those that interpret the laws, those that apply the laws, and let them recognize what it takes for agriculture to be successful versus what will kill agriculture.

“There are those that think that the best way to use land is not to touch it. I don’t believe that that’s correct,” he continued. “But, those folks exist and those who make their living in agriculture need to recognize that the best way to approach that is with compassion, with diligence, with education. This is a great program for all of it.”

The inaugural class of ANSI 4900: Animal Agriculture Advocacy & Policy will leave knowing advocacy is a priority and be better equipped to tell their stories.

Jett Eder, an OSU senior animal science major with a pre-vet option from Kansas, said the threat to animal agriculture is very real.

“There are certain entities within our country that certainly have an agenda to limit our production abilities,” he said, “whose primary objectives are to eliminate animal agriculture within America. So it’s important for us to be proactive and maintain a positive image of agriculture.”

Megan Bryant, an OSU senior animal science major from Pawnee, said the course also underscored for her the importance of being proactive in advocating for agriculture.

“I think that’s one thing we struggle with is actually telling our story because we don’t think we have to. And a lot of times we wait until it’s almost too late,” she said. “We need to be proactive and tell our story before an issue actually comes up. And I think that’s the great thing about this class. It’s going to help us, whether it’s through social media or meeting with people who aren’t involved in agriculture.

We’re getting a better idea of what to tell them and how to get our message across.

“It’s just a great course,” she said. “I’m learning a lot, and I’m really excited to get out there and share my story about agriculture.”

Oklahoma Farm Bureau District 2 Director and cotton producer Tom Buchanan, right, recently hosted the Oklahoma Agriculture Leadership Program (OALP) Class XV on a farm tour in southwest Oklahoma. A member of the advocacy class’ producer panel, he urged the students to take opportunities like these to tell their story.

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 21

Jeff & Sarah Weeks Pottawatomie County

YF&R Profile

Q & A with young agriculture professionals Jeff and Sarah Weeks

Jeff and Sarah met in college at Oklahoma State University and were married in 2002. They have two children, Blake, 5, and Baylee, 1. In addition to their careers, they own and lease land on which they run a cow-calf operation northeast of Shawnee.

One of the many great things about Oklahoma Farm Bureau's Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Program is the diversity of the young men and women involved.

YF&R members from across the state are engaged in many areas of production agriculture from vegetables to grains to livestock. And although these full-time farmers and ranchers make up a significant portion of active YF&R, increasing numbers of agriculture professionals who farm and ranch part-time are adding their expertise to the ranks.

The YF&R Program can benefit from these young people whose careers in the agriculture industry complement the group as a whole.

Two such ag professionals, also members of the state YF&R Committee, are Jeff and Sarah Weeks. Both work off the farm in ag-related careers while maintaining a cow-calf operation in Shawnee.

We caught up with the Weeks, both 33, to talk about how young agriculture professionals can benefit the YF&R Program.

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OFB: What is it about the YF&R Program that appeals to you?

JW: It gives you the opportunity to network with other folks across the state that deal with the same things you do. It also creates an environment in which you continually improve your leadership skills as well as provides experiences that can help you in the future.

SW: I like being involved in projects with other ag producers our age. The YF&R National Leadership Conference that was held in Tulsa two years ago was a tremendous experience. We met couples from New York, Georgia and Florida who were raising children, working in agriculture and facing the same issues we were. It is rewarding and encouraging to share our ideas with a family from another state and hear how they find a solution.

OFB: Is the YF&R Program only for those strictly involved in agriculture production?

JW: As the bumper sticker says, “If you eat, you're involved in agriculture.”

Agriculture is very layered. While I am not farming thousands of acres, I need to know the issues of those who do, and they need to know mine. That also goes for those who may not do as much in the way of production; they need to be educated about those who are.

Sarah is a 4-H youth development educator for Pottawatomie County OSU Extension.

She was photographed at the county livestock show in Shawnee.

SW: No, it's definitely not. You can look at the National YF&R Committee and see so much diversity. YF&R is a changing program. I feel that those who are not strictly involved in production agriculture have more to gain from the program than anyone else. The tours and meetings that are part of the conferences are very eye-opening.

while also creating additional resources and partnerships with other folks across the state.

OFB: Describe your off-farm job.

JW: I am the Eastern Region Coordinator for the Oklahoma Agritourism Program, which is a partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. My job has a couple of different parts. We work in product development for those folks wanting to develop an agritourism attraction, as well as the marketing component from a statewide perspective.

SW: I oversee the 4-H program in Pottawatomie County. On a daily basis, I recruit and work with 4-H volunteers, and seek donations and sources of financial support for the 4-H program. I also teach workshops on agriculture issues to 4-H’ers, adults, school children and many others.

OFB: How does YF&R enhance your ag-related job?

JW: It allows me to stay up to date on current issues in agriculture

SW: First and foremost, it motivates me to continue working in an ag field. When we attend a meeting or hear a speaker; I realize how important it is to be a constant advocate for agriculture.

YF&R also has given me great ideas for speakers and workshops.

OFB: How do you squeeze time in for YF&R activities when your plate is already full?

JW: It is not an easy task. However, for all the time that I have put into YF&R, it has been paid back to me 10 times in the knowledge and experience gained, the things learned and the relationships developed.

OFB: Why should young agriculture professionals get involved in the YF&R Program?

JW: It gives you an opportunity to network with future agriculture leaders and develop relationships over time that may enhance your resourcefulness in the future.

Jeff is the eastern region coordinator for the Oklahoma Agritourism Program. He was photographed at the agritourism venue Country Cottage Primitives Lavender Farm in Shawnee.

SW: It is a very progressive, solid organization that will give you every opportunity to learn, lead and have a little fun while you're at it. It gives us a front-row seat and a chance to participate in the formation of farm policy. I receive updates from Farm Bureau on issues well before many of my peers. I feel better informed and better prepared to debate the issues.

OFB’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Program is open to both men and women, ages 18 to 35, who hold a membership in his or her county Farm Bureau. For more information about YF&R, contact YF&R Coordinator Chris Kidd at (580) 228-4001 or Chris.Kidd@okfb.org.

Oklahoma Country Spring2011 2011 •••23 23 Oklahoma Country • Winter 2 Oklahoma Country •• Spring 2011

All Around

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Oklahoma Farmers Support National Farm Bureau Policies

OFB delegates participated in the AFBF Annual Meeting business session. From left are Bill Gibson, Adam Martens, Hope Pjesky, Desdive Milacek, Dale Schauer, Phyllis Holcomb, Jimmy Wayne Kinder, Tom Buchanan and Mike Spradling.

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oting delegates at the annual American Farm Bureau Federation convention in January voiced strong support for continuing the concepts of the current farm program, including direct payments and crop insurance.

Heading into the convention, there was speculation farmers would be split on the direction of the next farm bill concerning continuation of direct payments versus expanding revenue crop insurance programs.

“We were very pleased the delegates agreed with our desire to continue direct farm program payments in the next farm bill,” said OFB President Mike Spradling. “The current farm bill has successfully provided a good safety net for our producers while assuring an abundant, safe food supply for the nation. It’s important we continue in that direction while adding a simplified Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program, along with crop insurance and other programs, that will give producers the flexibility to adapt to the market and government budget.”

The AFBF delegates said, “The new farm bill should maintain a strong safety net that consists of direct payments, a simplified ACRE program and the countercyclical, marketing loan and crop insurance programs.”

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In other delegate action, a resolution was passed calling for more congressional oversight of the EPA’s regulatory actions.

“We’ve had it with EPA’s burdensome, unnecessary regulations,” Spradling said.

AFBF filed a federal lawsuit Jan. 10 to halt the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay pollution regulatory plan.

Another Oklahoma resolution supported by AFBF treats funding for agriculture research the same way as medical research. The Oklahoma policy reads, “We support the creation of a new type of charitable organization devoted to agriculture research with an IRS tax structure similar to the medical research organizations.”

“This will bring additional research dollars to

the Noble Foundation and Oklahoma State University, benefitting not just Oklahoma, but all consumers,” Spradling said. “We’re fortunate to have the combination of the Noble Foundation and OSU here and look forward to working together to feed the growing world population.”

The delegates reaffirmed support for a guest worker program that meets agriculture’s needs for farm labor, fair and open world trade, and continued inclusion of the word “navigable” in the Clean Water Act’s definition of the water bodies subjected to federal control.

Spradling was re-elected to another term on the AFBF Board of Directors representing the southern region.

Administration reappoints state committee for Oklahoma Farm Service Agency

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rancie Tolle, executive director of the Oklahoma Farm Service Agency (FSA), has announced the reappointment of the current five-member State FSA Committee, which includes three Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders.

Major County’s Brenda Neufeld, Stephens County’s Steve Nunley and Hughes County’s Jack Sherry will continue to serve on the state committee, which is responsible for the

oversight of farm programs, county committee operations, appeals, and federal farm policy determinations. They also provide FSA program information to the general public and other Agency stakeholders.

“I am grateful that our committee members were reappointed and can continue their involvement with Oklahoma FSA,” said Tolle.

“Their contribution to the Agency has had a

positive impact on our programs, producers and employees, and I am certain that we will have another successful year of delivering federal farm programs.”

Neufeld, from Fairview, Okla., is an integral part of her family farm where she is involved in the production of dairy-quality alfalfa hay, wheat and cattle. She also serves as a tax accountant for Curtis D. Karber & Associates. In addition, Neufeld is active in her local community serving as Major County Progressive Farmer Safety Day coordinator, Ag in the Classroom presenter, teacher tour host and an active member of the Major County Farm Bureau Women's Committee.

Nunley, a farmer/rancher from Marlow, Okla., has served as a board member on the Stephens County Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation as chairman of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. He has been awarded the Oklahoma Young Farm Family of the Year Award and National Western Region Dairy and Crop Production Proficiency Award.

Sherry, from Holdenville, Okla., has a diversified farming and ranching operation in Hughes County. In addition, he owns a real estate and investment firm. He has been, and is currently active in local boards such as Farm Bureau, Oklahoma Cattlemen's, Young Farmers, Chamber of Commerce, school boards and various others.

Sherry believes that the position of State Committee member is vitally important and strives to be fair and effective to all regions of the state.

Also serving on the five-member committee is Cletus Carter of Beaver County and Steve Butler of Wagoner.

“In Oklahoma, the State Committee has a tremendous responsibility to be accountable for the use of taxpayer dollars as our Agency allocated more than $422 million in federal program benefits to producers statewide in fiscal year 2010,” said Tolle. “These appointed individuals have proven they can be both fair and effective in their service to Oklahoma farmers and ranchers.”

Through the efficient and equitable administration of price support, conservation, disaster assistance and farm credit programs, FSA promotes agricultural practices to ensure a safe, affordable, abundant and nutritious food supply for all consumers.

For more information on FSA programs, visit your local county FSA office or visit online at www.fsa.usda.gov/ok.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau Helps Feed Hungry Oklahomans

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klahoma Farm Bureau members collected more than 900 pounds of food for Governor Mary Fallin’s “Feeding Oklahoma” Inaugural Food Drive in January.

Collection points were established in county Farm Bureau offices throughout the state.

“Oklahoma Farm Bureau was proud to participate in this honorable effort to feed hungry Oklahomans,” said OFB President Mike Spradling. “Farmers and ranchers produce an abundance of safe and affordable food. It is unacceptable for any man, woman or child to go to bed hungry in this nation.”

The 900 pounds was part of the 20,000 pounds of food collected during the more than two-week food drive culminating in the governor’s inauguration Jan. 10.

The “Feeding Oklahoma” food drive was another important opportunity, like OFB’s

recent “Farmers Fighting Hunger” campaign, for the farm organization to continue its ongoing effort to fight hunger in the state.

“We are inspired by the governor’s action and motivated to continue to help fight hunger in Oklahoma,” said Monica Wilke, OFB and affiliated companies executive director.

The food drive was conducted in partnership with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, which serves community soup kitchens, food banks and shelters in all 77 counties.

Notice of Special Meeting To all Oklahoma County Farm Bureau members: You are hereby notified that Oklahoma County Farm Bureau will convene in a special session May 24, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. to discuss and vote upon a proposed Bylaw amendment to adjust Oklahoma County Farm Bureau’s membership dues in response to the financial need of Oklahoma County Farm Bureau. The meeting will be held at the county office, 4900 N. Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73105.

The proposed Bylaw amendment to Article Three, Section 3, is as follows: The annual dues for membership shall be $35.00, payable in advance to an authorized representative of the county Farm Bureau, acting as a fiduciary agent for Oklahoma Farm Bureau for that amount of dues payable for state and national dues.

Curt Roberts, President, Oklahoma County Farm Bureau

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Oklahoma County Farm Bureau Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 25

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Sen. Brian Crain, nominated by Tulsa County Farm Bureau, was named one of three Oklahoma Farm Bureau Meritorious Service Award recipients during the leadership conference Feb. 21. From left, are Patty Herriman, Muriel Hayes, Wayne Herriman, Naomi Lynch, Melvin and Helen Keller, Robert and Barbra Kirk, Sen. Crain, Kathy Selman, Lotsee Spradling, Chuck Selman, Mike Spradling and Phyllis Holcomb.

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Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Mike Spradling recognized Clara Wichert on her eight years of service as chairperson of the OFB Women’s Committee during the organization’s leadership conference Feb. 21.

Donna VonTungeln, left, was recognized during the leadership conference for her years of service on the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Board of Directors, representing district three. Her board portrait, unveiled during the banquet Feb. 21, was presented to her as a gift. Also present was her son, David VonTungeln, right, and his wife, Maribeth.

Chad and Danielle Budy are named National Outstanding Young Farmers

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had and Danielle Budy of Alva were named one of four national winners at the 55th Annual National Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) Awards Congress held in Louisville, Ky., Feb. 17-20. The meeting was held in conjunction with the National Farm Machinery Show at the historic Seelbach Hilton Hotel.

The Outstanding Young Farmer Program is the oldest farmer recognition program in the United States, selecting its first group of national winners in 1955, and is administered by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce.

The goals of the OYF Program are to foster better urban-rural relations through the understanding of farmers’ challenges, as well as the appreciation of their contributions and achievements; to bring about a greater interest in farmers and ranchers; and to help build an awareness of the farmers’ importance and impact on America’s economy.

Chad began farming when he rented 250 acres from his uncle while still in high school.

Using his grandfather’s farm equipment, he planted wheat and grazed 100 head of stocker cattle. Chad is still renting the same 250 acres, but the operation has grown vastly. He now raises wheat, alfalfa, canola, stocker cattle and cow-calf pairs on more than 6,300 acres in the Alva area. Danielle also comes from a farming background and is an active partner in the operation.

Both Chad and Danielle are graduates of Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU), Chad with a degree in agriculture business, and Danielle a degree in math. She also teaches part time at NWOSU. Chad and Danielle are parents to four children, Colton, 12; Tabor, 10; Sagelyn, 8; and Davin, 5. The Budys feel that there is no better place to raise their family than on a farm.

The couple became involved in Farm Bureau through the Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Program. The Budys won the state’s top young farm family award, the YF&R Achievement Award, in 2003. They went on to serve a two-year Continued on page 28

To quote my grandmother Carrie Ida Freeny Stuart, “These beloved pioneers have left a great heritage for us. Many years of hardship and devotion to their country and family have produced hardy men and women of strong character. From this background came our great state of Oklahoma in which there is much pride among her people.”

My family has ranched in Oklahoma since 1868. As an owner and manager of the Stuart Ranch in Waurika Oklahoma, it is an incredible blessing raising my sons in an environment of integrity, challenges and hard work. It’s about doing and being your best every day.

Seeing God’s handiwork in the magnificent sunrises and sunsets, hearing the bobwhites and mockingbirds and living in the beauty of this land are perks we do not take for granted. We are empowered by our legacy and commitment to the future as the fifth and sixth generations to operate our family ranch. As Oklahoma ranchers, we take great pride in supplying food and managing resources for our country. Caring for the land and its waters ensures my children and my children’s children will continue the Stuart ranching family legacy.

One of our favorite cuts is the tri-tip roast. It is a tender, succulent beef roast that can be grilled or roasted. It’s perfect for our ranch barbeques and your family mealtime. Ask your favorite meat manager for it if it’s not available in the meat case.

Terry Stuart Forst, Stuart Ranch

CHILI-CRUSTED TRI-TIP ROAST

TOTAL RECIPE TIME: 1 TO 1-1/4 HOURS 1

beef tri-tip roast (1-1/2 to 2 pounds) Salt and pepper

RUB: 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon onion powder

DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat oven to 425°F. Combine rub ingredients in small bowl; press evenly onto all surfaces of beef roast.

2. Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Do not add water or cover. Roast in 425°F oven 30 to 40 minutes for medium rare; 40 to 45 minutes for medium doneness.

3. Remove roast when instant-read thermometer registers 135°F for medium rare; 150°F for medium. Transfer roast to carving board; tent loosely with aluminum foil.

Let stand 15 minutes. (Temperature will continue to rise about 10°F to reach 145°F for medium rare; 160°F for medium.)

4. Carve roast across the grain into thin slices. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

OKLAHOMA BEEF COUNCIL • 405-840-3777 • www.oklabeef.org Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 27

Continued from page 26

Three Legislators Honored by Farm Bureau

Photo by Erin Slivka

T term on the national YF&R Committee in 20072008. Danielle served as the national committee’s vice chair the second year of their term. And in 2009, the Budys served as chairmen of the state YF&R Committee. Now, the couple’s children are becoming involved in Farm Bureau activities, competing in the YF&R Speech Contest and the YF&R Livestock Judging Contest.

The Budys continue to be strong advocates for agriculture within their community. Chad

The 2011 National Outstanding Young Farmer Award winners are, from left, John and Stacy Melick, New Jersey; Ryan and Michelle Keller, Wisconsin; Danielle and Chad Budy, Oklahoma; and Dawn and Joe Geremia, Connecticut.

serves on the Woods County Extension Program Advisory Committee. He also currently serves as president of the Woods County Farm Bureau.

Danielle serves as vice chairman of the Woods County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee. Both have lobbied for agricultural issues at the state and national levels of government.

DOES YOUR BASEMENT or CELLAR LEAK? NO EXCAVATING

hree legislators received Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s Meritorious Service award Feb. 21 during the farm organization’s annual leadership conference in Oklahoma City.

The Meritorious Service award is presented to legislators who have a strong voting record for Farm Bureau issues and show support for rural and agricultural issues. The awards are based on a county Farm Bureau’s nomination and evaluation of the lawmaker’s adherence to the values and issues important to rural Oklahoma.

Receiving the award were Representatives Leslie Osborn, Tuttle, and Steve Kouplen, Beggs, and Senator Brian Crain, Tulsa.

Rep. Osborn was instrumental in helping Farm Bureau and other rural groups defeat State Question 744, which could have increased property taxes. She is Assistant Majority Floor Leader and Vice Chairman of the Appropriations and Budget Natural Resources and Regulatory Services Committee. She also serves on the Agriculture, Wildlife and Environment Committee and Economic Development, Tourism and Financial Services Committee. Osborn was nominated by Grady County Farm Bureau.

Former OFB President and current legislator

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1-800-215-0537

Rep. Leslie Osborn

Sen. Brian Crain

Rep. Steve Kouplen 28 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders caught up with their elected officials during a legislative reception Feb. 21.

From left, are Creek County’s Tom Holcomb, Rep. Jerry McPeak, and Adair County’s Dennis Kester and David Leatherwood.

Farmers Donate Food to Highlight Affordability and Nutrition

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oncern about the cost of a healthy diet being out of reach remains on the minds of many Americans, including Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, as the nation continues to work through serious economic woes. However, according to an Agriculture Department study, the cost of eating healthy hasn’t changed as much as some less-healthy alternatives.

Farm Bureau’s Food Check-Out Week, Feb. 20-26, focused on helping Americans learn how to stretch their grocery dollars with healthy, nutritious food. 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.

To raise awareness of Food Check-Out Week, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Committee donated $1,000 worth of groceries and Braum’s gift certificates to the Ronald

2 0 11 OF B L e a d e r s h i p C o n f e r e n c e

Not only did Governor Mary Fallin, right, sign a proclamation during the leadership conference declaring Feb. 21-25 Farm Bureau Week in Oklahoma, she also joined the organization by signing a Farm Bureau membership application provided by OFB President Mike Spradling.

Kouplen has a long history of strong support for agricultural and rural issues. Kouplen served 8 years as OFB President prior to his service as an elected official. Kouplen is Assistant Minority Floor Leader and Vice Chairman of the Higher Education and Career Technology Committee.

He also serves on the Agriculture, Wildlife and Environment Committee, Energy and Utility Regulations Committee and Transportation Committee. Kouplen was nominated by Okmulgee County Farm Bureau.

Sen. Crain authored the Death Warranty Deed bill, strongly supported by Farm Bureau.

He is Chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee and serves on the Appropriations Committee and Judiciary Committee. He is also a member of the subcommittee on Natural Resources. Tulsa County Farm Bureau nominated Crain.

“All three of these lawmakers have worked tirelessly on behalf of Oklahoma agriculture and deserve our full support,” said Mike Spradling, OFB President.

Washita County Farm Bureau leaders posed for a photo with their elected official, Sen. Tom Ivester. From left, are Jackie and Trecia Harper, Sen. Ivester, Charlene Thornbrough, Gerald Nabors, Lowayne Piercey, Kenneth Thornbrough and Raedell Nabors.

OklahomaCountry Country••Winter Spring 2011 2011 •• 29 29 Oklahoma

State FBW Committee leaders, from left, Desi Milacek, Kitty Beavers, Margaret Ann Kinder and Roberta Hughes loaded their carts full of groceries at Crest Foods, then delivered the groceries to the Oklahoma City Ronald McDonald House Feb. 25 in celebration of Farm Bureau’s Food Check-Out Week.

Farm Bureau Safety Services adds texting and driving video to program

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The state Women’s Committee donated food items and Braum’s gift certificates Feb. 23 to the Tulsa Ronald McDonald House in celebration of Food Check-Out Week. From left, are Committee Members Lena Henson and Beverly Delmedico, the House’s Executive Director Glenda Love, OFB Director Phyllis Holcomb and FBW Coordinator Marcia Irvin.

klahoma Farm Bureau Safety Services has added a new video to their defensive driving program describing the dangers of sending text messages while driving.

The video tells the story of Dallas Hutchinson, who was killed in an automobile collision on July 18, 2010, while texting and driving. Cheryl Nichols, Hutchinson’s mother, is featured in the video as she details the collision that took her son’s life.

“Dallas was 23 years old,” Nichols said of her son. “He didn’t like cell phones at first, but once he learned how to text – it was like an addiction.”

OFB Safety Services shares Nichols’ story to curb drivers’ use of text messaging while operating motor vehicles.

“This video gives us the opportunity to teach drivers around the state of Oklahoma about the

OFB Director Phyllis Holcomb, left, visited with shopper Lori Borchers of Jenks at Reasor’s grocery store in Tulsa during Food Check-Out Week activities Feb. 23. Farm Bureau’s annual Food Check-Out Week is aimed at helping American consumers learn how to shop strategically to put nutritious meals on the table with fewer dollars.

McDonald Houses in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

“We want to recognize the need everyone has to find solutions to feeding families healthful foods on a tight budget,” said Kitty Beavers, women’s committee chairperson. “This is especially important when you’re faced with the crisis of an ill child.”

The Ronald McDonald House provides a “home-away-from-home” for families of seriously ill children receiving medical treatment. The donated food will be used to help feed families staying at the house.

A recent USDA report favorably supports the economics of healthier eating. A review of food price data show prices for unprepared, readily 30 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

available fresh fruits and vegetables have remained stable relative to dessert and snack foods, such as chips, ice cream and cola.

Therefore, as defined by foods in the study, the price of a “healthier” diet has not changed compared to an “unhealthy” diet.

“Eating healthy food while on a budget does require strategic shopping,” Beavers said.

Farm Bureau’s annual Food Check-Out Week is aimed at helping American consumers learn how to shop strategically to put nutritious meals on the table with fewer dollars.

“Learning to use your grocery dollars wisely helps ensure that nutrition isn’t neglected,” Beavers said.

real consequences of texting and driving,” said Justin Grego, director of OFB Safety Services.

“People who drive on our state’s roads have a real concern about their fellow drivers texting.”

In the video, Nichols tells the events that happened the night her son was killed. She warns drivers that losing a loved one because they were texting and driving is a painful experience.

“We just need to put our phones away,” Nichols said. “It can wait. It really can.”

OFB Safety Services provides defensive driving programs to drivers across the state.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau members who have their automobile insurance through the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company can receive a discount on their auto insurance upon completion of the course. The course can be provided to groups other than Farm Bureau members, upon request. 9649917 For more information, contact Safety Services Director Justin Grego at (405)523-2300.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin gave the keynote address during the OFB Leadership Conference Feb. 21

Cheryl Nichols of Drumright holds a photo of her son Dallas Hutchinson in front of the car in which he was killed while texting and driving. Nichols tells her story while warning about the dangers of texting and driving in the new video from OFB Safety Services.

Okmulgee County Farm Bureau nominated former OFB President Rep. Steve Kouplen for the 2011 OFB Meritorious Service Award. From left, are Helen and Larry Harvey, Rep. Kouplen, John Duncan, and Lena and Buz Henson.

2 0 11 OF B L e a d e r s h i p C o n f e r e n c e

Oklahoma Agriculture Secretary Jim Reese addressed Farm Bureau leaders during the OFB Leadership Conference Feb. 22.

OklahomaCountry Country••Winter Spring 2011 2011 •• 31 31 Oklahoma

Oklahoma Farm Bureau & Affiliated Companies recognized by Toastmasters International

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istrict and regional representatives from Toastmasters International recognized Oklahoma Farm Bureau & Affiliated Companies’ support and contributions to its organization during a special presentation at the home office in Oklahoma City Feb. 11.

Established in 1924, Toastmasters International (TI) is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills. Through its thousands of member clubs, Toastmasters International offers a program of communication and leadership projects designed to help men and women learn the arts

of speaking, listening, and thinking.

Around the world more than three million men and women of all ages and occupations have benefited from Toastmasters training, and more than one thousand corporations, community groups, universities, associations, and government agencies now use Toastmasters training. For more information about the organization, visit www.toastmasters.org.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau & Affiliated Companies was recognized recently for its support of the Toastmasters organization.

From left, are Lark Doley, Region Advisor of Marketing for Region 3 Toastmasters International; Mike Spradling, OFB president; and Edward Engelke, Lieutenant Governor of Marketing for District 16 Toastmasters International

Agricultural Production, Agriculture Policy and Environment & Natural Resources. Speeches for the Junior Division were three to five minutes in length; five to eight minutes for the Intermediate and Senior divisions.

Participants of both contests were judged on speech presentation, content, response to questions and general poise and appearance.

Farm Bureau presented plaques to the winners of each category in each age group.

Farm Bureau announces YF&R Speech Contest winners

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ifty-seven Oklahoma youth recently competed for $8,200 in savings bonds and scholarships during the 16th Annual Young Farmers and Ranchers Speech Contest, sponsored by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau. The contest was held March 14 at the OSU-OKC campus in Oklahoma City.

32 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

The YF&R Speech Contest was broken up into three age divisions: Junior, nine-12 years old; Intermediate, 13-15 years old; and Senior, 16-18 years old. The Junior Division presented speeches on the topic, “I Believe in Oklahoma Ag.” The Intermediate and Senior divisions gave speeches in three division categories, including

Junior Division: The first, second and third place winners in the Junior Division received $400, $200 and $100 savings bonds, respectively.

Winners in the “I Believe in Oklahoma Ag” category were: First place, Colton Budy of Alva; second place, Madelyn Gerken of Kingfisher; and third place, Bayli Hyde of Burlington.

Intermediate Division: First, second and third place winners of the Intermediate Division received $500, $200 and $100 savings bonds, respectively.

Winners in the Agriculture Production category were: First place, Lydia Blaine of Amber; second place, Nicole Ashton of Lawton; and third place, Maegan Yost of Kingfisher.

Winners in the Agriculture Policy category

2 0 11 OF B L e a d e r s h i p C o n f e r e n c e

Dr. Mike Dicks, agriculture economics professor for Oklahoma State Univeristy, visited with Jimmy Wayne Kinder, Cotton County Farm Bureau president, following the Farm Bill Panel during the leadership conference Feb. 21. Dr. Dicks was a member of the panel along with Francie Tolle, state FSA Director, and Garrett King, Oklahoma Agriculture Liaison for Congressman Frank Lucas.

State YF&R Committee member Letisha Miller of Lindsay, right, helps Burlington FFA Chapter President Amber Allen register for the 16th annual YF&R Speech Contest in Oklahoma City March 14.

Allen went on to win a $1,000 scholarship for a first place finish in the Agriculture Production category of the Senior Division.

were: First place, Seth Paxton of Tuttle; second place, Kyler Belinson of Fletcher; and third place, Zoe Cummins of Elgin.

Winners in the Environment & Natural Resources category were: First place, Tyler Scnaithman of Garber; second place, Denton Lowe of Amber; and third place, Cale John of Cyril.

Senior Division: First, second and third place winners of the Senior Division received $1,000, $500 and $200 scholarships, respectively.

Winners in the Agriculture Production category were: First place, Charlotte Towler of Meeker; second place, Annie Jo Gilbert of Tecumseh; and third place, Cade Broadbent of Cashion.

Winners in the Agriculture Policy category were: First place, Amber Allen of Byron; second place, Katie Lippoldt of Kingfisher; and third place, Maddi Shires of Calera.

Winners in the Environment & Natural Resources category were: First place, Gabe Cranford; second place, Jessie Heidlage of Claremore; and third place, Paul Brown of Waurika.

Grady County Farm Bureau leaders were present to congratulate 2011 OFB Meritorious Service Award recipient Rep. Leslie Osborn during the leadership conference Feb. 21. From left, are Jay Fulton, Cliff Pettijohn, Rep. Osborn and Rosemary and Leon Osborn.

Following adjournment of the OFB Leadership Conference Feb. 22, Farm Bureau leaders headed to the State Capitol to meet with their legislators about OFB priority issues. Pontotoc County Farm Bureau leaders Charles and Roberta Morrow visited with Rep. Todd Thomsen in his capitol office.

OFB President Mike Spradling recognized Osage County’s Will Cubbage during the conference for leading the state Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee as chairman in 2010.

OklahomaCountry Country••Winter Spring 2011 2011 •• 33 33 Oklahoma

Pond Management Workshop slated for May 26

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housands of ponds dot the Oklahoma landscape, and a pond is a valuable asset on any farm or farmette. Many ponds were originally constructed to water livestock, but a well-managed pond can provide many other economic and recreational benefits. These include home fish production, commercial aquaculture, hunting and fishing leases, irrigation, wildlife habitat, swimming, and even sports fishing.

All of these uses can be “enhanced and sustained” with a bit of management, says Kenneth Williams, the man who literally “wrote the book” on pond management in Oklahoma.

Williams will talk about getting the most from your pond on Thursday, May 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kerr Stewardship Ranch in Poteau.

At the workshop, Williams will talk about getting the most from ponds, covering vegetation control, leaks in ponds, water quality, clearing muddy ponds, and fish population management.

He will also allow time to discuss individual pond owners' concerns, and can identify samples of aquatic vegetation.

Williams has worked in the fields of pond management and aquaculture for 26 years. He retired from Langston University a year ago. He built the Langston University aquaculture and fisheries web pages and wrote many of the 34 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

The Kerr Center has scheduled a Pond Management Workshop on May 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

articles on those pages. He has also worked as a science illustrator.

Participants will receive a CD containing Williams’ book, which is a compilation of his many articles.

Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. Registration costs $15 per person and includes the CD. To register via Paypal, visit the calendar of events at www.kerrcenter.com.

Registration must be paid by deadline of May 16.

For more information, contact the Kerr Center by email at mailbox@kerrcenter.com (put “pond” in the subject line), or phone at 918-647-9123.

87 Percent of Young Farmers, Ranchers Express More Optimism

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he latest survey of participants in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers & Ranchers program shows that America’s young farmers and ranchers are an optimistic lot. Results of the 19th annual YF&R survey reveal that 87 percent

of those surveyed are more optimistic about farming and ranching than they were five years ago.

This is the highest optimism level ever in AFBF’s annual YF&R survey, which was initiated in 1993. Last year, 80 percent of those surveyed said they were more optimistic about farming than they were five years ago. The previous high was in 2008, when 82 percent said they were more optimistic.

“Farming and ranching is a tough but rewarding way of life. One trait all farmers and ranchers share is optimism and hope for the future, and that’s what this survey shows,” said Ben LaCross, YF&R chairman and a Cedar, Mich., cherry, plum and apple producer.

“Whether you produce tree fruit or beef cattle, you have to be an optimist to succeed in farming and ranching these days.”

The 2011 survey also shows nearly 90 percent of the nation’s young farmers and ranchers say they are better off than they were five years ago.

Last year, 82 percent reported being better off than they were five years ago.

Nearly 94 percent considered themselves lifetime farmers, while 96 percent would like to see their children follow in their footsteps.

The informal survey reveals that 87 percent believe their children will be able to follow in their footsteps.

Despite the high level of optimism, the young farm and ranch leaders express concerns. The number one concern is economic challenges, with 22 percent ranking profitability as their top concern. Government regulations were also a top concern of many of those surveyed, with 17 percent ranking that as their top concern.

Nearly 10 percent ranked tax burdens as their No. 1 concern.

When asked what top three steps the federal government should take to help young farmers and ranchers, cutting government spending was the top response, with 17 percent listing that as the most important step. Thirteen percent of those surveyed said the government should provide financial help to beginning farmers, while 12 percent said reforming environmental regulations was the top step.

“Almost all young farmers and ranchers want to stay on the farm for the rest of their lives, and just about all of us would like our children and grandchildren to follow in our footsteps,” LaCross explained. “However, we are still concerned that massive government debt and

burdensome government regulations will make it tougher for future generations to stay on the farm. The top priority for government policymakers is to cut spending, reduce the debt and lessen the grip of ever-burdensome regulations. This will be good for agriculture and good for America.”

The survey shows that America’s young farmers and ranchers are committed environmental stewards, with 72 percent saying that balancing environmental and economic concerns is important in their operations. The survey shows 58 percent use conservation tillage on their farms.

In addition, computers and the Internet are vital tools for the nation’s young farmers and ranchers, with 92 percent surveyed reporting using a computer in their farming operation.

Nearly all of those surveyed, 98 percent, have access to the Internet. High-speed Internet is used by 74 percent of those surveyed, with 24 percent relying on a satellite connection and 2 percent turning to dialup.

The popular social media site, Facebook, is used by 76 percent of those surveyed who use the Internet. The most popular use of the Internet in the survey is to gather news and agricultural information, with 81 percent turning to it for that use.

Finally, the survey points out that 74 percent of YF&R members consider communicating with consumers a formal part of their jobs.

“More and more young farmers and ranchers know that we must reach out to our customers, and we are using social media and other 21st century tools to tell our story and teach consumers,” LaCross said. “This is a trend that has staying power.”

AFBF President Bob Stallman said the annual YF&R survey points out that the future of U.S. agriculture is in good hands.

“I know our young farmers and ranchers have the know-how and tenacity to ensure that the best days are ahead for our country and agriculture.” Stallman said. “They give us all hope for the future.”

The informal survey of young farmers and ranchers, ages 18-35, was conducted at AFBF’s 2011 YF&R Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla., in February. The purpose of Farm Bureau’s YF&R program is to help younger Farm Bureau members learn more about agriculture, network with other farmers and become future leaders in agriculture and Farm Bureau.

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www.vanceautogroup.com Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 35

Dairy MAX, NFL join forces with Fuel Up to Play 60

Bacteria on Farms May Protect Against Asthma Study Shows Children Exposed to Microbes on Farms Have Lower Asthma Risk Than Other Kids — By Salynn Boyles WebMD Health News ew research lends support to the idea that exposure to a wide range of microbes explains why farm kids have lower asthma rates than city kids.

School-aged children in the studies who lived on farms were about 30% to 50% less likely to have asthma than non-farm children who lived nearby.

Farm-dwelling children were also exposed to more bacteria and fungi than the other children.

The studies, which appear in the Feb. 24 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest a role for the so-called hygiene hypothesis in the development of childhood asthma.

According to the hypothesis, exposure to bacteria and fungi from environmental sources like dirt and animal hair early in life protects against asthma and allergies by helping the immune system develop normally.

It is theorized that increasingly clean environments may at least partially explain why asthma rates have doubled in developed nations in just the last three decades.

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P

utnam 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.

Fuel Up to Play 60 was launched by the National Football League and National Dairy Council (NDC), in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program encourages kids to consume nutrient-rich foods (low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

Former Oklahoma Sooner and current

36 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

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.

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.

Comparing Asthma Rates To test the theory, German researchers compared asthma rates among Bavarian children living on farms with those of children living in the same rural districts who had little direct contact with farms.

In one study, the researchers conducted DNA

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analysis on dust samples taken from mattresses of the two groups of children. In another, the researchers analyzed settled dust samples taken from elsewhere in the children’s bedrooms.

The analysis confirmed that kids living on farms had lower asthma rates and were exposed to a wider range of bacteria and fungi than children who did not live on farms.

There was also evidence that specific types of microbial exposures found mainly on farms played a role in the protection, study researcher Markus J. Ege, MD, of the University Children’s Hospital Munich tells WebMD. “The farm environment is somewhat special, so there may be something about the dirt on farms that is protective,” Ege says.

While the German studies offered early clues as to what these exposures are, the next generation of research should provide much more information about the specific bacteria and/or fungi that protect against asthma, says University of Wisconsin pediatric allergy and asthma specialist James E. Gern, MD. Vaccine Potential Recent advances in the field, including the development of high-speed DNA sequencing devices and chip-based probes, will allow researchers to sequence much larger amounts of genetic material faster.

“With these technologies, we will be able to find 100 times more bacteria than were found in these studies,” he says.

The hope is that these studies will identify the specific microbes that protect against asthma, and that this will lead to vaccines or other treatments to prevent children from developing it.

“In the past we have thought that asthma results from contact with something bad in the environment, like tobacco smoke or air pollution,” Gern says. “While that may be true, it appears that there are also environmental factors that protect against asthma. That is very exciting.”

Delta Dental of Oklahoma is proud to be selected as the dental provider of choice for members of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.

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Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 37

Power of Meat Study: Purchasing Behavior Reaching New Balance

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he world of grocery shopping appears to be reaching a new balance, with net spending rising for the first time in three years, according to the sixth annual The Power of Meat study. While some shoppers still spent less on groceries than they did a year ago, the share of shoppers who have made changes to their meat and poultry purchases as a result of the economy declined for the second year in a row, down from 51 percent in 2009 to 36 percent today. Overall, the share of shoppers who cut their total food spending (restaurant and grocery spending combined) compared to 12

months prior is down by 17 percent.

The report, conducted by 210 Analytics, was commissioned jointly by the American Meat Institute (AMI) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) with generous sponsorship by Sealed Air’s Cryovac Food Packaging Division.

The report details the findings of a national online poll of 1,201 consumers conducted in November 2010, and was released at the 2011 Annual Meat Conference in Dallas, Texas.

Other findings of the study include: • Supermarkets maintained their market share as respondents’ primary store for meat

USDA Introduces Online Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America

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griculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the debut of an online mapping tool that captures a broad range of demographic, economic and agricultural data on rural areas across the United States. The Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America, developed

by USDA’s Economic Research Service, provides county-level mapping of more than 60 statistical indicators depicting conditions and trends across different types of non-metro regions.

Nearly 50 million people – 17 percent of the U.S. population – live in non-metropolitan (non-metro) America, covering approximately 2,000 counties.

Economic and social challenges facing rural areas and small towns differ greatly from 38 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

those affecting larger U.S. cities, and vary substantially from one non-metro county to the next.

Users can click on a county and view a pop-up box showing data on all the indicators in four categories.

In addition, users can view an indicator (e.g., employment data) for the entire country, or can zoom into specific regions, states or sub-state areas, and pan across the U.S. at different scales on the map.

Maps can be downloaded for use in documents and presentations, and data are accessible via downloadable spreadsheets.

The Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America is available online at http://www.ers. usda.gov/data/ruralatlas.

and poultry purchases at 68 percent. The majority of purchases continue to come from the meat case as opposed to the service counter.

The quality perception of case-ready meat reached its highest point in the six-year history of this survey.

• Occasional deal seekers have now become dedicated bargain hunters, with fully threequarters of shoppers reporting that they research meat deals either before going to the store by means of a circular or specials posted online or in the store.

• Some three years after mandatory countryof-origin labeling went into effect, one-third of shoppers report noticing the labels — predominantly directly on the package. The percentage of shoppers willing to pay more for U.S. raised and processed meat and poultry is the same as before at about one-third of shoppers.

• Shoppers prepare an average of four homecooked meals containing a meat or poultry item per week. But while home-cooked meals made a strong comeback, shoppers don’t necessarily know how to cook meat and poultry. Less than half consider themselves very knowledgeable in areas such as cooking meat, poultry and seafood, and significant numbers admit room for improvement on things like picking sides that match the meat’s flavor profile, pairing the right wine with the meal, marinating and spicing meat and poultry, and even the USDA beef grading system.

• Chicken and beef continue to dominate the dinner plate, but this year the survey noted a rise in heat-and-eat meats while the consumption of fresh meat remained flat.

• When it comes to healthy eating, respondents said they were most likely to cut back on portion sizes or second helpings, followed by choosing foods that are lower in sodium than their regular counterparts. A majority said they are not willing to give up eating meat regularly compared to those who have implemented “meatless Mondays” (26 percent versus 18 percent).

• Overall, shopper frugality is resulting in a lesser focus on eating healthfully. Fewer shoppers are checking the nutrition facts panel when purchasing fresh and processed meat and the number of shoppers who say they succeed in eating a healthy diet regularly is down compared to previous years. Shoppers continue to check this information most frequently for processed meat, with 29 percent doing so every time and 37 percent sometimes.

• While shoppers’ attention remains on light, low and no, there seems to be somewhat of a shift in focus to items that shoppers want to include in their diets such as protein, fiber and various vitamins. While attributes they are trying to limit or avoid did not score as highly, each of these attributes grew in importance compared with 2010 ratings.

• One in five shoppers, the same fraction as last year, has purchased natural and/or organic meat or poultry in the past three months. With strong belief in the positive long-term health effects of organic meat and poultry, shoppers are unwilling to give up this choice even if they only purchase organic for certain kinds or cuts of meat.

• Shoppers name a growing variety of reasons for purchasing organic meat and poultry. The most significant reason is perceived long-term health benefits from the consumption of organic meat and poultry (44 percent) as well as a belief (37 percent) that the primary benefit is better health and treatment of the animal.

One-third of shoppers also cited perceived better nutritional value, better taste and freshness as a key factor in organic meat and poultry purchases.

New ‘Pete’s Sheet’ for oil seed crops available

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klahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is making available a new Pete’s Sheet for oil seed crops.

Named in honor of OSU mascot Pistol Pete, the Pete’s Sheet is a 4.0 x 3.5 card that is die-cut and folds into a 2.0 x 3.5 business-card size document. Each information card contains nutrient recommendations based on in-depth OSU fact sheets and other applicable sciencebased research.

Brian Arnall, OSU Cooperative Extension precision nutrient management specialist, said the cards are designed to help producers in making fertilizer decisions.

“Each card has the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur requirement for its appropriate crop,” he said. “The optimum pH range for each crop also can be found on the card.”

“The Nutrient Needs of Oil Seeds: Canola and Sunflower” sheets are set up just like the previous cards for wheat and corn.

Previous Pete’s Sheets include: • Do’s and Don’ts of N-Rich Strips; • Nutrient Needs: Wheat, Barley and Oats; • Using the IPAQ with a Greenseeker Sensor; • Nutrient Needs: Corn, Grain-Forage Sorghums; • Nutrient Needs: Bermudagrass, Old World Bluestem, Weeping Lovegrass and Cool- Season Forages; and • The Dollar Sensor, Version 1.

“We’ve been fortunate thus far to be able to send out the cards free-of-charge,” Arnall said.

“A maximum of 100 of each of the cards per request will be sent.”

Anyone interested in receiving copies of a specific Pete’s Sheet should contact Arnall by email at b.arnall@okstate.edu or by phone at 405-744-1722.

“We’re always on the lookout for new Pete’s Sheet topics that producers would like to see covered, so please let us know,” he said.

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Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 39

Tulsa County native Mike Spradling named DASNR Champion

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40 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

T

ulsa County farmer-rancher Mike Spradling has been named a 2011 DASNR Champion by Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“My degrees may not have been from OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, but CASNR is where my heart has been since early in life,” said Spradling, a Cowboy alumnus who earned his bachelor’s degree in business from OSU in 1970.

The DASNR Champion Award recognizes and honors those who are not CASNR graduates but who have brought distinction to the division while demonstrating a continuing interest in and commitment for agricultural sciences and natural resources.

The division is comprised of the college and two state agencies: the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station system and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

A 1966 graduate of Broken Arrow High School, Spradling and his wife Lotsee own and operate the Flying G Ranch near Lotsee, Oklahoma’s smallest town that is actually named for his wife. Cattle and pecans are their primary agricultural enterprises. They also have a retail pecan operation.

“Mike is very much aware of the concerns and issues faced by Oklahoma producers and related agribusiness operators, which has played a significant role in the guidance he has provided over the years as a member of our

From left to right: Robert E. Whitson, Mike Spradling and Lotsee Spradling

dean’s advisory council, helping us ensure that division programs remain relevant and focused on high-priority needs,” said Robert E. Whitson, DASNR vice president, dean and director.

Spradling was elected as the eighth president of Oklahoma Farm Bureau, the state's largest general farm organization, on Nov. 10, 2007, at the organization's 66th annual meeting in Oklahoma City.

He has served on the Oklahoma Farm Bureau state board of directors since 1999, when he was elected to fill an unexpired term.

Spradling was re-elected and has served continuously since then, representing Farm Bureau members from Creek, Lincoln, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Payne, Pawnee, Tulsa and Washington counties as the district nine director.

In addition, Spradling currently serves as a board member of the 4-H Foundation and the American Farm Bureau Federation, a trustee for Indian Electric Co-op, a representative on the Oklahoma Association of Electric Co-ops and as secretary of the Tulsa County Public Facilities Authority.

He also was in the first class of the division’s Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program in the early 1980s. Participants must be engaged in production agriculture or a related agriculture business and show a strong commitment to aspire to a leadership role to benefit Oklahoma agriculture. It consists of a series of seminars and study tours over a two-year period.

“Mike Spradling’s commitment to the wellbeing of agriculture, agribusiness operators, farm families and rural Oklahoma makes him most deserving of being named a charter recipient of the DASNR Champion Award,” Whitson said.

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Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 41

Country

Classifieds AUTOMOTIVE

1950 GMC pick-up truck, short-bed series 100, restoration project, $2,500. Also, old Case hay bailer, sm. Square bales, wire tie, $350. Other old 1950s farm equipment. 918-4633178, lv message.

Two classics, 1965 Chevy Pickup, runs good, $5,000. 1969 Chevy Convertible Impala, great car, $9,500. 405-598-8442.

1992 F250 4X4, automatic trans, 7.3 diesel, XLT with J&I flatbed and Bar 6, 2500# feeder. 405-238-6958.

53 Chevy, 5-window pickup, need restored, tagged and title, $1500 OBO, Leroy, 806-290-1684, Beaver.

1998 Isuzu Rodeo, V6, auto, air, 2wd, 76,000 mi, silver & black exterior, grey & black interior, excellent condition, $4,500 obo. 580-514-0924.

Parting 2001 Chevy Durmax Diesel allisin Trans 4wd, 2000 Chevy 1/2 ton, 4.3 liter, V6 auto SWB. 405-329-1949.

For sale: Classic 1962 Studebaker GT Hawk, rebuilt, slick, $10,000. 918-333-3974.

1994 GMC Sierra Ext Cab, V8, aftermarket wheels, $3,000.

580-574-1168.

Black 2008 Dodge 1500 Quad Cab SLT pickup, 4D, 6 1/4 ft, 55K miles, V8, HEMI, 5.7 Liter, 2WD, Auto 5 speed, Bighorn, AC, Power sliding rear window, PW, PL, PS, tilt wheel, AM/ FM stereo, CD, bedliner, running boards, oversized premium wheels 20”+, $20,000 OBO. 405-380-2227.

1986 3/4 ton Chevy pickup, PS, PB, 454 V8, cd, trailer brakes, receiver hitch, good tires, 8 ft flatbed off a Lowe’s delivery truck, runs great, $1,900. Call 405-820-9785.

For sale: 2004 Jeep Liberty 4x4, 86K, PW, PL, CD, EC, nonsmoker, $9,600, 21’ Windmill tower, $600, Chain link fencing & gates, $400, cash only please. 580-716-4163.

1970 Falcon 2 door Sedan, 6 cyl, std, runs good, body and motor, $3,800, 1956 Ford Victoria, 2 door HT, not running, good builder, $4,800, 1956 MGA Roadster, needs restored, $3,800. 405-672-0048.

1984 Honda Goldwing GL1200, runs great - $2,300; 1971 Ford F100 pickup 360 automatic, runs great - $2,000. Roff, OK. 580-456-7616.

Handicapped 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan SE, factory equipped with remote control 10’ folding ramp. Low miles – 24,000. Great shape. 580-623-5357.

FARM EQUIPMENT John Deere, 46 HP-PS, Live PTO, 3 PT, Hyds, Good Rubber, Gas, new brakes, lots new parts, comes with 7 ft multi angle bld-brush hog, $3800. James 405-990-7960.

Good condition JD 4400 combine, kept in shed, $3,300, also two 1100 MF Fenders. Call 580-443-5774 or 580-916-2530.

For sale, 20 ton tilt, implement trailer, pintle hitch, $3500.

918-448-1033.

1951 Allis Chalmer WD, wide front end, Ron’s great gas or propane, in storage past 30 yrs, ready for show or farm work. 405-613-7579.

6 ft used brush hog, $150 or best offer, needs gear box, IM 600, three point blade pan & blades, very good condition, castor fork needs bushing. 918-671-5403.

Antique manure spreader, freedom 5 oxygen concentrator, far traveling, excellent condition. 580-849-2161.

1959 Model R John Deere Manure spreader, new lumber, new chains, many other new parts, have owner’s dvd shop manual, works great, $1400. 918-366-2403.

1959 John Deere 730 D, widefront axle, good tires, live P.T.D., rebuilt fuel system, serial no 7319766, rebuilt seat. 918387-2333. ’80 IHC Industrial 2504 tractor, loader & cab, 40 hp gas, P/S, 3 point, pto, good rubber, runs good, can deliver, $6000, Edmond. 405-348-4469.

Dozer HD-10, Hyd 12ft blade, pto, 471 Detroit Diesel, runs, turns, good tracks (22,000 lbs.), needs drive clutch, $4,500.

903-243-6402.

42 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

8 ft Woods mower, heavy duty pull type, 12 ft Garfield blade, 275 Unverferth McCurdy Grain wagon, 32 ft Crustbuster Spring tooth, Cushman 3 wheel type G industrial truck. 405-262-4805.

Ferguson tractor (TO), 3 pt, PTO, 5’ brush hog, runs good, $2250 OBO. 405-210-3500.

JD 3955 switch plow, excellent condition, $3,500 or trade for good cultipacker with crows feet. 405-850-1005.

Small 3 Point equipment – sweep, two row cultivator, spring tooth, rotary hoe, field cultivator, hay rake. Grain bin 21 ft. diameter, 11 ft. tall, has stiffeners inside. $800.00.

405-542-6093.

510 Massey Combine with 18' flex header - $3,500. 430 JD round baler - $8,000. 4650 JD 85 model with duals, 8,700 hours - $26,000. All are in good condition and always shedded. 918-680-0876 or 918-681-0002.

LIVESTOCK Young bred cows, most black, $935. Home 580-549-6222.

Cell 580-678-5759.

Black Angus Bulls, 8 to service age, 8 different blood lines, Angus business 52 years, some locations. 580-456-7241.

Serviceable age Angus, Black Maine bulls, JD 21-ft drapper header, kept in barn, Bermuda grass digger, used sweeps, disk blades. 405-381-4307.

Reg. Polled Hereford bulls, 10-12 months old, PW Victor Boomer P606 & Remitall Online 122L genetics, also a few Reg. Polled Hereford cows. 580-332-2468.

Reg. Salers Bulls, B/K & P/D, wheat pasture raised, gentle with good E.P.D.S., 2 yrs old to yearlings, bw & ww & yw available, Rowell cattle, Ninnekah. 405-224-3139.

Triple W Boer Goats, show prospects will be born late April, north of OKC, must see, long lines of great genetics. 405641-9740.

Beefmaster bulls, females, developed on forage, bred for the essentials, foundation genetics, practical cattle w/ performance, Simon Creek Beefmaster. 580-668-2523.

Reg. Limousin Bulls, Heifers, Polled Black, Red, Some Homo, gentle, growthy, serv age, hay hook. 405-527-7648 or 405-306-1315.

Reg Morgan Horse: Justin Morgan had a horse & you could too. Choose your Morgan Horse & get ready for spring riding in shows, trails, backyard fun or just a friend.

Call 405-473-0448.

1 mini almost black jack, 6 mos, $200, 1 mini jinney, 7 mos, $300, very gentle. 405-452-3844.

Double tough Harlan, line bred buck, skin Harlan stud, $400 1fg, line bred Harlan colts arrive in April. kbarger@cowboy. net, 918-762-3769.

Two ADCA Reg Dexter Polled Black Bulls, born 6/2010, long legged and healthy, $800 each or best offer. 918-606-1465.

APHA-AQHA mares, fillies, stud, and gelding, what a song, mighty face, Judys lineage blood lines, performance bred race, rope, barrels, western pleasure show ranch. 918-273-3659.

Miniature horses for sale, AMHR, $300 each, stud, yearling, paint gelding. 580-977-4883.

Registered paints: black/white stud, many mares, 3 yearlings, excellent bloodlines, great dispositions, selling out, fair prices, buy now before they’re gone. 405-262-8499.

Bred cows and some pairs will sell all or part, small square bales of grass hay, can deliver. 405-258-6559.

Brangus Bulls & Heifers, gentle, growthy, calving ease, delivery available, Horsehead Ranch. 918-695-2357.

Polled Charolais Bulls, 10 to 16 months, $1,400 choice, gray AQHA Doc Bar, Hancock, Scooter S Leo mare, $600, Hesston round baler, $1,800. 580-763-7345.

For sale – Gray Brahman Bulls, commercial or registered, Howe, OK. Call Chad 918-647-7932.

MISCELLANEOUS

ATTN: OFB Travelers callme4europe.info Von Bears Travel Ph. 918-583-4141 or 888-416-4141 Ask for Linda (OFB member) Earn $60,000/yr Part-Time in the livestock or equipment appraisal business. Agricultural background required.

Classroom or home study courses available. 800-4887570. www.amagappraisers.com Used Portable Sawmills! Buy/Sell. Call Sawmill Exchange 800-459-2148, http://www.sawmillexchange.

For Sale: 3 Aston Drake Porcelain Dolls, some antiques.

918-762-3120.

3/4 HP Submersible water well pump, 200 ft of 1” roll plastic pipe, 20 gal pressure tank and switch & gauge, centurion sentinel 85 Filter system, all used less than one year, $1610. 918-408-0580.

Scentsy wickless candles, call me for fundraisers, shows, or products. Join my team, free training, lots of benefits, http:// www.mabray.scentsy.us. 918-470-1766.

Full Extension Drawers of OKLA, Custom built, finished and installed on site, 100 lb guides, 7 drawer minimum, 25 years experience, Max McCollom. 405-919-0055.

The War Bride, an exciting, authentic novel about WWII, While Robert flies dangerous missions in the South Pacific, Milly copes with life on an isolated Oklahoma ranch, $18 postpaid, merhynes@cableone.net.

Arlyn’s welding, H Braces Pens & Tree Cutting, pasture & residential, south of Alva. 580-732-0732.

PARROTS – Quakers, African, Greys, Cock-a-toos, Red bellys, eclectus, also accept unwanted parrots, janesbirds@ yahoo.com. 918-453-0107.

For sale, used center pivot, 6 towers, 900 feet. 580-295-2110.

For sale, 800 gal zero milk tank with compressor, good condition. 580-855-2458.

Three 12,000 gal fuel tanks, make offer. 940-632-9560 or 580-342-6742 after 5:00 pm.

Stanley home products, fuller brush-degreasers, germicides, kitchen cleaners, brushes, brooms, mops, air fresheners, bathroom cleaners, personal products. 580-497-2249.

Locating family members or friends, Mary Carter Investigations, reasonable fee, Lic 10UP160246. 580-471-8585.

Ramsey termite and pest control. 405-598-2083 or 405570-1562.

900 gallon metal water tank, used for storage or nurse tank, good condition. 405-238-6958.

2004 MF 491, 89 Hp, 1050 hr with 1070 loader, 7” bucket & hay spear, $2,200, 7’ land pride box blade, $1,000, 8” Rhino TW96 brush hog, $2,500, Rock King post hole digger, $2,950. 918-652-2693.

Hog removal guaranteed 98%, live or dead by traps, look at first before taking job, other details later. 405-966-2354.

Lincoln welder/generator 250 series, like new, 170 hrs, submersible water well pump, 3/4hp, 12/2 wire with ground, tankless hot water heater, 220V. 405-213-6448.

Swanhill cemetery “ADA”, two burial plots, $1,200. 580564-9428.

4230 JD S/N 032685, 4 Post Sincro Range, 3 pt PTO 2 valves, 18.4X34 95% WTS, $11,500, Need to buy HD 10’ off set disc. 405-329-1949.

Walk-in bathtub, $3,000. 580-395-2474.

While you’re away leave your pet in comfort at home and let me take care of them, Tulsa area. 918-813-7987.

Need Tupperware? Have broken pieces? Opportunity for extra money? Call Maxine Drake @ 405-665-5076 or 405-

444-0194 cell, maxinedrake@directv.net.

For sale Douglas fir beam’s, 4,250 B.F., call for sizes & price.

580-363-1740.

3’X5’ outdoor polyester US & Oklahoma flags, $8 each, postpaid. 580-925-2443.

Coweta, OK, Vernon Cemetery, 3 lots, $2,500. 918-451-2636.

Small parrots for sale, linnies, conures & finches, lakeside aviary. 918-242-3408.

CCAC Arts & Crafts Festival, Saturday, April 23rd, Expo Center west of Walters, OK, for more information, contact Pattie Calfy at 580-875-3191 or calfinator@yahoo.com.

Independent Scentsy Consultant, www.tnb.scentsy.us, independent homemade gourmet consultant, www. homemadegourmet.com/tabithabuckley, need life insurance? Call Tabitha at 580-821-1618. ’98 Basshound 10.2 ft harbor boat, live well, padded swivel fishing chairs, fully wired, 6 hp Yamaha out board, like new.

918-252-7536.

45’ storage trailer, delivery available, 1980 Int 2 ton truck and log loader. 405-258-6569.

Extra good 500 gal propane tank with wet line & 2 wheel trailer. 580-482-8581.

Screen printing equipment and supplies, complete shop closing, everything you need to start your own business, very high quality equipment. 580-658-6794.

A.R.E. ZSeries clamp on camper shell, fits 1995 _ to 2004 Toyota Tacoma, Black Mica Pearl Metallic with slide windows, center handle with lock, bought new in 2008, used 3 months then garaged, $1498 new - $500 OBO. 405640-5321.

3100 ft 2 3/8 pipe, $1.25/ft, 2015 ft 2 7/8 pipe, $1.45/ft, also want to buy used fiberglass oilfield sucker rods.

405-627-3920.

Mobile Homes, RVs 2006 Timberlodge travel trailer, 32’ with large slide, sleeps eight, big enough to live in, ready to go, bumper pull, $12,500. 918-810-9557.

2005 Cavalier Travel Trailer, park model, good condition, sleeps 6, central heat & air works great, $4,300. 580313-0563.

2000 Idletime overhead camper, excellent condition, mostly furnished but no bath, can also go primitive, has new battery, inc. porta-potty and tarp. 580-554-3062.

2006 Jayco travel trailer, 38 ft, bumper pull, sleeps eight, 13 ft slide out, bunk beds, used 5 months, $10,000 cash. 405246-8066.

Air Stream Trailer, 1961 model, 26 ft, this trailer is ready to

go inside and out, everything works, Spiro, OK, $14,500.

918-962-2064.

2008 Sportsman, 31’ travel trailer, front hitch, big double sides, loaded, including combo w/d, microfiber furn, hide-abed, more, must sell, pay off, $18,500. 918-453-0664.

2006 Timberlodge travel trailer, 32’, queen bed, sleeps eight, two tv’s, DVD, VCR, new 23’ awning, everything works, clean, $11,500. Call 918-810-3557, Catoosa.

PETS ACA Chihuahua pups, long and short hair, shots, wormed, family raised. 580-363-1813 or cell: 580-763-2875.

AKC reg. English Bulldog puppies, cute as can be, pick 1 out for Easter. 918-907-1104 or 918-273-1027.

English Shepherd dogs, farm raised, Sayre, OK. 580-243-7577.

Spay or neutered cats, all rescues “needs forever homes”, house cats and barn cats, adoption fee, 1-16 lb Friskies dry cat food. Call 405-379-6468 or 405-834-5860.

Reg AKC Mastiff puppies, champion bloodlines, various colors. 918-618-4044, www.truemastiffs.com.

Real Estate 5,000 sf brick home on 2.5 acres south of Norman, 5 bd, 3.5 ba, lots of storage space, 12 closets, unique opportunity for a great family. 405-202-3009.

3 ACE-2 story home, 5 bd, 3 bath, big kitchen, lots of trees, big family room, 2 car, new heat and air, new roof, 3 Spring fed creek out city limits Tuttle, OK. 405-381-3537.

For sale or lease 2000’ shop 2050’ 4/2 with office, formal dining, inground pool, $2500 per month, 15 acres. Owner / Realtor 918-313-7653.

Commercial bldg on Main St, Coweta, small business, beauty shop, insurance office, or other business, up and coming small town, call Beth Brown @ 918-251-8631.

Have land available for cell tower sites in Stephens County; have commercial land for lease along Hwy 81 & Plato Road in Duncan; lot for sale or lease 5th street & Walnut in Duncan. 580-255-5335.

3BR/1BA house on 1.43 acres, 2 miles south of Noble on paved road, CH/A, new paint, carpet, serious buyers only, $75,000. 405-642-8077 or 405-872-3067.

Business zoned home, Chouteau, $65,000, Main & Vann Street corner, 2 story, new gas & water lines and electric box, 150 x 100 ft lot. 918-476-8729.

80A south of Tribbey, OK, live stream, hay meadow, pond, trees, fenced, barn, rural water, turkey, deer, $2,000 per acre, owner finance. 405-329-2208.

240 acres, all Bermuda, 5 ponds, cross fenced, Boggy River

on north side, 80X100 barn, SE Atoka County, 2 miles off Hwy 109A. 580-889-5609.

For sale 700+ acres bottom land, highly productive, well improved with all the minerals. 918-689-3166 Good Earth Land Co. 20 acres, 1.1 miles north from downtown Soper Ford building site, Utilities available, $2,000/acre or 10 acres $2,200/acre. 903-335-0590 or 580-317-3940.

2 bedroom on 2 large corner lots, central air & heat, washer & dryer hook up, garage w/ auto door & metal carport, metal roof & chain link fence, $35,000. 580-618-2279 or 580-618-4744.

20 acres, wooded hill with highway frontage, nice home site, 5 miles south of I-40 on SH56, $24,000. 405-257-3188.

Log home, 5 acres, 3B, 3B, lg family room w/ fireplace, vaulted ceiling, sunroom, new roof, 2 car garage, pond, 30X40 shop w/ lg carport, Texoma area, $248,900. 580264-0415.

10 acres, nice brick home w/ 2 car garage, large barn/shop, a workshop building, fully insulated, cellar, greenhouse, raised bed garden, wonderful water well, close to two lakes, Winstar Casino, Hickory Creek Game Mngt Area, SE of Ardmore, OK. 580-812-1302.

1850 sq ft home, 5 acres, horse property, for sale Custer Co, OK, on paved roads, within 5 miles of 2 school districts, see pics on OK ads website. 580-323-6018.

Big or small land for sale, homes in rural communities, view website www.shanklinrealty.com, RE/Max of Green Country Sherman Shanklin, 918-521-4696.

Private, heavily wooded 2.5 ac lots, 1 1/4 mi N Broken Bow, convenient to town/school, 10-15 min from lake, 4 different lots. cdavis@pine-net.com or 580-584-6002.

108 acres, 2 miles west of Fairland, OK on old 60 Hwy, 2 ponds, good pasture and hay ground, $1,700/acre, owner would finance. 918-676-3592.

2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, house with 1 bedroom apt or motherin-law house, for sale in town Eufaula on Lake Eufaula, large deck and lot that joins the core of engineers. 918-6958739. $125,000.

New 1820 sq ft home, built to be moved, 3 bed, 2 bath, central heat and air, cathedral ceiling in living room, oak trim and custom cabinetry, $81,900, Wewoka. 405-257-3188.

2 1/3 acres in Tecumseh, suitable for residential or commercial, $20,000. 405-598-3301.

114 acres, Bluestem & Bermuda with lots of water, 800’ brick house in Washita Cty, 17 mi west of Cordell on H/W #152, no minerals, not in CRP, $170,000. 918-695-9074 or cdoylegeorge.com

Country

Classifieds 2501 N. Stiles • Oklahoma City, OK 73105 All information below must be completed.

Each Farm Bureau member family is limited to ONE free classified ad per issue.

This form must be used. No call-in ads will be accepted. The length of the ad can not exceed the number of lines on this form. Ads run only one time.

Please type or print legibly.

Name OFB Membership Number Address City Phone

State (

Area Code

)

Zip Deadline for the next issue is June 15, 2011.

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 43

Country

Kitchen

Beef and Bacon Pizza Serves 4

1 pound Certified Angus Beef ® ground chuck 1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts 4 (6-inch) prepared pizza bread shells 4 slices Canadian-style bacon, cut into strips 1 green onion, thinly sliced 2 plum tomatoes, sliced 1/2 cup fontina or mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 2 teaspoons fresh oregano or basil Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 425ºF. 2. In nonstick skillet, brown ground chuck until no pink remains. Drain and set aside.

3. Drain artichokes, reserving marinade. Half artichoke hearts lengthwise; set aside.

4. Brush the bread shells with reserved artichoke marinade.

5. Divide ingredients equally on shells; place on a cookie sheet. Bake until cheese is melted, and pizza is heated through (8-10 minutes).

Nutritional Information: Calories: 522, Fat: 23 g, Saturated Fat: 10 g, Cholesterol: 110 mg, Carbohydrate: 38 g, Dietary Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 40 g, Sodium: 1259 mg, Iron: 16% of Daily Value

Smoky Country-Style Ribs Servings: 6 ­ 3 pounds pork country-style ribs Garlic salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 cup catsup 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup chili sauce 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 tablespoons liquid smoke 1 tablespoon lemon juice Instructions: Sprinkle ribs with garlic salt and freshly ground pepper. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; keep warm.

Place ribs, rib bones down, on rack of a shallow roasting pan. Baste with sauce. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, turning and basting with sauce every 30 minutes. Cut into serving-size portions. Bring remaining sauce to a boil and serve with ribs.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes. Cooking Time: 120 minutes.

Nutrient Information per Serving: Calories: 391, Sodium: 859 mg, Protein: 23 gm, Cholesterol: 85 mg, Fat: 18 gm

44 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011

Oklahoma Country • Summer 2010 • 44

Reduced FSBO, 4 bed, 3 bath, 2500 + loft sq ft, gated community, view of Lake Texoma & golf courses, on 3 lots, $185,000, fruit trees. 580-564-3215 Doyle or leave message.

For sale 6w 1/8n of Binger, OK, brick home on 2 acres, total electric, 3br, 2bth, fireplace, 2 car attached garage, 25x25 out bldg, heat pump & windows replaced in 2005, shingles on house & out bldg replaced in 2008, $77,000. 405-9662011 or 405-305-2427.

80 by 130 lot at Hot Springs, Ark, $4,700, please call 918756-6624, leave message.

5 acres, 2 bd, 2 ba, 2 car garage, Horse stalls, tack room, 12x16 shed, granget tops, red oak wood, Jeta tub, tile floors, water fall flower bed, fenced and cross fenced, $134,900, Call for App. 405-899-7919.

234 acres, 4 mi east of Shawnee off I-40, well, septic and electric installed, 500+ hay bales/yr, fenced, about 1/2 timber, $350,000. 405-273-7557.

240 acres for lease, mineral only. Never been leased. Kiowa County, Okla. 9/6/18. 580-450-5730

WANTED I BUY BLACKSMITHING TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT. MIKE GEORGE, 1227 4TH ST., ALVA, OK 73717, 580-327-5235.

WANTED OLDER VEHICLES, CARS, PICKUPS, VANS, WAGONS, 1900s THRU 1960s, GAS PUMPS, TAGS. 580658-3739.

ATTN! We pay cash for mineral rights, Royalty Interests and Overriding Royalty Interests. Call Mark. 817-946-6983.

WANTED: $500 reward leading to purchase of Salsbury Motor Scooter built in 50’s, check your barns, chicken houses, want to relive childhood. 620-482-4405 cell.

Wanted: OTASCO sign, any size, any condition, other signs also considered. 918-962-5066 or 918-441-6151.

Want to buy rolls, wheat cents, unopened bank rolls $2.00, regular rolls $1.00, I pay shipping. 405-694-6675.

Wanted: Old American Indian items, including baskets, pottery, beadwork, jewelry, photos, paper, etc. 405-454-3420.

Want to purchase oil gas mineral rights, producing or nonproducing. 580-223-0353 or 800-687-5882.

Wanted: Someone to restore old tractors, Have BF Averys with all parts, can deliver to your shop. 918-968-2078.

Want to buy old visible gas pumps, porcelain signs, farm equip., and petroleum signs, oil lubsters. 580-639-2776.

Wanted: 44 or 50 inch mower deck for a Sears Craftsman FF/20 Hydro Drive yard and garden tractor. 918-557-2224 or pioneerokie@yahoo.com.

I buy old junk motorcycles, 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s, running or not, prefer junkers, not running. 580-618-4332.

Collector paying cash for antique fishing lures & tackle, also coke machines and signs. Troy 800-287-3057.

Wanted: 16 ga. Ithica pump shot gun. 918-723-4603.

Want items bought at 1973 estate sale of B.G. Rose, Bristow, OK, spmfarms@mcloudteleco.com Wanted: Cattle ranch with partial owner financing or leasepurchase. 600-1,200 acres with some improvements. Prefer east OK. 918-244-5175

Feeding and clothing the world ...

one farmer at a time.

Jon and Natalie Leeds care for the land. Managing water, selecting efficient seed varieties and using conservation tillage help them keep their Muskogee County farm productive while ensuring a safe U.S. food supply ... and a vibrant future for their kids. Which is important because when these Oklahoma Farm Bureau members retire from the land, they want to pass it on.

® Oklahoma

Farm Bureau

2501 N Stiles • Oklahoma City, OK 73105 • www.okfarmbureau.org

®

Oklahoma Country • Spring 2011 • 45

Conserve Energy With Alcoa Siding *CUT FUEL COSTS! *CUT HEATING COSTS! *CUT COOLING COSTS!

Alcoa Steel & Vinyl Siding

Yes! Energy savings over a short period will more than pay for the new siding investment in your home.

America’s At Home With Alcoa

Insulates against cold or heat.

Does not absorb or retain moisture like wood.

Goes up easily over wood asbestos, stucco or masonry walls.

Does not support combustion.

Protect your investment in your home! Improve its value!

Muffles outside noises, assures a quieter, more livable home.

Permanently protects & beautifies your home.

Resists damaging effects of acids, salt, water, sun, rain, oil, etc.

Stays beautiful wherever you live!

Retains beauty year in, year out.

Maintenance free -- the BEST buy in today’s home covering market!

Does not peel, flake, corrode or rust. Easy to clean-simply hose down.

Mars, scars, abrasions don’t show. High impact-resistant.

White & 12 decorator colors.

Never needs paint-durability built in not painted on.

Completely covers split, warped, faded or peeled outside walls.

Here are the names of just a few of your Farm Bureau neighbors who are enjoying the beauty & comfort of Alcoa Siding products. Feel free to check with them.

Benny Rogers P.O. Box 883 Perry, OK Bob Bolay Rt. 2, Box 119 Perry, OK Carl Windham 10404 N.W. 37th Yukon, OK Don Rainwater 5710 Willow Dr. Norman, OK Neil Roberts 1400 Charles Norman, OK O.B. Puckett 200 Elm Maysville, OK Eddie Huitt P.O. Box 101 Sterling, OK

Forest Masters 317 W. Sheridian Kingfisher, OK Beryle James 9512 W. Britton Yukon, OK Unique Coffeures 5900 N.W. 49th Oklahoma City, OK Linda Sitton P.O. Box 160 Binger, OK Delones Knupik 414 W. Birch Enid, OK Tim Cameron Rt. 1, Box 85 Orlando, OK Jack Steele 119 Thompson Kingfisher, OK

Steve Leck 116 S. Flynn Calumet, OK Jerry Benda 63125 Gregory Rd. El Reno, OK Clark Graham 213 N.W. 1st Moore, OK Carl McKinney P.O. Box 592 Eufaula, OK Greg Biggs 18600 N. Antler Way Deer Creek, OK Daniel Garrett 1909 S. Jensen El Reno, OK Mike Yousey 20502 S.E. 15th Harrah, OK

• No artificial look • No warping in summer

Al Castro 4601 Winners Circle Norman, OK Don Blain 308 E. Jarman Midwest City, OK Kenneth Azlin P.O. Box 921 Seminole, OK Gerald McDaniel 14714 Key Ridge Dr. Newalla, OK Mike Limke 201 Owen Mustang, OK Mike Lee Rt. 4, Box 193 Tuttle, OK Larry Yost 315 N. 3rd Watonga, OK

Starling Miller 912 Kansas Chickasha, OK Herschel Nichols Route 1 Prague, OK Jerry Haynes P.O. Box 208 Cashion, OK Charles Frank 1908 Brook Hollow Ct. Stillwater, OK Lynn Luker 720 W. Jackson Cresent, OK Jim Youngs 1201 Clearview Mustang, OK Tommie Richardson P.O. Box 381 Purcell, OK

Cade Boepple Rt. 1, Box 7 Covington, OK Randy Plant 18701 Garden Ridge Edmond, OK S & J Tire Co. Hwy. 81 El Reno, OK Ron Pinkenton 7521 N.W. 40th Oklahoma City, OK Leslie Bradford Rt. 3, Box 298 Watonga, OK Sharon Graham 2821 Bella Vista Midwest City, OK James Bryant 1755 N. Country Club Newcastle, OK

Check these features

• Won’t rot or peel • Won’t absorb or retain moisture

Keller Rest.

820 N. McAuther Oklahoma City, OK Larry Smith Rt. 2, Box 122 Kingfisher, OK Mickey Brown 1705 Country Club Newcastle, OK Barth Construction Lot 6 Wild Turkey Hollow Stillwater, OK Jeff Palmer 822 S. 6th Kingfisher, OK Starling Miller Rt. 3, Box 129A Perry, OK Mike Nemec Rt. 1, Box 90 Perry, OK

• No exposed nails • Won’t break up in hail

Willia Clay 1845 N.W. 23rd Newcastle, OK Don Jantz Rt. 3 Enid, OK Dawn Faust 9329 Lyric Lane Midwest City, OK Veres Zum Mullen Rt. 4 Okarche, OK Jim Nichols 4737 Crest Pl. Del City, OK Glenda Irick 2601 N.W. 118th Oklahoma City, OK Teressa Parham 128 Chickasaw Yukon, OK

Reese Wilmoth 5400 N.W. 66th Oklahoma City, OK Mark Kelley 3421 N.W. 67th Oklahoma City, OK Richard Boren Rt. 1, Box 151 Geary, OK Dawayne Smith 415 S.W. 16th Newcastle, OK Hanley Hintergardt 9100 Whitehall Ct. Oklahoma City, OK Dan Wedeman 3455 N. Red Rock Rd. Yukon, OK Mike Nichols Route 1 Prague, OK

• Won’t dent like aluminum • Static electricity attraction free.

Farm Bureau members receive a 33 1/3% discount off nationally-published retail prices.

Now in effect for Oklahoma! Call 405-721-2807 or complete coupon below.

NO OBLIGATION!

Buy directly from the company owners - in the siding business since 1937! No middlemen involved. We can beat most any deal. Buy today before costs soar higher!

TERMS AVAILABLE Special discount for FB Members Only.

NOTICE

Siding materials sold on an applied basis only.

OK! I want more information, facts, figures, estimates and color pictures of completed jobs. No obligation. You be the judge! Send coupon immediately!

One of the OWNERS of the company will personally contact you! No high pressure. Just the facts for your consideration! Act NOW! You’ll be glad you did!

Name__________________________________________________________ Address_____________________________City________________________ Telephone ____________________ Best Time To Call:______A.M. ______P.M. If Rural, Give Directions____________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________

M. RHODES COMPANY

6408 N. Libby Oklahoma City, OK 73112