PERSPECTIVE OKLAHOMA FARM BUREAU
®
November 1, 2013
OKFB leaders continue grassroots policy development process during annual resolutions meeting
OKFB members consider more than 400 policies during the resolutions committee meeting, Oct. 22-23.
A measure supporting more research on effectively using the state’s water supply was among more than 50 policy proposals passed by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau state resolutions committee, Oct. 22-23, in Norman. The resolutions meeting is an integral part of Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s grassroots policy development process, where members from each county help determine priority issues for upcoming legislative sessions. “As primary water consumers, Oklahoma farmers and ranchers are eager to find practical ways to transfer surface water from excess supply areas to water deficient areas of the state,” said Jimmy Wayne Kinder, Oklahoma Farm Bureau resolutions committee chairman. “We’re proposing more studies be done to identify the economic and physical feasibility of moving surface water around the state.” The committee also passed a resolution supporting a strong crop insurance program in the next farm bill. “As legislators move forward with a new farm bill, it is crucial to include a crop insurance program that offers producers a safety net and allows them to adequately plan for each planting season,” Kinder said. The group also voted to support a “Right to Farm and Ranch” act in the state of Oklahoma. Other proposed resolutions include supporting the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for production agriculture and research, requiring oil and gas companies to give timely notification before beginning to drill and supporting the Oklahoma Conservation Commission’s efforts to make Eastern Red Cedar eradication a priority. The Oklahoma Farm Bureau membership will meet during the 72nd OKFB Annual Meeting, Nov. 15-17, in Norman to vote on the resolutions committee’s proposals.
Oklahoma Farm Bureau hosts sweet potato pick to benefit hungry Oklahomans In an effort to fight hunger in the state, more than 150 volunteers picked nearly 30,000 pounds of sweet potatoes to donate to Gov. Mary Fallin’s fourth annual Feeding Oklahoma Food Drive. Oklahoma Farm Bureau teamed up with the Hydro Sweet Potato Company and Caddo County 4-H and FFA to harvest the sweet potatoes near Albert, Okla., Oct. 25. “The sweet potato pick was a great opportunity for our members to work side-by-side with youth as we help feed those who are less fortunate,” OKFB President Roland Pederson said. “Oklahoma Farm Bureau is proud of our state’s farming and ranching families who work each day to produce a safe and affordable food supply, and we are honored to be able to contribute to the governor’s food drive.” In addition to the sweet potato donation, county Farm Bureau offices across Oklahoma are once again serving as food donation drop off locations for the food drive, which runs until Oct. 31 and benefits the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and their partner agencies across the state. (See Sweet Potatoes, page 3)
More than 150 volunteers from Caddo County 4-H and FFA, Oklahoma Farm Bureau and the Hydro Sweet Potato Company work together to pick approximately 30,000 pounds of sweet potatoes near Albert, Okla., Oct. 25. The sweet potatoes will benefit Gov. Fallin’s Feeding Oklahoma Food Drive.
Sparkles
Member Benefits • Air Evac Lifeteam offers FB members a reduced annual fee. The service now includes all of Oklahoma. Applications are available at your county Farm Bureau office. OKFB highlights a benefit in each issue of Perspective as a reminder of the savings available to OKFB members. Find a complete list of savings online at www.okfarmbureau.org/benefits.
and
SPURS BANQUET
Saturday, November 16, 7 p.m.
Featuring Entertainment by
Asleep at the Wheel
Tickets Available for purchase at convention registration
Join us for two great nights At the 72nd annual
OKFB Calendar 72nd OKFB Annual Meeting Nov. 15-17 • Norman Contact: Melisa Neal, (405) 523-2475 OKFB Leadership Team Winter Rally Dec. 6-7 • Duncan Contact: Marcia Irvin, (405) 523-2405 AFBF Convention Registration Deadline Dec. 6 • Oklahoma City Contact: Melisa Neal, (405) 523-2475
Oklahoma Farm Bureau Annual Meeting
Desserts &
DENIM
Diamonds
Friday, November 15, 7 p.m.
Oklahoma Farm Bureau Online
Monitor the latest Farm Bureau and agricultural news and information online at okfarmbureau.org. Currently online: • Agricultural News – Oklahoma Farm Bureau features a new agriculture-related story every day on its site. Read about both AFBF and state Farm Bureau news by visiting the homepage.
www.okfarmbureau.org 2
• OKFB Harvest Watch Blog – The second annual OKFB Harvest Watch blog season is underway. Visit www.okfarmbureau.org and click on the OKFB Harvest Watch link to follow the six farm families.
Awards Program
OKFB encourages members to help South Dakota ranchers Oklahoma Farm Bureau recently made a $5,000 donation to the South Dakota Farm Bureau Cares Fund to help western South Dakota ranchers affected by the earlyOctober blizzard “Atlas” and is encouraging members to remember those in need. The South Dakota Farm Bureau Cares Fund is designed to help ranch families with immediate financial needs, including cash for groceries, utility bills, etc., and Farm Bureau member families will receive first priority when the funds are distributed For more information about making a donation, visit the South Dakota FB website at www.sdfbf.org.
Oklahoma Farm Bureau disappointed with water resources board ruling Oklahoma Farm Bureau commented today that private property rights of landowners in five southern counties were restricted last Wednesday when seven of nine members on the Oklahoma Water Resources Board voted to reduce the maximum annual yield for landowners overlying the Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer from two acre feet of water per year to 0.2 acre feet per year. “When a landowner purchases property he’s virtually purchasing a bundle of sticks or a bundle of private property rights,” said LeeAnna Covington, director of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Legal Foundation. “Each time a decision of this magnitude is made, it removes a stick from the originally purchased bundle.” After several years of litigation concerning water usage in the Arbuckle Simpson
Aquifer, landowners in the area are still unsure how the .2 acre feet measurement was determined. “I’m disappointed in this decision. When I purchased my property, I never thought this would have occurred,” said Pontotoc County Farm Bureau member Charles Morrow. “I don’t understand how the .2 acre feet restriction was calculated, and I feel like it’s an arbitrary number.” John Collison, OKFB vice president of public policy, said what began as a plan to restrict the Oklahoma City metro area’s usage of water from the Arbuckle Simpson became an environmentalist overreach to keep private citizens from exercising their personal property rights. “A decision like this can make a huge difference to farmers and ranchers who have depended on their water rights to raise
crops and livestock,” Collison said. “With this decision, they are now facing a reduction in their private property rights without compensation.” The OWRB’s decision not only impacts agriculture but also mining, oil and gas, and municipalities and their citizens. “Cities and rural water districts will now have to go out and purchase other water rights to make up for the decision to limit water usage,” Collison said. “This will cause an increase in the cost to local citizens and the cost of doing business in the region. We view this decision as a loss for everyone. If you have further questions surrounding the Arbuckle Simpson MAY decision, please contact Covington at leeanna.covington@okfb.org.
(Sweet Potatoes, from page 1)
OKFB members discuss labor shortage during interim study
Major County Farm Bureau member Elaine Flaming (left) testifies to the Oklahoma State Senate Agriculture Committee as part of an interim study on the shortage of workers for agriculture. Flaming shared her experiences trying to find labor for her and her husband’s vineyard as well as helping other farmers coordinate the hiring of foreign workers to make up for the shortage of domestic workers. Also testifying, among others, was Farm Bureau member Dennis Slagell of Hydro and OKFB Vice President of Public Policy and Media Relations John Collison.
The Feeding Oklahoma Food Drive kicked off Oct. 1, with the goal of raising 1.4 million meals to help feed hungry families, children, seniors and those affected by the tornadoes this holiday season. “Time and again, Oklahomans prove to be the most caring and giving individuals in the nation,” Fallin said. “Last year, Oklahomans from all 77 counties came together to surpass our goal of 1.2 million meals, and donated over 2 million meals during the holiday season. This year, we can do even more for the hungry in our state.” Oklahoma consistently ranks among the top 10 hungriest states in the nation, with more than 675,000 Oklahomans struggling with hunger every day. That number has been on the rise due to the tornado devastation across the state. The Oklahoma food banks provide enough food to feed more than 150,000 people each week with demand increasing during the holiday season. OKFB and the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation continue their efforts to help feed Oklahomans through the Farmers Fighting Hunger campaign. Each year, members bring non-perishable food items to the annual Farm Bureau convention in November. Farm Bureau is also a partner in the Beef for Backpacks and Pork for Packs programs where nutritional beef and pork sticks are added to hungry children’s backpacks for use on weekends and holidays.
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Perspective, P.O. B. 53332, OKC, OK 73152-3332 Postmaster: Send address corrections to: Perspective, P.O. B. 53332, OKC, OK 73152-3332
Staff Directory Staff Directory Monica Wilke, 523-2303
Oklahoma Farm Bureau 2501 N. Stiles Oklahoma City, OK 73105-3126
Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 131 Okla. City, OK.
Executive Director
Traci Morgan, 523-2346 John Collison, 523-2539 Perspective/Online News Editor
VP of Public Policy and Media Relations
Macey Hedges, 523-2346 Sam Knipp, 523-2347 Communications Director of Corporate Vice President of Communications/PR Sam Knipp, 523-2347 Director of Corporate Communications
Tyler Norvell, 523-2402 Dustin Mielke, 530-2640 Vice President of Public Policy
Director of Corporate Communications
Karolyn Bolay, 523-2320 Marla Peek, 523-2437 Communications SpecialistAffairs Director of Regulatory
Totusek Lectureship slated at Oklahoma State The Oklahoma State University Department of Animal Science and the Animal Science Graduate Student Association will present the 20th Annual Totusek Lectureship, Nov. 7-8. The event will begin the evening of Nov. 7, with a prime rib dinner and seminar, followed by a noon general seminar in animal science on Nov. 8. The event is free, but those who are interested are asked to RSVP to Corey Carpenter at corey.b.carpenter@ okstate.edu. This year’s lectureship will feature speaker Donnell Brown, who is a fourthgeneration rancher and the seedstock manager for R.A. Brown Ranch located in Throckmorton, Texas. Brown is also responsible for the marketing, advertising and OKFB Vice President of Public Policy and Media Relations John Collison (right) talks about out-of-basin water transfers with Oklahoma Water Resources Board Executive Director J.D. Strong (left) and David Taylor of the Waurika Lake Master Conservancy District during a panel discussion at the 2013 Governor’s Water Conference, Oct. 23, in Midwest City. Jeff Converse with the Canton Lake Association and Greg Fisher with Denver Water also served on the panel.
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genetic management of the eight breeds of cattle represented on the ranch. As a young adult, Brown identified himself as a leader within the agriculture industry, and he served as both vice president and president of the Texas 4-H as well as national FFA president. Upon completing his term as national president, Brown attended Texas Tech University and received his bachelor’s in animal science. Bryan Bernhard, Animal Science Graduate Student Association president, said Brown has a vast amount of experience and knowledge of the seedstock industry to share and this lectureship will provide a unique opportunity to hear from one of the industry’s most respected individuals about the ever changing beef industry.
The R.A. Brown ranch has implemented very progressive management strategies over the years to keep up with changing times. “Brown will be discussing the future of the cow/calf industry,” Bernhard said. “This lecture should be good insight on future opportunities and challenges our industry will face between now and the year 2050.” The lectureship is in honor of Dr. Robert Totusek, who was a member of the OSU Animal Science faculty for more than 38 years, including 14 years as head of the department. Totusek was a friend and advisor to all and is known for his contributions in animal evaluation, beef cattle nutrition and livestock production.
Governor’s Water Conference