Perspective Oklahoma Farm Bureau
OKFB President Tom Buchanan carries the Oklahoma flag during the opening session of the 2015 AFBF Annual Convention. Full coverage of the 2015 AFBF Annual Convention can be found on OKFB’s social media pages. For a full album of photos to view and/or download, visit OKFB’s Flickr page. For a timeline of updates, visit the OKFB Facebook page. To listen to OKFB President Tom Buchanan discuss the policies set by members, go to the OKFB SoundCloud page.
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January 23, 2015
During the OKFB welcome reception in San Diego, Okahoma Farm Bureau staff reviews processes and procedures with voting delegates prior to the business session of the 2015 AFBF Annual Meeting
OKFB members travel to San Diego for AFBF Annual Convention klahoma Farm Bureau members gathered in San Diego this week for the American Farm Bureau Federation 96th Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show. The convention featured a variety of workshops on many topics. A livestock market update, FDA regulatory and issue update and application of UAS technology in precision agriculture were just a few of the informational sessions offered to members. Members also heard from several speakers including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Navy SEAL trainer Commander Rorke Denver and Jay Leno. Several OKFB YF&R members made the trip to San Diego to compete on a national level for AFBF YF&R awards. Marty and
Crystal Williams, Noble County, competed for the YF&R Achievement Award. Marty and Crystal represented Oklahoma well and made it to the top 10 finalists. JT and Sara Bain, Pittsburg County, also competed during the convention. JT and Sara represented Oklahoma in the competition for the YF&R Excellence in Ag Award. Brent Haken of Payne County represented OKFB in the AFBF YF&R Discussion Meet. Brent discussed a variety of agricultural issues and qualified for the “Sweet Sixteen” in the discussion meet. For a full recap of the annual meeting, visit the Oklahoma Farm Bureau website where you will find news and links to all of OKFB’s social media pages.
Legislative Update: Water will be No. 1 priority for 2015 By John Collison Vice President of Public Policy and Media Relations As seen in The Lawton Constitution s we enter a new legislative session, Oklahoma Farm Bureau stands ready as always to represent our membership statewide. It has been a busy past few sessions standing up for private property rights, both on the surface and below. We have also been busy making sure that agriculture has been protected at every turn. As the state’s voice for agriculture, we do not rest on what we did yesterday but are always looking for what is coming tomorrow. As we enter a new session at the Capitol in Oklahoma and Washington D.C., we continue this tradition of not only protecting agriculture but also trying to grow it in a way that moves us into the future. The biggest issue we face as an organization today is the ongoing drought in Oklahoma. This drought has been years in the making and is showing it will take us time to recover from its economic losses. Last year alone in 2014, this silent killer impacted 1.5 million Oklahomans. We are inching our way toward the $2 billion dollar loss margin as a whole. Look at those numbers again if you will: 1.5 million people affected and a loss of $2 billion dollars. This is a disaster on a massive scale that we need to fix. Most of you will think, “Well, I can’t make it rain where the water is needed.” You are right and nor can we. There is a solution to this problem, however. We as a state really are at certain times water rich. During many months of
the year, we release across our borders into neighboring states in the vicinity of 20 million-acre feet of water. To put that into perspective we as a state consumed and used roughly 2 million acre feet last year. Over fifty years ago we had a real visionary and leader in a man named Robert S. Kerr. Kerr’s problem at the time was not developing water resources; rather they were more along the lines of controlling water. You see in his day growing up none of the dams and developed waterways in Oklahoma existed. R.S. Kerr and a few others had a vision and a plan for the state to develop these wild rivers and control them to make agriculture production more successful and more profitable. He also saw a way to develop these waterways and make them navigable and put barges up and down them to get the goods to market. He truly was a man that realized the potential of developing water not just for one entity but also for all of Oklahoma. We at Oklahoma Farm Bureau — through our leadership in Washington D.C. and our leadership at the state Capitol — call on each and every legislator to make developing Oklahoma’s
water resources a top priority. It is past time that we once again take up a vision of maximizing every drop of water that falls on our great state. Lawton and Comanche County over the years have done a good job of making sure they have enough water in the future. They have developed their water and have secured water rights for many miles. This is what the state, as a whole, needs to look at and really model itself after. If we were to develop excess water around our state we would have more than enough to go around for everybody. Many different issues are coming through the bill making process as I write this and not all the bills have been seen as of yet. As I alluded to earlier in this article, the most important issue we face not — John Collison only today but also for years to come will be the development of all of our water resources. You have fresh new members you have elected to send to Oklahoma City along with a group of veteran legislators that can and should lead on these important issues. As always, we at Oklahoma Farm Bureau look forward to working with members to help move their agenda forward but we also look forward to moving the state as a whole forward.
As we enter a new session at the Capitol in Oklahoma and Washington D.C., we continue this tradition of not only protecting agriculture but also trying to grow it in a way that moves us into the future.
Oklahoma Farm Bureau Online AFBF photos available for download Oklahoma Farm Bureau members traveled to San Diego for the 2015 American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting Jan. 10-13. To view and/or download photos from the annual meeting, visit OKFB’s Flickr page at flickr.com/okfarmbureau.
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All Around Oklahoma Agriculture: Farm Bureau wraps up annual meeting in San Diego The annual meeting of the American Farm Bureau wrapped up last week in San Diego with the business session. We talk with OKFB President Tom Buchanan about the policies set by the members. To listen, visit the OKFB SoundCloud page at soundcloud.com/okfarmbureau.
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OKFB to host Leadership Conference, Feb. 16 -17
The Oklahoma County Farm Bureau board of directors made a $1,000 donation to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma on Jan. 12, 2015. The money will be used for food items as well as seeds for Oklahomans to plant their own gardens. Pictured from left to right: Sharlene Lambring, District 3 Chairman of the Women’s Leadership Committee; Dennis Lambring, Oklahoma County Farm Bureau secretary; Robert Bierschenk, Oklahoma County Farm Bureau president; Mason Weaver, Urban Harvest director; and Cari Ogdon, vice-president of community initiaves.
OKFB’s Todd Honer and Garfield County President Gary Johnson visit with current and potential members about member benefits at the 2015 Oklahoma Agrifest in Enid on Jan. 9-10.
klahoma Farm Bureau will host their annual Leadership Conference Feb. 16-17 in Oklahoma City at the Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center Hotel. The conference focuses on updating members on the legislative issues at state and federal levels for the year. The agenda for the two-day conference features Congressman Frank Lucas and Congressman Steve Russell, who will be giving updates from Washington, D.C. Also on the agenda is Lt. Governor Todd Lamb as the speaker for dinner one evening. OKFB will also be recognizing the winners of the annual Champion Award during conference. The Champion Award is given to state leaders and legislators for going above and beyond to protect and improve agriculture and rural Oklahoma. There is no registration for this conference but please contact the Renaissance Convention Center Hotel to make your reservations. Please visit okfarmbureau.org for an updated agenda as the conference nears.
February 16 Registration 1:30 p.m. - Call to Order and Welcome - Tom Buchanan 2 p.m. - Speaker - Scott Mitchell 3 p.m. - Speaker (TBA) 4 p.m. - Adjourn 5 p.m. - Legislative Reception - Lt. Governor Todd Lamb 5:45 p.m. - Dinner 6:30 p.m. - Champion Awards February 17 7:15 a.m. - Breakfast 7:45 a.m. - Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation 8:45 a.m. - Speaker - Congressman Steve Russell 9:45 a.m. - Break 10 a.m. - Speaker - Congressman Frank Lucas 11 a.m. - Speaker - John Collison, OKFB 12 p.m. - Lunch at Oklahoma Farm Bureau Afternoon - Capitol visits
Member Benefits
Calendar
Big Iron Online Auctions
Oklahoma Legislature Convenes Feb. 2 — Oklahoma City Contact: John Collison (405) 523-2539
BigIron.com provides you the support and online venue to efficiently turn your capital assets and real property into cash. Farm Bureau members receive a 10% discount off Big Iron’s standard selling service fees. OKFB highlights a benefit in each issue of Perspective as a reminder of the savings available to OKFB members. You can find a complete list of savings on the Oklahoma Farm Bureau website.
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OKFB Leadership Conference Feb. 16-17 — Oklahoma City Contact: Sara Rogers (405) 530-2681 Registration Deadline for Congressional Action Tour March 2 — Washington D.C. Contact: Sara Rogers (405) 530-2681
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Published by Oklahoma Farm Bureau Published Oklahoma Farm Bureau Postmaster:by Send address corrections to: Postmaster: Send address corrections to: Perspective, P.O. B. 53332, OKC, OK 73152-3332 Perspective, P.O. B. 53332, OKC, OK 73152-3332
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STAFF DIRECTORY
Executive Director Monica Wilke 405-523-2303 VP of Public Policy and Media Relations John Collison 405-523-2539 Directors of Corporate Communications Sam Knipp 405-523-2347 Dustin Mielke 405-530-2640 Communications Specialists Karolyn Bolay 405-523-2320 Samantha Smith 405-523-2346
Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation aims to educate, advocate for Oklahoma agriculture By Amanda Rosholt Director of Fundraising and Public Relations for the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation
s Americans continue to become further removed from agriculture, the general public relies on gatekeepers like animal rights activists, environmental groups and uninformed media to shape their perception of agriculture. We cannot afford to stand back and let others create misconceptions about what happens inside the farm gates. The Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation was formed as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit to be a proactive and positive voice for agriculture in the state of Oklahoma. We aim to educate all ages of the general public about the importance of production agriculture in our state and our nation. In partnership with the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and Oklahoma Farm Bureau, the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation is able to provide a mobile agricultural classroom that teaches students of all ages about the importance of agriculture in our everyday lives. The Grown For You commodity trailer uses videos, games and hands-on activities to educate audiences about the commodity
crops grown in Oklahoma. It is available to visit schools and community events across the state. The Bushels for Books Program provides a key opportunity to educate the next generation of producers and informed consumers. In partnership with the OKFB Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee, the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation takes — Amanda Rosholt donated bushels of any commodity crop and uses the proceeds to put accurate agricultural books in Oklahoma school libraries. In 2014, we provided books for four Oklahoma schools and we look forward to expanding the program in the coming year. Educating up-and-coming leaders and policymakers will be a key focus for the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation in the coming year. We plan to put together an educational presentation for leadership groups across the state, including those at the state’s universities. It is vital to the continued success of agriculture in our state and our nation to have educated and informed policymakers who realize the importance of production
We have an opportunity to change the face of agriculture. It is time for agriculturalists to step up and tell their story – the true story. If we do not, no one will.
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agriculture and will fight to protect it. Oklahoma’s farmers and ranchers have always had a heart for service and providing for those in need. Through Beef for Backpacks and Pork for Packs, the Foundation uses donated cattle and pigs to produce nutritious beef and pork sticks for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Food for Kids Program. The Food for Kids program serves 475 elementary schools in 53 counties across central and western Oklahoma, providing backpacks of nutritious food to more than 13,500 chronically hungry children each week. Our educational and social programs have seen great success in the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation’s brief three-year history. We look forward to growing those programs and adding new ones with your support in the coming year. All donations are tax-deductible and will be used to enhance awareness and understanding of agriculture’s contribution and importance to the state of Oklahoma. To make a donation, please contact me at (405) 202-1463, or Amanda.Rosholt@ aggiving.org. We have an opportunity to change the face of agriculture. It is time for agriculturalists to step up and tell their story – the true story. If we do not, no one will.