January 27, 2012

PERSPECTIVE OKLAHOMA FARM BUREAU

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January 27, 2012

Oklahoma Farm Bureau supports AFBF farm bill proposal The American Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors have approved the organization’s priority issues for 2012, following a delegate session at the 93rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A total of 370 Farm Bureau delegates from across the country and all sectors of the agriculture industry met Jan. 10, to discuss the 2012 farm bill and develop a priority agenda. The AFBF Board of Directors then approved the priority issues on Jan. 11. Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Mike Spradling said the new list of adopted policies addresses the concerns of farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma and beyond.

“The basic philosophy of Farm Bureau’s farm bill policy is still in tact and is still intended to serve as a safety net for farmers,” he said.

Due to federal budget constraints, Spradling said AFBF opposed the idea of direct payments for farmers and also took action to remove the Systemic Risk Reduction Program title from its farm bill proposal.

(See AFBF farm bill proposal, page 3)

93rd AFBF Annual Meeting

Honolulu, Hawaii

RIGHT – Major County FB member and OFB Farm Bill Advisory Committee chairman Scott Neufeld speaks during a delegate session of the AFBF Annual Meeting. The 2012 farm bill was the hot topic of discussion where delegates also determined AFBF’s list of priority issues for 2012.

In This Issue • AFBF Annual Meeting review • Farm Bureau Week coming soon • Major County Library Night • 2012 legislative preview • Garvin County legislative dinner • Beef 4 Battle shipment • No-Till Conference Deadline • Enid Agrifest pictures

OFB planning Farm Bureau Week activities Farm Bureau Week is less than a month away, and Oklahoma Farm Bureau is planning a full lineup of events to celebrate the annual event.

One particular Farm Bureau Week feature OFB is offering is the opportunity for counties to promote membership and OFB involvement in their local news media.

Several newspaper ads are available. For more information, contact Kelli Beall with the OFB Field Services division at (405) 523-2470 or kelli.beall@okfb.org.

Other Farm Bureau Week activities include the following: Feb. 20-24 – Farm Bureau Week Visit www.okfarmbureau.org and www. fb.org for more details.

LEFT – AFBF President Bob Stallman uses a photo of OFB Achievement Award winners Zac and Amy Harris and family (Kiowa Co. FB) to illustrate a point during his presidential address.

He spoke during the opening session on Jan. 8.

Feb. 20-24 – Food Check-Out Week The OFB Women’s Committee will support the Oklahoma City and Tulsa Ronald McDonald House charities with food donations and also promote smart shopping for healthy, nutritious food.

Contact: Marcia Irvin, (405) 523-2405 Feb. 20-21 – Oklahoma Farm Bureau Leadership Conference, Oklahoma City Contact: Kinsey Money, (405) 523-2539 More details on OFB’s Congressional Action Tour, Commodity Tour, State YF&R Leadership Conference and State YF&R Speech Contest coming soon!

Member Benefits

• EZ Ranch Software – Offers its profit and loss herd management software to OFB members at 15 percent off. Call 888-EZ Ranch or visit www.ez-ranch.com.

• Stroke Prevention Plus – Offers members a $25 discount on four affordable and confidential health screenings. Visit your county Farm Bureau office.

OFB highlights a few benefits in each issue of Perspective as a reminder of the savings available to OFB members.

Find a complete list of savings online at okfarmbureau.org.

RIGHT – Major Co. YF&R member Clint Wilcox helps kids with their coloring projects during the county’s annual Library Night in Fairview. The event promotes agriculture to children.

Major Co. YF&R hosts Library Night LEFT – Children enjoy “apple lip” snacks made of apples, peanut butter and marshmallows.

Ag-related books, crafts, games and snacks were used to teach kids about the importance of farm and ranch life.

OFB Calendar Oklahoma Legislature Convenes February 6, 2012 • OKC Contact: Kinsey Money, (405) 523-2539 National YF&R Leadership Conference February 17-20, 2012 • Grand Rapids, MI Contact: Holly Carroll, (405) 205-0069 Commodity Advisory Comm. Meeting February 19-25, 2012 • Anaheim, CA Contact: Todd Honer, (405) 205-0090

* Major County YF&R * Feral Hog Management & Hunting Informational Meeting Monday, Feb. 13 • Northwest Vo-Tech, Fairview 6:30 p.m. • meal provided

Oklahoma Farm Bureau Online Monitor the latest Farm Bureau and agricultural news and information online at okfarmbureau.org.

Currently online: • County Connection – Oklahoma Farm Bureau has an office in all 77 Oklahoma counties. Click the Counties button to learn more about the offices in your area.

• Legislative Preview – The Oklahoma state legislature convenes Feb. 6. See the link on OFB’s home page to find a legislative preview from the OFB public policy division. There you can read up on OFB’s legislative priorities for 2012!

www.okfarmbureau.org

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Women Managing the Farm Conference is Feb. 10-11 The 2012 Women Managing the Farm Conference is set for Feb. 10-11, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Wichita.

The event is an opportunity for farm owners, partners and new entrepreneurs to network and participate in workshops.

Keynote presenters include Dana Peterson with the National Association of Wheat Growers, veterinarian Dan Thomson with K-State Research and Extension, Cheryl Tevis of Successful Farming magazine, Ed O’Mally with the Kansas Leadership Center and Cheryl Unruh, the author of Flyover People.

For more information about the conference or to register, visit www.togpartners. com/wmf. The registration fee after Jan. 27, is $170.

AFBF farm bill proposal (from page 1)

“What we’re looking at is the broader picture now,” Spradling said. “Even without the SRRP title, we still have all of those integral pieces of the program we feel are important to farmers and ranchers.”

While attending the AFBF Annual Meeting, Spradling was appointed to the 2012 Trade Advisory Committee. He said the farm bill received the most floor time during the delegate session and he was pleased with the outcome of AFBF’s final proposal.

“It keeps farmers in business when times are tough and it’s a safety net for consumers,” he said. The proposal ensures we have a good high-quality, high-quantity food supply for our country and the world.”

AFBF supports the idea of writing the new farm bill as soon as possible. Its list of priority issues include the 2012 farm bill, agriculture labor, immigration reform, youth employment regulations, definition of waters of the U.S., estate taxes and capital gains extension, NPDES pesticide permits, preserving antibiotics access, regulatory reform, rural school funding and Russia WTO accession.

State legislative session begins Feb. 6

By Chris Kidd, OFB Director of State and National Policy Oklahoma Farm Bureau is known for protecting private property rights. With a quick glance at OFB’s priority list, it FARM BUREAU Legislative Update looks to be yet again a primary focus for the upcoming 2012 legislative session. Our sights are set on landowner rights related to eminent domain, energy production and street improvement districts.

Currently, Oklahoma statute provides a set of policies that entities wishing to exercise the power of eminent domain should follow. However, these policies are not required to be followed. A bill authored by Rep. Don Armes would make these policies mandatory. If an entity failed to follow these policies, the property owner could challenge this. If proven, it could be grounds for dismissal of the condemnation action.

Other legislation authored by Rep. Armes limits a municipality acquiring water rights by eminent domain to a ten-year term. Additionally, the taking of any surface rights for the acquisition of water rights is limited to easements for access, well sites, pipelines and other equipment necessary for the acquisition of water. This language also requires a municipality to remove any other equipment above or below the condemned property within two years from the end of the ten-year term.

Abandoned and non-producing oil and gas wells have proven time and again to be a problem for many landowners. Senate Bill 1044, authored by Sen. Ron Justice, will allow the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to create rules regarding the removal of trash, materials and equipment from abandoned wells.

Senate Bill 1035 also authored by Sen. Ron Justice, creates the Oklahoma Surface Use and Damages Act, which adds surface tenants to those required to receive notice of intent to conduct oil and gas operations. It also sets forth a process for seismic exploration damage determinations. Call the OFB Public Policy division for more information on our priority agenda at (405) 523-2681. Session begins Feb. 6. Come see us at the state capitol!

Garvin County Legislative Dinner Jan. 19, Pauls Valley

LEFT – Emily Shipley of U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn’s office updates Garvin Co. FB members about Sen. Coburn’s agenda in Washington.

RIGHT – State Sen. Susan Paddack of District 13 tells FB members what bills she has filed for the upcoming state legislative session. One of her bills proposes to create a task force in Oklahoma that would study government regulation in industries such as agriculture.

Beef

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Battle Oklahoma FARM Foundation Farming and Ranching Matters

Chickasha Meat Co.

LIVE REMOTE – FOX 25 meteorologist Jeff George (far right) interviews OFB VP of Field Services Thad Doye during a live remote, Jan. 19, at Midwest City’s Hudiburg Chevrolet. The remote was held to promote a shipment of Beef 4 Battle beef sticks to Oklahoma troops. Also pictured (left) is Jim Brooks of the Oklahoma State University Food and Agricultural Products Center, a Beef 4 Battle Coalition partner.

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Published by Oklahoma Farm Bureau Postmaster: address corrections to: Published bySend Oklahoma Farm Bureau

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 Gail Banzet, 523-2346

Oklahoma Farm Bureau 2501 N. Stiles Oklahoma City, OK 73105-3126

Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 131 Okla. City, OK.

Perspective/Online News Editor Traci Morgan, 523-2346 Monica Wilke, 523-2303 Perspective/Online News Editor Executive Director Sam Sam Knipp, Knipp, 523-2347 523-2347 Vice Vice President President of of Communications/PR Communications/PR Kinsey Money, 523-2539 Director of Public Policy Tyler Norvell, 523-2402

Marla Peek, 523-2437 Vice President of Public Policy Director of Regulatory Affairs MarlaKidd, Peek,523-2539 523-2437 Chris Director of of State Regulatory Affairs Affairs Director and National

Registration deadline approaching for no-till conference Farmers looking to learn more about the latest developments in no-till cropping systems are encouraged to attend the Oklahoma NoTill Conference in Norman, Feb. 21-22. The early registration deadline is Feb. 10.

Conference organizers said the event is an opportunity to interact with technical specialists and producers with no-till farming experience. Sessions will cover topics such as forage-based no-till cropping systems, equipment, crop rotation, intensive wheat management, grain sorghum production, herbicide management, no-till canola and soil biology.

The two-day conference will be held at Norman’s National Center for Employee Development. Sessions begin both days at 8 a.m. and run until late afternoon. The registration cost is $110 but raises to $125 after Feb. 10. For a detailed conference agenda or to learn more about registration, visit www.notill.okstate.edu.

KNID Agrifest, Enid BELOW – Garfield County Farm Bureau members Dean Hedges (left) and Gary Johnson man the Oklahoma Farm Bureau booth during the KNID Agrifest. The sold-out farm show was held Jan. 13-14, in Enid. Farm show attendants and Farm Bureau members had the opportunity to learn more about OFB services and sign up for door prizes.

ABOVE – (From left) State Rep. Mike Jackson, Canadian County Farm Bureau member David VonTungeln and State Sen. Ron Justice talk priorities during a legislative forum at the KNID Agrifest. The forum was hosted by the Oklahoma Grain and Stocker Producers to update farmers and ranchers on state and political issues. State legislators also provided a preview of what is expected in the 2012 state legislative session.

Other officials in attendance included Sen. Patrick Anderson, Rep. Dale DeWitt, Rep. John Enns, Rep. Jeff Hickman and State Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese.

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