• Bob Drake is appointed to OFB board of directors ................................... Page 3 • Horsemen beware! Debilitating virus on the way? .................................... Page 7
All-Around Service
®
All Around Oklahoma
journal Oklahoma Farm Bureau
Volume 54 No. 4
(ISSN 1091-921X)
June 2002
140,000 kids and counting
Oklahoma Farm Bureau surpassed its 2002 quota May 24, marking the 14th consecutive record-breaking membership year for the Sooner State’s largest and most influential farm organization. The 2002 membership quota was 133,400 member families. That number was surpassed, and the end of May membership report showed 134,505 families on the rolls. Forty of the 77 county Farm Bureaus already have met or exceeded their 2002 membership quota, fueling the state organization’s recordbreaking membership pace.
Finally. . . . a farm bill
Fire Safety Trailers towed across state to educate children By Mike Nichols One hundred forty thousand and counting! That six-digit figure reflects the colossal number of youngsters who have gone through Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s interactive fire safety education program via its two mobile fire safety houses in less than three years. “The response, quite simply, has been overwhelming,” said Larry Pittser, OFB safety director. “It really has been amazing to have the opportunity to reach so many youngsters, and teach them the basics of fire safety. “The need certainly exists,” he declared. “Unfortunately, Oklahoma leads the nation in the number of fire deaths per million. Children are at the very top of that sad statistical scale.” Often dubbed the “fun house” by elementary students scurrying down the second story exit ladder after emerging from the smokefilled miniature bedroom, Farm Bureau’s Fire Safety House is more likely to be mistaken for an RV trailer. Eye-catching, bright red lettering — Oklahoma Farm Bureau Kids Fire Safety — emblazoned on the sides and rear of the two specialized trailers announces that these two trailers are not your grandfather’s RV. Kid-size rooms with kid-size furnishings, except in the kitchen, point to the specialized nature of the two rolling classrooms. A replica fireplace, flickering faux flames from ceramic logs, is the focal point for youngsters beginning their fire safety education odyssey in the living room area of the trailers. Youngsters huddle in the living area, eyes fixed on the volunteer, safety representative or fireman situated next to the fireplace who begins the interactive session. (Trailers, Page 2)
Quota busted!
Jenna Perez, a third grader at the McLoud Elementary School, exits the smoke-filled bedroom of the Fire Safety Trailer.
After more than two years of hearings, negotiations, studies and debate, a new farm bill has been signed into law that provides a viable safety net for the nation’s farmers while maintaining the market-oriented features and flexibility of its 1996 predecessor. “The new farm program is an investment in rural America,” said Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Steve Kouplen. “The farm program ensures the continued production of major bulk commodities comprising the foundation of our economy.” The President signed the new legislation May 13 after a congressional committee worked out a compromise between the House and Senate versions. “Success of farmers and ranchers is essential to success of the American economy,” said President George Bush, as he signed the measure. “This bill is generous and provides a safety net for farmers. It will do so without encouraging overproduction and depressing prices. “I understand how hard farmers have to work for a living. I know they face tough challenges. I know how hard many struggle,” Bush continued. “Their livelihood depends on things they cannot control: the weather, crop disease, uncertain pricing. They need a farm bill that provides support and help when times are tough.” The new measure will pour $122 million of new money into Oklahoma in its first year, according to Jeramy Rich, OFB’s director of public policy. “This is tremendous for the economy and development of rural Oklahoma,” he said. In addition to the purely agricultural issues addressed by the measure, Rich said it also provides assistance in several areas important to all of rural America. “There is $100 million for high-speed broadband development in rural areas. There also is (Farm bill, Page 3)