OKLAHOMA FARM BUREAU
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April 1, 2016
OKFB women donate to Tulsa Ronald McDonald House as part of Our Food Link Program
(Left to Right): Jean Ann Hankins, executive director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tulsa, accepts a basket of gift cards and snacks for families at the house from Lena Henson, OKFB Women’s Leadership Committee Vice Chairman, and Marcia Irvin, WLC Coordinator. he Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee donated a gift basket of snacks and gift cards to the Ronald McDonald House in Tulsa on Tuesday, March 15. Farm Bureau women donated the items to help families during their stay at the Tulsa Ronald McDonald house while their children receive care at local hospitals. The donation is part of the WLC’s Our Food Link activities for the year, which seeks to connect consumers with the food Oklahoma farmers and ranchers grow and raise. “This donation puts Oklahoma Farm Bureau in front of people from across our state and connects them with where their food comes from,” said Lena Henson, OKFB WLC vice chairman. “Farmers and ranchers enjoy producing food, and this is a great opportunity to connect with our consumers while helping families during times of need.” The donation included gift cards to
Braum’s and local restaurants. A variety of snack items gave families the ability to grab food on their way to and from nearby hospitals. Jean Ann Hankins, executive director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tulsa, said the donation of snacks and gift cards provides foods that the house otherwise would not be able to offer to residents. “This is something that we look forward to annually,” Hankins said. “I love the variety of it because we can use it exactly how we need it, and that is to provide items for our families that other groups do not donate, such as fresh produce, milk and eggs from Braum’s and the other gift certificates that we can use.” The OKFB WLC will make a similar donation to the Oklahoma City Ronald McDonald House for families with children receiving medical care in the Oklahoma City area.
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YF&R Golf Classic Join us for the 14th annual
YF&R to hold golf tournament May 6th he Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers will hold their 14th annual YF&R Golf Classic Friday, May 6th at Roman Nose Golf Course near Watonga. The annual scramble-style tournament opens with check-in at 9 a.m., and golfers will tee off at 10 a.m. Several prizes will be awarded, and lunch will be provided. All proceeds from the event will be given to support State Question 777, the Right to Farm. Registration is being accepted now through April 29th for teams and individuals. The cost is $350 per team of four golfers or $90 per individual. Mulligans can be purchased for $10 each, with a limit of three per person. Tournament costs must be paid in advance.
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OKFB supports ag youth at OYE with purchase of 34 animals, recognized with 2015 volume buyer award klahoma Farm Bureau purchased premiums on 34 animals as the organization supported Oklahoma’s agriculture youth during the 2016 Oklahoma Youth Expo Sale of Champions held Friday, March 18 in Oklahoma City. Before the start of the 2016 sale, OKFB received the 2015 OYE volume buyer award for purchasing the most premiums at the 2015 sale. The 2016 OYE premium sale raised more than $1.1 million for students across the state who showed their livestock at the annual expo. OKFB partnered with fellow agricultural and rural organizations and individuals in purchasing the premiums for 34 animals including cattle, hogs, sheep and goats. OKFB also purchased the chalice for the grand champion steer, shown by Baylor Bonham of Newcastle FFA.
(Left to Right): Keith Kisling, OKFB district seven director, and Phyllis Holcomb, OKFB secretary and district nine director, accept the 2015 OYE volume buyer award from Bob Funk, chairman of the OYE board, during the OYE sale of champions Friday, March 18.
OKFB board members and others pose for a photo with Katie Eisenhauer of Oklahoma County 4-H, who showed the bronze medallion goat purchased by OKFB and several other organizations.
Tecumseh FFA member Blake Kennedy shows a crossbred hog that was purchased by a coalition of several groups and individuals, including OKFB.
Oklahoma Farm Bureau Online OYE Legislator and VIP show
Attorney General Pruitt on fighting overreach
Many of our great friends from the Oklahoma legislature along with special guests from all facets of Oklahoma agriculture had their chance to show animals alongside students at the Oklahoma Youth Expo. Check out our Facebook album of photos to see all the action from the show ring.
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Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt took time to visit with us about his efforts to combat federal overreach in a Lincoln to Local interview. Watch Pruitt’s comments and see all our 2016 Lincoln to Local videos at http://okagpolicy.org/lincoln-to-local/.
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Golf Tournament (Continued from page one) Hole sponsorships are also available to companies, organizations and groups at three different levels: • Platinum hole sponsorships at a cost of $1,000 include green fees for four players, a meal and door prizes, two free mulligans per player and a sponsored hole named for your team. • Gold sponsorships at a cost of $750 include green fees for four players, a meal and door prizes, one free mulligan per player and a sponsored hole named for your team. • Silver sponsorships at a cost of $500 include green fees for four players, a meal and door prizes, and a sponsored hole named for your team. To register for the YF&R Golf Classic, or for questions, call Holly Carroll at (405) 523-2307. We hope to see you in Watonga!
Food donation (Continued from page one) The Ronald McDonald House Charities provide a “home away from home” for families with children receiving medical care at local hospitals, providing peace of mind as families navigate medical appointments, decisions and procedures. Our Food Link is a year-round program that county and state Farm Bureaus across the nation use to reach consumers of all ages and backgrounds with information about today’s agriculture.
The legislative session is almost halfway over: The best is yet to come? By LeeAnna McNally • OKFB Director of National Affairs Yes, the best is yet to come. We’re closing in on the halfway point of the second session of the 55th Legislature. The Oklahoma State Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on Friday, May 27, 2016. However, many are asking, and the question of the session remains: will a budget be produced by May 27? As a member of the Optimist Club, I have to say, “Yes, of course, it will be completed.” Many people, though, continue to scratch their head at the question and are not so sure. We all know this is no small task. It’s important to keep in mind elected officials, who represent every corner of Oklahoma, have very different ideas about what an “appropriate” budget would look like. At the end of the day, I’m confident these same elected officials will be in agreement to do what is right for Oklahoma as a whole. The more – and probably most – important question on everyone’s mind is: how do we not end up in this same $1.3-billion-dollar shortfall again? Is the worst yet to come? Many individuals believe we haven’t seen the worst of the budget shortfall. If this is the case,
how do elected officials fix an even bigger budget shortfall? I think the answer is obvious and fairly simple: leadership. Leadership is an absolute necessity on all fronts, from feral hogs to education and from roads and bridges to health care. Oklahoma Farm Bureau members from both rural and urban areas recognize the pressing issues in education on the horizon. They see an opportunity to be engaged with issues that directly impact rural Oklahoma and their way of life. They stand ready to assist and direct our state leaders in preparing Oklahoma for the future.
It’s important to keep in mind elected officials, who represent every corner of Oklahoma, have very different ideas about what an “appropriate” budget would look like. — LeeAnna McNally
Member Benevts
Calendar
CATERPILLAR
Congressional Action Tour April 10 – 14 • Washington, D.C. Contact: Tasha Duncan (405) 530-2681
Springtime is time to get work done, and OKFB members can take advantage of savings up to $2,000 on the purchase or lease of qualifying CAT equipment that will handle jobs big and small. For full program details and to print your savings certificate, visit fbadvantage.com/cat today.
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OKFB Commodity Tour May 4 – 6 • Woodward Area Contact: Marcia Irvin (405) 523-2405 YF&R Golf Tournament May 6 • Roman Nose Golf Course, Watonga Contact: Holly Carroll (405) 523-2307
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Executive Director Monica Wilke 405-523-2303 VP of Strategic Corporate Communications Becky Samples 405-523-2528 VP of Public Policy John Collison 405-523-2539 Director of Corporate Communications Dustin Mielke 405-530-2640 Director of Public Policy Communications Hannah Nemecek 405-523-2346
OYE animal donations to provide 280,000 pork sticks for hungry kids Oklahoma’s FFA and 4-H livestock showing students showcased their generosity along with their talent during this year’s Oklahoma Youth Expo. Encouraged by the FFA’s Hunger Challenge, more than 200 live animals were donated to the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation for the Pork for Packs and Beef for Backpacks programs during the weeklong show. “We have been blown away by the generosity of these students,” said Jeramy Rich, Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation president. “This year’s donations during the Oklahoma Youth Expo will allow us to produce approximately 280,000 pork sticks for the Food for Kids Programs. “We owe a special thank you to Thad Doye, Oklahoma Farm Bureau Crop Insurance Manager, for countless hours spent transporting and caring for the livestock. His devotion to this program is inspiring,” Rich said.
Through the backpack programs, the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation, along with a coalition of partners in the agriculture and food processing industry, takes donated livestock to produce nutritious, high-protein pork and beef sticks, which are distributed through Food for Kids programs by the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. The Food for Kids Programs distribute non-perishable food to more than 29,000 chronically hungry students across all 77 counties each week; and the pork and beef sticks provide them with an essential source of protein on weekends and school holidays. For more information, or to participate in the backpack programs, please visit www. okfarmingandranchingfoundation.org/beeffor-backpacks or call Amanda Rosholt at (405) 202-1463 or email her at Amanda.rosholt@aggiving.org.
State Question 777 corner
The latest news on Oklahoma’s Right to Farm amendment, SQ 777, which will appear on the general election ballot on November, 8, 2016.
SQ 777 video premiers at OYE, available online he first video promoting SQ 777 debuted at the grand drive of the Oklahoma Youth Expo in Oklahoma City. The three-minute video, featuring three young Oklahoma agriculturalists and their reasons for supporting the Right to Farm, is posted on the Yes on 777 Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OklahomaRightToFarm/
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Thad Doye loads donated pigs at the end of the 2016 Oklahoma Youth Expo. Enough animals were donated to produce approximately 280,000 pork sticks for hungry children in Oklahoma.