Okfbsu05 1 10

SUMMER 2005

THE MAGAZINE OF THE OKLAHOMA FARM BUREAU

INSIDE:

Project Canola Weed’em & Reap Construction for Conservation

Oklahoma Country

Contents

8

Features 8 – Project Canola A new alternative crop is generating interest among northwest Oklahoma producers.

— BY TRACI MORGAN

14 – Weed’um & Reap

14

18

America’s love affair with gardening drives this ‘growing’ business in southeastern Oklahoma. The Bonnie Plant Farm growing station in Howe is a part of the nation’s largest grower of vegetable and herb plants.

— BY MIKE NICHOLS

18 – Construction for Conservation Through effective, new irrigation practices, the Lugert-Altus Irrigation District in southwest Oklahoma is improving the efficiency of agricultural water usage.

— BY GAIL BANZET

Hidden number worth $100 ne member family’s Oklahoma Farm Bureau membership number is hidden somewhere in this issue of OKLAHOMA COUNTRY, and could earn that member family $100 since the prize was not claimed in the spring issue.

To claim the cash prize, the member family must find its hidden membership number and contact Mike Nichols before the last day of the month Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,

O

at 405-523-2300.

The OFB membership number is hidden somewhere in OKLAHOMA COUNTRY. It must match the number on the face of your OFB membership card for you to claim the cash prize.

The membership number that appears on your magazine’s mailing label is not the hidden number, but must match the hidden number for you to claim the cash prize.

Columns

Departments

2 – Presidentially Speaking 4 – Executive Outlook 6 – Country Gardening

22 – All Around Oklahoma 33 – Country Classifieds 36 – Country Kitchen

Cover Image Guthrie farmer Paul Fruendt examines his canola in April during the flowering stage.

Oklahoma Country • Summer 2005 • 1

Presidentially

Speaking

BY STEVE KOUPLEN President, Oklahoma Farm Bureau

I

n recent years we have seen litigation shaping the law with respect to private property rights, environmental issues and the way agriculture production will continue in this country.

As you know, we have formed the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Legal Foundation to support the legal rights of farmers and ranchers by educating the public, investigating instances where farmers’ rights may be violated and funding legal representation to protect the rights of farmers, ranchers and agriculture producers.

The Legal Foundation has successfully participated in reforming annexation law in Oklahoma. In fact, the Oklahoma Supreme Court, based in part on our legal arguments, ruled that a municipality must have a tangible municipal purpose for annexing rural property, in addition to merely meeting the statutory requirements for annexation.

The Legal Foundation has headed a group of stakeholders in successfully requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rewrite its rules with respect to designating critical habit for the Arkansas River Shiner. We continue our efforts to eventually delist the shiner through voluntary management plans.

The Legal Foundation has applied for a Private Stewardship grant through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assist in the eradication of salt cedar and eastern red cedar in Dewey and Ellis counties. Eradication will increase water flow and benefit the habitat of the shiner. It is anticipated that the Legal Foundation will soon receive word as to whether a grant was awarded and the dollar amount of the award.

We are pleased to announce the addition of a very qualified individual to serve as the Associate Director of the Legal Foundation. Ryan Jackson, a native Oklahoman, received his undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma focusing on environmental policy and graduated from Oklahoma City University School of Law. Ryan has been in Washington, D.C., since 2003 and comes to us from his position as majority counsel of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which is chaired by Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma. The committee has jurisdiction over federal environmental statutes and major national infrastructure projects.

Additionally, the Legal Foundation will be adding to its staff, Research Specialist Ericka McPherson. Ericka, a native of St. Louis, is a recent graduate of Oklahoma City University School of Law and received her undergraduate degree from St. Louis University.

In addition to her legal expertise, Ericka already has shown a true commitment to the issues facing Oklahoma’s agriculture producers.

The success of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Legal Foundation and the recent expansion of the legal team are based solely on the strong support of our membership.

Your financial contributions to the nonprofit entity allow us to continue to protect and promote the rights of landowners and agriculture producers. Without your tax-deductible donations to the Legal Foundation, we would be unable to continue to serve our membership in this capacity.

Thank you for your continued support of this truly worthwhile endeavor.

2 • Oklahoma Country • Summer 2005

Summer 2005 Volume 57 No. 3 Oklahoma Country (ISSN 1544-6476) Published four times per year in April, July, October and January by Oklahoma Farm Bureau, 2501 N. Stiles, Oklahoma City, OK 73105-3126, Telephone 405-523-2300.

Periodicals postage paid at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Additional Mailing Offices.

Postmaster: Send address corrections to: OKLAHOMA COUNTRY, P.O.B. 53332, Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3332.

EDITORIAL TEAM Sam Knipp Director of Corporate Communications/ Public Relations Mike Nichols OKLAHOMA COUNTRY Editor and Senior Writer Traci Morgan PERSPECTIVE and Online News Editor Nicola Freeman Coordinator of Media Relations DIRECT YOUR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES TO: OKLAHOMA COUNTRY Attn: Mike Nichols 2501 N. Stiles Oklahoma City, OK 73105 405-523-2300, Ext. 2345 ADVERTISING POLICY All advertising is subject to publisher’s approval.

Advertisers assume all liability for content of their advertising. Publisher maintains right to cancel advertising. Publisher does not guarantee advertiser service or products, and assumes no liability for products or services advertised in OKLAHOMA COUNTRY. TO SUBSCRIBE OKLAHOMA COUNTRY subscription rate is $1 per year for members as part of the dues, $15 for non-members.

WEB SITE www.okfarmbureau.org OKLAHOMA FARM BUREAU DIRECTORS Steve Kouplen, President Mike Spradling, Vice President Billy Gibson, Secretaru Bob Drake, Treasurer Scott Dvorak, Director Ervin Mitchell, Director Merle Atkins, Director Larry Boggs, Director Charles Sloan, Director Donna VonTungeln, Director Matt Wilson, Executive Director

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Oklahoma Country • Summer 2005 • 3

Country

Gardening

BY BILLY ROSS Station Manager Bonnie Plant Farm Howe, Oklahoma

BEANS – FRESH GREEN BEANS – DON’T YOU JUST LOVE THEM! Nothing says country gardening more than a row of beans. They are one of the most popular things for gardeners to grow and pretty easy as well.

Beans come in two different types - bush and pole. Bush beans are just as the name implies a free-standing bush that doesn’t require any support. Pole beans have vines that climb and require something to grow on, such as a pole or, even better, a trellis.

While Pole beans might require a little gardens. As with hand tools, quality more work, both types are easy to harvest and construction is important as well as fit. A rake, pretty prolific. Beans, both bush and pole can spade shovel or garden fork that is too large be grown in containers, just make sure there for you to handle smoothly or too small are at least 8 inches of soil depth. requiring you to bend over too much will Beans will grow all summer, but to make make the job at hand more difficult and sure to have some available most of the unpleasant than it needs to be. Gardening is growing season, plant your bean plants at great exercise but it shouldn’t be torture. Well different times, staggering them all summer. fitting tools can ease your labor, making every This will make sure that there are always move more efficient. beans ready to pick Investment in tools during the growing COUNTRY GREEN BEANS that will last more season.

Nearly every country or southern kid has than one growing If you have a large had the pleasure of eating country green season and are well crop at some point, beans. It is a staple of every southern suited to the person freeze them. It is cook. Here is an adaptation of that old time who is using them can favorite. easy to do and will Wash and pinch the ends off about 2 insure that your give you fresh tasting pounds of green beans. Snap the beans so gardening experience beans for the winter. they are about 2 inches long. is far more pleasant The key is to freeze Take at least 8 slices of turkey bacon or and less frustrating. them the day you lean ham and chop it up. Sauté bacon or WHEEL BARROW – pick them. ham in a little olive oil (about 1 tsp.) over again for those with medium heat, stirring often so the bacon or Bonnie Plants has ham doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of flower beds and Blue Lake Green the pan. decent sized gardens, Beans, an excellent When the bacon is almost done, add a wheel barrow can be bush variety. The one medium chopped onion and sauté. a great tool. Look for bean pods grow to Add green beans to pot and enough cold rust proof steel and between 6 and 6 1/2 water to cover the beans. Add some salt good balance to your inches long and are and pepper. Bring the beans and water to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. wheel barrow. easily picked. Just be Simmer on the stove until beans are very Whether you are trying sure to look under tender, at least 2 hours. Watch the pot to to move new Bonnie your bush bean, there make sure all the water doesn’t boil out. vegetables or herbs are always beans For a little heartier dish, add chopped from the car to the hiding there once new potatoes after you have added the garden or hauling dirt they start to grow. water. Serve your country beans with piping hot corn bread and you have what or waste to a compost The Blue Lake has been called in many a southern heap or trash, a good variety also produces household – “good eaten.” wheel barrow can a bean pod that is reduce the trips and stringless and a make the load easier to carry. delicious bean to eat.

Check with your local Bonnie Plant Farm Beans, a definite must dealer, often they have gardening implements TM for every garden. Get for sale and they will be more than willing to yours from Bonnie Plant Farm and look help pick the right tool for you. The gardening forward to great tasting fresh beans.

Good tools make gardening more pleasant!

Y

ou are as only as good as the tools you use as the old saying goes.

Tools do make a difference in most every endeavor, especially gardening.

Having tools that fit you and are well made can make even the most difficult job a little easier. You don’t have to buy every gardening gadget on the market. Just a few key tools can make all the difference.

GLOVES – nothing can make working outside in the soil and with plants a better experience than a well-made pair of gloves that are not too large or small in size. Wellfitting gloves that don’t easily fray at the seams and are not made of thin material can make handling prickly weeds and thorny stems or bushes much easier. Thin cotton gloves are inexpensive, but they will fall apart quickly. Look for gloves made of sturdier material such as denim or leather, these will last much longer. You might spend more at the outset but you won’t be buying new gloves every few months either.

HAND TOOLS – such as a hand trowel, cultivator and pruning shears. All types of gardening use hand tools, especially container gardening. Having tools that are well constructed so that they don’t bend or break when in use is important. The tools should be constructed with seamless metal that joins solidly with a heavy plastic or wood handle. In cheaper made tools, any decent amount of pressure causes the tool to bend, making it difficult if not impossible to use after a while.

Go ahead and invest in better-made hand tools, so that they last year in and year out.

Also make sure that they fit the user as well.

Available now are gardening hand tools made with women and children in mind, so that the tools fit the hand using it.

GARDEN FORK, SPADE, SHOVEL AND RAKE – all-important tools for gardeners who have flower beds or gardens larger than container 4 • Oklahoma Country • Summer 2005

experience can really be improved with the tools you use.

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Executive

Outlook

BY MATT WILSON Executive Director, Oklahoma Farm Bureau & Affiliated Companies

A

wise man once told me “your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.”

That conjures up quite an image for a fence. Just close your eyes and imagine a fence so high that a horse wouldn’t attempt to jump it; so tight that even the most wily pig couldn’t squeeze through it; and so strong that your bull would never stray.

Some kind of fence, isn’t it? One that would make any landowner proud. . .one that would be the envy of others. . .one that would make your property instantly recognizable.

While Oklahoma Farm Bureau and its 77 county affiliates have not built any fences, our organization, our leaders and our members certainly have made very positive and very recognizable improvements to the image of this great organization.

Just turn back your mental clock a few years. . . .you’re behind the wheel, headed to your county Farm Bureau office. It’s about a 30-minute drive, because you live in the south end of the county and the office is in the far north end.

You turn in the narrow driveway when you arrive, then struggle to wedge into a parking space so you can get out and go in to transact your business.

The office isn’t ugly or unsightly, but it’s just – for lack of a better visual description – blah, sort of like a gray winter day; nothing you’d want to write home about.

You open the front door and go in. There’s the office secretary. Don’t trip getting to her 6 • Oklahoma Country • Spring 2005

desk or table, that carpet’s had that little snag for years. It’s not that noticeable, is it? Have a seat in one of the mismatched chairs. They’re sturdy and clean.

Be sure to speak up because that old window air unit is awfully loud, but it sure keeps the place good and cool.

Your agent is in. Careful getting to his office. Storage place is at a premium, you know, so watch out for that file cabinet that sits in the hallway.

One thing you can count on – your agent sure knows his stuff. He can answer all your questions, take care of all your needs. Pity that his office is so cramped. . .kind of like that extra room at your house, functional but not the place you want to bring company into.

That was the overall Farm Bureau image just a few years ago. Not necessarily bad, maybe worthy of a C on the report card.

The foundation was there. Good people were there. The visual image sometimes detracted from the public perception of Farm Bureau. We were a first-class organization offering first-class service and products from less than first-class facilities.

L

et’s get those mental clocks back to the 21st Century. Notice a few changes?

Our leadership demanded it, our members deserved it, employees appreciated it and the general public certainly noticed it!

Farm Bureau’s got it – a first-class image that greatly enhances the organization, the services, the products and all the people who serve our members on a day-to-day basis.

When you get behind the wheel now to go to the Farm Bureau office, chances are you won’t be driving long. There are about 40 satellite offices now on top of the 77 primary county offices.

Since 1997, most of the 77 county Farm Bureaus have built new offices, remodeled,

added on or made other major aesthetic improvements. That’s remarkable, and some of the new complexes are truly remarkable.

They stand out, yet they are inviting – showing members and non-members alike that Farm Bureau is in the forefront when it comes to providing services and products.

And the makeover still is in progress.

There are several counties with new office plans on the table and yet others considering new locations.

Improvements are not confined to the counties. Next time you’re in Oklahoma City, stop by your state headquarters. Yes we’re still in the same location and the same building, but just about every interior nook and cranny has had a facelift in the last few years.

We’re not through, either. A much-needed addition to the parking lot is in the works, and a new building we now call the “warehouse” is planned.

The number of claims offices has been doubled, so adjustors, appraisers and other specialists are nearby when they’re needed.

Our image most definitely has improved, and that heightened perception with the general public has played a role in the tremendous, double-digit growth of Oklahoma Farm Bureau & Affiliated Companies.

We can be proud of the physical improvements! And we should relish our contemporary image that is helping make Farm Bureau instantly recognizable as the premier organization for all Oklahomans.

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Oklahoma Farm Bureau Journal 7.375"X9.75"

The owl’s eyes are shaped so it spends its entire life looking for ward.

We should all be so wise.

Here’s to a good life.

Farm Bureau for life . . .

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Oklahoma Country • Summer 2005 • 7

A new alternative crop is generating interest among northwest Oklahoma producers.

By Traci Morgan

A

s if Oklahoma farmers weren’t busy enough this summer trying to dodge storms to get their wheat acres cut, canola harvest fell right in the middle for some northwest Oklahoma producers this year.

A winter crop planted in the fall in rotation with winter wheat, canola has many producers excited about its potential and willing to manage both crops.

“You just make it work,” said Scott Neufeld, a Fairview farmer. “Our farm operates…if you’re committed to something, you’re going to try to

Fairview producer Scott Neufeld’s canola seed was headed for a Colorado crushing plant to be used in biofuels, but the he would have liked it to stay closer to home. “If we get enough acres that canola becomes a viable alternative, which I think it is going to be, we’ll have to have some help through our legislators to get some grassroots efforts involved to bring a plant to Oklahoma.”

Project

8 • Oklahoma Country • Summer 2005