An intensive two-day workshop will take place on the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater Aug. 15-16. The workshop is geared toward family farmers and ranchers interested in learning how to develop and implement a successful farm transition. Following a successful series of five one-day workshops held throughout Oklahoma in March and April, the two-day event will include in-depth coverage of business and personal goal-setting, financial analysis, human resources, family communications, estate planning, estate taxes and retirement planning. Expert panels featuring attorneys, tax professionals and mediators also will be available to help families who choose to have their first transition […]

The American Farm Bureau Federation, together with the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Global Social Enterprise Initiative, today announced a new online business training resource for rural entrepreneurs and Farm Bureau members. The series, launching with five webinars in 2014, is a key component of the Rural Entrepreneurship Initiative, a joint effort between AFBF and GSEI. “The webinar series has been developed to meet the needs of our members who are already involved in rural entrepreneurship enterprises as well as those preparing to launch a business in their local communities,” said Dr. Lisa Benson, AFBF’s director of rural development. […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau Executive Director Monica Wilke has been selected to participate in the next class of Leadership Oklahoma, a statewide organization of leaders who help shape the state’s future. “I am honored to serve with such a respected group of individuals who are all interested in making Oklahoma the best it can be,” Wilke said. “I am looking forward to learning about the many aspects of our state and to sharing information about our strong agricultural industry with my peers.” Prior to becoming executive director of the state’s largest farm organization in 2009, Wilke served as OKFB’s general counsel, […]

Producers interested in learning how to maximize their canola crop should plan now to attend one of two Oklahoma-Kansas Winter Canola Conferences taking place July 29 in Enid and July 30 in Altus. “Think of the conferences as one-stop shopping, wherein a participant can get the latest science-proven information about what it takes to raise the most successful canola crop possible relative to local conditions,” said Rick Nelson, Garfield County Extension agricultural educator. There is no charge to attend either of the conferences being put on by cooperating partners Oklahoma State University Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Kansas […]

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and senior member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) committee, today praised the agreement reached by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) that will allow local fire and law enforcement agencies to continue receiving surplus military equipment: “I applaud the DOD and EPA for coming to an agreement on a 25-year-old rule that the Department of Defense (DOD) recently decided to start enforcing to the detriment of a program supporting Oklahoma’s local fire departments and their ability to fight wildfires. […]

Oklahoma’s Statewide Women in Agriculture and Small Business Conference will take place Aug. 7-8 at the Moore-Norman Technology Center. “The focus of the two-day conference is to assist women and producers to successfully manage risk for their agricultural enterprises or small businesses,” said Damona Doye, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension farm management specialist. Cost is $50 per participant if registering by Aug. 1 and $60 thereafter. Registration includes two breakfasts, two lunches, all refreshment breaks, conference materials and an optional post-conference training Aug. 8 from 2-5 p.m. on farm transitions and estate planning. Registration forms and additional information are available […]

Rural fire departments across Oklahoma and the nation will be devastated by an agreement between the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which stops making available excess DoD vehicles that are critical to rural fire departments’ ability to fight wildland fires. Through two long-standing federal excess property programs, Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) and Firefighter Property program (FPP), Oklahoma Forestry Services has been able to assist rural fire departments by providing no-cost military trucks that are then re-manufactured into wildland engines and water tenders through its Rural Fire Assistance Program. Without access to the vehicles and […]