Oklahoma Farm Bureau recently welcomed a new member to its staff with the addition of Oklahoma State University senior, Gail Banzet. Banzet, an agricultural communications major/agricultural economics minor, will join OFB’s Corporate Communications/Public Relations Division for the summer. Banzet grew up on a cattle operation in southeast Kansas and was active in livestock judging and exhibiting throughout high school. She has served as a Farm Bureau Agricultural Ambassador for Labette County Farm Bureau in Altamont, Kan., and is OSU’s 2005-06 Collegiate Farm Bureau reporter. Banzet also is active in OSU’s Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow chapter and the College of Agricultural […]

Dewey County Farm Bureau member and inventor of the LT Groundloadâ„¢, LeRoy Stotts of Seiling, has developed an award winning a loading chute which attaches to livestock trucks that has earned him a new New Holland tractor. Stotts designed the loading chute to quickly convert from ground level to different loading dock heights. He entered it in the Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s Farmer Idea Exchange last fall and won top honors along with a chance to compete against other agricultural inventor from across the United States in American Farm Bureau Federation’s Farm Idea Exchange competition. In January, at the American Farm […]

The governor’s veto of the anti-trespassing “purple paint bill” Tuesday is described as a victory “for lawbreakers over landowners” by the state’s largest farm organization. “Governor Henry’s veto of Senate Bill 430 aids and abets those lawbreakers who trespass on private property,” said Jeramy Rich, Director of Public Policy for Oklahoma Farm Bureau. “He clearly chose to protect lawbreakers and to ignore the wishes of landowners.” The purple paint bill sailed through the House easily and passed the Senate. It would have allowed landowners to use purple paint on fence posts or trees in lieu of “no trespassing” signs. The […]

  The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the Beef Checkoff Program to be constitutional, overturning a previous decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit which found the natonional Beef Promotion and Research Act to be in violation of the First Amendment. The Beef Checkoff program provides farmers the means to advertise their products on a national scale with the program’s fee of $1 per head of cattle. Through the program, funding is also provided for education, research and issues management, in addition to beef promotion. Following is a statement from Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Steve Kouplen […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders caught up on commodity issues and programs during the second annual OFB Commodity Conference held May 18 in Oklahoma City. The group heard from several industry leaders on topics such as farm policy, animal health and various commodity information. A particular interest to the group is the development of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), which is in the beginning stages of implementation. Although not mandatory until January 2008, livestock producers may begin taking necessary steps to introduce to the identification system into their own operations, said Dr. Becky Brewer-Walker, State Veterinarian. “Through the National Animal […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau has launched the newest addition to its web site, the “Commodities” page. The page was created in an effort to provide visitors with specific information on commodities produced throughout the state. The web page highlights Oklahoma’s top commodities, including beef, wheat, poultry, cotton, swine, peanuts and equine. Visitors will find interesting facts about each commodity as well as its state and national rankings, and the latest cash receipts. KIS Futures will provide weekly market outlooks for most of these commodities. The markets will be updated each Monday morning with the week’s newest activity. In addition, visitors to […]

Oklahoma farmers and ranchers are concerned the state’s Attorney General is expanding his strategy against the poultry industry to include all animal agriculture. The Attorney General has filed a Notice of Intent to sue (NOI) selected poultry companies using the citizen suit provisions of the federal Solid Waste Disposal Act. “The Attorney General is now calling poultry litter hazardous waste,” said Steve Kouplen, president of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau. “The EPA classifies poultry litter as an organic fertilizer, the same tag they put on other livestock manure. This is not a hazardous waste.” The NOI filing calls for poultry companies […]

Several Oklahoma youth recently competed for $9,500 in savings bonds and scholarships during the Tenth Annual Young Farmers and Ranchers Speech Contest, sponsored by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau. The contest was held March 14 at the OSU-OKC campus in Oklahoma City. The YF&R Speech Contest was broken up into three age divisions: Junior, nine-12 years old; Intermediate, 13-15 years old; and Senior, 16-18 years old. The youth gave speeches in three division categories, including Agricultural Production, Agriculture Policy and Environment & Natural Resources. Speeches for the Junior Division were three to five minutes in length; five to seven minutes for […]

A delegation of Oklahoma Young Farmers & Ranchers honed their leadership skills and networked with young producers from across the nation during the recent YF&R Leadership Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference was held Feb. 12-14 in conjunction with AFBF’s National Leadership Conference. The Oklahoma group, more than 20 strong, joined Farm Bureau leaders and young producers nationwide Feb. 12 to hear from AFBF staffers on tax and energy legislation as well as the 2007 farm bill. The attendees also gained valuable tips in working with news media before lining up for a police-escorted parade down famous Bourbon Street […]

It takes less than 40 days for the average American to earn enough income to buy 12 months of groceries, according to statistics compiled by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Committee. The women labeled the milestone ‘Food Check-Out Day’ and celebrated Feb. 7 by donating $1,500 worth of food to the Ronald McDonald Houses in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. “We wanted to highlight the fact farmers produce the safest, most affordable and abundant food supply in the world,” said Clara Wichert, committee chairperson. Americans spend just 10 percent of their disposable income on food compared with consumers in France, 18 […]