Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Visits Cuba Fidel Castro wants to buy Oklahoma wheat and Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Steve Kouplen says he’s ready to sell! Kouplen, a Beggs farmer and rancher, has just returned from a seven-day trade mission to Cuba sponsored by Farm Bureau. "We made it clear to the Cuban government we’re willing to sell our products to them," Kouplen said. Cuba’s struggling economy, mired in a decades-long slump, is a major stumbling block to trade with the U.S. So is the political climate. Current U.S. law allows exports of food and medicine, but only on a cash […]

OFB establishes political agriculture fund Saying it was time to step up and strongly support friends of agriculture, delegates at the Oklahoma Farm Bureau annual meeting voted to establish a political action fund. The delegate action occurred during the farm group’s 61st annual meeting, Nov. 9-11 in Oklahoma City. Carefully avoiding the term “political action committee”, Farm Bureau members said they wanted to elect legislative leaders who understand agriculture without getting mired in the negative connotations of a PAC. Officially the committee is referred to as the OK Ag Fund. “Shrinking rural populations combined with legislative term limits have set […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau has launched a new Web site featuring online classified ads. The new site, The Sale Ring, is designed to offer OFB members a place to buy, sell or trade agricultural products online. All visitors to the new site are welcome to browse the categories listed. Ad placings are FREE for Oklahoma Farm Bureau members. Those who are not yet Farm Bureau members have the opportunity to register online for OFB membership, thus ensuring their ability to place ads on this unique site. The Sale Ring allows members to buy, sell or trade a variety of products and […]

Water and water rights issues topped the list of policy recommendations submitted by county Farm Bureaus for consideration by members of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Resolutions Committee Oct. 29-30. Committee members edited and consolidated more than 600 resolutions addressing state and national issues at the Oklahoma City meeting. The list was categorized to integrate similar ideas in preparation for OFB’s 61st annual meeting Nov. 9-11, where delegates from the 77 counties will meet at Oklahoma City’s Cox Convention Center to determine organizational policy for 2003. Many policy recommendations submitted dealt with controversial water and water rights issues. The recommendations committee […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau & Affiliated Companies was a major buyer at the 2002 Tulsa State Fair Junior Livestock Premium Auction Oct. 4. The state’s largest farm organization purchased 22 of the prize-winning animals that made the annual premium auction. Farm Bureau was recognized with the 2001 Volume Buyer Award, marking the second consecutive year the organization was the buyer of the largest number of animals in the sale. The exhibitors of the prize-winning animals Farm Bureau purchased were: ø Carla Church of Sentinel for a market steer. ø Lacey Deatherage of Fairland for a market steer. ø Brianna Smith of […]

Almost 600 youngsters participated in the 12th annual Oklahoma Farm Bureau-sponsored Oklahoma State Fair Livestock Judging Contest Sept. 28 in Oklahoma City. The contest gave youngsters the opportunity to test their judging skills on cattle, swine and sheep while competing for $2,000 worth of prizes plus plaques and ribbons. Results in the senior 4-H division, which was for 4-H members 14 and older, were: • Teams: McCurtain County’s (Valliant 4-H) Courtney Coffman, Jake Mullens, Sabrina Meeks and Chelsea Coffman, first; Kay County’s Gayle Buellsefeld, Salye Bersman, Justin McMurtrie and Ross Kubik, second; and Washita County’s (Canute 4-H) Kylie Kupksa, Caittyn […]

Oklahoma wheat producers have until Sept. 30 to apply for crop insurance, according to Scott Bulling, crop program manager for Oklahoma Farm Bureau. Crop insurance should be considered a risk management tool, Bulling said. “We don’t want to have to bet the farm on whether or not we will have a crop,” Bulling said. “After the huge losses producers have experienced the last several years, few (producers) wish to bet their entire future on one year’s crop. Crop insurance gives producers the security of knowing they can survive a crop failure.” There is a large variety of crop insurance products […]

A District Court ruling in Muskogee County is testing the rights of citizens to own property according to Harlan Hentges, Director of the Oklahoma Agricultural Legal Foundation. Muskogee County commissioners asked the district judge earlier this year to approve the taking of private property for a private company’s water pipeline easement. In a ruling issued Aug. 29 the district judge concurred. The Foundation is funding legal representation for the property owners. "If this is allowed then any government entity can take anybody’s land for any purpose," Hentges said. "The taking of private property for private use is clearly unconstitutional." Landowners […]

Mammoth PBJ shoots for record Two state commodity groups plan to establish a new world record for a Goliath-size sandwich Sept. 7 during Septemberfest. While the mammoth size of the gigantic size peanut butter and jelly sandwich hopefully will stand the test of time in the Guinness Book of World Records, the hefty behemoth should be reduced to crumbs and splatters before the day is done. Those attending Septemberfest, which will be held on the grounds of the Governor’s Mansion in Oklahoma City, will get to sample the giant sandwich when it will be served up after being certified as […]

Wheat producers grazing out part of their acres may be prevented from updating yield history according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture interpretation of the new farm bill. "As we understand the rule, if we plant 1,000 acres of wheat, but harvest 500 acres with our cattle, those acres will receive a zero yield for production history purposes," Steve Kouplen, Oklahoma Farm Bureau president, said. "This basically cuts our yield for the 1,000 acres in half, and obviously this would prevent us from updating yields." Updating yields could make producers eligible for higher program payments. If producers do not update […]