More than 80 OKFB Leadership Team members gathered in Claremore July 12-13 for the group’s annual summer conference. Event highlights included an inspirational address from Donna McSpadden about the legendary life of her husband, Clem McSpadden, an open sharing of ways for OKFB women to get involved with their communities led by Sue Billiot of the AFBF Women’s Leadership Committee, and workshops geared toward empowering women and encouraging them to be more engaged in agriculture and OKFB.
“We want these women to see the impact they can have when they are involved in agriculture,” said Kitty Beavers, OKFB Leadership Team chairman. “Whether it’s sharing messages on their Facebook pages, participating in Ag in the Classroom or spending time face-to-face with consumers, we can all do more to contribute to the agricultural industry and Oklahoma Farm Bureau.”
The workshops addressed topics including social media, heart and women’s health and Ag in the Classroom. The women participated in discussions about ways to advocate for agriculture on Facebook and Twitter, things they can do to stay healthy and educational tools that can be used to teach young students about agriculture.
After dinner at the Nut House in Claremore on Friday evening, Native American storyteller Robert Lewis entertained the group by using them as characters in his stories. Laughter filled the room as members were pulled from the crowd to play parts in his tales.
The Leadership Team members spent Saturday morning touring Shepherd’s Cross, a working sheep farm and agritourism site in Claremore. The group walked through the farm’s biblical gardens, learned about spinning sheep wool and took a hayride through the farm’s pastures as they learned more about the operation.
