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 members approved to submit to delegates strongly oppose state efforts to control waters of the state.
"Our county Farm Bureaus want to exclude privately held waters from the control and regulation of the State of Oklahoma. We’ve already had a producer who was forced by the state to take a bulldozer and bust his own farm pond’s dam so he could stay in business," said Jeramy Rich, OFB Public Policy director.
"Our members strongly want to exclude isolated wetlands, farm ponds and other privately-held water from control and regulation by the state. They do not want those types to be considered waters of the state."
The recommendation also opposed out-of-basin groundwater sales as well as asking for the state to conduct a 100-year needs study to determine Oklahoma’s needs before declaring any water to be in excess.
Many counties also submitted proposed policy dealing with limiting landowner liability when prescribed burning is used to control the state’s growing number of evasive species, particularly red cedars.
Several recommendations were submitted dealing with the needs of the self-employed to find reasonable and affordable health insurance.
Recommendations also were submitted asking the federal government to discontinue its practice of giving Indian tribes treatment as states regarding water quality control issues.
The proposals submitted to the Resolutions Committee made their way through the county annual meeting process, where individual members of the largest and most influential farm organization in the state express their concerns on issues. Those concerns and possible solutions formulated recommendations considered by the committee.
"This is a true grassroots effort," said Steve Kouplen, OFB president. "We are confident that the results of this process is what Oklahoma farmers and ranchers want their Farm Bureau to get done."
Policy recommendations assembled by the committee will be formally considered by delegates at the OFB Nov. 9-11 annual meeting, where the final policies will be adopted for the 144,000-plus member family organization.
County Farm Bureau presidents or their representatives and leaders from Farm Bureau Women’s (FBW) and Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) committees served as resolutions committee members.
OFB Directors Al Callahan of Poteau, Bob Drake of Davis, Mike Spradling of Sand Springs and Wade Rousselot of Wagoner served as advisory members of the committee. OFB Vice President Joe Mayer of Guymon chaired the committee meeting.
Committee members included Nancy Bennett, Beaver County, FBW; Dennis Miller, Beckham County; Clay Loosen, Blaine County; Frances Davis, Caddo County, FBW; and Ray Bornemann, Canadian County.
Jimmy W. Kinder, Cotton County; Everett Graves, Delaware County; Garry Bryant, Dewey County; Gene Hill, Garvin County; David Smith II, Garvin County, YF&R; Linda Krejsek, Grant County, FBW; Chuck Tolle, Grant County, YF&R; and Keeff Felty, Jackson County.
Tommy Throckmorton, Jefferson County; Mark Liegerot, Kay County; Tim Taggart, Kingfisher County; Larry Boggs, Latimer County; Cyndi Mackey, LeFlore County, YF&R; and Tim Bartram, Logan County, YF&R.
Alfred Ball, Major County; John Sparks, Murray County; Karen Brewer, Okfuskee County; Helen Harvey, Okmulgee County, FBW; Greg Leonard, Ottawa County; David Cartmell, Pawnee County; and Mildred West, Pontotoc County, FBW.
John Grundmann, Pottawatomie County; Charles Sloan, Sequoyah County; Melvin Keller, Tulsa County; Jackie Harper, Washita County; Trecia Harper, Washita County, FBW; Chad Budy, Woods County; YF&R; Danielle Budy, Woods County; and Joe Bob Stump, Woodward County, YF&R.
