The American Farm Bureau Federation presented its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, to Sen. James Inhofe during AFBF’s 2018 Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show.
AFBF established the Distinguished Service Award in 1928 to honor individuals who have devoted their careers to serving the national interest of American agriculture.
Sen. Inhofe is a longtime friend of America’s farm and ranch families and an eight-time recipient of AFBF’s Friend of Farm Bureau award. His commitment to protecting landowners’ property rights, preserving our natural resources, and reining in federal regulatory overreach has brought relief to farmers and ranchers across our nation.
From the start of his public service career, Inhofe’s primary goal has been to shrink the federal government, after seeing firsthand how over-regulation was stifling our free enterprise system.
“I spent 20 years as a builder and a developer. I was out doing what Americans are supposed to be doing: expanding the tax base, making money, losing money,” Inhofe said. “All those years the chief opposition I had was federal over-regulation.”
Inhofe was first elected to Congress in 1986, and has served in the Senate since 1994. As a member and past chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee,Inhofe has been a staunch advocate for farmers and ranchers through his work to stop unreasonable regulations, rebuild the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, protect investments in ag research and innovation, and promote policies that help create jobs and economic prosperity. He led the legislative charge to put a stop to the flawed Waters of the U.S. rule, and has been a leading voice on Capitol Hill for bringing a common-sense, science-based approached to the regulatory process.
“He’s a guy you want on your side,” Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Rodd Moesel said of Inhofe. “There is no better bulldog, there is no better warrior fighting for your issues, and we are blessed that most of the time he and Farm Bureau are on the very same side.”
Oklahoma Farm Bureau nominated Sen. Inhofe to receive the Distinguished Service to Agriculture award, and a national Farm Bureau committee named each as winners.
