Oklahoma Farm Bureau and Affiliated Companies today offered to host Oklahoma’s Ten Commandments monument at its home office near the state Capitol at 2501 N. Stiles Ave. in Oklahoma City. The nonpartisan organization extended the offer to Gov. Mary Fallin, Attorney General Scott Pruitt and state Rep. Mike Ritze, whose family paid for the monument’s construction. “Faith has always been of utmost importance to Oklahoma Farm Bureau members,” said Monica Wilke, OKFB executive director. “We are proud to give the monument a home until the Legislature is able to take further action to find a permanent location for the monument.” […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan issued the following statement in response to the ruling of a federal district court judge in Texas concerning the lesser prairie chicken. “Oklahoma Farm Bureau applauds a Texas federal district court judge ruling on Sept. 1 that removed the lesser prairie chicken from the threatened listing under the Endangered Species Act. “The court said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to follow its own policies and did not adequately consider the states’ conservation plan when it listed the LPC as threatened. “The LPC is found in western Oklahoma, as well as Texas, Kansas, […]

The following op-ed was released today by Altus, Oklahoma, farmer and Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan. With the EPA threatening to enforce its egregious Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rules, farmers and ranchers are among a growing list of Americans who fear the heavy hand of a bureaucratic federal agency. During a recent town hall meeting, U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), said the EPA is the most hated federal agency in his fourth congressional district. We might extend the coverage to include all of Oklahoma and, I imagine the good folks in Colorado and New Mexico are not too […]

Tom Buchanan, Oklahoma Farm Bureau president and Altus farmer, issued this statement today following the ruling by a federal judge in North Dakota that blocked the implementation of the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. rule, which went to effect Aug. 28. “As federal courts wrangle with the EPA over which states should be included in the Waters of the U.S. rules, it’s becoming more obvious the EPA is a federal agency that feels responsibility to no one. “In late May, Congress told the EPA not to implement WOTUS. The EPA thumbed its nose at Congress and pushed ahead on WOTUS, […]

Can feral hogs be eradicated in Oklahoma? Josh Gaskamp, a wildlife and range consultant for the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, is working to find out. Feral hogs cause an estimated $800 million to $1.5 billion in agricultural and environmental damage in the United States each year, Gaskamp said.  With numbers estimated between 617,000 and 1.4 million, Oklahoma is ranked in the top four states with the highest population of feral hogs. The invasive species is found in all 77 Oklahoma counties. Complete eradication is the primary goal, but Gaskamp said it is unrealistic with Oklahoma’s out-of-control population. “Control is all […]

The Oklahoma Farm Bureau board of directors has announced the members of the 2015 OKFB 100 Percent Club. Presented to 71 Oklahoma legislators, the award is based upon a 100 percent voting record on key Farm Bureau legislative measures during the 2015 Oklahoma legislative session. “The members of the 100 Percent Club helped support Farm Bureau’s mission to protect personal property rights, keep taxes low, and boost agricultural and rural business,” said John Collison, OKFB vice president of public policy and corporate communications. “Oklahoma Farm Bureau sincerely appreciates the leadership of this group at the state Capitol this year.”  Thirty-five […]