The following statement is in response to the results of the state beef checkoff referendum, which failed with 2,506 votes opposed and 1,998 votes in favor. The proposal would have created an additional $1-per-head assessment to promote the Oklahoma beef industry. “Though Oklahoma Farm Bureau is deeply disappointed in the results of the state beef checkoff referendum, an initiative supported by our memeber’s grassroots policy, we continue to have faith in Oklahoma beef producers who produce high-quality and affordable food for our state, our nation and our world.  “Farmers and ranchers have worked the land and cared for animals since […]

Pat Long, a farmer and Texas County Farm Bureau member, was honored with a 2017 Water for 2060 Excellence Award for crop irrigation and agriculture by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board Nov. 1 during the Governor’s Water Conference in Norman, Oklahoma.  Long was recognized for his work to conserve water in the Oklahoma Panhandle using innovative center pivot technology, drought-resistant genetically modified crops and no-till production methods. “It’s important that people across the state understand the lengths Panhandle producers are going to in order to preserve a valuable natural resource,” Long said.  The Long family has farmed since the 1990s, […]

The following statement is from a coalition of Oklahoma agriculture organizations who support the Oklahoma Beef Checkoff including Oklahoma Farm Bureau, American Farmers & Ranchers, Oklahoma Limousine Breeders Association, Oklahoma Maine Anjou Association, Oklahoma Charolais Association and Oklahoma Simmental Cattle Association. “The Oklahoma agriculture community is confident in the process used by cattle producers and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture in preparation for the upcoming referendum. We stand against an effort led by radical activist organizations and their anti-agriculture agenda.” For more information, visit the Oklahoma Beef Checkoff website.

On behalf of thousands of farmers and ranchers across the state, Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan defended private property rights at an Oklahoma House of Representatives interim study on Oct. 10. Hosted by the House Transportation Committee, the study examined the impact of “tall structures” within military training airspace throughout Oklahoma. Some argue building obstructions, including wind turbines or communications towers, could interfere with the U.S. Air Force’s ability to conduct operations and negatively affect Oklahoma’s military bases. Legislation was introduced during the 2017 regular session to regulate the land, along with so-called obstructions to air navigation, within the […]

State lawmakers will head into special session Sept. 25 to address the $215 million budget hole created from the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s overturn of the state Legislature’s $1.50-per-pack cigarette fee.  In February, legislators began the 2017 legislative session facing a nearly $900 million budget shortfall. A wide variety of revenue-raising measures were considered including a gross production tax increase, a cigarette tax increase, a fuel tax increase and a reduction in the earned income tax credit.  Gov. Mary Fallin officially called the special session on Sept. 15, asking the state Legislature to address the immediate budget shortfall, find long-term solutions […]

On behalf of Oklahoma’s farmers and ranchers, Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan this week urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repeal the 2015 Waters of the United States rule. The EPA and the Corps have proposed a rule to rescind the 2015 WOTUS rule and restore it to pre-2015 language, thanks to a June 2017 executive order from President Donald Trump. The current rulemaking is the first in a two-step process, as the second step will clarify the definition of “waters of the U.S.” “Oklahoma doesn’t need additional murky regulations from […]

More than 450 Oklahoma Farm Bureau members recently urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repeal the 2015 Waters of the U.S. rule. County Farm Bureaus collected more than 300 signatures over a two-week period, while other members submitted written comments at the organization’s annual August Area Meetings. Finalized in June 2015, the WOTUS rule has been despised by farmers, ranchers and landowners across the country. The rule vastly expanded the definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act, granting the EPA and the Corps regulatory authority over virtually […]