Monday, Feb. 5, marked the start of the second regular session of the 59th Oklahoma legislature with Gov. Kevin Stitt’s annual State of the State address. Now in his sixth year in office, Gov. Stitt has taken the podium each February to shed light on Oklahoma’s triumphs and challenges as well as to share his vision for the future of the state. Several of Stitt’s key points in his 2024 address coincide with the policies set by Oklahoma Farm Bureau members and the work of the grassroots farm organization. In his speech, Stitt emphasized his determination to make Oklahoma the […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau members have set the organization’s legislative priorities ahead of Oklahoma’s 2024 legislative session. These priority issues, designed to guide the work of Farm Bureau members and staff at the state Capitol, are broken down into four primary focus areas, including rural infrastructure, Oklahoma’s future, agricultural production and taxation. Rural Infrastructure Farm Bureau members have long supported the expansion of high-speed internet and wireless phone service in Oklahoma’s most rural areas. Both are critical technological tools to ensure rural Oklahoma stays vibrant for years to come. Continued vibrance in rural communities coincides with a thriving rural economy and […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau members will make the trek to Salt Lake City, Utah, later this week to attend the 2024 American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting Jan. 19-24. Five voting delegates elected by members at OKFB’s annual meeting in November 2023 will represent Oklahoma at the business session Tuesday, Jan. 23, where dozens of grassroots national policy resolutions will be presented for consideration. OKFB members have their eyes on several topics set for discussion during the business session, including emergency and disaster preparedness. Oklahoma’s unpredictable weather patterns often leave farmers and ranchers with significant crop and livestock losses from drought, hailstorms, […]

Nearly 40 Oklahoma Farm Bureau members gathered in Oklahoma City for the OKFB state resolutions committee meeting Oct. 24-25. Members spent two days reviewing, discussing and voting on county-submitted policy resolutions that will ultimately guide OKFB’s advocacy efforts in the coming years. More than 300 resolutions were sent in for consideration and covered a wide swath of topics, including improvements in the Commissioners of the Land Office management, ad valorem taxes and farm bill programs. The committee also considered resolutions on supporting agriculture education and CareerTech programs, EMS funding strategies and electric car tax incentives. The 75 policy proposals that […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau members are invited to submit their concerns about the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed herbicide strategy before the Oct. 22 comment period deadline. EPA released the Draft Herbicide Strategy Framework in July in response to extensive litigation from environmental groups about EPA’s noncompliance with the Endangered Species Act. The proposed framework is EPA’s attempt to protect some 900 endangered species and their habitats through significant use restrictions and mitigations on most agricultural herbicide uses. Growers located in pesticide use limitation areas – or PULAs – which include many parts of Oklahoma, could be subject to even greater restrictions. […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau Treasurer and District 9 Director Jim Meek was recently elected to serve as chair of the Oklahoma Broadband Governing Board at the group’s regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 10. The Okmulgee County rancher was elected by unanimous vote after having served as vice chair since the governing board’s inception in 2022, when he was appointed to the board by Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall. Meek and newly elected vice chair Amanda Mullins will lead the charge in the effort to expand access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet service in the state of Oklahoma. “The future of rural Oklahoma […]