More than 60 OKFB members and guests traveled to Washington,
D.C., to advocate for Oklahoma agriculture during OKFB’s annual Washington D.C. Summit
April 7-11.
Members kicked off the trip at the International Spy Museum with a reception in the “Bond in Motion” exhibit featuring vehicles from several Bond movies as they visited with Oklahoma’s congressional staff and guests.
Tuesday morning kicked off industry briefings with T.W. Shannon, director of rural prosperity at the United States Department of Agriculture, who discussed the changes in the USDA since Brooke Rollins became secretary of agriculture.
Members also heard from Emma Alexander, field representative for Sen. Markwayne Mullin; Victoria Tran, principal deputy assistant administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s office of international and tribal affairs; Sam Kieffer, vice president of public policy for American Farm Bureau, who shared updates of the ongoing trade and tariff discussions; and Samantha Ayoub, associate economist with AFBF, who shared updates on the expiring 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
South Carolina Farm Bureau Executive Director Gary Spires shared with members how South Carolina Farm Bureau created a land trust for farmers and ranchers to allow their land to be protected from urban development.
Members also took a deep dive into ongoing trade and tariff news with Dave Salmonson, senior director of government affairs with AFBF.
OKFB members headed to Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon to visit with Oklahoma’s congressional delegation including Rep. Stephanie Bice, Rep. Josh Brecheen, Rep. Frank Lucas, Rep. Kevin Hern and Sen. James Lankford.
Topics that Oklahoma’s congressional delegation discussed with members included the importance of trade, with a focus on agricultural trade, even as President Trump put a 90-day hold on tariffs his administration had levied on goods from many countries around the globe. The group also discussed the budget continuing resolution to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for five years to protect farmers and ranchers from increased taxes on inputs.
Thursday morning featured a group breakfast at Founding Farmers in Washington D.C., a farm-to-table restaurant, and the trip concluded with a rooftop tour of the AFBF office where AFBF President Zippy Duvall addressed OKFB members and thanked them for taking the time to bring their agricultural stories to Washington, D.C.
OKFB’s Washington, D.C., Summit serves as the organization’s annual fly-in held each spring to provide OKFB members with the opportunity to share their agricultural perspectives with Oklahoma’s congressional delegation while learning more about agricultural issues working through congress and regulatory agencies.
