News Stories

By American Farm Bureau Federation’s Cyndie Shearing Americans from all walks of life are struggling to cope with an array of issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fear and anxiety about this new disease and what could happen is sometimes overwhelming and can cause strong emotions in adults and children. But long before the pandemic hit the U.S., farmers and ranchers were struggling. Years of falling commodity prices, natural disasters, declining farm income and trade disputes with China hit rural America hard, and not just financially. Farmers’ mental health is at risk, too. Fortunately, America’s food producers have proven to […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau members are invited to share their experiences securing labor on their farms and ranches with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Recognizing the need for increased labor availability in Oklahoma agriculture, ODAFF has opened a survey for farmers and ranches to share their experiences in meeting their workforce needs.  To gather valuable information, ODAFF invites farmers and ranchers to respond to a short, 15-question survey found at okfb.news/oklabor.  If you have any questions or would like more information, contact JanLee Rowlett at (405) 522-6105 or at JanLee.Rowlett@ag.ok.gov.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau members in the organization’s district six reelected James Fuser of Ottawa County to serve on the OKFB board of directors. As the district six director, Fuser will represent Farm Bureau members throughout  Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Delaware, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Nowata, Ottawa, Rogers, Sequoyah and Wagoner Counties. “It’s an honor for me to have the opportunity to serve Farm Bureau members in district six,” Fuser said. “I look forward to continually working alongside our grassroots members to move agriculture and rural Oklahoma forward.” Fuser is a third-generation farmer and rancher who raises soybeans, corn, wheat and hay, in […]

Farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic now have until Sept. 11, 2020, to apply for direct payments through the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. The announcement comes following a request by the American Farm Bureau Federation and 27 other agriculture organizations to extend the application period beyond the original Aug. 28 deadline. “COVID-19 has taken its toll on farmers across the country, regardless of what they grow or raise,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a statement. “No one can tell when this pandemic will end, and extending the deadline and expanding eligibility will provide a lifeline at […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau welcomes the USDA’s recent investment of more than $29 million toward expanding broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Oklahoma. The investment is part of the $100 million in grant funding made available for the ReConnect Pilot Program through the CARES Act. “Though rural Oklahomans have suffered from a lack of reliable broadband access for years, the ongoing global pandemic has heightened the inequalities that exist in internet connectivity among rural, suburban and urban Oklahomans as much of the world has moved online for distance learning, telecommuting and health care services,” said Rodd Moesel, OKFB president. “Expanding […]

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture and the Ford Motor Company are teaming up to put agriculture education resources in the hands of teachers and students across the country. The Ford Motor Company is sponsoring the distribution of 285 kits, each containing one copy of the Foundation’s 2020 Book of the Year, “Full of Beans,” an educator guide and a classroom set (30-pack) of Soybeans Ag Mags. Educators passionate about helping learners understand agriculture are encouraged to apply by Aug. 24. Grant winners will be randomly selected from the pool of applicants, and resource kits will be sent to […]