Young farmers and ranchers from across the state will gather in Sayre Jan. 27-29 for the annual Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Winter Conference. OFB’s YF&R Committee welcomes young producers, ages 18 to 35, and their families to participate in a weekend full of informative sessions and tours that will focus on improving their operations.
The conference kicks off Friday, Jan. 27 at 5 p.m. when young farmers and ranchers will tour the Cotton Gin in Erick. Following the tour, Beckham County Farm Bureau will sponsor a dinner at the Western Technology Center in Sayre.
Francie Tolle, Director of Agritourism for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry, will be the guest speaker for the evening.
On Saturday, Jan. 28, the group will hear from Ron Osterhout, Independent Consultant Oil & Gas Industry, before touring several western Oklahoma operations and agribusinesses. The first stop will be the Oklahoma Peanut Company in Willow, followed by a tour of the bull test and grass plots at Turner Bros. Farms in Sayre. There, Turner Bros. Farms, Roger Mills County Farm Bureau and Great Plains National Bank will sponsor lunch for the group.
Following the meal, the young producers will meet back at the conference headquarters, the AmericInn Hotel in Sayre, for a preview of YF&R contests available to young producers. These contests, such as the Discussion Meet, Achievement Award and Excellence in Agriculture Award, allow for some great networking and problem solving among young producers across the state. The state contests offer some outstanding prizes to winners, including a cash prize, a year’s use of a brand new Dodge pickup truck, a year’s use of a Kubota tractor and an All-Terrain Vehicle to keep. The state winners go on to compete in contests on the national level for even bigger prizes. Oklahoma’s 2005 YF&R
Achievement Award winners, Matt and Kellie Muller of Altus, were recently named the top young farm family in the nation in the national YF&R Achievement Award competition and walked away with a brand new, custom-made 2006 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT Quad Cab 4×4 pickup with a 5.9 liter Cummins high-output diesel engine, courtesy of Dodge.
They also received a $2,500 voucher from Syngenta Crop Protection and free registration to the 2006 YF&R Leadership Conference, Feb. 25-27, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Woods County’s Steve Sneary of Alva was a runner-up in the national Excellence in Agriculture contest, which recognizes those who do not receive the majority of their income from agriculture. Sneary teaches agriculture at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He also works on the family wheat and cattle farm near Alva. Sneary received a $2,000 U.S. Savings Bond and a Farm Boss chainsaw, courtesy of Stihl Outdoor Power Equipment.
The group will wrap up Saturday’s activities at the Flying W Guest Ranch near Elk City. There, the young producers will tour an archeological dig site, enjoy wagon rides and a museum tour, and view the location of the recent filming of Country Music Television’s (CMT) “Cowboy U” show. An old west supper will be provided for the group and their families while speakers AL and Don Whinery, owners, talk about the history of the ranch.
On Sunday, Jan. 29, a Vespers Service featuring the Dyson Family Bluegrass Band wil be held at the AmericInn Hotel in Sayre. Rick Dyson will be the guest speaker for the Vespers Service. Wrapping up the 2006 YF&R Winter Conference will be Lori Kromer Peterson, Vice President of Public Policy for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau. Peterson will give the young producers a preview of this year’s legislative session and the priority issues for OFB and rural Oklahoma.
For more information on the YF&R Winter Conference, please contact State YF&R Committee members Monte and Danielle Tucker at (580) 928-2444 or (580) 515-4477.
