The sacrifices made by farmers and ranchers as they struggle through ice, rain, snow, 100 degree temperatures , floods and drought are highlighted in a new advertising campaign for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.

“We want everyone to understand the tremendous effort our producers extend every day to provide a safe, abundant food supply,” said Mike Spradling, OFB president. “We’re excited about promoting the solid image of our producers. They truly work hard and deeply care for their livestock.”

Spradling’s comments are echoed in the ad campaign’s theme: “Oklahoma Farm Bureau: Feeding and clothing the world...one farmer at a time.”

Phase one of the program kicks off Feb. 1 with a statewide radio blitz of commercials. The commercials feature Farm Bureau leaders “getting up at 6 a.m. to feed the cattle” and “rushing to harvest the wheat before the storms roll in.” The ads can be heard on the Oklahoma News Network (ONN), AgriNet, Radio Oklahoma Network, KRMG-AM and KFRM-AM.

Audio is available (follow the "more" link).

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Oklahoma Farm Bureau's Sam Knipp visited with Ryan McMullen, State Director of Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture on Friday, Dec. 11. McMullen discussed many issues that are affecting rural Oklahoma, including activities that are going on throughout our state right now and opportunities on the horizon for our state.

The topics they discussed are:

• How McMullen's new position compares to serving as a state representative :14
• What is the current health of rural Oklahoma? 1:06
• The impact of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act upon rural Oklahoma 2:26
• Rural high-speed Internet 4:27
• McMullen's recent visit to a New Mexico algae farm 6:00
• Algae production process and safety with livestock 8:10
• A look ahead to 2010 and beyond for Rural Oklahoma 9:33

Download the audio file of Ryan McMullen discussing rural Oklahoma issues (9.9 MB mp3 file)