Stephanie Branstetter of the Stephens County Farm Bureau office was honored as the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Secretary of the Year at the OFB 71st Annual Convention Nov. 9, in Oklahoma City.

Branstetter has worked in the Stephens County office for seven years. She and her husband, Jared, reside in Duncan with their two-year-old twins, son Cayden and daughter Madison.

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Stephanie Branstetter of Stephens County Farm Bureau (left) accepts the 2012 Secretary of the Year award from Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Mike Spradling at the 2012 OFB Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City on November 9.

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Angenene Gibbs of the Sapulpa Daily Herald, Kathy Parker of the Pryor Daily Times and the High Plains Journal were recognized with the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Excellence in Journalism award at the OFB 71st Annual Meeting Nov. 9, in Oklahoma City.

The newspaper journalists and regional news magazine were honored for their contributions made reporting accurately and regularly about agricultural issues and their importance to Oklahoma and the nation.

Gibbs is a staff writer for the Sapulpa Daily Herald and has worked at the paper since 2009.

Parker is the managing editor of the Pryor Daily Times and has been at the newspaper for more than ten years.

The High Plains Journal is a regional weekly agricultural news magazine published in Dodge City, Kan., with a circulation reaching ten states in the Great Plains region. It covers farming and ranching topics and features articles on farm and ranch management, equipment and agribusiness.

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Angenene Gibbs of the Sapulpa Daily Herald accepts her Oklahoma Farm Bureau Excellence in Journalism award from Sam Knipp, OFB vice president of corporate communications (left), and OFB President Mike Spradling at the 2012 OFB Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City November 9.

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Jennifer Latzke, associate editor for the High Plains Journal, accepts the journal's 2012 Oklahoma Farm Bureau Excellence Excellence in Journalism award from Sam Knipp, OFB vice president of corporate communications (left), and OFB President Mike Spradling at the 2012 OFB Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City November 9.

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More than 1,200 rural Oklahoma youths received strong support from Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers program when the farm group sponsored livestock judging contests at this year’s Oklahoma State Fair and Tulsa State Fair.

“We believe these contests are a good opportunity for young people to evaluate livestock and learn public speaking skills,” said Brent Straub, Hobart young farmer and chairman of the OFB YF&R committee.

Competitors judge the livestock based on the animals’ market and breeding qualities.

“Anybody who wants to be involved in agriculture needs these skills,” Straub said.

Contestants competed in different age brackets for both team and individual categories. Winners received plaques, cash awards and jackets. The Tulsa contest served as a qualifying event for the National Western Livestock Show contest in Denver in January.

Alfalfa County farmer and Oklahoma Farm Bureau leader Roland Pederson, Burlington, Okla., has been appointed to the Agriculture Enhancement and Diversification Program Advisory Board. The appointment was made by Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin.

The 10-member advisory board evaluates proposals made to the Agricultural Enhancement and Diversification Program under the direction of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. The Agricultural Enhancement and Diversification Program provide funds for expanding the state’s value added processing sector and to encourage farm diversification. Funds, provided on a cost-share basis, must be used for marketing and utilization, cooperative marketing, farm diversification and basic and applied research. All funding proposals must benefit Oklahoma farmers and ranchers.

Pederson represents Oklahoma Farm Bureau on the advisory board. He is treasurer of the OFB Board of Directors and is OFB District 7 Board member which covers seven counties in western and northwestern Oklahoma.

Pederson owns and manages a diversified crop and livestock business near Burlington in northwest Oklahoma. The farm business includes wheat, canola, grain sorghum, stocker calves and a commercial cow herd.

The America’s Farmers Mobile Experience, a traveling 53-foot trailer that expands into 1,000 square feet of exhibit space, will be open to the public several days this week during the Oklahoma State Fair.

Visitors will journey through three different areas offering interactive tools and displays to better understand the life of an American farmer. An interactive globe allows visitors to see population growth and how many people one acre of farmland will need to feed to meet the demand of the growing population, and a 180-degree theater immerses visitors in a video experience that spotlights an American farm family and what they are currently doing to meet the world demand. Personal guides are also available to educate guests about the tools and technologies that help farmers meet current food, fuel and clothing challenges.

Tours will run Wednesday, Sept. 19, 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.; Thursday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 22 10 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.

For more information on Monsanto’s America’s Farmers’ efforts or its Mobile Experience, please visit www.AmericasFarmers.com.