The 10th annual event was held at Stillwater’s Lakeside Golf Course where more than 25 teams competed in a four-man scramble. Prizes were awarded to the top three teams including Wiggins Auctioneers, third place; Cleveland County Farm Bureau, second place and Alfalfa County Farm Bureau, first place.

The golf classic is the largest fundraiser organized for the OFB Legal Foundation and OFBLF Director Marla Peek said she appreciates the YF&R group’s efforts to support the foundation.

“The purpose of our foundation is to support the rights and freedoms of farmers and ranchers by promoting and protecting individual liberties, private property rights and free enterprise,” Peek said. “We’re grateful for this annual fundraiser that allows us to continue serving Oklahoma’s farmers and ranchers.”

To learn more about the OFB Legal Foundation, please visit ofblegalfoundation.org.

Among the project’s priorities are the mission and structure of Farm Bureau, the demographics of Farm Bureau members, policy development, member benefits, communications, technology, political activities and leadership development.

“This is a strategic planning process for the county, state and American Farm Bureau,” said Mike Spradling, Oklahoma Farm Bureau President. “Meeting the challenges to establish a farm organization for the future requires visionary leadership at all levels. History illustrates that we’ve done this successfully throughout our evolution and we can do it again.”

One particular area Spradling wants to address is the aging demographics of farmers and ranchers.

“Within the next two decades, we are going to need 100,000 new farmers and ranchers across this country,” Spradling said. “We need these producers to be industry leaders, so we are looking at developing more ways to surface these producers and get them involved.”

Committee member Lawrence Sawatzky, Clinton, OK, believes there needs to be more education and information for the public to understand agricultural production.

“We spend so much time as farmers growing food that we forget we need to be doing other things to help the public understand what’s happening on the farm,” Sawatzky said.

The committee held their first meeting in Oklahoma City, May 9. Committee members were divided into smaller working groups for each of the nine OFB districts and will meet several more times in the next two years before completing the project in 2014. The centennial project will then be implemented on a five-year schedule leading to the 100th anniversary of American Farm Bureau in 2019.

An overwhelming 80 percent of those surveyed at the FFA convention said they were optimistic about the future of agriculture. That number jumped to 100 percent at the farm show.

“You have to be optimistic if you’re a farmer,” said Jimmy Kinder, a Walters, Okla., producer who completed the survey at the farm show. “You can’t farm from behind, you have to farm from the front!”

When asked to list the challenges facing agriculture today, the more popular answers included concerns about burdensome government regulations, increased production costs, uncertain weather conditions and the declining availability of land for agricultural production.

FFA students who took the survey said they would like to see more agriculture-related classes and more promotion of the “agriculture story.”

The results of the OFB survey are consistent with similar questionnaires taken in previous years at the same venues.

Hosted by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Legal Foundation, the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and AFR, the meeting is intended to provide general background information on the lawsuit. The event is not a political forum but instead an education forum organized to explain the lawsuit’s legal process and how the filing will impact citizens’ water rights. Also, representatives from the Attorney General’s office and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board will be available to answer questions.

The May 17, meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Atoka County Farm Bureau Office, 309 W. Liberty Rd., Atoka. For more information on the Sardis Lake forum, please contact Oklahoma Farm Bureau Director of Public Policy Kinsey Money at (405) 523-2539.

Crawley operates a commercial cow/calf herd with stocker cattle in partnership with his son, Gary Gene, near Savanna.

He has been actively involved in Farm Bureau for many years, serving the last 15 years on the Pittsburg County Farm Bureau board of directors. Crawley follows in the footsteps of his father, Junior, who served 35 years on the same Pittsburg County board.

“Farm Bureau is a good organization that is focused on improving the quality of life in rural Oklahoma,” Crawley said.

The Savanna rancher recently retired from a long and distinguished career with the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, working primarily in the farm commodity and loan program areas.

Crawley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Education from Oklahoma State University. He and his wife, Wilma, have two children and two grandchildren.

The three-day sale will be held in conjunction with Oklahoma City’s Southern Plains Farm Show, April 19-21, at State Fair Park. Friday’s lineup of extension talks will cover topics such as reinvesting in your beef herd and pasture recovery from drought. The sale and speaker series will be held in Carriage Hall, located in the east end of the travel and transportation building at State Fair Park. All extension presentations are free and open to the public.

The following is a schedule of Friday’s scheduled speakers:
10-11 a.m. – livestock market outlook and reinvesting in the beef herd with Rodney Jones
11-11:30 a.m. – livestock and forage insurance as risk management tools with JJ Jones
12-12:30 p.m. – pasture recovery following drought with Daren Redfearn
12:30-1 p.m. – current tax issues with JC Hobbs
1-1:30 p.m. – ag leasing issues with Shannon Ferrell

The OFB Herd Builder cattle sale is open to ranchers who wish to market their bulls, cows and heifers in a private treaty setting during the Southern Plains Farm Show. Owners are responsible for feeding, watering and stall upkeep, and health certification is required for all animals.

Farm Show hours are Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about the Herd Builder cattle sale and the OFB extension speaker series, please contact Thad Doye at (405) 523-2307.

“This contest helps the young leaders better understand agriculture and Farm Bureau issues,” said contest coordinator Derek Crain, Taloga. “It gives them experience talking in front of crowds and builds leadership skills that will help them later in life.”

The YF&R Speech Contest was divided into three age divisions: Junior, nine-12 years old; Intermediate, 13-15 years old; and Senior, 16-18 years old. The Junior division contestants presented speeches on the topic “I believe in Oklahoma agriculture.” The Intermediate and Senior divisions gave speeches in three division categories, including Agricultural Production, Agriculture Policy and Environment and Natural Resources. Speeches for the Junior division were three to five minutes in length; five to eight minutes for the Intermediate and Senior divisions.

Participants of both contests were judged on speech presentation, content, response to questions and general poise and appearance. Farm Bureau presented plaques to the winners of each category in each age group.

Senior Division- Agriculture Production
First Place: Tyler Schnaithman, Garber
Second Place: Annie Gilbert, Tecumseh
Third Place: Kaylen Baker, Yukon

Senior Division- Agriculture Policy
First Place: Mikayla Balderas, Tipton
Second Place: Emily Landoll, Elgin
Third Place: Denton Lowe, Amber Pocasset

Senior Division- Environmental and Natural Resources
First Place: Ryan Neal, Elgin

Intermediate Division- Agriculture Production
First Place: Kaylia McCracken, Elgin
Second Place: Juanita Neeley, Lawton
Third Place: Kyler Belinson, Fletcher

Intermediate Division- Agriculture Policy
First Place: Colton Budy, Alva
Second Place: Shiane Hood (no photo available)
Third Place: Kelby Corbett, Elgin

Intermediate Division- Environmental and Natural Resources
First Place: Bayli Hyde, Burlington
Second Place: Cale John, Cyril
Third Place: Jordan Storey, Idabel

Junior Division- "I Believe in Oklahoma Agriculture"
First Place: Hadley Griffith, Shawnee
Second Place: Alexis Peeper, Enid
Third Place: Kayla Chaplin, Yukon

Click the name of each winner for a high-resolution photo of the winner with Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers chairman Brent Straub. Photos are suitable for printing at 6 inches by 9 inches at 300 dpi.