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1940s

Clarence Roberts, editor of The Oklahoma Farmer-Stockman, was one of several strong proponents for the formation of a Farm Bureau in Oklahoma. His efforts to spark interest in such an organization began as early as 1936 with the formation of the Oklahoma Farmers Emergency Association, which later was dissolved to invite members to join Farm Bureau. In December 1938, Roberts led an unofficial delegation of observers to the American Farm Bureau Federation convention in New Orleans.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders and members frequently attended a variety of training schools in an effort to enhance the organization. In 1953, one such group, including 16 OKFB members, took a trip to the scenic Gulf Coast to study ways to make Farm Bureau better during an annual training school of the southern region of the American Farm Bureau Federation in Biloxi, Mississippi. In the photo above, the entire group stands in front of the beautiful Buena Vista Hotel, where the training school was headquartered.

1950s

Pontotoc County Farm Bureau held this field day in 1953 at their demonstration farm to show local farmers new agricultural practices.

The Annual Family Party at the 1951 OKFB Convention was held at Oklahoma State University’s Student Union. Dr. Kenneth McFarland, an educational consultant and public speaker for General Motors Corporation and a guest lecturer for Reader’s Digest, delivered the after-dinner speech.

At the 1952 Oklahoma Farm Bureau Convention, two new Farm Bureau districts were created to increase membership, size and potential, bringing the total number of districts to nine. Pictured above is the first nine-member OKFB Board during their January meeting. Seated are (left to right) J.Y. Victor, Secretary; John I. Taylor, President; Lewis H. Munn, Vice President; and Darrell McNutt, Treasurer. Standing are (left to right) Mart Fowler, Harold Davis, F.W. Kannady, C.E. Weller and Glen Johnson.

During the Cleveland County Junior Farm Bureau organizational banquet in Norman in 1953, more than 50 members selected officers to lead their newly formed group. The officers elected were (left to right) Joe Merkle and Bob Bates, Vice Presidents; J.C. Shroyer, President; and Patsy Steele, Secretary.

Members were faced with a highly divisive issue in the early days of Oklahoma Farm Bureau: commodity price supports. Several counties, such as Comanche County pictured here, held a series of debates on the issue to encourage members to research and present their opinions on the matter. This photo, taken in 1953, includes (left to right) Homer Turner, Charles Hasenbeck, Paul Scheetz, Charlie Bard, Stanley Caha and Elbrege Sullivan.

Kiowa County Farm Bureau meets for their annual public relations meeting on April 21, 1953, where the master of ceremonies, Kiowa County Farm Bureau President Alva Smith, introduces Oklahoma Farm Bureau President John I. Taylor as the speaker of the evening.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau recognized the need for a larger building to house the ever-expanding organization. On February 9, 1953, a contract was signed for construction of a new building near the Oklahoma State Capitol. Here, OKFB President John I. Taylor (seated center) signs the contract, while Charles M. Suttle, the contractor (left), signs another copy. Frank Carter (standing) and Martin Lawrence, architect, look on.

In August 1953, John I. Taylor resigned as president of Oklahoma Farm Bureau due to pressing family matters. In this photo, Taylor was honored with a plaque commemorating his 11 years of service and leadership to Farm Bureau, presented by OKFB Board Member Darrell McNutt at the 1953 convention. However, Taylor did not end his commitment to Farm Bureau with his resignation. In 1960, he was called to Washington, D.C., by American Farm Bureau Federation President Charles Shuman to serve as an assistant legislative director. In his new position, he visited several states, earning a reputation as a well-informed specialist on soil and water conservation among congressmen and associates.

Voting delegates from 48 states and Puerto Rico consider the resolutions that determine the policies of the American Farm Bureau Federation for 1954 during the AFBF annual meeting held in New York City. Oklahoma’s delegation is seated in the left foreground.

Oklahoma delegates at the 1953 American Farm Bureau Federation's Convention

During Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s get-out-the-vote campaign, the organization launched the Votemobile, a sound truck that toured the state spotlighting the dates for registration and voting. The story attracted nationwide attention after debuting at the Votemobile’s ceremony on the south steps of the Oklahoma State Capitol May 26, 1952, as shown above. After the ceremony, Gov. Johnston Murray pushed the red, white and blue vehicle a few feet, officially launching the campaign.

During Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s get-out-the-vote campaign, the organization launched the Votemobile, a sound truck that toured the state spotlighting the dates for registration and voting. With the launch of the Votemobile, Buck Garvin (left) southeast district insurance fieldman, temporarily left his duties to pilot the Votemobile on its statewide tour. His helper on the tour was Leon Moore (right), a student at Northeastern State College in Tahlequah. The photo was taken at their first stop in Purcell.

In 1957, the State Fair of Oklahoma asked Farm Bureau to participate in a special Farmers Day at the fair and conduct county contests to select a Golden Anniversary Farm Family. The award was designed to recognize the type of rural people who built Oklahoma in its first 50 years of statehood. The contest was limited to those who had lived on an Oklahoma farm since 1907. A total of 45 county winners were reported by county Farm Bureaus in the contest. Pictured here is Gov. Raymond Gary (right) presenting a gold and silver plaque to the overall winner of the contest, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Graumann, in the bandshell of the State Fair of Oklahoma on September 26, 1957. This was the beginning of a Farm Family award program that continues to today.

W.A. Cassell of Elmore City (left) signs up for his Garvin County Farm Bureau membership with A.J. Chapman, Membership Committee Co-chairman. Cassell was the first new member to be added in the county during in the organization’s 1953 campaign.

Pontotoc County Farm Bureau held this field day in 1953 at their demonstration farm to show local farmers new agricultural practices.

Doyle Johnson, chairman of the Alfalfa County Farm Bureau resolutions committee, presents proposed resolutions to his fellow county members at their annual meeting in October 1955.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders and members frequently attended a variety of training schools in an effort to enhance the organization. In 1953, one such group, including 16 OKFB members, took a trip to the scenic Gulf Coast to study ways to make Farm Bureau better during an annual training school of the southern region of the American Farm Bureau Federation in Biloxi, Mississippi. In the photo above, the entire group stands in front of the beautiful Buena Vista Hotel, where the training school was headquartered.

Forty-six Oklahomans attended the 37th annual meeting of the American Farm Bureau Federation in December 1955, including Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s four voting delegates: President Lewis H. Munn; Harold Davis, Roff; Mart Fowler, Stigler; and W.M. Deck, Balko. During the business session, delegates considered several resolutions concerning a variety of issues, including the Agricultural Act of 1954, the adoption of a “soil bank” policy to stockpile fertility in the soil for use in emergencies, states’ rights and more.

D.G. Meier Jr., Bennie Tice and Orval Swain enjoy coffee and doughnuts provided by Mrs. O.E. Redden and Mrs. Meier after the business session of Blaine County Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in 1957. The event was also attended by a number of foreign agricultural information workers who were touring the nation to study American information and extension services.

Tulsa County Junior Farm Bureau’s Gene Sivadon explains the purposes and activities of the organization to young agriculturalists in Wagoner County, including opportunities for community service, leadership training and recreation. Later in the meeting, other Tulsa visitors helped the county officially complete their JFB organization.

Early in 1952, every county Farm Bureau in Oklahoma was visited by state leaders in an effort to create more personal relationships between local members and the state organization. This photo was taken at one of the first conferences, which was held at the Hugo Community Center with Choctaw County Farm Bureau members. At the desk is Jack Norris, President of the Choctaw County Farm Bureau. In the background are (left to right) Lex Eddleman, John I. Taylor, Dan Arnold, Ernest Means, Clarence Adams, Glen Grubbs, Mrs. Eugene Jones, O.T. Eddleman, Mart Fowler, E.A. Kissick, and Rolly Morris.

Here are some of the first leaders of Oklahoma Farm Bureau: Warren Newberry, President of Junior Farm Bureau; Mrs. Eugene Jones, Chairman of Associated Women; and John I Taylor, OKFB President.

Congressman Carl Albert (left) met with representatives of county Farm Bureaus in his district at a Farm-Bureau-sponsored get-together in McAlester in 1959. Albert is shown here with McCurtain County’s Hubert Nelson (center) and Pittsburg County’s Ralph Smalley.

This photo was taken at a Custer County Farm Bureau membership kickoff held at the county office on October 7, 1958. Pictured are (left to right) Roy Driscoll, Custer County Farm Bureau Board member from Clinton; Wayne Foster, county board member from Weatherford; and Con Burgtorf, Membership Chairman from Custer City.

For the 1963 Farm Family award, the OKFB Women designed the contest to honor the state’s pioneer farm families who fought floods, dust bowl days, and the depression in order to remain on the farm. One of the requirements was that the family, or the family’s parents, must have farmed in Oklahoma prior to 1900. The George Lasley family from Eakley was the winner of this special Oklahoma Pioneer Farm Family of the Year award. Both of the Lasleys’ parents originally came to Oklahoma in covered wagons in 1899. In the photo is Mr. and Mrs. Lasley, with the two youngest of their eight grandchildren, Gay and Lloyd.

On July 10, 1958, members of Farm Bureau counties in western Oklahoma held this Meet the Candidate forum with two runoff candidates for the democratic nomination for congressman. Congressman Toby Morris (second from left) and challenger Victor Wickersham (second from right) were guests of 100 leaders from 17 western counties of Oklahoma’s Congressional District 6, shown here with OKFB President Lewis H. Munn (at microphone). The candidates were quizzed about their beliefs on 13 different issues and government philosophies in order to compare them against Farm Bureau policy.

1960s

The 1960 Farm Family of the Year contest was limited to families who had lived on an Oklahoma farm for at least the last five years with at least 60 percent of their income coming directly from farming or ranching. The 1960 award was presented to the Darold Butler family of Pauls Valley. The Butlers and their five daughters lived on a highly diversified farm in Garvin County, where they raised black and red Angus cattle, alfalfa, corn, cotton, broomcorn, maize, soybeans, wheat, oats, vetch and barley.

American Farm Bureau Federation staff member Warren Newberry, who also served as the first president of the Oklahoma Junior Farm Bureau, was a guest speaker at the Town and Country Banquet for Garvin County Farm Bureau held in Pauls Valley on January 25, 1960. Here (left to right) Pierre Grimmett, President of Pauls Valley National Bank; Alvin Powell, county Farm Bureau President; and Newberry visit after the meeting had ended. Almost 500 Farm Bureau members and guests were present for the meeting.

Emmett Carter of Purcell, Vice President of American Dairy Association, and Roy Counts of Dover, Secretary of Milk Producers Inc., take a milk break with Oklahoma Dairy Princess Quinetta Beagle of Arnett during a meeting in Oklahoma City in 1969.

County Farm Bureaus were competitive in meeting their membership goals. Each county was encouraged to meet their county quota by renewing at least as many memberships as the previous year, plus one. Successful counties received an award at the annual Oklahoma Farm Bureau Convention. Pictured here are the 1967 “Quota Busters,” comprised of representatives from counties that made their membership quotas. A total of 70 counties reached quota in 1967, setting a new all-time high for state membership by adding 6,000 more members than the previous year.

This fair booth was in Custer County in 1967. Tending to the booth are Mrs. Steward Barrick, Mrs. Con Burgtorf and Mrs. Tony Murray, who placed special emphasis on the legislative and policy development programs of Farm Bureau and information aids used to keep members informed.

This booth was kept by the members of Garfield County Farm Bureau at a crop and soils clinic in Enid in 1960. Pencils, rulers and leaflets were given to all who passed by the booth. About 600 people attended the event.

With the creation of a new full-time safety department in 1966, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau started to push the new Slow Moving Vehicle emblem designed at the Agricultural Engineering School at Ohio State University for all vehicles not capable of moving faster than 25 miles per hour. OKFB was the state distributor for one of major manufacturers of the signs, which were sold through county Farm Bureaus. This photo was taken in Stephens County.

The 12 Farm Families of the Year candidates for 1969 pose for a group photo. Entries from across the state came from the counties of Alfalfa, Atoka, Beaver, Caddo, Cimarron, Cotton, Grady, Kiowa, Logan, Noble, Oklahoma and Tulsa. Sponsored by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women, the Farm Family of the Year award was created in 1957 in an effort to recognize outstanding families in Oklahoma who dedicated their life to agriculture.

In 1968, Texas County was the focal point of a silage survey conducted by the American Agricultural Marketing Association as part of a multi-state study of silage marketing. Shown looking over some of the data gathered in the survey are Norman Hinds, Texas County Farm Bureau Board member; Tom Bennett, AAMA research staff member; Ronald Wagner, Texas County Farm Bureau President; and Virgil Higgins, Texas County Farm Bureau Board member.

This booth was assembled at the Oklahoma City Fair in 1964. “Food is a Bargain” was the theme for the booth, presenting a story on a truth of Oklahoma agriculture that many consumers did not understand: a story detailing the economic impact of vegetables grown in Oklahoma and processed in the state and western Arkansas.

Ted Payne, Oklahoma Farm Bureau Safety Director (second from left), and Col. L.M. Tidd of the American Automobile Association (left), thanks Trooper Bill Price (second from right) and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol for being a part of the “Learn and Live” program just before the show winners were presented. The 1968 program involved five high schools located in central Oklahoma, including schools in Guthrie, Chickasha, Moore, Shawnee and Putnam City. Teams participated in the quiz-based television show by answering questions taken from the Oklahoma traffic code.

As part of a public relations program of Oklahoma County Farm Bureau, OKFB member Roger Murphy invited groups of children from Midwest City to visit his farm west of Edmond in 1969. Most of the children who came had never been close to a pig before.

This 1968 photo, taken at the Garvin County Farm City dinner, features Dr. Robert B. Kamm, President of Oklahoma State University (center), discussing current issues with A.J. Chapman, Garvin County Legislative Chairman (left), and O.W. Parker, Garvin County President. Kamm was the principal speaker for the 300 people who attended the dinner.

A popular OKFB Safety Service program was the defensive driving class, such as this 1968 event in Enid. Led by instructors Ted Payne and Ervin Heidebrecht, the course included methods of staying alive on the highway and the fundamentals of defensive driving.

In 1968, Oklahoma Farm Bureau drafted a bill referred to as the Right-to-Market bill, which increased penalties and specifically prohibited interference by force, coercion or intimidation of persons seeking to market farm products. The bill was aimed at giving additional protection against violence, such as that which occurred in the Midwest in prior years during withholding actions of the National Farmers Organization. This photo was taken as Gov. Dewey Bartlett signed the Farm-Bureau-sponsored bill into law as OKFB Executive Secretary Kenneth McFall, Sen. Anthony Massad of Frederick and Rep. Harold Hunter of Waukomis looked on. Massad was the Senate author for the bill, and Hunter was one of the chief supporters of the bill in the House.

Noble County Farm Bureau Board members dish out the meal at a county annual meeting. Pictured are (left to right) Perry Patch, Homer Main, Oscer Mitchell, Bob Bolay, Walter Hasselwander, Sam Bolay and Alfred Graves, preparing to get the meal underway. Hasselwander was a special insurance agent in the county.

The Young People’s Committee held several events throughout the year to provide the highest benefit to its members. One such event would be their annual Oklahoma Farm Bureau YPC training school. In this 1969 photo, Dr. John Shirley, President of Group Dynamics, Inc., of Dallas and one of the featured speakers at the meeting, discusses program highlights of the training school with Ada Schneider, YPC Reporter, and John Williams, YPC Chairman.

In 1968, Farm Bureau Safety Service partnered with the American Automobile Association, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City to present a television safety program, “Learn and Live.” The program involved five high schools located in central Oklahoma, including schools in Guthrie, Chickasha, Moore, Shawnee and Putnam City. Teams participated in the quiz-based television show by answering questions taken from the Oklahoma traffic code. This photo shows Trooper Bill Price of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol moderating the program during one of the airings.

In 1968, one of the top commercial attractions of the State Fair of Oklahoma was the “see-through” incubator in the Farm Bureau exhibit. Thousands of people came through the display to get their first glimpse of a chick hatching. In the following months, the incubator was taken to numerous schools to educate children about the egg-hatching process.

In March 1965, the OKFB Board appointed a 22-member program study committee to assess the functionality of the organization and find ways to better serve the needs of members. A special conference of county presidents, pictured here, was then held at the Center for Continuing Education at the University of Oklahoma to analyze the recommendations. After conference attendees endorsed the report, a special session of voting delegates approved the recommended proposal to increase Farm Bureau membership dues to a minimum of $15 in order to finance a portion of the expanded program.

In this photo, 15-year-old Kris Kinzie, son of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Kinzie, Payne County Farm Bureau members, is shown with his 4-year-old cow, “Keeper’s Sparkling Day,” winner of the National North American Dairy Show for Jerseys. Kinzie presented the recently-named champion to local businessmen and community members at the Farmer’s National Bank in Cushing.

Fifty-two Oklahomans participated in a three-state Farm Bureau leaders tour in July, joining fellow FB leaders from Texas and Artkansas on a five-day tour of county farm bureaus in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois. Shown here by one of the two buses are the county leaders, state board members and enough staff members to handle the necessary details.

For the 1963 Farm Family award, the OKFB Women designed the contest to honor the state’s pioneer farm families who fought floods, dust bowl days, and the depression in order to remain on the farm. One of the requirements was that the family, or the family’s parents, must have farmed in Oklahoma prior to 1900. The George Lasley family from Eakley was the winner of this special Oklahoma Pioneer Farm Family of the Year award. Both of the Lasleys’ parents originally came to Oklahoma in covered wagons in 1899. In the photo is Mr. and Mrs. Lasley, with the two youngest of their eight grandchildren, Gay and Lloyd.

On July 10, 1958, members of Farm Bureau counties in western Oklahoma held this Meet the Candidate forum with two runoff candidates for the democratic nomination for congressman. Congressman Toby Morris (second from left) and challenger Victor Wickersham (second from right) were guests of 100 leaders from 17 western counties of Oklahoma’s Congressional District 6, shown here with OKFB President Lewis H. Munn (at microphone). The candidates were quizzed about their beliefs on 13 different issues and government philosophies in order to compare them against Farm Bureau policy.

1970s

Keeping up with the latest legislative and county news is an important part of Oklahoma Farm Bureau. This 1970 photo features Lewis H. Munn, OKFB President (right), reviewing newspaper clippings about the organization’s activities with Kenneth McFall, Executive Secretary. The stories, gathered by a press clipping service, represent news coverage from nearly every newspaper in Oklahoma on topics ranging from county board meetings to farm news on the state level. Clippings were grouped and returned to appropriate county Farm Bureaus featured in the stories.

In this 1979 photo, OKFB President James Lockett is interviewed by Ramona Russ of Oklahoma City’s KOCO-TV Channel 5 news team about the consumer reaction to higher beef prices. Lockett emphasized that consumer demand would dictate the price of beef and that government controls should be shelved.

On September 4, 1975, the Noble County’s WLC conducted a Ladies Tractor Driving School at the county fairgrounds. This photo shows Mrs. Ronnie Golliver, Chairman; Mrs. David Sherrard, Vice Chairman; and Mrs. John Main, Secretary, planning subject material for the school.

Here, representatives of the Muskogee County Farm Bureau met with State Sen. John Luton, Senate Majority Leader Whip, to discuss agricultural matters in 1979. With Sen. Luton are (left to right) Mrs. Bob Murr of Oktah, Mrs. Dick Helmer of Route Three, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Leeds of Fort Gibson, Sen. Luton, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Plunkett of Route Two and Mrs. Arlie Perry of Fort Gibson.

This photo was taken during the 1978 resolutions meetings, where Oklahoma Farm Bureau members brought resolutions concerning a variety of issues, such as lack of adequate rural roads and bridges, tick eradication, school funding, a statewide water plan and the probate code.

One of the biggest victories in the history of Oklahoma Farm Bureau was the exemption of farm equipment, feed, seed and fertilizer from the state sales tax, which was finally was accomplished in 1978. Even though sales tax equality was one of the first resolutions adopted by the organization, it was a long 35 years before a blanket sales tax exemption for agriculture was granted by the Oklahoma Tax Commission. This photo features Robert Plunkett, a member of the Muskogee County Farm Bureau (left), making a purchase of several new items that were recently exempt from sales tax when used on the farm. Vince Delmedico, owner of Katy Flour and Feed in Muskogee, said relatively few dealers were aware of the new ruling and many had questions regarding its application.

Although many legislative issues took years to resolve, some resolutions from the county Farm Bureaus moved at a rapid pace. One such example is the trailer identification law. In 1973, strong cattle prices led to increased cattle thefts. To help identify rustlers, legislators suggested livestock trailers be identified by using a mandatory state license tag. To save money and provide an easier option, Oklahoma Farm Bureau members suggested that farmers, ranchers and owners of stock trailers be required to display their drivers license number on the back of their trailers, which also allowed highway patrolmen to check the driver without even stopping the vehicle. The idea was adopted at the OKFB convention in November 1973 and signed into law by Oklahoma Gov. Dan Hall in April 1974, less than six months later.

In this photo from 1975, OKFB member Eugene Conrad and his father, Chester, both of Bixby, spoke to a reporter from Tulsa’s KTEW-TV about the advantageous uses of agriculture pesticides and herbicides in food production.

This photo was published in a 1977 issue of Oklahoma Farm Bureau Farmer in a feature story about Jim Martin, a broiler grower from Stilwell and an Adair County Farm Bureau Board member who produced between 90,000 and 100,000 chickens annually. Martin spoke about the benefits of joining an organization designed to help growers increase their profit margins. In addition, Martin described the life of a broiler grower and the constant care that was necessary to properly care for poultry.

During the early 1970s, Oklahoma Farm Bureau began the ‘Meatchek’ promotion, a positive approach to meat promotion to bolster the sagging livestock market as a joint effort of several farm organizations and grocery outlets. Under the terms of the promotion, anyone, including farmers and ranchers, could buy gift certificates, which were redeemable for beef, pork, lamb or poultry at any participating grocery store. In this 1974 photo, OKFB President Lewis H. Munn encourages people to buy the meat gift certificates for Christmas gifts during a news conference staged on the OKFB grounds with four penned steers as a backdrop. Other participants included Eldon Roscher, Oklahoma Retail Grocery Association; Billy Ray Gowdy, Agriculture Board President; and Henry Haley, a cattleman from Calumet. The conference attracted approximately 30 news reporters.

1980s

In this photo, OKFB Young Farmers & Ranchers members tour Farmland Industries for a firsthand look at the plant’s manufacturing process for urea and nitrate fertilizers during the group’s winter conference held in Enid in 1987.

OKFB Young Farmers & Ranchers often sponsor agricultural activities and contests for youth. This photo was taken at the OKFB YF&R-sponsored Livestock Evaluation Field Day in 1986, where Texas County Farm Bureau member Jim Mayer, who also served as state YF&R chairman (center), assisted with the planning and organization of the contest.

This photo of Payne County Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in 1984 illustrates the typical scene found in counties across the state during fall. In 1984, Oklahoma Farm Bureau members brought several resolutions concerning the federal fiscal policy to recommend to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

This photo, taken at the 1983 American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Dallas, shows U. S. Sen. David Boren (middle) shaking hands with fellow Oklahoman Emanuel Fuchs of Kiowa County (right), while AFBF President Robert Delano stands by. Boren, an Oklahoma democrat from Seminole, was one of the featured speakers at the conference. About 200 Farm Bureau leaders from Roger Mills, Custer, Washita, Beckham, Kiowa, Greer, Harmon, Jackson and Tillman counties attended the 1982 national meeting.

Here, delegates to the 1982 State Resolutions Committee meeting in Oklahoma City focus much of their attention on proposals regarding county government finances and funding for county roads and bridges. Delegates approved a resolution calling for a 2-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline to be used to repair county roads and bridges.

This group of Oklahoma Farm Bureau members traveled to Washington, D.C., in 1982 during the annual legislative tour where they met with Rep. Mike Synar on the front steps of the Capitol building. From left to right are Richard and Carol Linihan of Oologah, Albert Lee of Pryor, Gary Fisher of Tahlequah, Dick and Clara Sheffield of Fort Gibson, Rep. Synar, Ima Landrum of Tulsa, Robin Landrum of Tulsa, Karen Leeds of Fort Gibson, Randy Moore of Inola, Gayle Perry of Fort Gibson, Larry Leeds of Fort Gibson and Arlie Perry of Fort Gibson.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Committee events, like this one held in 1980, allowed members to develop leadership skills, meet agricultural women from across the state and learn the latest farming and ranching news.

1990s

Area meetings in 1990 focused mainly on education funding and the possible sale of school land. Nearly 600 recommendations were submitted to the Oklahoma Farm Bureau State Resolutions Committee that year, concerning a variety of other topics, such as a possible state environmental agency, accountability in government, annexation and land-use planning. Area meetings continue to serve as the kickoff of the grassroots effort to establish Farm Bureau policy in areas of concern to Oklahoma farmers and ranchers.

The importance of young farmers and ranchers was recognized in this 1990 photo, in which Rep. Jack Begley (right) presented a citation to the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farm Family of the Year, Texas County’s Monte and Bobbi Smith. Begley read the citation recognizing the family to the House chamber while Speaker of the House Steve Louis (in background) and OKFB’s Director of Governmental Relations Dennis Howard (left) listened. The lawmaker told his counterparts he wanted them to meet an “endangered species – young farmers in Oklahoma.” The Smith family owned a diversified farm and ranch near Texhoma, where they raised cattle and grew wheat, alfalfa and sudangrass.

In this 1990 photo, James Lockett, OKFB President (right), pictured with American Farm Bureau Federation President Dean Kleckner, signs a Farm Bureau petition favoring reduction of the capital gains tax.

In 1990, about 100 Oklahoma farmers and ranchers donated more than 300 tons of hay to drought-stricken parts of south Texas. The donations came as a result of the “South Texas Haylift,” a cooperative effort among Farm Bureau members that grew to encompass even non-members. Shown here, Logan County Farm Bureau President Bill Kinney (left) and Vice President Oliver Rudd watch donated hay being loaded onto railcars as they stand in front of a trailer waiting to be unloaded. The hay was loaded on the railcars at the Marshall Co-op and the Guthrie Santa Fe depot and routed to Texas cattlemen in Bexar, Atascoas and Victoria counties, where accumulated rainfall was less than 12 inches in the previous two years.

Taken in 1990, this photo shows the heart of the Ag in the Classroom program: introducing agriculture to students who have little or no connection to farming and ranching. Logan County Farm Bureau’s Linda Fruendt made the Ag in the Classroom program come alive for these Guthrie elementary students with a Dorset lamb. Fruendt told the students how farmers care for their livestock and presented a brief summary on raising animals. The highlight of the program for the students seemed to be when each had the opportunity to hold and pet the lamb. The Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee continues to proudly support the Ag in the Classroom program on many levels, helping Oklahoma educators learn more about agriculture and how to incorporate farming and food into their daily classroom activities.

Stephens County’s Steve Nunley (right) is introduced to AFBF convention delegates in Reno, Nevada, as the newly elected YF&R Chairman by AFBF President Dean Kleckner.

This photo was taken June 12, 1998, as Gov. Frank Keating’s signature on Oklahoma’s estate tax reform bill drew a large crowd of interested witnesses. Attending the ceremony in the Oklahoma State Capitol’s Blue Room were (left to right) OKFB General Counsel Richard Herren, OKFB President Jack Givens, OKFB Executive Director Matt Wilson, Mason Mungle, Rep. Larry Ferguson, Sen. Owen Laughlin, Rep. Mary Easley, Agriculture Commissioner Dennis Howard, and Director of State Finance Tom Daxon.

Drought was a significant concern among farmers and ranchers in the Oklahoma Panhandle in the late 1990s. Relaying the challenges the dry conditions brought, Oklahoma Farm Bureau Board Member Joe Mayer (right) spoke to the Daily Oklahoman’s Paul English at a Governor’s Press Conference in 1998. Mayer outlined current and future problems caused by the drought and how those issues would impact Oklahoma farmers and ranchers.

In this photo, CNN Newsman David Steck interviews OKFB Young Farmers & Ranchers members Tom Null, Keeff Felty and Matt Muller about weather forecasting’s impact on farming. The CNN crew was in Oklahoma on April 21, 1998, to videotape a story on severe weather awareness, and quizzed the YF&R members about any folklore-type indicators farmers recognized as precursors of storms.

Almost 80 Farm Bureau members from five counties in southeastern Oklahoma assembled in Madill on April 6, 1998, to host U.S. Rep. Wes Watkins. It was the first time for Marshall County Farm Bureau to host a special legislative meeting featuring the third-district U.S. congressman. Marshall County Farm Bureau President Dwain Rushing listened as Rep. Watkins briefed leaders on some of the upcoming issues that would face Congress.

In this photo, Scott Neufeld of Major County shares farm safety tips with elementary school students attending a safety camp in Fairview. Neufeld joined other members of the Major County Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee to help conduct the safety camp held in conjunction with the Major County Farm Show.

In 1998, presidents of the Oklahoma Farmers Union, Oklahoma Farm Bureau and the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association joined leaders of other state organizations to create the Oklahoma Agriculture Roundtable. The group united forces on several agriculture industry issues on the table for the 1998 legislative session, such as the wheat checkoff, estate taxes, livestock liability and more. This photo was taken as OKFB President Jack M. Givens (left), OCA President Stanley Barby (center), and OFU President Phil Klutts prepared to open the Oklahoma Agriculture Roundtable.

In 1994, Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Eldon Merklin attracted media coverage as he became the first person to sign a petition that would give taxpayers control over ad valorem tax levels. OKFB was part of a coalition that supported placing the Property Owners Protection Act on the ballot. Later, petitions were signed at county Farm Bureau offices. Also pictured at the signing event was Oklahoma Taxpayers Union President Dan Brown, OKFB Board Member Joe Mayer and coalition spokesman Jim Williams.

This 1994 photo includes program members from Japan after they enjoyed a home-prepared meal of Indian tacos and exchanged gifts during a stop at the Caddo County Farm Bureau office. The group was also presented with T-shirts and Farm Bureau caps as well as seedless watermelons provided by Sen. Bruce Price. The visiting group presented fans, handkerchiefs and buttons promoting Japan to the county Farm Bureau members.

One of the most popular events hosted by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Committee is the Farm City Festival. Women from across the state bring home-prepared food, featuring ingredients produced in Oklahoma, to the Oklahoma State Capitol during the legislative session to educate lawmakers and their staff about the Oklahoma agriculture industry. Here, members pause briefly behind their decorated table containing homemade foods before long lines form for the Farm City Festival in 1994. During the event, more than 500 individuals registered in the guest book. Committee members include (left to right): June Kliewer, Doris Lee Howard, Juanita Bolay, Yvonne Phelps, Beverly Delmedico, Sue Jarvis, Chairman Nellie Fern Nelson, Helen Keller and Sarah Henson.

This photo features the 1992 OKFB state Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. Back row are (left to right) Barbie Deevers from the American Farm Bureau Federation YF&R Committee, Thad Doye, Howard Bartel, Jimmy Mabry, Becky Clovis, Leross Apple and Joe Parker. Front row are (left to right) Kevin Deevers from the AFBF YF&R Committee, Jessi Farmer, Francis Parizek, Rick Clovis, Brian Lebeda, Jimmy Fruedenberger and Kelli Parker.

Providing Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders with leadership skills and training was the purpose of this County Presidents Conference in Oklahoma City in 1992. The presidents were informed of their legal responsibilities, received officer training and were updated on pertinent Farm Bureau activities. Those attending, front row were (left to right) Martin Caldwell of Jackson County, Everett Cobb of Kay County, Gary Linter of Woodward County, T.J. Mosher of Grant County, Mike Terry of Harper County and Leon Kliewer of Kiowa County. Back row were (left to right) Alan Bernhardt of Blaine County, Joe Peeper of Garfield County, Bill Smith of Cleveland County, Buddy Shapp of Ottawa County and Ed Enis of Latimer County.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1992 with several unique opportunities for the organization’s members. In one such event, Glencoe’s Wanita McGuar (right) was the lucky winner of the 50th anniversary OKFB commemorate quilt. The state’s Women’s Committee coordinated the effort to make the quilt, which involved women from all 77 counties. Women’s Committee Chairman Nellie Fern Nelson (left) and member Juanita Bolay were on hand to present the quilt to the Noble County Farm Bureau member.

U.S. Sen. Don Nickles, Assistant Majority Leader, speaks at a press conference at OKFB headquarters in Oklahoma City on April 2 of that year where he unveiled a measure to reduce the federal estate tax burden.

The chairmen of each commodity committee for 1996 gave reports detailing their activities during the American Farm Bureau Federation commodity meeting to the OKFB Board. The six also presented opinions on how to more effectively involve county Farm Bureau members and leaders in the activities of their commodities. Pictured are (left to right) Gary Fisher of Cherokee County, Poultry Advisory Committee Chairman; Merle Atkins of Tillman County, Cotton Advisory Committee Chairman; Jimmy Kinder of Cotton County, Beef Advisory Committee Chairman; Rodd Moesel of Canadian County, Ag Nursery and Greenhouse Advisory Committee Chairman; James Covey of Custer County, Wheat Advisory Committee Chairman; and Doyle Wilson of Hughes County, Peanut Advisory Committee Chairman.

In this photo, U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts visits with Jackson County Farm Bureau members Greg Lucas and Jerry Lucas during the eight-county legislative banquet held in Lawton in 1996. Watts spoke to more than 100 Farm Bureau members, addressing family values, high taxes, the increasing national debt and other issues.

In 1993, boll weevil problems were a popular topic among farmers. In order to provide farmers and legislators with information concerning boll weevil eradication, Stephens County Farm Bureau held a meeting in late March at the Red River Vo-Tech. Pictured here is Oklahoma Sen. Larry Lawler, center, looking over boll weevil eradication facts with Stephens County President Bill Nunley (left) and Oklahoma Farm Bureau Board Member Ralph Dickson. Lawler was the Vice Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

In 1993, the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement was a hot agricultural topic. With farmers and ranchers holding a significant stake in the agreement, Oklahoma Farm Bureau President James L. Lockett chats with KTOK talk show host Carol Arnold in Oklahoma City, prior to going on the air to discuss the Farm Bureau position on NAFTA.

The Great Flood of 1993 in the Midwest is considered one the most significant and damaging natural disasters in the history of the United States. Oklahoma Farm Bureau members stepped up to donate food, cleaning items, paper products and other goods to send to families hit hard by the flood. In this photo, OKFB President James L. Lockett lends a hand to load a relief truck headed for the flood-ravaged Midwest. OKFB members also sent monetary donations to a special disaster aid fund created by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

During the 1995 American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, policy work in preparation for the upcoming farm bill took center stage. Delegates advocated for a more flexible approach to farm programs, as the delegate body passed a resolution opposing all tax increases and calling for a freeze in federal spending. Members of the 1995 Oklahoma delegation included (left to right) Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Chairman Ryan Pjesky, OKFB President Eldon Merklin, Cotton County’s Clarence Vache, OKFB Vice President Steve Kouplen, OKFB Board Member Billy Gibson, Farm Bureau Women’s Committee Members Beverly Delmedico and Juanita Bolay, and OKFB Board Member Ron Henson.

2000s

Community services is an integral part of county Farm Bureau activities in communities throughout Oklahoma. Here, Comanche County Farm Bureau members display a bounty of collected food items to donate to their local food pantry in 2003, part of an annual drive that continues today. Pictured are (left to right) Comanche County’s Beverly Glasgow, Rhonda Hankins, Georgia Doye, Damon Doye and Don Hankins.

Garfield County Farm Bureau members and local officials gathered on February 27, 2009, as county Farm Bureau members presented a earth scraper to the local conservation district for local farmers and ranchers to use to implement conservation measures on their land. County Farm Bureaus have long been taking part in encouraging and supporting conservation efforts across Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau Board Member Bob Drake of Murray County signs an OKFB cap that was passed around to members at the 2009 State Resolutions Committee meeting, showing support for the American Farm Bureau Federation’s “Don’t cap our future” campaign. The campaign rallied against a proposed “cap and trade” scheme of environmental controls that was being proposed in Congress. Two signed caps were sent to Washington, D.C., to show OKFB support for the campaign, one of which was used on the U.S. Senate floor by Sen. Jim Inhofe during debate on the bill.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Steve Kouplen (right) joined an American Farm Bureau Federation delegation on an agricultural trade mission to China in March 2004 to promote Oklahoma agriculture products while experiencing other cultures. Joined by Kouplen are Indiana Farm Bureau President Don Villowock (left) and Oregon Farm Bureau President Barry Bushue (center).

2010s

In this January 2012 photo, Major County Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers member Clint Wilcox (center) helps local children color a farm-themed picture at a local library. County YF&R members also read agricultural books, played farm-themed games and prepared a snack for local grade-school students to help them understand the importance of agriculture in their local community of Fairview and beyond.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan testifies before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight on April 12, 2016, about the proposed Waters of the United States rules change to the Clean Water Act.

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt speaks to a crowd of Oklahoma Farm Bureau members at the 2014 OKFB Legislative Leadership Conference at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City. Pruitt’s address was a highlight of the two-day conference, which provided OKFB members a chance to personally connect with legislators, public officials and agricultural experts as they discussed emerging agricultural and policy issues.

Here, a young Ryan Taylor of Payne County tries his hand at setting a siphon tube in the Lugert-Altus Irrigation District as part of a 2011 OKFB Young Farmers & Ranchers tour.

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, standing in an old buffalo wallow, speaks against government overreach in proposed changes to the Clean Water Act during a 2012 press conference hosted by Oklahoma Farm Bureau. The press event was held on land owned by Garfield County Farm Bureau member Gary Johnson.q

Oklahoma Farm Bureau member Josh Grundmann (second from left) shares the process of cleaning and shelling pecans with the Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture during a tour in 2013. The Grundmann family hosted the group at their business, Valley View Pecans near Earlsboro, to help educate board members about the pecan industry and issues pecan producers and processors face.

A longtime Oklahoma Farm Bureau member, U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas of Roger Mills County (left) received the 2012 American Farm Bureau Federation’s Golden Plow award from AFBF President Bob Stallman at the 2013 OKFB Legislative Leadership Conference. Lucas was recognized for his work on researching and developing the next farm bill. The Golden Plow is the highest honor AFBF bestows upon congressional leaders, recognizing members of Congress who exemplify agricultural leadership and support of Farm Bureau policies. Recipients are chosen for having a philosophy or record that demonstrates a commitment to sound agricultural policies supported by Farm Bureau, the private enterprise system, fiscal conservatism and reduced federal regulation of businesses and individuals.

Connecting consumers with food and agriculture information is the goal of the long-running food donation efforts the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee has undertaken through Food Check-Out Day, and later, Our Food Link activities. As part of the program, OKFB WLC members purchase food and gift certificates to donate to the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, providing families who have a child receiving treatment at nearby hospitals with a myriad of food choices during their stay. In this 2014 Our Food Link photo, OKFB WLC members Beverly Delmedico (right) and Lena Henson (second from left) shop for food to donate at a Tulsa-area Reasor’s store with OKFB WLC Coordinator Marcia Irvin (second from right). Also pictured is a member of the Reasor’s staff who helped the WLC members.

As part of the 2014 OKFB YF&R Oklahoma Youth Leading Agriculture conference, participants made milk shakes and shared them with shoppers at a Yukon Buy for Less store, giving the students a chance to connect with consumers to share the benefits of dairy products and Oklahoma’s dairy industry.

Here, Sen. Ron Justice of Chickasha (left) visits with Caddo County Farm Bureau’s Linda Taggart at the state capitol during the 2013 Farm City Festival held April 23.

The Oklahoma State University Collegiate Farm Bureau group supported fellow Oklahomans in 2015 by shopping for toys and gift items for children in need through the Salvation Army Angel Tree program and the White Fields Boys Home.

Here, Rogers County Farm Bureau members, including County President E.J. Snider on the clarinet entertain members during the county’s annual Christmas party in 2014, which included a meal and a gift exchange.

With a 2012 deadline for a new farm bill looming on the horizon, Oklahoma Farm Bureau members created a farm bill committee to study the current farm program, consult agricultural experts, and present policy proposals to the delegate body to help craft the next iteration of farm policy. This input was taken and approved ideas were sent on for consideration by American Farm Bureau Federation delegates. Here, Scott Neufeld of Major County, a member of the OKFB Farm Bill Committee, speaks at the business session of the 2012 AFBF convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, about a proposed AFBF policy change to the national organization’s farm bill policy.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan makes a triumphant entry with Oklahoma flag aloft at the 2015 American Farm Bureau Federation convention in San Diego, California.

In 2013, a Hydro-area farmer had leftover sweet potatoes in a field that did not fit size requirements for harvest. OKFB coordinated an effort to bring in volunteers from the surrounding community and beyond to harvest the remaining sweet potatoes for donation to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. OKFB members, such as Caddo County member Brittany Krehbiel (right) along with volunteers from local schools and members of the Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program descended on the field to fill buckets with the bounty of tubers for needy families.

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