PERSPECTIVE
July 25, 2025
OKFB president Moesel joins Farm Bureau leaders for White House meeting
klahoma Farm Bureau President Rodd Moesel along with other state Farm Bureau presidents and American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall gathered at the White House Wednesday, July 9, to for a special visit with several Cabinet members, administration ofcials and White House staf.
Among the Cabinet-level speakers that visited with Farm Bureau presidents, were U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture Brooke Rollins and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.
As Chair of the AFBF Trade Committee, Moesel also had the opportunity to introduce the U.S. Trade Representative to the group.
Topics of the discussion refected Farm Bureau’s national priority issues including the farm economy, preserving family farms, USDA Disaster Assistance,
trade, labor, the Make America Healthy Again commission, and regulatory reform on topics including Waters of the United States and the Endangered Species Act.
Speakers took questions from state presidents and also expressed appreciation to Farm Bureau leaders for taking the time to travel to Washington, D.C., and for sharing the Farm Bureau and agriculture story.
Crawley reinstated on Oklahoma Conservation Commission
klahoma Farm Bureau District
Five State Director Gary Crawley was reappointed as the Area Five Conservation Commissioner during the Monday, July 7, Conservation Commission meeting in Oklahoma City.
Crawley will continue to serve as the area fve commissioner through another fve-year term, and he will also act as the district director on the Pittsburg County Conservation District board. Crawley was frst appointed as area fve commissioner in 2020.
Crawley will represent the conservation districts of Pittsburg, Okfuskee, Checotah, McIntosh, Hughes, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, Pontotoc, Coal, Johnston, Atoka, Talihina, Pushmataha, Marshall, Bryan, Kiamichi and Little River.
Crawley and his wife, Wilma, run a cow-calf operation near Savannah. Crawley also serves fellow rural residents by conducting land appraisals and inspections on a contract basis.
Oklahoma Conservation Commission
board members guide and support the state’s conservation districts in protecting natural resources as they coordinate and oversee conservation programs, assist districts in program planning and implementation, and resolve conficts between programs.
Commissioners also help develop and approve budgets, monitor progress, and ensure accountability through standardized reporting, auditing and annual reviews. Their role ensures that Oklahoma’s conservation eforts are unifed, efective and responsive to both environmental needs and community priorities.
Conservation Commission board members are appointed by the governor. Board members concurrently serve as conservation district directors during their term as commission members. At least three members of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission must be actively engaged in farming or ranching, earning a majority of their income from production agriculture.
Noble County Farm Bureau hosts annual countywide ice cream social in Perry
oble County Farm Bureau hosted their annual ice cream social Monday, July 14, at the Noble County fairgrounds in Perry.
Noble County Farm Bureau members gathered to enjoy ice cream, homemade desserts and hear from local legislators and candidates running in elections in the coming year.
The Noble County Women’s Leadership Committee prepared numerous homemade desserts with ice
cream for members to enjoy.
Legislators in attendance included current House District 38 Rep. John Pfeifer, Attorney General candidate John Echols, and House District 38 candidate Madison Bolay.
Pfeifer announced his candidacy for Oklahoma Labor Commissioner, and provided members with an end-ofseason legislative update.
Echols shared his past experience as an Oklahoma House of Representatives
member and how his candidacy for Attorney General will help rural Oklahomans.
Bolay discussed his candidacy for House District 38.
OKFB Director of Public Policy Gage Milliman shared the accomplishments and achievements Farm Bureau won in the 2025 Oklahoma legislative session along with a preview of the organization’s upcoming August Area Meetings.
Gary Crawley
Rep. John Pfeifer (left) and past representative John Echols (right), speak to Noble County Farm Bureau members about legislation they worked on together during the 59th legislative session in 2024 and their policy work since then.
Noble County Farm Bureau members discuss issues important to agriculture over ice cream and homeade desserts.
klahoma Farm Bureau’s grassroots Water Working Group joined together for the group’s third meeting Tuesday, July 15, at the OKFB home ofce in Oklahoma City.
OKFB members representing all nine OKFB districts gathered to hear from guest speakers, learn about legal and regulatory frameworks, and discuss upcoming policy action surrounding water rights.
Members began their morning hearing from Travis Tripp, Oklahoma Conservation Commission land management director, and Dan Dvorett,
Oklahoma Conservation Commission technical programs director. Tripp and Dvorett shared a presentation on the Terry Peach Watershed Restoration Program, along with updates on their Red Cedar fre management program.
Rep. Carl Newton of Cherokee joined with the group to discuss his work on water legislation from the previous Oklahoma legislative sessions.
Members also heard from two surrounding state Farm Bureaus on their water issues, including Kent Askren, Kansas Farm Bureau public policy director and water resource specialist;
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15
Jarvis Garestson, Kansas Farm Bureau member and irrigator; Jay Bragg, Texas Farm Bureau Association director of commodity and regulatory activities; and Robert Gordon, Texas Farm Bureau member and irrigator.
Members closed out the meeting with a roundtable discussion on current and upcoming water rights issues.
The OKFB Water Working Group was created by the OKFB Board of Directors and aids in providing input to the board regarding water rights issues in the areas of regulation and policy.
Leopold Award applications due Aug. 1
The Oklahoma Leopold Conservation Award application deadline is Friday, August 1.
Applications must be emailed to award@sandcountyfoundation.org
Nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may apply themselves.
PUBLISHED BY OKLAHOMA FARM BUREAU
Postmaster:
Send address corrections to: Perspective P.O. Box 53332, Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3332
STAFF DIRECTORY
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Thad Doye (405) 523-2438
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Dustin Mielke (405) 530-2640
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF MEDIA RELATIONS AND ADVOCACY COMMUNICATIONS
Rachel Havens (405) 523-2346
PUBLICATIONS SPECIALIST
Kate Jackson (405) 523-2527
COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
Mickinzi Ferguson (405) 523-2343
Oklahoma Farm Bureau
2501 N. Stiles
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-3126
Non-Proft
U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 131 Okla. City, OK.
OKFB Foundation for Agriculture awards four grants to FFA chapters during FFA Alumni Camp
he Oklahoma Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture awarded four $500 grants to FFA chapters during the four sessions of FFA Alumni Camp at the Tulakogee campgrounds in Wagoner. The four FFA chapters that recieved the grants were BooneApache FFA, Hooker FFA, Jenks FFA and Snyder FFA. The Foundation grants provide an opportunity to assist FFA chapters with chapter activities, events and projects throughout the year.
Boone-Apache FFA
Hooker FFA
Snyder FFA
Jenks FFA