Agricultural News
108th Annual AFR State Convention Kicks Off February 22nd
Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:24:53 CST
American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) will host the organization's 108th annual state convention at the Embassy Suites & Conference Center Norman Feb. 22-23. This year's convention theme is "Serving and Protecting: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow."
"This year's convention theme represents who we are as a company and as an organization," said AFR President Terry Detrick. "We were founded not as an insurance company, but as a membership services organization. We later added insurance as a benefit to our membership. Today, we continue to stand strong in our original mission area and we plan to put our membership first as we move forward together toward a bright future."
This year's convention holds true to its theme. The two-day event features educational speakers such as Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese, Oklahoma Secretary of Environment Gary Sherrer and National Farmers Union Vice President of Government Relations Chandler Goule. Convention attendees will learn about controversial legislative issues, the present and future use of water and other environmental topics, new transportation changes that impact agriculture and commerce in Oklahoma, and much more.
The convention also entertains with agricultural spokesman and comedian Jerry Carroll and hometown singers Mikayla Jo Balderas and Kylie Morgan. Convention attendees will also hear from state winners of the annual AFR Fall Speech Contest and will honor those cooperative members who have passed in the last calendar year. The event culminates with banquet keynote speaker Bart Fischer, chief economist of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture.
In addition to special guests, the convention also features the annual business meeting of Oklahoma Farmers Union and AFR Mutual Insurance Company, as well as discussion and adoption of AFR legislative policy. During the event, the organization will also hold elections for president, secretary/treasurer and one at-large board seat.
"Our annual state convention is one of our favorite times of year," said Detrick. "It is a time to remember where we came from, be proud of where we are and look forward to building our future."
AFR and its sister organization, Oklahoma Farmers Union, provide the youth of Oklahoma varied opportunities to develop into the leaders of tomorrow. The fall AFR speech contest is just one of several exciting AFR Youth Program traditions. AFR hosts a poster contest, summer youth leadership summit, statewide scholarships, livestock handling and skills contest, livestock judging and grading, and many other leadership opportunities.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...