Agricultural News
Oklahoma Farm Bureau Delegates Set Policy for 2016- Water, Feral Hogs, Section 179, Beef Checkoff Among Proposals Adopted
Mon, 16 Nov 2015 15:06:27 CST
Compared to previous years, the delegates at the 2015 Oklahoma Farm Bureau Convention had a relatively light load of resolutions to consider, with fewer than sixty recommendations brought by the State Resolutions Committee to the Convention floor on Saturday. However, there were several that evoked strong feelings on both sides of the issue- starting with water.
Tom Buchanan, OKFB president told delegates as they looked at a multi page rewrite of water policy in their current book of positions "Water is the most important asset to the state of Oklahoma."
The delegate body, made up of Farm Bureau members from all 77 Oklahoma counties, approved suggestions with moderate changes from OKFB's 21-member water committee, which was created at OKFB's 2014 annual meeting at the request of the organization's delegates. The committee spent the last year discussing water policy and learning from water experts around the state and the nation in an effort to understand Oklahoma's water needs and resources.
The water committee's suggestions modernized OKFB's water policy, allowing OKFB leaders to work toward the development of all Oklahoma's water.
"Water is a very important resource for all Oklahomans," said Matt Muller, OKFB water committee member and Jackson County farmer. "We wanted to start healthy discussions around the state on how we can best advance good utilization of the water resources we have in this state that would benefit all of Oklahoma."
Among the proposals that are now a part of the position on water that the general farm organization took- a statement opposing Indian tribes right to sell water out of state unless there is "full legislative review and approval by the House and the Senate." The delegates approved removing the statement within previous policy that said ""while we do not support the sale or transfer of water out of state," and added extensive language framing how such sale or transfer should take place, if it happens.
Within the multi page document- the Water Policy Committe and with passage, the statewide delegates of Oklahoma Farm Bureau, call "groundwater rights, and control of groundwater rights, need to remain Oklahoma Farm Bureau's top priority of private property issues."
Another priority issue found in the Water Policy proposal approved by the delegates- Farm Bureau "opposes the transfer of control of water quality to tribes because control by numerous entities within a state causes confusion for property owners and industry."
Beyond the policy approved by delegates on water (it passed with 77% of the delegates voting), there were a variety of issues considered and passed:
OKFB "encourages the Federal Aviation Administration to adminsiter line of sight rules which provide landowners the opportunity to utilize UAVs across their private property, even if out of line of sight."
OKFB "supports passage and funding of State Question 777." Later they also voted in language saying "Oklahoma Farm Bureau should be the leader in working for passage, financial support and coalition building for State Question 777 (Right to Farm). We encourage counties and indivduals to financially support State Question 777."
OKFB delegates approved "supporting the creation of a state beef checkoff of $1 per head that is refundable and will be administered and controlled by the Oklahoma Beef Council."
The delegates revised and removed a lot of the verbiage having to do with the control and removal of feral hogs. After extensive debate and several efforts to change the language developed by the Resolutions Committee, the delegates voted overwhelmingly (81% in favor) to approve Proposal number 22 regarding feral hogs. The new OKFB policy includes the following statement: "ODAFF should take action through the administrative rules process to end the transportation of live feral hogs in Oklahoma. We support the eradication of feral hogs as an invasive species. All landowners should be encouraged to eradicate feral hogs on their land by any means possible. We do not support commercial sport hunting of feral hogs." There was an effort to remove that last sentence- but the motion to strip that language from the proposal failed with 46% voting in favor and 54% voting to not support the final statement of the position being removed.
OKFB delegates also made a national recommendation that will be carried to the American Farm Bureau resolutions committee in December- saying "We support making federal income tax code section 179 permanent in the amount of $500,000.
OKFB delegates "supported research and development of methods to control weds that are becoming resistant to chemical and control measures."
OKFB delegates "support defunding the Waters of the United States rule."
These resolutions plus others will form the heart of the 2016 Policy book that Oklahoma Farm Bureau will work from in lobbying at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
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