Agricultural News
April is Made in Oklahoma Month
Fri, 23 Apr 2021 08:35:55 CDT
Everything from meat to pecans and wine are produced in Oklahoma and many of these products are being promoted during April as it is Made In Oklahoma (MIO) month.
Emily Shuping, MIO Coalition coordinator, talked about many of the special April promotions during an interview with Radio Oklahoma Agriculture Network Associate Farm Director and Editor KC Sheperd.
The MIO Coalition is a public-private partnership between the Oklahoma Agriculture Department and 80 privately owned food and beverage companies, Shuping said.
We receive funding from the state legislature to raise awareness for made in Oklahoma products, she said.
Throughout April there have been a variety of promotions in area grocery stores and markets, she said, including a special promotion with Local Farm OK based in Tulsa and recently expanded into Oklahoma City.
The special promotion was a "MIO mystery box" with five different items delivered along with customer's regular order.
We're excited at the opportunity to deliver MIO products direct to the consumer's' doors, she said.
Shuping said the pandemic highlighted the fact that food doesn't just appear on the shelves and MIO products have benefited from the extra attention.
The great food eco system we have in Oklahoma meant we didn't have to worry about having food on the shelves, she said.
Looking for a specific MIO product? Go to the MIO Coalition website by clicking here.
We have all of our member companies featured here, she said.
This is a great way to shop locally and keep your food dollars here in Oklahoma she said.
These companies provide $3.3 billion in economic returns each year and most of those sales (85 percent) come from out of state, she said.
Shuping said these companies employ over 58,000 Oklahomans.
With spring weather arriving, the MIO Coalition is partnering with Agritourism to promote a craft beer trail in June and July.
Another fun thing coming June 5th is a pop-up market in Stockyards City in conjunction with the Wines of the West event.
There are some really great Oklahoma wines, she said.
Shuping added plans are underway for the annual MIO Expo in September.
For more details on MIO events, check out their website.
Click on the listen bar below to hear more of KC's interview with Emily Shuping.
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