AFR/OFU Members Elect Leaders and Vote on Policy Issues During Annual Convention

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Voting delegates representing all Oklahoma AFR/OFU groups elected a new president and three board of directors during the business session Feb. 16 during the 114th annual AFR/OFU convention in Norman, Okla.

Elected to serve a 3-year term as President was Scott Blubaugh, Tonkawa, Okla.

“I want to continue the great tradition of AFR/OFU being the voice of family farmers and be an advocate for farmers and ranchers throughout the state and nation,” Blubaugh said.

Blubaugh is a lifelong resident of Kay County where he and wife Lisa operate a family ranch near Tonkawa. Each year they host an annual Registered Angus production sale in the heart of their diversified 3,500 acre farm and ranch, which encompasses Osage, Kay and Noble counties.

Dustin Tackett, Ft. Cobb, Okla., was elected to the board of directors.  Tackett farms the land his grandfather bought in 1913. They raise commercial Red Angus cattle and grow wheat, hay and pumpkins. He has served as an AFR Insurance agent since 2004.

Also elected to the board was Jim Shelton, Vinita, Okla. His family operates a 3,500 acre commercial cow/calf and stocker business.  He has also had a successful banking career with the Oklahoma State Bank of Vinita.

Re-elected to board of directors was Mason Mungle, Norman, Okla. He was a partner in a family dairy farm in Atoka, Oklahoma, and is still involved in the operation of a cow/calf operation on the family farm in Atoka.

Rural voters should have more input on education funding, there should be a better definition of what constitutes meat, and support for a robust animal identification system for livestock were among the key resolutions passed during the business session.

Other resolutions passed include:

  • Better access for rural healthcare, especially keeping rural hospitals functioning in a challenging environment.
  • Support for farmers’ “right to repair” modern machinery and equipment.
  • Urge the Oklahoma Legislature to preserve current property tax system without adding additional financial burden for agricultural landowners.
  • Support an increase in state funding to retain quality staffing at the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
  • The Legislature should address legal uncertainties with both medical marijuana and industrial hemp.

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