PERSPECTIVE January 10, 2025
OKFB helps establish Lucas endowment at OSU
OKFB announces 2025 priority issues klahoma Farm Bureau has announced the organization’s 2025 priority issues ahead of Oklahoma’s 2025 legislative session. These priority issues, designed to guide the work of Farm Bureau members and staff at the state Capitol, focus on several areas, including private property rights, water policy, production agriculture, education and extension. The following encompass the organization’s legislative priorities for the coming year: Protect private property rights
• Reclaim state jurisdiction over areas currently regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy that legally can be • Protect private property owners from illegal use of eminent domain • Support reforms to Oklahoma’s eminent domain laws to further
protect private property rights Water policy
• Support the Oklahoma Water Resources board commissioning a study to provide options for managing Oklahoma’s groundwater • Protect animal and production agriculture in Oklahoma • Develop educational tools for members regarding private property rights and crop insurance • Support adequate funding for county extension • Support funding for Oklahoma State University’s wheat research program and the college of veterinary medicine
OKFB’s priority issues stem from member-crafted policy resolutions and are voted on and approved by the OKFB board of directors each year.
KFB has partnered with Oklahoma State University and Bart Fischer, co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M, to establish the Frank D. Lucas Endowed Chair in Agricultural Policy at OSU. OKFB helped Fischer kick off the fundraising campaign at the 2024 OKFB annual meeting by making the first donation to the fund. OKFB encourages members to participate by honoring Lucas’ legacy at OSU. The endowment honors the ongoing work and legacy of Lucas, a farmer, rancher, OKFB member and current member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Lucas is a fifthgeneration farmer who studied agricultural economics at OSU. He began his political career in 1994 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and now proudly represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District, serving 32 counties. The endowment will fund a faculty position in the agricultural economics department at OSU to provide enhanced educational opportunities for future agriculture leaders. An endowment chair is created through a minimum of $1 millon. If you wish to participate in funding the Frank D. Lucas Endowed Chair, please contact James Ambrose with OSU at jambroase@osugiving.com.