Oklahoma Farm Bureau members from across the state will gather in downtown Oklahoma City at the Omni Hotel on Nov. 6–8 for the organization’s 85th Annual Meeting. As the largest yearly assembly of OKFB members, the convention brings together agricultural leaders for two full business sessions to debate member-crafted policies, elect organization leadership, hear from industry experts, and celebrate achievements from the past year.
Farm Director KC Sheperd recently sat down with Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s Dustin Mielke to preview what attendees can expect from this year’s agenda, which kicks off just days after the general election.
“First and foremost at Farm Bureau, we’re all about our policy development,” Mielke said. “We’ll be having our business meetings where our members will bring those grassroots policies they’ve been working on for several months at the county level and up to the state resolutions committee level, and deciding what Farm Bureau issues are going to be for the coming year.”
Mielke noted that with the national and state elections wrapping up immediately ahead of the convention, hallway discussions will be especially active as members consider the newly elected leaders they will collaborate with on key agricultural matters. Among the primary policy concerns expected to surface are private property rights—including recent debates regarding data centers, solar installations, and industrial developments—alongside the New World screwworm, mandatory versus voluntary country-of-origin labeling (COOL) in the cattle industry, and fair taxation.
These member-approved policies will serve as the advocacy roadmap for Oklahoma Farm Bureau during the 2027 legislative session at the state Capitol and on national issues. In addition to policy deliberation, delegates will conduct leadership elections. Districts 1, 4, and 7 will caucus to elect district board directors, while the Women’s Leadership Committee (WLC) and Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) will hold caucuses to select their leadership teams.
Youth development and competitive events remain a cornerstone of the annual convention. This year marks the debut of the SAE CEO Challenge, a joint initiative between OKFB’s rural economic department and Oklahoma FFA designed for students running entrepreneurship Supervised Agricultural Experiences. After completing course modules on business planning, financial statements, and pitch preparation, student finalists will pitch their enterprises on Friday, Nov. 6, for cash prizes to reinvest into their operations.
Discussion Meets also feature prominently in the schedule. The OKFB YF&R Discussion Meet kicks off Thursday evening, Nov. 5, followed by the Collegiate Discussion Meet on Friday.
General sessions and breakout rooms will feature a wide lineup of perspectives. Motivational speaker Larry Weaver will serve as the keynote speaker during Friday’s Opening General Session, addressing resilience, navigating change, and managing stress. Friday general session programming also includes USDA Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Eddie Fields, with Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur also slated to take part in convention events. Saturday morning sessions will bring presentations from Zac Swartz of USDA Rural Development and Reagan Bradford with ROCO. The weekend concludes Sunday morning with a worship service and group breakfast featuring U.S. Senator James Lankford and musical guests Jeff & Sheri Easter.
Educational breakout sessions scheduled for Friday afternoon will cover topics critical to rural producers:
- Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, will provide his widely anticipated beef market update.
- Alexis Main, Oklahoma animal care advocate, will share practical strategies for effectively communicating the story of modern agriculture to consumers.
- OKFB will introduce its new Promotion and Education Committee, designed to give members outside traditional demographic committees a direct pathway to advocate for agriculture and engage local communities.
The convention will also host the OKFB Expo trade show, opening Friday at 9 a.m. and Saturday at 8 a.m., alongside county board and staff development trainings and the annual silent auction. Friday night’s entertainment shifts into fellowship with OKFB Game Night and Bingo, featuring live music from country artists Tyse Buck & the Okies, following their third-place national talent finish at the National FFA Convention.
Saturday evening caps off the major recognitions during the annual Dinner & Awards Program, celebrating grassroots members, county Farm Bureaus, state lawmakers, and the nine district Farm and Ranch Family Recognition honorees.
Members interested in attending should contact their county Farm Bureau office to check registration and seating availability. Full convention details and ongoing schedule updates are available online at okfarmbureau.org.
