American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Cooperative hosted National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew on a tour of Southeastern Oklahoma July 25. The tour showcased the area’s agriculture and provided an opportunity for AFR leadership and Larew to visit one-on-one with area producers.
The AFR group began Wednesday’s tour at Marty and Hope Hutchings at Hendrix. The Hutchings are longtime AFR members; their family operation includes beef production and custom hay cutting. Hope is also a crop insurance agent. During the visit, the AFR group and the Hutchings discussed the challenges and barriers to success in today’s family farm. They also discussed issues with crop insurance, the farm safety net, and farmer mental health.
In Colbert, the AFR group talked with AFR members Rusty Brigman and Brent Hicks at Brigman Sod Farm. The group learned about the area’s shift from peanut farming to sod farming and the challenges they face in the sod industry. Following the discussion, the AFR group was able to watch sod being cut and loaded on its short journey south into the Dallas – Fort Worth metropolitan area.
From Colbert, the AFR group traveled to Tishomingo, where a centennial marker recounts the origins and mission of Oklahoma Farmers Union, now known as AFR. While in Tishomingo, the group also saw the Chickasaw National Capitol Building and learned about the town’s relatively recent celebrity presence and economic revival.
The AFR group spent the afternoon in the Wapanucka area. Their first stop was at the Albrecht Ranch, where AFR members Kelly and Laura Albrecht raise high-performance purebred Angus cattle. While at the Albrechts’, the group discussed the purebred industry and strategies for genetic selection.
Next in the Wapanucka area was a visit with AFR members Jesse Wommack and Tammy Dunegan. They own a new backgrounding yard where they prepare stocker cattle for pasture through vaccinations, deworming and more.
The final stop was at Bill’s Custom Processing outside Wapanucka. AFR members Bill and Gena Johnston have owned the custom-exempt processing facility for about seven years. During the visit, the AFR group discussed the challenges of owning a business while farming and the difficulties small processing facilities face in scaling, labor and funding.
AFR Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR principles.
