Broadcasting live from the Oklahoma Youth Expo, Farm Director KC Sheperd visited with JanLee Rowlett, Deputy Commissioner at Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry, about how ODAFF’s Year of Youth in Agriculture is playing out at the 110th event previously known as the Spring Livestock Show.
“We are very excited about 2025 being the Year of Youth in Agriculture in Oklahoma, but we invite anybody that wants to participate around the country to join us,” Rowlett said.
The year’s distinction was the brainchild of Ag Secretary Blayne Arthur who hopes that by elevating and encouraging future generations of ag leaders and producers, the public will become more aware of the ones who will help feed, fuel, and clothe them in the future. Governor Kevin Stitt made the official proclamation earlier this year.
“We are thrilled to have the support and partnership with 4-H and FFA here in the state as well as Oklahoma Youth Expo to help us highlight the opportunities that there are for our youth in this state and in this industry,” Rowlett stated. “We also want to take this opportunity to talk about careers in ag and getting those kids back in rural Oklahoma to continue to be involved in ag.”
The public can join ODAFF in celebrating the opportunities for young people in the agriculture industry throughout 2025 by sharing stories of youth in ag and tagging #OKAg and #AgYouth25 on social media.
Rowlett acknowledged the multitude of ag youth stories at OYE but also recognized the number of youth involved in other areas of agriculture who are not at the show this week. More information about the Year of Youth in Agriculture campaign can be found on the ODAFF website, and businesses hosting or sponsoring other youth events are encouraged to get involved by using the hashtags as well.
“We want to hear about all of the opportunities that there are for these kids all year, and beyond,” Rowlett asserted. “We really want to bring these opportunities beyond the ag community because we are really good about talking about these opportunities within our own circles, but we want to take this to the general public and let them know how important our industry is and about the future of this industry and what all opportunities we have for youth in ag.”
Listen to Sheperd’s OYE Morning Minute live on the Oklahoma Farm Report Facebook Page, as well as on the OYE Facebook page and the Kennedy Ventures Facebook page.
Click here for the full schedule for the 2025 OYE. The Oklahoma Farm Report team will be snapping pictures from start to finish- and you can see them as we add them to our Flickr album for 2025- available here. If you want to look back to the 2024 OYE- click here for our pictures from last year’s event.
Our coverage of the 2025 Oklahoma Youth Expo is sponsored by Hilliary Communications. More than 60 years ago, the Hilliary Family acquired a small telephone company in rural southwest Oklahoma. Now in its third generation, the company has grown from a single exchange with just 100 access lines covering 22 square miles to now serving more than 19,000 customers in 22 counties throughout Oklahoma & Texas. The company also offers IP television service and internet speeds up to 1 Gig. Click here to learn more about Hilliary Communications.
