The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

FARM BUREAU.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau is an autonomous, nongovernmental, voluntary association of farm and ranch families who come together to analyze their own agriculture-related problems and formulate actions to solve them. Founded in Oklahoma City in 1942, it is a grassroots organization controlled by the members through majority decision beginning at the local level. Farm Bureau continues its scope of influence through the county, state, national, and international levels.

Farm Bureau functions in each of Oklahoma's seventy-seven counties and in 2003 had a membership exceeding 155,000 member families. Although it is a nonprofit corporation, it offers for-profit services through its affiliated Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, Ag Security Insurance Company, and Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company. The mission has not changed since 1942. It was established to help improve the livelihood of farmers and ranchers and has continued to focus on that goal.

Toward that end, Oklahoma Farm Bureau has sponsored legislation that gives farmers and ranchers sales tax exemptions on the production inputs they require to provide food and fiber for a world market. It also has promoted legislation for better rural roads and services. It has successfully opposed actions directed at increasing the tax burden of landowners and has supported the elimination of the Oklahoma estate tax.

Mike Nichols