More than 70 Oklahoma Farm Bureau members traveled to Anaheim, California, for six days of action-packed sessions, competitions, networking and more during the 2026 American Farm Bureau convention Jan. 9-14.
The event kicked off with the annual meeting of AFBF women where OKFB Women’s Leadership Committee members represented Oklahoma in the business session. WLC members also attended the AFBF women’s regional caucuses and a meet-and-greet breakfast with fellow Farm Bureau women from around the nation.
OKFB’s Young Farmers and Ranchers members represented Oklahoma in three AFBF YF&R competitive events held during convention. Jacob and Chastity Beck of Logan County shared their agriculture story with judges as part of the Excellence in Agriculture competition. Austin Jackson of Payne County competed in two rounds of the YF&R Discussion Meet and Chasen Doye of Comanche County represented Oklahoma in the YF&R Achievement Award competition, which recognizes agriculturalists ages 18-35 who earn a majority of their income from production agriculture.
OKFB members attended the three convention general sessions where they heard from AFBF President Zippy Duvall and several keynote speakers and Farm Bureau guests, including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, and keynote speaker Tim Tebow.
During the general sessions, multiple OKFB members were recognized on stage. John, Charla and Brynley Enns of Garfield County were presented as the recipients of the 2026 Farm Dog of the Year award, honoring their dog, Max, from among nearly 100 contenders.
Tommy Salisbury of Tulsa County was recognized as the newly elected 2026 AFBF YF&R chair. He will begin his one-year term beginning after the 2026 AFBF YF&R conference in March in Portland.
Members had the opportunity to attend the trade show where both Payne County Farm Bureau and Cherokee County Farm Bureau hosted booths to showcase their award-winning programs as part of AFBF’s County Activities of Excellence Awards.
Numerous breakout sessions were offered to Farm Bureau members including updates on the farm bill, tips for sharing the agriculture story with consumers, member engagement and more.
Rodd Moesel, Canadian County Farm Bureau member and past OKFB president, was featured as a panelist in the “Rural Development Drives Prosperous Communities” breakout session on Saturday, Jan. 10. During the session, Moesel joined Doug Steele, vice president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and Joby Young, executive vice president of AFBF, to explore the state of rural economic and business development across the country as well as the ongoing efforts of determined leaders and innovative entrepreneurs working to ensure rural America’s Main Streets continue to thrive.
OKFB members gathered for a group breakfast on Monday, Jan. 12, to celebrate the contestants and convention participants while sharing convention updates and details on OKFB’s activities and programs.
The meeting concluded with the convention business session where farmers and ranchers from around the nation considered and voted on grassroots policy proposals to set the organization’s policy for the coming year. OKFB’s five delegates represented Oklahoma agriculture during the discussions, which hit upon topics ranging from agricultural labor to tax policy and from alternative energy production to trade.
During the business meetings, OKFB President Stacy Simunek was elected to a one-year term on the AFBF board of directors.
For more information on the 2026 AFBF convention, visit annualconvention.fb.org.