Hi All –
A lot of our fans and customers are based in Oklahoma, and we wanted to share a unique opportunity with you. Thanks to Blaire Boyer and American Farmers and Ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union for helping us out with our most recent blog.
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What I do
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| 2013 State Speech Contest winners |
Hello! I am Blaire Boyer, Youth & Education Coordinator at American Farmers and Ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union (AFR/OFU) in Oklahoma City. After graduating from Oklahoma State University in May with a degree in agricultural communications, I officially started my job full-time two days later. I am responsible for the logistics and execution of the events we put on and sponsor. Everyday my job is different-working in the office, on the road, at agriculture events, working with insurance agents, working with students.
Who we are
Established in 1905, AFR/OFU is actively supportive of Oklahoma?s agricultural industry and rural population and provides educational, legislative, and cooperative programs across the state. AFR Insurance provides insurance products statewide and is recognized as a leading domestic insurance carrier in the state of Oklahoma.
What we do
We provide numerous opportunities for youth in the state. Each fall we host five district speech contests across the state and a state contest held at Oklahoma State University in December. Students can participate in grades 4-12. This year will mark the 70th anniversary for this contest.
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| 2013-2014 AFR/OFU Youth Council members |
Another big area we focus on is leadership. Every summer we provide incoming 7th-12th graders the opportunity to participate in our summer camp, known as Leadership Summit. The camp is broken down into two sessions: teen session (grades 7-9) and senior session (grades 10-12). At Leadership Summit, our Youth Advisory Council is also selected. These 5 individuals must be policyholders with American Farmers & Ranchers and have attended Summit previously. They are the ambassadors for the youth program and represent AFR/OFU at numerous functions during their year of service.
Each year AFR/OFU sponsors the Redlands Community College Ag Interscholastic Livestock Judging Contest in the spring, local cattle grading contests and the Tulsa State Fair cattle grading in the fall, and a hands-on livestock handling contest held at the Tulsa Farm Show in December. We also put on a contest during the Oklahoma Youth Expo for juniors and seniors in high school that tests their knowledge on the livestock industry, showmanship ability and interview process. We are also a proud supporter of youth at the OYE and Tulsa State Fair premium auctions.
In addition to these competitions and livestock shows, we also provide county and state scholarships to members and policyholders. Yes, we have a lot going on for youth across Oklahoma and are proud to invest in the next generation of leaders.
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| OFU sponsors all of the reserve grand market animals at OYE (hog, cattle, sheep and goat) |
For more information, contact Blaire Boyer at 405-218-5561 or bboyer@afrmic.com. You can also visit us at http://www.iafr.com/youth-educationor on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.