JanLee Rowlett, Deputy Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry, answered questions about the current state of agriculture in Oklahoma.
The Rotary Club of Chickasha met April 18, 2024. Rotarian Mitch Williams led the club in singing "Oklahoma!"
Gerron Smith, Rotary Run committee chair, delivered an update on the upcoming 5K and preceding Pasta Party. A sign-up link has been emailed to club members to volunteer on the day of the event. Around 40 runners have registered, 30 excluding students participating free. While a large chunk of registrations are expected last minute, it is well short of the goal of 60-70 paying participants. President Jim Cowan informed members of a gathering of civic clubs occurring that evening, with the intent of furthering collaboration between organizations.
Rotarian of the Day Ed Stanton introduced the speaker, JanLee Rowlett, in for Secretary of Agriculture Blaine Arthur. Rowlett is a Deputy Commissioner in the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF). Rowlett developed an interest in the role of government in agriculture while obtaining her bachelor's degree in animal science at Oklahoma State University.
Rowlett explained that Oklahoma is in fact "very lucky" in the sense that all its diverse agriculture-focused organizations, public and private, work well with one another. The Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry itself was described as one of the state's "smaller" offices, with about 400 total staff across 10 divisions. These subdivisions oversee veterinarians, consumer protection, forestry, animal handling, and more—as well as marketing and development for the industry as a whole. The department is managed by the State Board of Agriculture, which is made up of actual ag producers.
Rowlett also addressed certain legislative priorities this session that are of particular interest to local ag producers, including water management & regulation, as well as foreign ownership and investment in domestic ag operations. She noted that while some foreign ownership concerns are warranted, some major industry employers would also be affected by rules that might be put in place.
Speaking to the market development portion of the department's work, Rowlett mentioned that despite the current environmental concerns and other factors, there are still "plenty of opportunities" in agriculture. One of the ways ODAFF promotes local producers is with the Made in Oklahoma program, which includes a wide variety of products. The state's largest producers form the Made in Oklahoma Consortium, which is a public-private partnership that works at a larger scale than the base MIO program. Of course, one of the most visible avenues of outreach for ODAFF is through support of FFA and 4-H programs in local schools.
A member asked about the decline in the cattle population, with farmers slaughtering heifers and not rebuilding at a comparable rate. Rowlett noted that the national Ag Census showed a decrease in total farms, led by beef cattle farms, as drought conditions pressured many producers to exit the business. She noted in response to a later question that the federal government might become involved in rebuilding population—ODAFF works closely with Rep. Frank Lucas' office on agriculture concerns in Congress.
Additionally, the state's Drought Emergency Commission, which was previously disbanded, has been re-activated with a $40 million allocation. $20 million is for future expenses, but the remainder is being administered to ag producers for drought mitigation products of all sorts.
Another Rotarian expressed concern about invasive red cedars and their disruption of local ecology. Rowlett said that a pilot program in managing red cedars, located in the Canadian River valley, had been particularly successful, and that a similar program is likely to be implemented elsewhere in the state.
Lunch was provided by Chicken Express.