Oklahoma Farm Bureau presented the OKFB County Excellence Award to Cherokee and Okmulgee County Farm Bureaus on Nov. 8 at the organization’s 84th annual meeting in Oklahoma City.

Modeled after the American Farm Bureau Federation’s County Activities of Excellence Award, this award recognizes county Farm Bureaus with the most outstanding or unique local program, activity or event.

Okmulgee County Farm Bureau hosted a county-wide ag tour, coordinated by the county’s Young Farmers and Ranchers committee. The tour included several stops in southern Okmulgee County, including a local feed distributor, a Christmas tree farm, a diversified ranch and agritourism destination and a farmers market.

“We get to showcase these individual farms within our county, and our main purpose is just to let other people in the county know that they even exist, especially reaching people who are not in agriculture,” said Okmulgee County Young Farmers and Ranchers Chair Michelle Genova. “They were really excited about that, both the producers who were part of the tour and the people who participated in the tour who had no idea that these different places were in the county. To have this recognized on the state level is just more recognition for those small farms and hopefully an opportunity for them to grow.”

Cherokee County Farm Bureau teamed up with the Grand River Dam Authority to purchase more than 200 life jackets for public use on the Illinois River in May 2025, showcasing Farm Bureau’s commitment to Oklahoma’s natural resources and the organization’s impact beyond traditional agriculture programs.

“This is a great honor,” said Kelly Campbell, Cherokee County board member. “My county has worked very hard in the last several years to increase our message within our county and in rural Oklahoma, and to be recognized for this effort is really a great honor for us.”