The Oklahoma CattleWomen are a voice for women who share a passion for the beef community with a focus on Beef Promotion, Education, and Legislation. While I love and am passionate about each of the three pillars of OCW, beef education has always held a special place in my heart. Agriculture’s youth are the future of our community, and their counterparts are our future consumers! As we head into the second month of the year I am excited to share with you all OCW’s upcoming educational events.

CattleWomen are invited to head back into the classroom the end of this month with our second OCW Read An Accurate Ag Book Week! OCW is once again partnering with Oklahoma Ag In The Classroom (AITC) to bring beef education to classrooms across the state. If you will remember, OCW Vice President of Education, Peggy Castleberry, along with her committee coordinated the delivery of an estimated 100 ag kits to schools during last year’s event! I had the honor of reading to several classrooms myself and I can’t wait to get my boots back in a classroom this year too. This event is a great way for CattleWomen to share with kids about the day-to-day operations on a cattle ranch. I hope you will join us! Be on the lookout for more information and resources on our website and social media.

Our education efforts aren’t stopping there! This year’s Oklahoma Beef Advocate Contest is set for April 14th at OKC West in El Reno, OK. This event takes place immediately following the Commercial Cattle Grading Scholarship Contest. The goal of the contest is to create and implement youth advocates who will further their knowledge of beef education and consumer interaction. There will be cash scholarships awarded to the top three winners in both age divisions so make sure and bring your kiddos out to participate. You can find more information and training videos on our website, okcattlewomen.org.

Let’s talk scholarships! Each year OCW awards 4 educational scholarships. The Oklahoma CattleWomen Scholarship is a $1,500 scholarship that is awarded to one full-time college student annually who is seeking a degree in an agriculture or an agricultural related field of study. The Nancy Buckminster Scholarship is awarded to a full-time college student who is an active and productive member of the OCCW. This scholarship is in the amount of $1,000 and given once a year. Established in 2022, this scholarship was created in honor of Oklahoma CattleWomen member and friend, Nancy Buckminster. We also have the J.B. and Betty Smith Scholarship for high school seniors that is awarded to two students annually: one female and one male. Each scholarship recipient will receive $1,000 to be used for furthering their education! Make sure you or the student in your life submit the application prior to May 2nd to take advantage of these great scholarships! Applications can be found at okcattlewomen.org/scholarships.

This is just a small glimpse of the events we have coming up. We have plenty in store for the coming year for each member to get involved. If you have any questions on upcoming events or would like to get involved in one of our many committees, head on over to our website for a full directory of officers, directors and chairmen.

Until next time, wishing you plenty of beef & blessings!