I made a quick trip to Atlanta last week to attend a master class on the future of agriculture at Georgia Tech University. We were hosted on a tour of the Georgia State Capital as well as the Georgia Department of Agriculture. It made me appreciate what we have in Oklahoma with our buildings being in good repair but also just the space around our buildings. It was a good trip to see what is happening in other states.
Meanwhile back on the farm, the drought continues with no rain in sight. This promises to be a very challenging year as we experience hay shortages as well as inflated feed prices. The legislators set aside $3 million in drought mitigation last session, and I’m happy to note Gov. Stitt has assembled his drought commission headed by Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur. It will meet and determine the state’s role as we navigate through one of our most difficult times in agriculture.
September promises to keep us busy as the Legislature plans to reconvene in special session later this month to continue to appropriate our remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. So far, we’ve approved plans to fund mental and behavioral health services as well as expanding these resources for our military and law enforcement. We also plan to spend on health care and rural water projects.
Finally, a special reminder to beware of phone and internet scams, I had a constitute contact my office after being scammed out of a considerable amount of money with a promise of receiving more money. Please beware, we will be requesting the attorney general’s office investigate but too often these trails are very elusive. Don’t ever give your personal or banking information to someone you don’t know.
As always, thank You for allowing me to serve you. I can be reached at (405) 557-7381 or by email at jim.grego@okhouse.gov.
- Jim Grego serves District 17 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes Latimer County and parts of LeFlore and Pittsburg counties.
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