Cherokee County Hay Wrap Challenge a Win for Local School and the Environment

Cherokee County (Oklahoma) Farm Bureau's Hay Wrap Take Back, a five-month friendly competition among several county schools, resulted in the collection of more than 13,500 pounds of hay wrap, less wrap-clogged county equipment and visibly cleaner roadsides and farmland.

Launched by Cherokee County Farm Bureau, the program brought together schools, county officials, farmers and community members to address the lack of recycling options for discarded hay net wrap and twine. Providing $500 and securing a matching $500 from the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture's county grant program, Cherokee County Farm Bureau offered a $1,000 prize to the school that collected the largest amount by weight of hay wrap from October through March. Tama USA , which manufactures John Deere net wrap, also donated $2,000 to the overall cash prizes in the first two years of the program.

The county provided the bins, which they delivered to participating schools. County crews then picked up the bins when the competition closed at the end of March, transported them and weighed the collected materials.

With a focus on both the environmental benefits of recycling the hay wrap and the $1,000 prize, Cherokee County Farm Bureau promoted the contest in schools and through local communication channels, including Facebook.

The results were announced at the Cherokee County Livestock Show. Along with recognizing the school with the greatest total weight, Farm Bureau also highlighted other schools' creative contributions, such as the largest "ball" of wrap.

County Activities of Excellence
Cherokee County Farm Bureau's Hay Wrap Take Back earned the organization a County Activities of Excellence Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation. They were among 25 counties invited to display their activity at the 2026 AFBF Convention trade show in January in Anaheim, California.