Ferguson College of Agriculture

Rose Mary Posey, senior financial assistant for the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association, is a lifetime resident of Stillwater, with her grandparents homesteading and farming in Garfield and Payne counties until 1974.

 

“My grandfather owned a hay hauling business, and I would go with him from time to time to get the hay from the field and haul it to the buyer,” Posey said. “Once in the fields, grandpa would put the truck into low gear, and I would steer the truck round and round the field while the hay was being loaded.”

 

OCIA is a division of the Oklahoma State University Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and is a program to help farmers produce the highest quality of genetic and mechanically pure seed. Posey processes the applications that are submitted through the online program, making sure the producers meet the standards for a field inspection. She then exports the applications following inspections and creates a report for the seed directory showing individuals who might have a certified class of seed for sale.

 

But Posey’s job doesn’t stop there. She also types all correspondence, prints and ships certification labels, serves as an accountant, assists the executive director in organizing board meetings and the OCIA annual meeting, and takes minutes and submits reports to the organization’s national office.

 

 Posey has worked at OSU for 49 years.

 

“I really enjoy the farmers I work with and find every aspect of this job rewarding,” Posey said. “There have been more highs than lows, and every day is something interesting. It’s always changing and challenging with the crop season as to what you might be doing. I have enjoyed the contact and friendships I’ve made with so many individuals through the state of Oklahoma and other crop improvement agencies.”

Posey said the biggest thing that has changed at OSU during her 49 years is technology.

 

“When I started in 1973, we took dictation, used IBM electric typewriters and used that yucky liquid white-out to make corrections,” she said. “The accounting was done on an NCR accounting machine. Any mass mailing material was printed on an addressograph machine, and those masters had to be error free, so it was important that you were a good typist.”

 

In her free time, Posey enjoys spending time with her family, crocheting, knitting, making snap jewelry, going to OSU wrestling with her son and traveling as much as possible with her best friend of 31 years.

 

A little-known fact about Posey: In the 1970’s, Posey volunteered as a storm tracker for the Payne County REACT with her husband.

 

She also dreamed of being a concert pianist as a child.

 

“I played either the piano or organ in my church for over 30 years,” she said. “My dad loved polka music, so he purchased a 120 bass accordion, and I taught myself how to play it and played his favorite polka songs for him. That thing was so heavy, I would have to sit in a chair to play.”