2025

• Ron Justice

  

  Ron Justice is a former Oklahoma State Senator known for his dedication to agriculture, rural development, and public service. Born and raised in Chickasha, Oklahoma, Justice pursued his education at Oklahoma State University, earning both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Agricultural Education. His career began with the OSU Cooperative Extension Service, where he served for 35 years, working closely with farmers and rural communities to promote agricultural best practices.

  In 2004, Justice was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate, representing District 23. Over his 12-year tenure, he held several key positions, including Vice-Chairman of Appropriations, Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services, and Vice-Chairman of Agriculture and Rural Development. He was also Chair of the Republican Rural Caucus, advocating for policies that supported Oklahoma’s rural communities and agricultural economy.

  Following his retirement from the Senate in 2016, Justice remained active in agricultural and community affairs. He was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus by OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and supported youth programs like 4-H. He and his wife, Darlene, continue to reside in Chickasha, where they are involved in local organizations and their church.

  Justice’s lifelong commitment to agriculture, education, and public service has left a lasting impact on Oklahoma’s rural communities, making him a respected leader and advocate for farmers and ranchers across the state.

• Gary Nightengale

  Gary Nightengale is a resident of Longdale, Oklahoma, with deep roots in the state's agricultural community. Raised in Fairview, Oklahoma, Nightengale has spent much of his life contributing to the farming industry in Major and Baine Counties.

  Throughout his career, Nightengale managed grain elevators for 18 years in the Fairview area. Since leaving the grain elevator industry, Nightengale has worked as an independent crop consultant in the Blaine and Major County area. He has worked to promote plant health, prescribe fertility and promote new cropping systems, striving for a sustainable agricultural program. He has also been actively involved in farming operations, demonstrating a commitment to agricultural development.

  Nightengale's personal life is closely tied to his community. He maintains a strong presence in Longdale, where he and his wife operate a small farming and cattle operation. His connection to Fairview and Langdale highlights his enduring commitment to the local area.

  Through his ongoing dedication to agriculture and his community, Gary Nightengale exemplifies the values of hard work and service that are integral to Oklahoma's rural heritage.

2024

• Frank and Tom Costner

  

  The Costner operation was started by their parents in 1948 with the purchase of the farm headquarters near Roland, OK and has remained true to row crops and cattle since then. Their father was progressive in his farming and ranching practices and utilized the services of Extension for soil testing and recommendations on crop management, while their mother was a member of OHCE club. Frank was raised in the 4-H program and through his interaction with the youth organization and science-based farming, he naturally attended OSU where he received his Bachelors in Agronomy in 1973. Tom also received his Agronomy degree from OSU in 1982 and worked for foundation seed while attending classes.

  The Costners have farmed close to 5,000 acres of owned and leased ground in mainly wheat, soybeans and corn, but have also ventured into milo, cotton, rice and vegetables for Allens Canning Co. when it was profitable. More recently, Frank and Tom have scaled back farming to make room for their 400 head cow herd in a more integrated approach to profits in agriculture.

  The Costners have long been Extension supporters and continue to utilize Extension information from the land grant system in their daily lives.

2023

• Alisen Anderson

  Alisen Anderson and her husband Jared farm and ranch in Ottawa County Oklahoma where she is also an agricultural instructor at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) in Miami, Oklahoma. They have three children, Grace (7), Colt (3) and Piper (1). Born and raised in rural Northeast Indiana, Alisen came to NEO to judge livestock to kick off her higher education career. She always knew she wanted to teach agriculture and quickly discovered a love for NEO, so she wanted to tie both worlds together. Two key people have pushed her to make the dream of teaching agriculture at NEO come true. Roger Fent and Dr. Shannon (Cunningham) Hood helped guide her through her undergraduate degree and keep her on the right track. As a transplant from Indiana to Oklahoma, the educational road presented challenges, but these two role models helped her fight for her dreams. To Alisen’s great surprise, she was offered her “dream job” of teaching agriculture at NEO in the summer of 2013. Since then, she has taught every plant science, soil science, and agriculture leadership class that NEO offers in the agriculture department. She has also implemented a research farm that consists of 5 plots and 22 acres, as well as secured a USDA NIFA grant to build a greenhouse for NEO A&M College. With the help of generous supporters like J&M Mushroom Farm, local businesses, and community members, the research farm and greenhouse has become the site where students have conducted over 100 student projects for class or honor projects, 4 field days, the establishment of NEO Crop Committee in 2017, and the inception of the USDA NIFA grant. The field plots allow Alisen to teach in a hands-on approach. She is able to give students the tools to learn about germination, emergence, weed and pest control, yield, and all things soil. Each semester, students in all her classes spend many days in the fields learning a real-world approach to production agriculture. The research farm has been able to grow soybeans, corn, winter wheat, canola, Indian corn, sweet corn and sunflowers in partnership with OSU and local producers. The stewardship of the soil and crops are very important to Alisen, as she teaches the next generation of farmers and ranchers. She implements important solutions into her classes to better the soil for the next generation.

  Alisen and Jared grow corn, wheat, and soybeans. Their Ogeechee ranch maintains 500 head of commercial cattle where they background the calves and keep the cows in great health to better the herd. Their farm also allows the family to grow grain for the ranch and to commercially sell. Alisen is an avid advocate for Oklahoma Agriculture and is heavily involved with the Farm Bureau. She and her husband are 2022-2023 State Young Farmers and Ranchers co-chairs, and Alisen serves on the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers National Committee. She ties this into her courses by showing her students first-hand the importance of advocacy and how their voices will shape agriculture in the future. She has lobbied on behalf of Oklahoma Farmers and Ranchers in Washington D.C. for the farm bill and other important issues.

  Alisen and her husband Jared take stewarding their farm and ranch very seriously. Their goal is to be able to leave both operations in better shape than was received so the next generation can feed the world of tomorrow!

• Darren Buck

  Darren Buck is a 3rd generation farmer in the Oklahoma Panhandle. He and his wife Julie have been married 30 years and have three children; a daughter Sydney who holds a B.S. degree from OSU in Hospitality and Tourism Management and is the Event Services Manager at Embassy Suites Downtown Oklahoma City, a son Ethan who is studying IT at Wichita State, and a daughter Karah who is a junior at Elkhart High School. Darren runs a diversified crop farm raising corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, and cotton. The farm was started in 1917 by his grandfather Ernest Buck. Ernest kept the farm together during the dirty 30’s and later prospered after World War II. Darren’s father, Denver Buck, guided the farm through the tumultuous 70’s and the perpetually low commodity prices of the 80’s.

  Darren holds a B.S. in Agronomy and a M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University. He worked for Pioneer Hi-Bred in Johnston, IA for two years immediately after graduate school. He then embarked on a 9-year career in agricultural banking, working for three different banks and ending that career with a small family-owned bank in Meade, KS. In 2007 Darren and wife, Julie, decided to make the leap, moving back to run the family farm when Darren’s father retired. He started with 8 irrigated circles and 4 quarters of dry land. Today, 16 years later, the farm consists of 30 irrigated circles and 1,600 acres of dry land. Darren is also a sales representative for Pioneer Brand Products.

  Darren works with Oklahoma State University at the McCaull research farm providing precision application of fertilizer and planting, as well as harvest as needed. Darren is an extensive adopter of technology on his farm using Pivot telemetry, water probes, yield mapping, variable rate nutrient application, and seeding. Buck Farms also incorporates conservation tillage such as strip-till on irrigated acres and no-till as much as possible on dry land. Conserving resources for long-term viability is one of his top priorities.

• David Bush

  David Bush is a third-generation farmer in Jackson County. His great grandfather established the current Bush and Son’s Farm headquarters location before Oklahoma was even recognized as a state. The family passion for planting and producing crops has been passed down to each generation. David’s father enjoyed not only farming but working with machinery, therefore, he ran a custom harvest operation for years with David joining him when he was approximately 10 years old. The custom harvest business continued until 2003 when David and family realized that their farm in the Jackson County area had grown to the point that they could no longer manage both operations. The Bush family decided to devote their efforts solely to Jackson County area production.

  David farms wheat as his predominant crop but also produces cotton. He and his son farm several thousand acres (6000+) and employ a crop rotation system on several of those acres. David keeps detailed records on his farms and knows their history via these records. He is respected as one of the top agriculture producers in southwest Oklahoma and is often approached for advice and input on farm operations.

  David has also been involved in numerous OSU projects over the years from county, area, to state. His involvement has helped further define many projects’ objectives, goals, and recommendations. He has also cooperated with private companies on several wheat projects (i.e., breeding program evaluation blocks) through the years. David has provided leadership in the agriculture community at county, area, and state levels. He has served on the Jackson County Farm Service Agency board for years both as a member and past president, State FSA Advisory board for several years, various community boards, and has been extremely active in supporting county youth through the Jackson County Junior Livestock Show. Under David’s recent leadership the junior livestock show premium sale has doubled over the past year’s to approximately $500,000. The county’s agriculture youth have been strongly supported and community partnerships have been strengthened through these efforts!

  David is an agriculturalist in every sense of the word and grew his farming operation not only in support of his family to see them attain their goals, but to also remember his family’s history in farming. David absolutely loves the farm life and thoroughly enjoys seeing his children and grandchildren on the farm participating in work or just having fun. David and his wife Melody are the parents of two sons and daughter in-laws and five grandchildren. One son is a lawyer and works on the Altus Air Force Base while the other farms along with his father. Regardless of occupation, the entire family enjoys the farm life with David and Melody. As David would say, he is a blessed man.

2022

• Clint Abernathy

  Clint Abernathy was born in 1959 in Altus, Oklahoma. Growing up Clint attended Altus Public Schools and graduated from Altus High School in 1977. He went on to attend Western Oklahoma State College for two years and then went to Oklahoma State University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Economics in 1981.

  Clint is a fourth-generation farmer and has been farming for over 38 years. He operates a cattle, wheat, cotton, and sorghum farm in Jackson County. He farms with his two sons, Justin and Jarod, and his son-in-law Evan Coppock. His wife, Kim, is a retired schoolteacher and is still actively involved with Altus Christian Academy and other community organizations. Clint strives to maintain a sustainable farm with the implementation of new technologies and multiple conservation practices in their operation. All his farmland is either no-till or minimum-till and continues to use and add more drip irrigation each year to conserve water. By moving from furrow irrigation to drip irrigation it allows him to conserve not only water but reduces soil erosion as well. On his dryland acres he practices a crop rotation system to better foster residue management, soil structure, fertility management and improve crop yields.

  Clint utilizes precision farming technologies using variable rate fertilizer applications that are derived from grid soil sampling and harvest data maps. Clint constantly strives to become more efficient with fertilizer and chemical applications to shave costs and to be environmentally responsible.

  It is very important to him to be a good steward of his land so that he can leave it to his children and grandchildren in better shape than it is today. Supporting future generation farmers is important to him. Adopting new and improved farming technologies and practices allows him to do just that.

  Clint actively supports OSU extension/research programs. He has participated in on-farm replicated cotton variety trials for numerous years. He is a strong supporter of the cotton extension/research program and Southwest Research and Extension Center in Altus giving both of his time and resources. He has also participated in irrigation sensor work with the OSU’s state irrigation specialist, N-sensor program work and cooperates with numerous OSU led meetings.

  Clint is actively involved in his community where he serves as an active member of First United Methodist Church and a supporter of the Altus Christian Academy. He also serves on the Ag Scholarship Committee at Western Oklahoma State College and is an FFA and 4-H supporter.

  Other community involvements include:

  • Current Board member of the Western Trails Historical Society
  • Current Board member of Cotton Growers Cooperative
  • Current Board member of Plains Cotton Cooperative Association and Current Board member of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill
  • Current Alternate Board member of the Cotton Board
  • Served on Oklahoma City Branch Board of Directors of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank for 6 years (served as Chairman for 2 years).
  • Served on Jackson County Conservation Board of Directors for 15 years.
  • Served(s) on the Jackson County OSU Extension Program Advisory Committee

  Clint and his wife Kim have three children, Justin, Jarod, and Jordan and eight grandchildren Kason, Kenzie, Kreed, Kolter, Cade, Drake, Adley, and Audrey.

  From this narrative I believe it is easy to see that Clint is a progressive farmer who has a vision of increasing the productivity of the acres that he and his family manages through sound agronomic practices. He also has a long-term vision for seeing agriculture remain an important part of not only his family’s life but the communities in which he lives.

• Alan Nusser

  Alan Nusser is the Senior Agronomist for the Carmen Farmers’ Cooperative, serving customers in Alfalfa, Woods, Garfield, Kingfisher, and Major Counties in Oklahoma and also services clientele in southern Kansas. Alan’s service area includes close to 150,000 acres of cropland which includes a wide array of winter and summer crops. A long-time Certified Crop Advisory, Alan is a quality agronomic Specialist. He has fine-tuned his skills in agronomic areas to serve his clientele at the highest level.

  A great advocate for agronomic education, Alan has always known the value of soil sampling. He has grown the soil sampling program in his company from approximately 50 samples a year to the point that each of the last two years Farmers members submitted over 500 samples per year. In addition, Alan set up a program to start grid sampling fields in 2004, sampling over 20,000 acres over the next several years. The yield improvement and farm profitability of Farmers Cooperative members has increased significantly under Alan’s Leadership.

  Alan has been a longtime supporter of OSU Extension. His support ranges from helping sponsor county level meeting and demonstration plots to hosting research trials with state Specialist. Alan was a cooperator in some of the initial N-Rich Strips and educating producers on wheat fertility management. Alan believes in research and technology to improve farming practices. He has utilized the Clearfield wheat production system to reduce the influx of feral rye and increase wheat yield for his clientele.

  Alan has been an advocate for crop rotation systems to reduce weed pressure and improve yields. He also is an excellent scout for wheat insects and applying the appropriate IPM strategy to deal with these pests. Alan is also an expert on Alfalfa establishment and production issues. His expertise is not limited to cropping systems, he also stays abreast of educational programming related to cattle production.

  Alan has served as the Treasurer of the Woods County Wheat Growers Association for over 10 years. He also serves as the Alva Wesleyan Church Treasure, Oklahoma State Soils Lab Advisory committee, and serves on the Woods County OSU Extension Program Advisory Council.

2019

• Matt Muller

  

  Matt is a long time Jackson County agriculture producer who started farming when he was in his teens with rented land. He is a graduate of Altus High School and Oklahoma State University's DASNR - Plant and Soil Sciences Department in 1993. While attending college he returned home often to help run the family farm operation and his own beginning farm operation.

  Matt and his wife Kellie farm roughly 2500 acres in Jackson and Greer counties with a diversified operation that includes cotton dryland and irrigated), wheat, grain sorghum, mungbeans, canola, peanuts, alfalfa, and bermudagrass hay. Matt is a strong proponent of maximizing his resources and utilizes crop diversification and rotation. Recently, he converted one-third of his land to subsurface irrigation to maximize his irrigation water resources. Matt manages his land effectively with less pesticide input in many cases via his crop rotation approach. He and Kellie are astute business managers of their operation and optimize their returns via their in touch management style. Matt is a proponent of no-till production practices, so he optimizes retention of soil moisture and minimizes the impact of losses associated with the winds in Southwest Oklahoma. He sees the benefits from organic matter buildup, N-credits from various crop rotation systems, improved soil structure, and improved water infiltration rates. He has worked and experimented with various cover crop approaches involving radishes, rye, oats, wheat, triticale, sorghum, sudan and sunflowers; again is looking for ways to maximize crop system inputs via organic matter approaches, This reflects his desire to have an environmentally sound and sustainable agriculture production system. Matt also utilizes variable rate technology in terms of lime and fertility applications. He has utilized N-rich strips for years and has seen the benefits of this technology across his wheat production systems. He has long been a proponent of not applying all his nitrogen up front in the wheat year and thus being able to better judge the potential of the production year. Matt's approach utilizing crop diversification and rotation has allowed for intensive management of his system. So, while not the largest farm in terms of acreage, this production/management approach has made their farming operation one of the most productive in our area. Matt and his family are strong supporters of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. He has cooperated on numerous plant and soil science projects throughout the years. He worked with former OSU Peanut Specialist, Dr. Ron Sholar, in conducting peanut field tours and nut maturity grading board demonstrations. These were always well attended. Matt has cooperated with the cotton extension program through the years on defoliation work and hosing numerous "Sunup" programs revolving around the production year in cotton. Matt was a cooperator in the initial extension exposure of the N-Sensor program and continues to utilize that program today. He has also been involved in irrigation sensor technology work with the Department of Biosystems and Agriculture Engineering extension irrigation specialist. Matt was involved in the glance and go aphid project conducted by the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. Matt's willingness to work with multiple departments on several projects demonstrates his commitment to the mission and process of both the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service and Agriculture Experiment Station to disseminate research based information to the citizenry of Oklahoma.

  Finally, Matt is very active in leadership involving Oklahoma Agriculture. He is involved in media presentations around his production agriculture system and enjoys telling the story of agriculture. He has hosted multiple farm tours for international delegations from Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon, Algeria, and South Korea demonstrating via talks, pictures, and in-field visits how agriculture can be both environmentally friendly and sustainable. He is a graduate of the OALP program and obviously remains engaged in its mission and goals. Matt is very involved in the Farm Bureau organization. He is a graduate of Farm Bureau's PAL (Partners in Agriculture Leadership) and was selected to be a member of the Oklahoma Farm Bill Committee that worked in Washington on the last Farm Bill. He is Past President of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau's Young Farm and Rancher's Committee and is the current president of the Jackson County Farm Bureau. Matt is also a life time member of the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association, a member of the Oklahoma and National Grain Sorghum Producers Associations, and interacts with the Oklahoma Cotton Council.

• Ginger Reimer

  

  Ginger Reimer is a long-time supporter of agriculture in Oklahoma. She is a native resident of Claremore, Oklahoma and received her Masters of Education degree at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma her love for educating Oklahoma's youth and her interest in agriculture has led to her many agricultural outreach endeavors in the past years. One of these programs was the "Bringing Biotechnology to Life" program, where Ginger educated school-aged kids about the role of biotechnology in food production and how its use is critical to continue to supply adequate food for the world. Ginger started Cool Beans Oklahoma which provides outreach and educational training to educators across Oklahoma through several outreach programs, including Chick-A-Doodle-Do, High-Tech Bea Biofuels Workshop, and Soybean Education Initiatives. Additionally, Ginger has supposed the train-the-trainer events with OSU through the "Sustainable Bioenergy Workshops" events that are providing middle-school and high school educators with science projects that integrated agriculture and biofuel production that can be used as scientific educational tools in their classroom.

  Ginger also serves Oklahoma soybean producers, alongside her husband Rick, as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Soybean Board. During her time, she has worked with and supported several Oklahoma Research and Extension Specialists at Oklahoma State University as well as other institutions around the state. They have worked to support programs, such as resistance management in soybean, improving agronomic production practices, improved education, and outreach on managing feral hogs.

  Whether it is educating Oklahoma's youth regarding agricultural practices, working with stakeholders to advocate for agriculture production in Oklahoma, or working for Oklahoma soybean producers, Ginger has been able to improve agricultural awareness of the general public in Oklahoma.

2018

• Larry Cochran

  Larry is a farmer/rancher who is respected not only in Alfalfa County, but across the state. He operates his own livestock trucking business and farms approximately 3,000 acres of no-till dryland wheat, grain sorghum, canola and cover crops. Each of these crops, along with his native-, Bermuda-, and Jose Tall Wheat grasses allow him to rotate his cow/calf and stocker operation to better manage his soil health. Larry serves on the Alfalfa County Soil Conservation and Oklahoma Ag Credit Boards. He has also served on producer panels locally, at the Oklahoma No-Till conference, Woods County Grain Sorghum meeting, and at the National SARE Soil Health Conference in North Carolina. In his “spare time” Larry served for 25 years with the Jet Fire Department and also served on the Jet Coop Board. He has been to Washington D.C. numerous times as an advocate for Farm Credit on agriculture-related issues. Larry continues to learn and expand his operation by attending educational meetings on agronomic, livestock and economic subjects.

• Walter Ross

  Walter Ross is a long-time supporter of OSU and Cooperative Extension efforts in central Oklahoma. Walter’s interest in agronomy and agriculture developed early as he worked in the family seed and grain business with his father and brothers in Chickasha. He graduated from Oklahoma A&M with his agronomy degree in 1949, where he was a member of the national championship crop judging team. Continuing the family’s legacy, Walter expanded the business to El Reno and continued the company’s focus on taking care of every customer. The business is now operated by his son Tom Ross and daughter Julie Ross-Martin, the third generation to be a part of the family business. Julie’s son Matt Martin, a 2015 graduate of OSU, recently joined the family business continuing the legacy to a fourth generation. The company will celebrate its 100th year of business this year and is looking forward to the next 100 years. Walter is orange through and through, as is the entire Ross family. In fact, 23 children and grandchildren of the Ross family have continued the family tradition by attending OSU.

• Joe Shirley

  Joe is a wheat seed distributor, wheat grower, and cattle producer from Alva, OK who has been an agriculture and business leader in Woods County for over 40 years. He operates an extensive cow/calf operation with a quality forage program. Shirley Farms has been a Registered and Certified wheat seed dealer since 1975 and they have over 265,000 bushels of on-farm wheat storage capacity. Joe was one of the Founding Board members for Oklahoma Genetics, Inc. and is currently Chairman of the Board of that organization. He has been a member of the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association since 1975 and served on its Board of Directors from 1980-1985. He is also a member of the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association, serving on that Board of Directors from 1995-2001 and as President in 2001. Joe is a long-time supporter of OSU Extension and has served on the Woods County OSU Extension PAC Committee for 30 years. In the community, Joe serves on the NWOSU Alumni Board of Directors, on the Woods County Excise Board, and as Chairman of the Church Board for First Christian Church in Alva. He actively supports youth activities in his community by donating to the NWOSU Rodeo Team, the Woods County Livestock Show (for 40 years), and to the 4-H Awards Banquet. In his younger years, Joe served for 11 years in the Oklahoma National Guard and he is an Eagle Scout.

2017

• Keeff Felty

  

  Keeff is a fourth generation family farmer in the Altus area. His farm consists of approximately 6400 acres of both irrigated and dryland cotton, wheat, sesame, and pasture land primarily in Jackson County but with some land in Greer County as well. Keeff is a very progressive producer as it relates to his production operation systems employing both current and new technology applications associated with today’s agriculture systems. Agronomically, Keeff is always looking at new options to improve his agriculture production systems. He is very conscious of fertility applications, has a proactive approach to his herbicide programs, stays abreast of new variety work, has considered and looked at new production systems such as wheat and canola rotations, and is now utilizing sesame in his dryland production operations. Keeff also saw the value of no-till several years back in his dry-land production systems and began using this type of system or at least a minimum till operation on the majority of those acres. Keeff is a good production manager of the acres he farms. He quickly determines the optimal return goal for his inputs in both his short and long term management programs. Keeff has also developed a very good irrigated cotton acre program over the years and utilizes new varietal information and stays abreast of new variety technology and its applications certainly as it relates to both insect and weed control options.

  Keeff’s strong agronomic knowledge and continued interest in staying current or learning new agronomic principles to improve his farming operation. In this light, Keeff has been an active OSU DASNR supporter and in particular a Plant and Soil Sciences Department cooperating producer. Keeff has worked, via the county extension office, the Southwest Research and Extension Center, and directly with PSS and other departments on several projects. Included in these are the N-Rich Strip Program, both in cotton and wheat. Keeff remains an avid user of N-rich strips in his wheat production fields. He continues to see the value of the program to help him manage his fertility inputs in his wheat production systems.

  Keeff continues to host numerous field trials for cotton, sesame, canola and wheat on his farms, working with OSU and seed companies alike. Keeff has been involved in wheat herbicide trial work where one of our more progressive approaches at controlling (suppressing) rescuegrass has been identified. Working with both the county extension office and PSS weed science program this effort was identified and utilized as a highlight impact program area both for extension and the PSS weed science program. He is currently hosting a wheat herbicide trials looking at a new broadleaf herbicide for control of marestail (horseweed), a roundup resistant broadleaf weed that is a problem in wheat, cotton, and crop rotation systems. Keeff has also hosted numerous “on farm” cotton herbicide extension program trials throughout the years. Keeff has been and remains one of the extension programs primary cooperating producers in the county in terms of crop production systems. In this role he has hosted numerous field tours on his farm looking at research and extension trials.

  Keeff is also very active in his commodity groups, serving on several boards. He is currently a board member of the National Association of Wheat Growers. He is the 2017 vice-president of the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association and the Cotton Incorporated State Support Committee. He has served in all offices of the Jackson County Farm Bureau and is currently the President. He has also held past positions with Oklahoma Farm Bureau PAC Board, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cotton Council, and Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers.

  Keeff is also an alumni of the Oklahoma Agriculture Leadership Program and currently serves as a host for yearly events. He serves on the Jackson County OSU Extension Program Advisory Committee, has attended OSU Legislative Day at the Capital on behalf of OSU-DASNR, and serves on the Western Oklahoma State College Agriculture Advisory Board. He is participating in the Wheat Organization Leaders of the Future Program, 2017, and is a past member of the Wheat Industry Leaders of Tomorrow Program, 2016. Obviously, Keeff considers leadership within the field of Agriculture an important component of his overall lifestyle.

• Karen Eifert Jones

  

  Karen Eifert Jones is a grain farmer near Waukomis, in Northwest Oklahoma, where she grew up. She operates the farm along with her husband and children, Weston (16) and Caroline (14). Her husband, Dr. Rodney Jones works off farm, but gets his boots dirty as often as possible.

  Karen graduated from the OSU College of Agriculture in 1985 as a Top Ten Senior. Her father knew his four daughters all carried a deep devotion to the farm, but in his wisdom, he advised, “Find a job. You can’t come back to the farm until you’ve worked somewhere else for 2 years. Then you will be here because you chose to and not because you didn’t think you could do anything else.” Being a slow learner, she stayed away for 20 years.

  During that time, she was employed by Dow Agro Sciences working with farmers and ranchers and teaching proper use of chemicals. Then she spent many years with USDA Farm Service Agency analyzing farm finances and administering the guaranteed loan program in conjunction with local lenders. Eight years of her USDA career were spent in Washington DC where she traveled to nearly every state and Puerto Rico, affording her a front row seat to all types of farming practices in a variety of conditions. When she returned to the farm, she brought with her knowledge and insight from those years selling chemicals, analyzing finances and looking at all types of operations.

  When Karen and Rod began building their own operation, they rented family land, purchased land, and rented a few parcels from neighbors. Few if any of those acres had grown any cash crop except hard red winter wheat under full tillage since the sod was first turned on the prairie. They knew they could not create a profitable operation unless they switched to a crop rotation program utilizing no-till practices. Karen used her strength as a negotiator to lay out the facts for landlords on the benefits of no-till to the land first and profits second; to get landlords on board. They converted to 100% no-till and educated landlords and neighbors along the way. The Jones family have worked closely with OSU Extension as they built their operation. Karen worked hard to learn about growing canola, sesame, grain sorghum, soybeans and corn; none of which she had ever grown before. She will tell you the best Valentine’s gift her husband ever gave her was a 16 Row Kinze No-till Planter.

  Karen is proud of the care they have taken of the land. Both of her parents were born during the dust bowl in Western Oklahoma. Soil conservation has been a priority on the family farm, since her great grandfathers turned the first sod over 125 years ago. Karen says she can still hear her late father’s voice as she grooms waterways and maintains terraces. Her daily decisions are guided by his mantra: “Take care of the land and it will take care of you.” She strives to farm the land in a way that leaves it better than she found it and teach her children the same.

2016

• Merlin Schantz

  

  Merlin Schantz is an agricultural producer who utilizes very diverse cropping systems. He is committed to family farming and has integrated his children and their spouses into his farm operations and management. Schantz Farms produces field crops such as cotton, wheat, peanuts, and sorghum. Horticultural crops such as peppers and canning crops including spinach, greens, turnips, and carrots have also been grown.

  Mr. Schantz is a progressive, innovative, community minded and forward thinking agricultural producer. Nearly 15 years ago he left clean tillage behind and transitioned into a small grains cover cropping and strip tillage system to manage his row crop production. Center pivot irrigation systems are used in all irrigated fields. Farms in the area typically are sandy soils, have considerable topography and, as such, are highly erodible. His commitment to terracing to reduce water erosion and cover cropping to reduce wind erosion has resulted in extremely high crop yields while simultaneously very effectively conserving natural resources. For several decades, Mr. Schantz has also unselfishly provided a base for various demonstrations and applied research programs for many OSU Extension County Extension Educators and Specialists from several departments.

2015

• Bryan Vail

  

  The Apache wheat variety trial is one of the premier locations for the OSU Small Grains Extension program. The site allows researchers and farmers alike to observe not only wheat variety performance in southwestern Oklahoma, but also variety response to fungicide application. The data gleaned from this location has proven extremely valuable in generating extension recommendations regarding the judicious use of foliar fungicides in wheat.

  When long-time variety trial cooperator and Master Agronomist Paul Jackson passed away, Extension personnel with the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences were concerned that we could potentially lose this site. Mr. Vail stepped up and agreed to host the variety trial.

  Bryan is a true partner for our extension and research program. He has altered or changed his farming plans on numerous occasions to accommodate our needs. He has not only hosted one of the largest wheat field days in the southwest, he has provided the meal out of his own pocket on numerous occasions. Cooperators like Bryan and his family make life much easier for the Small Grains Extension Program. In addition to his support of OSU Cooperative Extension, Bryan serves on the Apache COOP board of directors, the OCIA board of directors, and is an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Apache.

2014

• Martin "Marty" Williams

  

  Marty is always willing to assist OSU research leaders with trials and demonstrations. He has donated land, equipment, and time, and on several occasions met with research leaders, students, producers, and government agencies from all over the world to discuss his farming operation. This past year some Chinese Area Extension Specialists wanted to discuss with him the number of acres, time, and equipment used to meet the needs of his operation. They were amazed in the horsepower, size, and acres of the operation. Marty took the time to stop equipment so each representative could get inside the tractors and check over the equipment working in the field that particular day. Marty has led OSU Plant & Soil Science classes discussing his farming system to future producers and research leaders. He assists chemical companies in herbicide studies along with OSU research leaders in areas of soil fertility, weed control, variety trials in crops such as wheat, canola, soybean, and grain sorghum.

  Marty is passionate in his conservation practices, using No-till since his operation began. He uses new technology including GreenSeeker technology on his sprayer, routinely takes soil sampling, uses variable rate nutrient application technology as well as cover crops in his crop rotations. He is a good manager in fitting and adapting crops to his herbicide application. Marty was one of the first to adapt the GreenSeeker technology for his personal use and helped to demonstrate this technology to government entities in its early stages of development. In this current crop year Marty has an estimated 3100 acres of wheat, 800 acres of canola, and 400 acres of row crops to manage.

  In the Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) agriculture organization, Marty is on the state board District 7 and serves as the current Chair. He was the 2010 state agriculture discussion winner for YF&R, 2010 American Farm Bureau Federation Oklahoma delegate, and in 2008 placed in the top ten in the National Outstanding Young Farmer. Marty also organized the State Leadership Conference for the YF&R. Marty is a member of the Noble County Conservation District and current board member, and recently became a member of the Two Rivers Co-Op board. Additionally, he is the District 1 Representative for the Noble County Cattleman’s Association in which he owns 50 head of cows.

  During the 2014 Oklahoma No-till conference, Marty was a presenter, a discussion panel member, and has been on additional agriculture panels for events and conferences across the nation, state, and county. Marty is an active member of the Noble County Tractor Association, collecting and restoring antique tractors as a hobby. Marty is sales representative for Dyno-Gro offering corn, soybean, and milo as well as producing hulless barley for Oklahoma Genetics Inc. (OGI). Marty also is a producer of seed wheat and raises corn, soybean, canola, and grain sorghum.

  Marty is dedicated to taking time for his family and faith, serving as a Ceres Christian Church board member. OSU appreciates his willingness to provide research opportunities, past field history, and taking research based information and adapting it to fit his production system.

2013

• Joe and Nina Webb

  

  Joe and Nina Webb operate a diversified farming operation in Texas County near Guymon. The operation includes both dry-land and irrigated production. Joe’s crop production system has included corn, wheat, grain

  sorghum, sunflowers, and bermudagrass in the past. He has also grazed stocker calves for both himself and feedlots in

  the area both himself and feedlots in the area.

  

  Joe has been important to extension and research efforts in the area. He has donated time, land, and equipment for many of these efforts. This year will be the 14th year Joe has had an irrigated corn performance trial located on his land. In the past he allowed for white wheat, double crop grain sorghum, and irrigated wheat trials that were grazed. This effort has been important to extension programming in the region.

  Joe was also been instrumental in the research of Goodwell bermudagrass. OSU planted an irrigated circle of Goodwell and collected animal performance and how many months’ cattle could be grazed when interseeded with wheat. This data was instrumental in the release of Goodwell. Joe has also grown foundation wheat for Oklahoma Foundation Seed in the past.

  Joe and Nina are very active in the community through their church activities at the United Methodist Church. They have also supported the local stock show through purchases at the belt buckle auction and animals at the sale following the stock show. Nina has been a member of the county FSA committee in the past.

• Bob Howard

  

  Bob Howard was born in 1946 in Altus, Jackson County, Oklahoma, in the southwest part of the state. Bob went to school at Friendship and Navajo schools and graduated from the first graduating class at Navajo School in 1964. Bob was very active in sports and other church and community activities.

  Bob has lived and farmed in the Navajo area all his life except for the years he attended OSU (1965-1969 and 1972-1973) and served in the Army doing a tour in Vietnam 1970-1971.

  Bob operates a wheat and cattle farm in the Navajo area along the North Fork of the Red River. The farm consists mostly of wheat, improved Bermuda grass, and native grasses. Bob runs stockers and cow-calf on the wheat and grasses. Several years ago he began clearing mesquite-infested pastureland with a bulldozer, then terracing and redoing water ways. That land was sowed to wheat for a minimum of three years then sprigged to Bermuda grass.

  Bob has installed pipe drops in large reserve levees on the two large creeks that pass through the farm. This, along with no-til for six years, has helped control most of the erosion on the farm.

  Bob started applying liquid fertilizer in the row as he sowed wheat in 1979. With the improvements in the no-til drills this has become a very good way to place phosphorous in the Bermuda grass as it is overseeded for winter and spring grazing.

  Bob has cooperated with the Jackson County OSU Extension to have wheat variety plots, grass control plots, green-seeker demonstrations, and other field day demonstrations and tours for various herbicides and controls.

  Bob and his wife, Renee, are very active in Jackson County and Southwest Oklahoma where Bob served as District 1 County Commissioner for several years and Renee is currently serving as Jackson County Treasurer. Both are very active in the First United Methodist Church in Altus where Bob has served on most all committees to include Chairman of the Board. Bob taught Vo-Ag for six years, was Southwest District Vice President for the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, served as District 4 Director of the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association, serves on the Jackson County Farm Bureau Board and Jackson County Memorial Hospital Board.

2012

• Doug McMurtrey

  

  Doug McMurtrey owns and operates a diversified crop and livestock production farm located in central Alfalfa County just west of the town of Cherokee. Doug’s crop production system includes wheat, grain sorghum, soybeans, alfalfa, and a variety of cover crops during the fallow periods. Doug is also involved in an extensive cow/calf operation.

  Doug has worked with a host of OSU Research and Extension Specialists over the last 13 years. Doug has provided his land, labor, machinery, and expertise to help provide information to the agriculture producers across northwest Oklahoma. Doug has been one of the leaders in the no-till production systems in Alfalfa County and was one of the first cooperators to allow an OCES Specialist to utilize the rainmaker machines to evaluate the impacts of a simple raindrop and how damaging those raindrops can be when they come at a time when soils are vulnerable. From that simple project with Dr. Jim Stiegler, Doug’s willingness to help provide a location for learning exploded. In addition, since 2004 Doug has generously hosted several grain sorghum and soybean performance trials on his farm.

  Doug and wife, Dawn, are very active in their community, belonging to the first Baptist Church of Cherokee. Doug was a member of the Alfalfa County Free Fair board, is on the Board of Directors of the Alfalfa County Soil Conservation District and a Board Member of the Alfalfa County Electric Cooperative.

• Chester "Chet" L. Dewald

  

  Chet Dewald was born in Vici, Oklahoma, in 1934. He grew up on a small farm west of Woodward, Oklahoma, and graduated from Tangier High School where he lettered in baseball, basketball and track. He received his Bachelors of Science in Agronomy with honors from Oklahoma State University in 1957. In 1959 he received his Masters of Science in Agronomy with honors from OSU.

  He began his life long career as an Agronomist at the Stauffer Chemical Company, Agricultural Research Center in Mountain View, CA in 1959. He was promoted to Section Head in California and then in 1962 was asked to serve as the Field Representative for the Southwest Region of the United States in Houston, TX. In 1968 he became the Technical Director of Stauffer de Mexico, in Celaya, Guanajato, Mexico. After four years of leading successful research programs in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, he moved his family back to Oklahoma to establish his diversified family farming and ranching operation consisting of crops, cattle, swine, and horses. Two years later (1974) he accepted a position as an Agronomist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Ag Research Service in Woodward.

  From 1978 to his passing in 2002 he continued to farm and ranch while serving as the Research Agronomist for the USDA-ARS and as Graduate Student Research Director for Oklahoma State University. As an ARS Scientist, Chet selected and released three Old World Bluestem grasses for use in the southern Great Plains. ‘WW-Spar’ Old World Bluestem is planted on more than three million acres of the southern Great Plains. ‘WW-Iron Master’ was planted on more than 12 million acres of iron deficient soils, and ‘WW-B-Dahl. His work and his collaboration with other professionals resulted in the creation of the ‘Woodward Flail-Vac seed Stripper’. His work resulted in five separate patents for chaffy grass seed handling equipment which is now manufactured, marketed and utilized worldwide.

  Chet was honored by the USDA for scientific excellence on ten separate occasions. He received the prestigious “Trail Boss Award” in 1988 from the Kansas-Oklahoma Section of the Society for Range Management. He contributed to ten patents, three licensed cultivars, three public cultivars, and six Germplasm lines. He made significant contributions to the development of a number of grasses including many varieties of native grasses including Bluestems and Eastern Gamma Grass. After his passing the USDA-ARS honored him by naming and releasing ‘Chet’, an improved variety of sand bluestem. In small plot evaluations, ‘Chet’ produced an average of 7150 lbs/acre dry matter across several locations. This was 8.8% better than 'Woodward' sand bluestem, the current standard. In replicated grazing trials at the USDA-ARS Southern Plains Experimental Range near Ft. Supply, OK, the average daily gain of stocker cattle was 2.6 lbs/day over a 62 day grazing period. 'Chet' has proven to be an excellent forage grass that is well adapted to the Great Plains region.

  He made numerous national and international presentations on his work and collaborative efforts and he wrote extensively about his research, the results of his research and the applicability of his work to the cow calf producer. He maintained a lifelong focus of conducting research to enhance productivity and profitability for producers.

  He was a member of many society and organizations and was most proud of being a member of the Oklahoma State University Alumni. His wife of 48 years, Elaine passed away in 2006 and he is survived by his sons Greg, Bob, and Scott and his daughter Robin.

2011

• Steve Calhoun

  

  Steve Calhoun, a third generation farmer/rancher in Grady County, graduated from Ninnekah High School where he was active in 4-H and FFA. Steve received his Associate Degree in Farm and Ranch Management from Murray State College. While still in school, he began working for Ross Seed Company. His enthusiasm for the seed trade business began in the back room cleaning and sacking seed and has continued through the past 36 years to his present position as manager, in charge of all seed and feed operations.

  Steve has been active in the Grady County and State Alfalfa Associations, Grady County and Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Grady County Cattle Producers Association, Grady County Farm Service Agency Board, Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association Board and served as President of the Oklahoma Seed Trade Association.

  Steve is a member of Epworth United Methodist Church where he has served on several boards and committees and has served on several walks to Emmaus Retreats.

  Steve has been married to Gina for 30 years and they have three children-Lauren Calhoun Storms, a 2005 OSU graduate, Clint who lives at home and is employed at the Opportunity Workshop in Chickasha and Robert who will be a 2011 OSU graduate.

  Steve believes in investing in the future of young people. To that effort he and his family have supported 4-H and FFA in Grady County with scholarships and active leadership. He has assisted the Chickasha Chamber of Commerce through the Ag Committee that works with the Grady County Stock Show and currently serves as a board member for the Chickasha Special Young Adults.

• Brook Strader

  

  Brook Strader has worked with an array of OSU Researchers and Extension Specialists over the past 20 years. Brook has provided his land, labor, machinery and expertise to providing information to agriculture producers across northwestern Oklahoma. Brook was a leading pioneer for no-till production systems and crop rotations in the Major/Blaine County areas. His major contributions for this award are for his work with crop rotation systems. For the last 7 years, Brook has provided his resources for replicated grain sorghum hybrid trials. His cooperation with Rick Kochenower and OCES grain sorghum hybrid trials and other small research projects like planting populations, starter fertilizer, seed treatment, strip tillage work, nitrogen sensor management, herbicide tolerant grain sorghum, and weed control studies have furthered producers in the area to adopt technologies and become more efficient in grain sorghum production. Most importantly, Brook has assisted in field tour of the work being done by Oklahoma State University on his farms.

  Since 2007, Dr. Jeff Edwards has been working with Brook as a cooperator for his replicated wheat variety program. Brook’s farm was one of the first where Dr. Edwards evaluated conventional tillage wheat systems versus no-till wheat production in a side by side test for producers to observe. With the change in Brook’s production systems, those trails have now converted to no-till crop rotation systems where wheat follows a spring planted crop.

  Brook is a member of the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association and participates in their yearly meetings. He has served as a board member of that organization. Brook currently serves as a board member of Oklahoma Genetics Incorporated. Brook’s grandfather Bob was the starting point of the wheat seed business back into the late 1950’s early 1960’s time frame. Brook has recently expanded his seed business to include other crops with his association with Sorghum Partners Seeds.

  Brooks has graciously allowed researchers and Extension Specialists to utilize his property for educational purposes and is very deserving of this award from Oklahoma State University Plant and Soil Sciences Department!

2010

• James Wuerflein

  

  James Wuerflein owns and operates a diversified crop production farm in Garfield County, just north of Enid. His current crop production system includes 2300 acres of wheat, soybeans, corn, grain sorghum, sunflowers, cotton, and sesame and has also grown winter canola. James was one of the first in Garfield County to implement No-Till production practices on his farm. James works closely with his brother in his operation.

  James has worked with an array of Research and Extension Specialists for the past 17 years. His first on farm research project was with Rick Kochenower. At that time, Rick was working to introduce the early season grain sorghum production concept of planting in late April to north central Oklahoma. While working within this project, James also participated in hybrid selection, soil fertility, seed treatment and strip tillage demonstrations. James also began working with Rick Kochenower to experiment with double crop grain sorghum production following wheat harvest. These trials included hybrid performance evaluations and also seeding rate and plant population studies for grain sorghum.

  James now participates in our producer presentations during region programs held in Enid. He has made presentations at the Conservation Tillage 101 Program held annually in Enid. Here James presents his thoughts of how no-till has been working for him and addresses some of the pitfalls he has experienced while working in no-till.

  James is participating in several boards and leadership positions. He has served on the board of Farmers Grain Cooperative in Pond Creek and is an advisory committee member of the Garfield Program Planning and Advisory Council for Cooperative Extension Service.

  James was of one the first members of the Grain Sorghum Commission in Oklahoma and from there he was also a member of the National Sorghum Producers Association. In this position, James has assisted other sorghum producers with research and Extension activities that has assisted them with production concerns.

  He has graciously allowed Researchers and Extension Specialists to utilize his property for educational purposes and is very deserving of this award from the Oklahoma State University Plant and Soil Sciences Department!

• Richard Wuerflein

  

  Richard Wuerflein owns and operates a diversified crop production farm in Garfield County, just north of Enid. His current crop production system includes 2300 acres of wheat, soybeans, corn, grain sorghum, sunflowers, cotton, and sesame and has also grown winter canola. Richard was one of the first in Garfield County to implement No-Till production practices on his farm. Richard works closely with his brother, James in his operation.

  Richard has been a huge contributor to Oklahoma Agriculture. He has been a member of the Oklahoma Grain and Stocker Producers Association since its inception in the early 1990’s. He worked closely with Representative Frank Lucas to insure funding for the Wheat Pasture Research Unit near Marshall. He has been a member of the Garfield County Soil Conservation Board for about 15 years guiding the USDA programs within the county boarders. He has also served as an Advisory Member for the Garfield Program Planning and Advisory Council working with OCES to provide adequate funding and programming for the County Extension Program. He also served as a board member for the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association Board of Directors. Richard is also a member of the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association growing certified seed wheat.

  Richard first started his association with the Plant and Soil Science Department by working with Dr. Tom Peeper on the BEEF Project. Richard provided land and equipment to measure no-till production information along with wheat forage information to determine the impact of no-till and stocker cattle production. Currently, Richard is cooperating with Dr. Chad Godsey on a crop rotation program utilizing cover crops in the production system. Within this program, Dr. Godsey is utilizing grain sorghum as the base crop and investigating other cover crops to improve grain sorghum yields. Dr. Godsey is also calculating nitrogen contribution for the cover crops in the rotations.

  Richard was also one of the early members of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program.

  Richard has graciously allowed Research and Extension Specialists to utilize his property for educational purposes and very deserving of this award from the Oklahoma State University Plant and Soil Science Department!

2009

• Jimmy Wayne Kinder

  

  Jimmy Wayne Kinder is known, not only in his local community, but across Oklahoma for his use of no-till in a wheat/stocker system. Jimmy Wayne has been a presenter at several no-till meetings including Hollis and the OSU/PSS sponsored No-Till meeting in Oklahoma City. He follows OSU recommendations and has been an early adopter of the Greenseeker technology, owning his own sensor. He routinely keeps OSU personnel abreast of current conditions in his area and is quick to entertain OSU folks to discuss no-till. An interview with Jimmy Wayne was included in a new OSU publication, No-Till cropping systems in Oklahoma.

  He is always looking for a better way to increase his bottom line. His occupation is listed as Farmer/Rancher but in the recent past it would have been listed as Rancher/Farmer. For several years, no-till forage wheat has been his livelihood, but with wheat grain prices as they were in 2008, he shifted into more of a no-till grain system. He was an OKanola cooperator in 2006-7 and has used grain sorghum and sunflowers in his rotation in the past and has several acres of canola this year. Jimmy Wayne serves his community and agriculture by currently serving as President of the Cotton County Farm Bureau board and as a member of the Cotton County FSA committee, Cotton County Rural Water District #2 board, and the Walters Educational Foundation. He is a past participant in Oklahoma Ag Leadership program and is a past director for the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association He attends the Nazarene Church in Walters.

• Ed Regier

  

  Ed Regier owns and operates a diversified crop production farm in Garfield County, just north of Enid. His current crop production system includes 3,000 acres of wheat, soybeans, corn, grain sorghum, and sunflowers and has also grown winter canola. Ed was one of the first in Garfield county to implement No-Till production practices on his farm. Ed was also one of the first producers in the area to implement the use of a stripper header for his wheat harvesting system to assist with moisture savings for double crop production systems after harvested wheat.

  Ed has worked with an array of Research and Extension specialists for the past ,13 years. His first on farm research project was with Dr. Tom peeper. At that time Dr. Peeper was working with crop rotations to reduce weed pressures in fields and also implement no-till production systems in northwest Oklahoma. while working within this project, Ed also participated in soybean variety plots that included some planting date type trials. Regier also began working with Rick Kochenower to experiment with early planting grain sorghum and with double crop grain sorghum production following wheat harvest. These trials included hybrid performance evaluations and also seeding rate and plant population studies for grain sorghum.

  Ed was one of the first producers to participate in the OKANOLA project. This project was the first to look at growing winter canola in Oklahoma. Ed also worked with Dr, Randy Taylor, OCES Biomachiney specialist, on speed at seeding of canola.

  
  

  Ed now participates in our producer presentations during region programs held in Enid. He has made presentations at the canola Growers conference and the Conservation Tillage 101 program held annually in Enid. Ed has served on the Garfield county Program Planning and Advisory committee to help direct crop production programming in Garfield County.

  He has graciously allowed Researchers and Extension specialists to utilize his property for educational purposes and is very deserving of this award from the Oklahoma State University Plant and Soil Sciences Department!

2008

• Matt Gard

  

  Matt Gard is a 4th generation farmer in Western Major County. He was reared on the family farm and attended Oklahoma State University studying agronomy, and animal science. Matt began farming full-time in 1984, and his farming operation includes 3,000 acres of wheat, corn, cotton, soybean and canola. In addition to his own farm, he has a custom farming operation that includes planting another 3500 acres. He also obtained his Certified Crop Advisor certification and owns and operated Cheyenne Valley Ag Applicators.

  
  Matt is one of the most progressive producers in Major County. He was, for example, one of the first to grow Canola in Major County and, along with Monsanto and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension, hosted a Canola field day that approximately 150 people attended. Matt also worked with the Major and Woods County Extension services to plan and host a GPS seminar in which participants were able to attend the seminar, a trade show, and hands-on demonstrations of the technology. Matt has assisted with test plots, on alfalfa, compaction studies, variety trials, and chemical trials. These are just a few examples of how Matt is a believer in the mission of Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service and serves as a key player in helping conduct educational programs in Major County.

  
  In addition to his work with Cooperative Extension, Matt has served on the Major County Conservation board for nearly 17 years and is currently the Area 1 Oklahoma Conservation Commissioner for the State of Oklahoma. He is an alumnus of Class 12 of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership and is currently serving as President of Plains Oilseed Products. He is instrumental in bringing new opportunities to the producers of Oklahoma and the faculty and staff of the OSU Plant and Soil Sciences Department is proud to name him as the 2008 recipient of the Master Agronomist Award.

• Jim Young

  

  Jim received a BS in General Entomology in 1961 and an MS in Medical Entomology in 1968 from OSU.

  
  Since 1990, Jim has operated a beef cow/calf ranch utilizing educational information he has received by participating in Extension programs and by referring to OSU fact sheets, soil test results and research publications.

  By utilizing this advanced education and his own life time experiences, Jim has been successful in establishing a bermuda and fescue rotational grazing and hay production system that has allowed him to maintain one cow/calf pair per two acres without the addition of purchased feed. Jim accomplishes this through the use of proper soil fertilization; maintaining a balanced forage system of warm and cool season forages, grazing management, and efficient record keeping.

  
  He tests his hay each fall for nutrient content and feeds each cutting according to the animals needs utilizing the O.S.U. Cowculator software program. These are all fine accomplishments in and of themselves, but Jim, however, goes the extra mile by being more than willing to share his innovations and experiences with other producers.

  
  He has testified at many Extension meetings and has willingly offered his property as a tour location or a research and demonstration site.

  
  Using OSU forage budgeting information Jim developed a computer program to make calculating stocking rates and fertility inputs easier. He then volunteered to sit down with other ranch managers to work out forage budgets for their operations.

  
  Through his participation in the Haskell Research Station field days, Jim became extremely impressed with the production potential of Midland 99 hybrid Bermuda grass that was developed by O.S.U. After experimenting with his own small patch, he became passionate about the potential benefit this new hybrid would have on his operation.

  
  Jim pushed forward and was Pittsburg ranch manager in Pittsburg County to sprig Midland 99 on a large portion of his ranch. He now shares his experiences with its production potential by promoting it at Extension meetings and by making his sprigs available to other ranch managers at a reasonable cost through the local Soil Conservation district.

  
  Jim is a regular attendee of the field demonstration tours at the Haskell Research Station. He is also a great supporter of Extension programming and attended a 1 year forage production delivered by the Pittsburg County Extension office. He continues to attend and participate in county Extension programs and has obtained a Master Cattleman certification.

  
  Jim is always one of the first to volunteer to fill in for the local Extension personnel in times of need and regularly sits in on their radio talk shows to provide ranch management insights and information. Jim utilizes the education he has obtained from Extension to promote Oklahoma Agriculture and the county based Extension system and is a real ambassador of Extension education systems.

2007

• Brent Rendel

  Brent Rendel of Ottawa County is a man who has been actively involved in farming and ranching his whole life. His great-grandfather started farming in Ottawa County in the late3 1800's and his grandfather and father continued with the operation. Brent and his father Mark are now working together.

  Brent graduated from Miami High School in 1982 and went on to Oklahoma State University to pursue a degree in Mechanical engineering. He graduated from OSU in 1986 and then went on active duty with the United States Navy. He is still serving in the Navel Reserves with a rank of Commander. He returned to the family farm near Miami, OK in 1997 and has been an active partner of the Rendel operation ever since. Rendel Farms have approximately 2000 acres of wheat, corn, grain sorghum and soybeans. Brent even tried canola for two years in 97 and 98.

  Brent has a strong commitment to Agriculture. He has served on numerous local, county and state committees and boards. He is presently a member of the Ottawa County Program Advisory Committee and the Oklahoma Soybean Board. Brent also served on the board of directors for the Miami Coop and was a member of the Ag Leadership class XII from 2004-2006. In 2004 Brent and his wife were selected for the Dupont Young Leader Award.

  Brent is always looking for ways to improve production and reduce cost. He is a true believer in soil testing and runs tests on a regular basis. The Rendels are also believers in no-till and use it as part of their tillage practices. Brent has also been a strong supporter of OSU Extension programs. He has provided land, labor, and equipment for research conducted in Ottawa CountGreenSeeker04, Brent has had GreenSeeker test plots dealing with corn and wheat. In 2005m he had N-Rich strips in 35 different wheat fields consisting of 1500 acres. In the fall of 2006, Brent again put N-Rich strips in all of his wheat fields. It only took the fall and spring of 2004-2005 for Brent to become a believer in what this new technology can do for him. This past spring after taking readings in his wheat with the GreenSeeker device and then comparing results from the I-Pod to the results from the N-Rich web site, Brent noticed a discrepancy. After working through programs several times he contacted Dr. Randy Taylor and the problem was corrected. He understood that this was new technology and the glitches would occur. Those glitches did not deter him one bit. He still believes in the system and is promoting it strongly to other producers.

  Brent is presently building a sprayer similar to the one OSU Ag Engineers built to put out N-Ramps. He plans on putting ramps in all of his corn fields this spring. Do not be surprised if Brent purchases his own GreenSeeker unit next year.

  This past fall Brent also let Dr. Chad Godsey put a canola variety test plot on a piece of his land. He is still interested in canola production if many of the problems he experienced in 97 and 98 have been worked out, and if it can compete with wheat for profit per acre. This spring Dr. Randy Taylor also put in some strip till plots to compare strip till to no-till and conventional till corn.

  Brent and his wife Jera have one daughter and two sons.

• Alan Mindemann

  Alan Mindemann was raised in Apache, OK area. He is a fourth generation farmer and the son of Alton and Christine Mindemann.

  Alan is on of the clear leaders of no-till farming in Oklahoma. He has been actively no-till farming for over 10 years with excellent success. He farms 900 acres of his own cropland, manages and consults on several thousand acres of cropland in no-till rotations for others. He is an ardent conservationist doing everything possible to prevent soil erosion while improving soil structure and organic matter on the farms under his care. The crops he farms include wheat (including wheat seed production), cotton, corn, alfalfa, grain sorghum, canola, and cover crops.

  Alan is a recognized and respected leader in agronomy. Farmers in the area rely heavily on Alan for help with their farming operations which often turns to a discussion of no-till. Alan has been very generous in sharing his knowledge by speaking about his no-till operation at various meetings and conferences not only in Oklahoma, but in other states as well. He has been a featured speaker for the past 3 years at the "No-Till on the Plains Conference, Salina, KS and a frequent speaker at numerous Technology Centers and Conservation Districts throughout the state of Oklahoma.

  Alan has been a Certified Crop Advisor since 2000, a member of Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) and participated in the OSU Okanola program. He has also been one of the first producers in the state to pick up GreenSeeker Sensor-Based Nitrogen Management (SBNM) Program for determining top-dress nitrogen rates in wheat. He has used his expertise with the SBNM tool to make nitrogen recommendations to other wheat producers in his area. Alan custom plants no-till crops with his planting equipment in southwest Oklahoma for several producers.

2006

• Don Bornemann

  Don Bornemann, of Canadian County, has provided extension with an outstanding site for Oklahoma State University Variety Demonstration Plots for the last 12 years. To only recognize the local impact of Bournemann's wheat demonstration plots would be an understatement of the importance these plots play in wheat production. Mark Hodges, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, has brought numerous foreign delegations, international wheat buyers, etc. to see these wheat varieties plots.

  In 2004, Dr. Jeff Edwards, small grains specialist, decided to move on of his OSU Replicated Variety Trails to Bournemann Farms because Edwards realize he had found the perfect "partner" he needed for one of his "new" on-farm dual-purpose wheat trials. Edwards was so impressed with Don's operation that he contacted Dr. Brett Carver, and convinced him that this was also a perfect location for on of his grazed "elite nurseries". Bornemann's is one of three locations conducting stocker cattle grazing on an "elite nursery", which allows Carver and outdoor laboratory to test his new wheat genetic material in a harsh, "real world" grazing environment for and early prospective on which germplasm exhibits dual-purpose potential.

  An unforeseen benefit of Bournemann's collaboration with extension and research at OSU has been two grants secured for wheat research in Oklahoma. As a research "partner", Bournemann Farm's helped gather baseline data which resulted in a successful DASNR Team Initiative Program proposal for $130,000 and a successful Southern Region SARE proposal for $183,000. This cooperation has furthered progress in DASNR's 21st Century Plant Enterprises initiative program and increased the visibility of the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.

  Bornemann and his wife Kay have one son and one daughter. He has served on the Board of Directors for Canadian County Farm Bureau, the State Holstein Breed Association Board of Directors and as District AMPI Board of Directors. He has served for 13 years as a Canadian County FSA Committee Member and over 30 years as an FSA Community Committee Member. His family has also had a long history of service on the Board of Directors at Banner Coop.

• Bill Rigdon

  

  Bill Rigdon is a diversified producer in Kay County near Blackwell. He is currently involved with production of wheat, corn, grain sorghum, and soybeans on their 3,000 acres of cropland. Rigdon grows these crops under a no-till production system. He only recently implemented a no-till production system on his farm and looked at the method as a way to reduce costs and utilize moisture that falls in his area.

  He is currently involved with OSU in providing; land, labor, and equipment for countless numbers of research and demonstration plot work. Rigdon Farms has hosted filed tours on demonstrations of soil fertility response of grain sorghum, plant population studies of grain sorghum, and the grain sorghum hybrid performance trials. He has also worked with the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology by allowing Tom Royer to evaluate the performance of insecticide seed treatments on the array of insects that attach to grain sorghum and reduce yields.

  In his grain production program, Rigdon is utilizing both early and late maturity grain sorghum and early and later planted soybean to spread this production risk. He has also utilized double crop production systems after wheat and both crops. He is also looking at dry land corn production to assist in controlling some weed species like Johnsongrass. Rigdon has been recognized by the local conservation district for his soil conservation efforts.

  Rigdon is an excellent cooperator with Roger Gribble, NW Area Agronomist and Rick Kochenower, OCES Grain sorghum Specialist and Area Agronomist. Without Rigdon an the use of his land and equipment, educational efforts would be much more difficult. He is always interested in identifying new production practices and opportunities to make his and his neighbors operations much more profitable.

  Rigdon and his wife, Louise, have 6 children and 14 grand children to watch over. They have been active members of the Blackwell community for many years. He and his wife have served on numerous church and civic committees. Louise is on the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Advisory Board. Rigdon is also a member of the Oklahoma Soybean Association and the Oklahoma and National Grain Sorghum Producers Association.

2005

• Larry Null

  Larry Null is recognized as an influential leader in many areas of agriculture across the state of Oklahoma. Larry graduated in 1958 from Oklahoma State University with a degree in Agricultural Economics. He routinely serves on many local and statewide committees related to agriculture and agriculture policy because these issues are very important to him.

  Larry's father, Stuart Null, began selling registered and certified seed in 1950 and was recognized as a Master Agronomist in 1956. Null Seed Farms reflects Larry's character by actively supporting the wheat variety trials in Kiowa County, as well as across the state. Being one of the leading seed dealers in Southwest Oklahoma, many producers look to him for advice and recommendations. Null Seed Farms recently volunteered to sponsor the youth wheat show awards at the Kiowa County Fair, which shows their commitment to the future of agriculture in Oklahoma.

  Active involvement in agriculture is evident by Larry's participation in variety trials in cotton and wheat production. Recently, J.C. Banks worked with Larry on a no-till cotton trial. Larry and J.C. have worked together for several years on innovative cotton production methods and variety trials. Larry has contributed to successful extension programs by sponsoring wheat and cotton field tours for many years. He also routinely provides seed for sorghum and wheat test plots.

  Larry has a long history of service to Oklahoma agriculture, Oklahoma State University, and the Plant and Soil Sciences Department. He is not only a member of organizations such as Kiowa County Cattlemen's Association and the Kiowa County OSU Alumni Association, but he has also served as President of both of these organizations. Larry also served as Director of the OSU Alumni Association for 10 years. He has served two terms on the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association. His service to OCIA culminated in his receiving the Premier Award in 2002, which is the highest honor awarded by OCIA.

  Carroll, his wife, graduated from Oklahoma A&M in 1957. They have two sons. Recognition for support of agriculture, is not new to the Null family. In 1993, the Null family was recognized as the Kiowa County Farm Family of the year. Last year the Null family was honored as Farm Bureau's Family of the year.

2004

• Kenneth A. Rose

  

  Ken Rose is a very innovative farmer who strives to keep his family farm running efficiently. Ken has brought the knowledge he received from Southern Nazarene University where he received his B.S. degree and Kansas University where he received his Masters in Organic Chemistry back to his farm. He has willingly shared this knowledge with neighboring farmers and friends.

  Ken's farm consists of approximately 7,000 acres of farm and grassland. He raises grain sorghum, wheat, and runs a cow/calf operation. The past few years he has experimented growing dry land corn and sunflowers. Ken recognizes the importance of crop rotation to minimize weed competition, reduce chemical usage, and to conserve soil and moisture. He is faithful with soil testing and proper placement of nutrients for better crops. Since the early 1908's, Ken has also used reduced and no-till farming methods on his farm and has given presentations to various farm groups on the benefits of minimum till, chemical fallow, and crop rotation.

  Ken's unselfish qualities are shown by the time he has taken cooperation with the various organizations he is in. He He is a member of the Oklahoma Grain Sorghum Association where he has served as president. He also serves the National Grain Sorghum Board where he has filled various offices and has been chosen as the newly elected president. He has served on the Cimarron County Conservation District Board for the past ten years. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the First State Bank of Boise City, and serves on the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture CAFO rules committee. Through his association with the Grain Sorghum producers, Ken has lobbied on behalf of producers in Oklahoma City and Washington, D.C., and has had the opportunity to testify before both the State and U.S. House of Agricultural Committees in efforts to obtain better research funding for agriculture and for increased incentives for ethanol production.

  Ken is an active member of the Nazarene Church of Elkhart, Kansas, where he has served on the board for the past 23 years. Ken and his wife Norma, live on the family farm northeast of Keyes, Oklahoma and they have two daughters.

2003

• Jack Chapman

  by James Shrefler

  

  Jack Chapman operates a 2000 acre Farm/Ranch at Calvin, OK in Hughes county. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University where he majored in, Agricultural Economics. He was employed by Farm Credit Services for 28 years. He and his wife, Beverly, are active supporters of various community programs and interests. The Chapmans operate a diversified farm that has included cow/calf and stocker livestock components and pasture, hay, row crops, rye and watermelon.

  Jack will quickly impress you as being not just a keen farm manager but as a man who is concerned for the needs of all farmers in the community. In discussing agricultural issues, he talks not in terms of what the needs of his farm are but in terms of what the needs of the farmer are. His commitment to the agricultural community is further exemplified in his service to organizations such as the Hughes Country Peanut Grower's Association, Calvin Livestock Boosters, and Oklahoma Cattleman's Association.

  The first thing Jack may ask after one exchanges greetings with him is "what's new?" He is always interested in hearing about new ideas that might be beneficial to the farm operation. To this end he has cooperated with various research and demonstration efforts. Although he no longer produces peanuts, these were formerly an important part of his operation. He cooperated with Oklahoma State University Extension programs on demonstrations of disease control technology for this crop. He has also cooperated with research and demonstration plots that evaluated grass for protein.

  Livestock and peanuts have been the main bread and butter for the Chapman farm. However, there has also been interest at considering alternative crops. Hughes County peanut lands are well suited to watermelon production and Jack will often have a few acres of these. He has also cooperated with efforts to evaluate dry bulb onions as an alternative crop for the area.

  A great concern of Jack's is the preservation of agricultural resources and making the community. a pleasant place to live. His farming practices are planned to keep soil conservation in the forefront. One practice he has used on the farm is to grow minimum-till soybeans following the harvest of rye grown for seed. His dedication to a clean community is exemplified in his contribution of serving on the Hughes County Solid Waste Management Board.

  Jack has been a strong supporter of the future of agriculture through his participation in a variety of Oklahoma Cooperative Extension and related programs. He has served the Hughes County Extension Program as a member of the Advisory Committee. He has served as the Beef
  Superintendent of the Hughes County Livestock Committee. He has been a sponsor of 4-H Speech contests and of Junior Livestock Shows. He has served as a member of the Hughes County Fair Board.

  Jack Chapman has been recognized for several aspects of his dedication and professionalism as an agriculturalist. He was awarded the Degree of Honorary State Farmer by the State Future Farmers of America, the Farm Bureau's 25 Year Service Award, and the Hughes County Conservation District Award.

• Greg Leonard

  by Stan Fimple

  

  Greg is always looking at ways to improve production and reduce cost. He is a true believer in soil testing and follows OSU guidelines. He was one of the first to use no-till in N.E. Oklahoma and is constantly looking for ways to improve on it.

  Greg began his farm and ranch operation in 1986. This was after spending 4 years as a Farm Business Management Instructor at the Northeast Area Vo-Tech School in Afton. From 1987 to 1995 Greg also worked as the Farm Manager for a local producer. Greg's operations consist of 2200 acres of wheat, corn, grain sorghum, and food grade soybeans.Greg also assists other producers by planting and/or harvesting about 1500 acres.

  Greg has also been a strong supporter of OSU Extension programs. He has provided land, labor and equipment for research conducted in Ottawa County. This past year OSU had test plots on Gregg's land that consisted of weed control in cotton and soybeans, and also had a fertilizer demonstration on wheat dealing with the new Greenseeker Technology. This spring Greg will plant a corn test plot with nitrogen rich strip to look at the Greenseeker technology.

  Greg has a strong commitment to the Agriculture area. He serves on numerous local, county, state, and national committees and boards. He is presently a member of the Ottawa County Program Advisory Committee, Chairman of the Ottawa County FSA Committee, President of the Ottawa County Farm Bureau, District Director of the Oklahoma Soybean Association, and Vice-President and Chairman of the membership committee for the National Soybean Association. As a member of these boards Greg is constantly visiting with legislators on the State and National level seeking financing for Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Greg was also a member of the Oklahoma, Ag Leadership Class from 1989-1991.

  Greg graduated from Holdenville High School in 1978 and received his B. S. degree in Ag Economics from OSU in 1983. He married Mary Sellmeyer, from the Afton area, and they have two children.

2002

• Danny Davis

  Danny Davis, along with his father "Doc" started a process in 1979 that has evolved into almost 1400 acres of not-till farming in Southwest Oklahoma near Canute. In the early 1970's they began developing conservation farming methods because their highly erodible, sandy soil was blowing away and destroying their cotton crops. By the 80's, they had developed a no-till farming system using interseeded rye as a cover crop. They have refined their production system, and for the past 5 years gave gone fill no-till cotton production.

  Over the years, Danny has worked with OSU and specifically with J.C. Banks in evaluating cover crop species, cotton production practices, soil fertility, weeds, and insect studies., In 1991, Danny really became a spokesman for conservation. At the Beltwide Cotton Conference he described their interseeding Cotton production system. Soon thereafter, conservation tillage experts across the Southern U.S. began utilizing and adapting techniques, originally worked out by Danny, on their commercial farming operation. Farmers from the Southern Plains of Texas to Georgia have now adopted many of these techniques. The procedures were transferred to West Texas when Dr's. Bill Lyle and Wayne Keeling visited Oklahoma and observed the Davis operation. For the past several years the Davis's have hosted groups and organized bus tours for farmers, extension agents, and agri-businessmen. Danny is always very helpful and his enthusiasm is contagious. It is interesting to hear him talk about his country roads that are no longer silted out, sand dunes that no longer form in fence rows, and how rain water runs clear from his fields.

  Danny and his wife Sherry have one daughter, Sara, who works as a cotton scout for the Oklahoma Boll Weevil Eradication Organization. Danny is a deacon at the Second and Adams Church of Christ in Elk City. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the North Fork Electric Coop, and was selected as a member of the Dupont Cotton Coalition. In 1995, 2000 and 2001 he received the Oklahoma Junior Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Young Oklahoman Award, the Conservationist Award at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences, and was selected as a producer delegate to the National Cotton Council. He has demonstrated leadership in other areas by serving on the National Cotton Council Producer Steering Committee, the board of Progressive Ag. Services, and he is very active in community activities in Elk City, Oklahoma.

  One only has to look through past issues of Oklahoma Farmer Stockman, Southwest Farm Press, Cotton Farming Magazine, and other farm publications to lean of his influence in conservation tillage. He is always a willing participant in educational programs involving conservation tillage, and he has assisted OSU in meetings, tours, and production of a conservation video.

• Scotty Herriman

  Scotty Herriman, of the South Coffeyville Area, began farming with his father, Otis. Scotty now owns or leases of 2500 acres in which he farms 1300 acres in small grain, milo, soybeans and corn. He is a strong believer in conservation and very environmentally conscious.

  Scotty grows most of his crops in a two-year rotation and he continues to refine his production operation. Soil testing and variety selection are an essential component of his cropping system. He has had Oklahoma State University Soybean Variety Plots on his property for over 7 years. He has always been ready to assist with labor and equipment and maintaining these plots. Scotty is a strong supporter of the Nowata County Extension and served as an Agriculture Program Advisory Council Member. He supports Agriculture in the Classroom for schools in Nowata County, and Furnishes grain samples used in their educational programs. He has been host to several extension educational programs and assists the 4-H youth in this county. Scotty has assisted with planning and collecting soil samples for the recently conducted extension meeting, "Fertility Management Makes Cents". Scotty is a giving person and a friend of OSU, who is always there to lend a hand no matter how busy he is.

  Scotty is a leader in the community and serves on numerous local, county, and state boards and committees. He was Rural Conservation and Development President for several years; Nowata County Conservation District Board member for 23 years and chair for 12 ears; served on the Nowata Agricultural Stabilization Conservation Service Board Committee; and has served on the Kanoma Co-Op Board for the past 22 years.

  In 1985 Scotty was selected as the Dupont Young Leader in Oklahoma receiving a free trip to the American Soybean National meeting. He later served as Oklahoma Soybean Association Treasurer and is currently serving on Oklahoma Soybean Board. In 1987, he was selected as the Oklahoma Conservation District "Director of the Year" and was one of the first directors to serve in the Leadership 2000 class through the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.

  Scotty and his wife, Jo have 3 sons. Scotty and his family are members of the Tyro Christian Church in Tyro, Kansas, where he has been an Elder for several years.

2001

• Jay Franklin

  Jay began his farming career on the family farm in 1977 and is practicing no-till farming on his 1280 acres near Vinita, Oklahoma, today. He is a strong supporter of the no-till farming method and helps others learn how no-till farming works. Jay promotes no-till farming for economical and environmental purposes.

  Jay grow three crops in a two-year rotation using wheat, soybeans, and milo or corn. He continues to fine-tune his farming by doing corn maturity group plots and wheat treatment trials. He shares this information with other farmers by hosting end row tours with the County Extension office. Jay allows wheat variety ryegrass be conducted and tests mechanical ryegrass control for the University. Jay has been a speaker at numerous county, district, and state extension meetings and workshops. This past year he was one of several producers featured on a conservation tillage video used to educate farmers across the state. Technology is important to Jay's management style. From palm pilots to detailed computer models. Jay can make sound economic decisions with a touch of a button for field data.

  Jay serves on numerous local, county, and state committees. He has been instrumental in making the county Program Advisory Committee functional in addressing local farmer concerns. He has been a director for the county Conservation District in Craig County and Has helped conduct and teach an annual youth environmental day for 500 fifth graders. Jay helps farmers by being an active member of the United Soybean Board serving on the executive committee for 5 years, guiding soybean research and promotion.

  Jay and his family are active members of the First Baptist Church ad he is a deacon of the church. Jay and his wife Susanna, have three children.

• Curtis Torrance

  Curtis has been providing producers in his area an opportunity to witness agronomic demonstrations on his farm for the last 10 years. Curtis has been responsible for getting producers to his farm to view the variety trial and crop rotation study. In addition, producers who don't come to the tours have continually asked him what has been learned from these trials. He has been providing areas of his farm for replicated wheat variety plots. The donation of land and time for preparation has provided producers a chance to look at wheat varieties in comparison with both new and old releases. He also provides producers the change to review the plots with specialists and determine which wheat varieties have strengths and weaknesses for the area.

  Curtis has just completed a Sustainable Agriculture Grant in which he looks at no-till and conventional till yield comparisons and crop rotation yield comparisons. The grant provided him the opportunity to look at no-till and determine the strengths and weaknesses under his set of environmental conditions and production practices. He looked at grain yield components of the study ad recognized early that livestock production was a main consideration in the production systems. While current farm programs available do not support legume production systems, there are good advantages to their contribution to a production system.

  Curtis is a leader of the community. The curiosity that Curtis has leads him to want to know how and why things work. Once he learns the how and why, he is generous enough to share this information with others. Curtis has helped OSU educate many of the producers in Ellis County and the surrounding area.

  Curtis and his family grow approximately 800 acres of row crops and have an additional 700 acres of grassland. They integrate production of grain and forage for livestock production very effectively.

  Curtis has long been a supporter of people. He participates with the 4-H programs in Ellis County. In fact, Curtis and his wife Kay have been leaders for the local 4-H program and have served as members of the Ellis County Advisory Committee for many years and has also been a member of the District Advisory Council and a member of the State Advisory Council. Curtis and his wife Kay have three children.

  Curtis is a strong supporter of the Cooperative Extension Service and has long been a supporter of the Plant and Soil Sciences Department at Oklahoma State University.

2000

• Johnnie Bert "J.B." Stewart

  

  J. B. Stewart began his farm and ranch operation in 1969 near Keyes, OK after graduating from Panhandle State University with a degree in Chemistry. He grew up helping his father with the family farm that was started in 1914. J. B. is a fourth generation farmer. He continues the family farming tradition as he has instilled a love for the land and agriculture in each of his three children.

  J. B. is always looking for ways to improve agricultural practices. He primarily grows wheat, grain sorghum, corn, and soybeans in not-till rotations. He is continually looking for methods that might increase profit potential for area farmers and himself. Therefore, he has experimented with other crops in the Oklahoma Panhandle region such as mungbeans, winter canola, black-eye peas, garbonzo beans, and Australian winter field peas. In addition to looking at new crops, J. B. also looks for ways to improve current crops. He stays informed about the latest wheat varieties from Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M. He annually puts up seed wheat. He is an Asgrow Seed dealer and has extensive knowledge on many grain sorghum and corn hybrids. He is a cooperator with OSU Extension and has test plots of dryland grain sorghum each year. In addition to providing the land, he also supplies labor and equipment for the test plots. He often invites groups such as the Oklahoma Ag Leadership classes and different production groups to tour his test plots and facilities. J. B. is also very environmentally conscious. He experiments with low volume organic fertilizers and low rates of chemical pesticides. His chemistry degree provides him with a different knowledge base than most of his peers. Other farmers look to him for advice. In addition to the 5,000 plus acres J. B. farms, and the numerous acres of custom work, his is also a partner in the Boise City Feed Yard, a 10,000 head custom cattle feedlot; Sunrise Farms a 2,000 head dairy operation; CimCo Beef, a 2,700 acre irrigated farm; and Lock J Services, a grain and fertilizer transportation company.

  J.B. has received numerous acknowledgments and awards for his countless efforts given to agriculture and his community. He received the Distinguished Contributor Award from Oklahoma Panhandle State University and Friends of Extension Award from the OSU State Extension Council. He also serves as a board member at the Oklahoma Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Goodwell, an advisory council to OSU. He served on the Keyes School Board for 15 years, many of them as president. He currently serves on the Cimarron County Farm Service Agency Committee, and has for 15 years, as well as the Oklahoma Grain & Sorghum Commission. J. B. and his wife Carol have three children.

• Henry Jo Von Tungeln

  

  Henry Jo began his farming career over 50 years ago on the family farm. After graduating from El Reno high school, he began farming full time in partnership with his father, except for two years he spent in the army. He has devoted his life to agriculture as a participant in the process of farming, as well as a contributor to the progress of the industry at the local, state, national, and international level.

  Henry Jo, his wife Donna and their two sons, David and Daniel own and farm 1040 acres near Calumet, Oklahoma. David and Daniel rent an additional 1280 acres and raise wheat, alfalfa, soybeans, and cattle. They routinely soil test, plant recommended varieties, use university approved production practices and practice good soil stewardship by using conservation practices that help insure the sustainability of their farming operation. Henry played a key role in the USDA's decision to strengthen the agriculture research program at their laboratory at F. Reno and is often consulted by researchers at OSU and USDA. He is recognized as a sound source of information by neighboring farmers and ranchers.

  One of the greatest contribution Henry Jo and his family have made is in the area of international relations. They have hosted hundreds of people from all over the world on behalf of the Wheat Commission, the Chamber of Commerce, the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, OSU, KSU, the State Legislature and the Governor's office. Notable guests have included the Ag. Ambassador of Israel and the Republic of China. Another of Henry Jo's family projects is bread making and he and his bread are famous worldwide. They use over three tons of flour each year, baking bread for guests, church events, schools, trade shows, state legislators and anyone else who asks. This is all done to promote agriculture and Oklahoma wheat. His family operations have been featured in John Deere's "The furrow" magazine. The Oklahoman newspaper, and he and his grandchildren are featured o the cover of the Wheat Commission cookbook "A Family Tradition".

  He was one of the organizers of the Junior Farm Bureau in Canadian County and served as Farm Bureau State President and has been the Canadian County President for over 40 years. He served a President of the Rural Development Council, and serves on the County Fair Board and the Excise/Equalization Board. He was appointed to the State Board of Arbitration by Governor Bellmon and the Oklahoma Wheat Commission in 1988. Governor's Walters and Keating reappointed him in 1993 and 1998. Nationally, he held the office of Secretary-Treasurer and Vice President of the U.S. Wheat Association Board, representing 15 offices globally. He is also on the Agriculture Advisory Committee for Senator Don Nickles. He has traveled to Europe, Africa, South, and Central America, Canada and Mexico on behalf of American's wheat farmers in the promotion of wheat and wheat trade. He accompanied Governor Walters on a good-will trip to Israel, and has been appointed by the American Farm Bureau to serve on the U.S.-Canada Trade relations Committee. The Von Tungeln's have received numerous honors and awards, most notably the Canadian Co. Farm Bureau, Farm Family of the Year, Runner-up State Farm Family of the Year, and WKY Farm Family of the Month. Henry Jo has devoted his live to serving others.

1999

• Trey Lam

  

  Trey was born near Pauls Valley, OK He grew up on the family Washita River bottom farm working with his father until he graduated from high school. Trey left Oklahoma to attend college at Yale University, graduating cum laude, in 1982. After graduation, Trey worked as a commodity merchant for Cargill before returning to Pauls Valley in 1985 to become a partner with his father in Lam Farms and later becoming the owner/operator.

  The Lam Farm is a very diversified 1500-acre operation that places strong emphasis on crop rotation. His farming system is built around alfalfa, corn, soybeans, wheat, and a small cow/calf herd. Soil testing is an essential component in his cropping system. Trey has raised registered and certified wheat and soybean seed for commercial sale and currently grows foundation soybean seed for OSU, His production of wheat and soybean seed led to his involvement in the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association where he has served on the board of directors and as president.

  Lam Farms has a long history of participating in OSU research and demonstration. He has made land available for the Plant and Soil Sciences Department to conduct numerous alfalfa and soybean variety, seeding rate, fertility and herbicide studies. Trey hosts the annual Garvin county alfalfa meeting and regular spring tours. He attends field days, meetings and workshops to keep the Lam Farm progressive and innovative. He feels that planning and keeping accurate farming records are an important part of being a success in today's agriculture. Many of his neighbors look to Trey and his dad, Jess who received the Master Agronomist Award in 1997, for guidance and advise in solving production agriculture problems.

  Trey has served on the Garvin county PPAC, SW District, and State Advisory Council for Cooperative Extension and was Vice President of the Oklahoma Alfalfa Hay and Seed Association. He has served as president of the Oklahoma Soybean Association and was the vice chairman of the Oklahoma Soybean Board of directors, which makes the decisions on spending check-off dollars for research, education, and promotion. Trey served on the Search Committee for the Associate Dean for the Agriculture Experiment Station and currently serves on the Dean's Agricultural Advisory Board. He is a member of a National Committee investigating the use of IMP to solve stand persistence in alfalfa.

  Trey is a very active member of the Pauls Valley First United Methodist Church, and a number of various civic and community organizations.

• Ron Limon

  

  Ron graduated from Haskell High School in 198l. He was active in the FFA program and received the State Chapter Farmer Award. Additionally he served as president of his Senior Class and was chosen to attend Boys State. He continued his education at Connors State College and obtained his Associate Degree before going on to major in Agronomy at Oklahoma State University, where he received his bachelors Degree in 1982. While attending OSU, he worked part time at the Agronomy Research Farm working with weed science and soybean breeding programs. Ron was an active member of the Agronomy Club and the Crops Judging Team.

  After graduating in 1981, he returned home to farm with his father, Jack who received the Master Agronomist Award in 1964. When Ron joined his father in 1981, they were farming approximately 1700 acres raising soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, and a small cow/calf herd in Wagoner county. Today the farm has more than doubled in size (approximately 3400 acres) and they have added cotton and corn to their farm enterprise and a Pioneer seed dealership. There is no status quo for Ron. Ron would say he was "born with farming in his blood". He is a third generation farmer and is always looking for a value-added opportunity.

  While he has spent a great deal of time and effort in making his farming operation one of the best in Eastern Oklahoma, he has found time to serve his community and various farm organizations. Ron has served on the Rural Water and Coweta community education boards, and served as a board member and President of the Wagoner County Farm Bureau and the Oklahoma Soybean Association. In 1985, Ron was selected to be a member of the Class II Ag Leadership program.

  Ron is extremely cooperative and makes himself and farm available for a number of different research and demonstration test plots. In 1997, Ron hosted a Sustainable Agriculture In-Service Training Tour consisting of OSU Extension and USDA/ARS personnel. OSU has conducted two cotton variety tests and numerous tours on the Limon Farm. From seed to herbicides, there is always a test plot demonstration on the farm. Ron also produces Registered Choska soybeans for the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association. This allows Ron and his farming neighbors to take a good look at what is available and what works the best for them in their area.

  Ron is especially supportive of Oklahoma State University and the Cooperative Extension programs. He is an active participant on grower panel discussions at cotton,soybean, and corn production meetings held in Wagoner County. Ron is a member of the First Baptist Church of Coweta.

1998

• Joel Hicks

  Joel Hicks began his farming operation in 1962 in the Red River Valley in southern Love County. Joel and his wife Sandy, operate 950 acres near Leon, Oklahoma that utilizes the latest agronomic techniques to produce peanuts, corn and small grains. To add sustainability and diversity, they produce alternative crops such as commercial melons and also operate a rye seed production and cleaning business located on the farm.

  Mr. Hicks routinely soil tests, plants recommended crop varieties and uses conservation practices such as residue management, crop rotation and grazing management. Joel's production records include the following: peanut, ten year average yield - 4100 lbs.; commercial melon production three year average - 14 tons: com, three year average yiLenier135 bushels. In 1987, he purchased the first Lenier irrigation system in the State of Oklahoma, which he continues to utilize. Joel utilizes a drip irrigation system for his commercial melon operation, which is a "showpiece" for other area producers.

  Mr. Hicks plants small grains strips between melon rows that serve as wind breaks on highly erodible soils without government cost share assistance. Joel has an active seed production and cleaning operation that cleans ten thousand bushels annually for sales to other farmers and ranchers. In addition, he operates and manages a 175-acre commercial pecan operation that helps maintain a diversified farm. In addition he manages a 300-head stocker calf operation, and a cow-calf operation.

  Joel is a strong supporter of the OSU Cooperative Extension Service and regularly attends agriculture education meetings, field tours, and other activities supported by OSU. He has provided facilities and assistance for field days, meetings, tours, and test plots. Mr. Hicks is a leader in southern Oklahoma for agriculture production! His agriculture production is only overshadowed by his own tremendous character as an individual. He serves as a county PAC member and strives to make the Extension effort grow and reach more people.

  He has contributed valuable time and service to numerous agricultural organizations and boards. He is a Board Member of the Love-Marshall-Carter County Farm Service Agency, Love County Farm Bureau, Peanut Advisory Committee, Southern Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association Board Member, Texoma Crop Association Board of Directors and Oklahoma Peanut Growers Association.

  Community activities include Honorary Member of Turner FFA and member of the Jimtown Baptist Church.

• Jess Lam

  Jess Lam has been farming in the Washita river bottom for over 50 years. Born on a farm, he worked with his father and took over the operation after graduating from high school. The Lam operation has always been a very diversified operation. In the past, crops have included broomcorn, cotton, milo, and even guar. Today the crop rotation is built around alfalfa, followed by corn, soybeans, and wheat before going back in to alfalfa. The soil is tested every year and fertilizer and lime are applied according to OSU recommendations. Jess became interested in an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program 20 years ago, now all his alfalfa and soybean fields are scouted every week, and pests and diseases are treated only when needed.

  Quality seed has always been important to Jess. He has raised registered and certified seed for over 30 years. His production of wheat and soybean seed led to his involvement in the OCIA. He has served on the OCLA board of directors and as president. Currently, he chairs the soybean committee. The Lam Farms currently produces the Hutcheson foundation soybeans for OSU.

  Jess has a long history of participating in OSU research demonstration. Lam Farms has had OSU alfalfa variety, seeding rate, fertility, and herbicide test plots. He also hosts the annual Garvin County alfalfa meeting and regular spring tours. OSU also regularly had soybean variety tests on Jess' farm.

  Jess has made a career innovations always searching for new varieties in every crop, trying new herbicides and different seeding rates. Much of his information is gleaned from a close association with the OSU extension service. Jess annually attends Soybean Field Days as far away as Bixby and Haskell.

  Jess has served on the Garvin County PPAC, attending Southwest District advisory meetings. He has served on the board of directors of the Oklahoma Alfalfa Hay and Seed Association. He served several terms on the Oklahoma Soybean Association board of directors before becoming a member of the Soybean Commission. Jess was elected Chair of the Commission which makes the decisions on spending checkoff dollars for research and promotion.

  Recently, Jess has focused his energy on conservation issues. He was appointed director of the Garvin Conservation District Board in 1991. He has served as chair of the board for the past four years, and for the past year has served as their Area III Director.

  Jess is a very active member of the Pauls Valley First United Methodist Church. He has served as chair of the Trustees and Pastor Parish committees, and is presently chair of the Administrative Council. Jess has taught and is past president of the Crusaders Sunday School Class.

1997

• Robert Greenlee

  Robert Greenlee grew up on the family's 400 acre farm that he shared with his brother after their father's death in 1968. He graduated from high school and was very active in FFA where he won many awards, including the State Farmer degree his senior year. He attended college and received his B.S. in Education in 1966. He taught and served as principal of the Morris Elementary school for over 30 years before retiring.

  Robert's farming grew from sharing the "home place' with his brother to the present day 3.500 acre diversified farm where he grows wheat, soybeans, milo, corn, peanuts, cotton, and has even grown some sunflowers. He and his wife, Carol, live on their farm in Okmulgee county where they raised their two daughters. The also have farming interests in Muskogee and Wagoner counties.

  Robert strongly supports the OSU Cooperative Extension Service and regularly attends education meetings, field tours and other activities sponsored by OSU. He routinely soil tests, practices crop rotation, and uses conservation practices such as minimum till and no-till farming. His innovation has prompted him to implement Round Up Ready soybeans in his farming and he is considering Round Up Ready cotton this year - a first in Okmulgee County. He has donated land for test plots and hosts tours of his farm. Robert also runs a small cow-calf operation utilizing weed control and fertilizer to improve pasture grass and hay quality.

  He is a charter member of the Morris Young Farmers Association which supports many local 4-H and FFA members. He has given his own time and money to 4-H and FFA members. He has helped in preparation for shows, donated hay, and started his two girls into raising show hogs to teach them the meaning of responsibilities. Robert also helped sponsor the Okmulgee County tractor pull.

  Robert is a member of the Okmulgee Farm Bureau, Corn Growers Association, Wheat Growers Association, Soybean Growers Association and Cotton Growers Association. He was featured in Farm Show Magazine in 1982 when he mounted an automotive engine on top of his combine to make it 4-wheel drive in order to harvest soybeans in muddy conditions. He was interviewed by Farm Journal in 1997 about his dry-land cotton practices. He arranged tours of his farm for Morris School kids, and provides crop plants and video tapes for classes. Robert was named Okmulgee County Farmer of the Year in 1984 by the Conservation District.

  He is an active member of many civic organizations and community activities including membership in the First Baptist Church of Morris. He supports local groups such as firefighters, police, Project DARE and law enforcement programs for finger printing the youth in the area.

  He is always only a phone call away to help his neighbors with information he might have or can get concerning his first true love - farming.

• Gary Weger

  Gary Weger is a peanut producer who farms near Calera in Bryan County. Because of changes in the peanut program land, Gary is converting some of his peanut acreage to soybeans. He also rotates milo and occasionally cotton in his operation. He has also successfully grown machine-harvested cucumbers.

  Gary employs superior agronomic agronomic practices in his farming operation. He carefully studies variety test yield data to select varieties appropriate for his farm. He soil tests and applies fertilizer as required. He carefully considers the efficacy and environmental impact of any pesticides he selects to use. Gary is an astute observer of expense management and does not carelessly waste inputs, He seeks the counsel of the OSU Extension Service personnel and has used a field scout to help him make decisions about production inputs. Gary is also an excellent steward o the land. He uses winter cover crops to protect his highly erodible peanut soils, and he uses terraces and sodded waterways to prevent soil erosion. He takes great pride in the fact that he will leave his operation in excellent condition when he passes it on to his family.

  Since the mid-80's, Gary has annually provided land, equipment, seed, pesticides and other resources for OSU field demonstration and research plots. These plots have been a tremendous aid to the growers of Bryan County. In May of each year, the Extension Service holds the "Peanut Blowout" at Gary's farm. Topics which will be of interest in the upcoming season are discussed, and representatives from the chemical industry discuss products that will be available from their company. More than 100 producers attend this event. He has provided his shop building and grounds to host the SE Oklahoma Fall Peanut day since 1989. He makes contacts and organizes equipment displays and other arrangements for the filed day each year and often makes calls to remind growers of the field day and other peanut educational activities.

  Gary helped start the Texoma Crop Management Association in 1988 and has been very instrumental in its success. He served as vice-president of TCMA from 1988 to 1993 and remains on the board of directors. Gary has also been on the Oklahoma Peanut Growers Association board of directors since 1989 and has served as its secretary since 1990. He has made many trips with board members and others representing the interests of peanut growers in the state and region, including meetings with the National Peanut Grower Group.

1996

• Damon Doye

  Damon Doye took over the family farm at an early age and remains an active part of the operation 45 years later. Damon, his wife Georgia and son Thad operate a 1,600 acre farm and ranch near Lawton, Oklahoma that utilizes the latest agronomic techniques to produce wheat, alfalfa, grain sorghum and highly managed native and bermuda pastures. To add to their sustainability and diversity, they also grow several alternative crops such as cowpeas, sunflowers, guar, and horticultural crops including 5 acres of asparagus that is the foundation for a "pick your own" market.

  He routinely soil tests, plants recommended crop varieties, and uses conservation practices such as residue management, crop rotation, terracing and terrace maintenance, and grazing management. He has also planted grass on steep field slopes and established wind breaks on highly erodible areas without government cost share assistance Many of the wind breaks were established over 30 years ago. He has also donated land for use in no-till test plots, and for two watershed projects and gives conservation talks to local civic and service groups.

  Damon is s strong supporter of the OSU Cooperative Extension Service and regularly attends agricultural education meetings, field tours and other activities sponsored by OSU. He has provided facilities and land for field days, meetings, tours and test plots and has I hosted pecan grafting schools. He was a leader in a pilot program on home-based businesses, contributing to a video tape and speaking at a regional conference.PPACon is a long time member of the County Agriculture PPAC, and the State 4-H Foundation Board. He and his wife served as 4-H Club leaders for many years and hosted the Town and Country 4-H Club in their home for several years" Damon has judged speech contests and furnished animals for the petting zoo at the county fair" He has received the county Friend of 4-H award, and the state 4-H Adult traders award. In recent years, Damon and Georgia have served as superintendent of the 4-H Division of the Comanche County Fair.

  He has contributed valuable time and service to numerous agricultural organizations and boards. He has served on the Comanche County Conservation District Board more than 10 years. He has been on the Comanche County Farm Bureau Board of Directors for 21 years and has held several offices. He currently chairs the Resolution and Policy Development and Education, Budget and Nominating Committee and is the State- Legislative and Policy liaison. He is a member of the Oklahoma Cattleman's Association and early in his career was president of the Big Pasture Hereford Breeders Association, and served on the Board for the Red River Valley Hereford Breeders Association. In 1980, Damon and his family were named Comanche County Farm Bureau Family of the Year.

  Community activities include coordinating a tree sale for conservation purposes with the Department of Forestry and he helped initiate and continues to contribute to the Rural/Urban display at the Central Mall in Lawton. He has also worked with the City of Lawton to stabilize creek bank erosion and serves on the Comanche County Flood Plain Board. He has hosted agriculture classes from Cameron University, District Land Judging contests for FFA and farm tours for children from Lawton grade schools. Damon is I active in his church and Flower Mound community activities, serving on the Memorial Association and Cemetery Boards, and helps support the Volunteer Firefighters Association.

• Wesley Mallory

  Wesley Mallory, his wife Towanda, and their son-in law, Myron Bradt, farm in Woods, Harper, and Alfalfa counties in Northwest Oklahoma. Their operation consists of 3500 acres of wheat. However, what sets Wesley apart from other producers is that he is only a wheat grain producer. He does not have any cattle, but does lease his wheat for livestock grazing. At a time when mod farmers are looking to diversify, Wesley believes that specializing and being the "best" at what you do will pay off in the long run.

  By specializing in wheat grain production, Wesley has learned that by delaying the sowing of wheat he can reduce cheat and other weed pressure which in return will reduce the need for pesticides. Farming in the drier parts of Oklahoma, he is aware of the need to conserve water and protect the soil from wind erosion by reducing the number and kinds of tillage he performs. All of this results in increased grain production, grain test weight and improves his profit margin.

  At a time when many producers are concerned about conservation compliance, Wesley has always been a believer in residue management and his conservation plan meets or exceeds the level of conservation required. In 40 years of farming Wesley's land has never seen a moldboard plow and while his friends think he doesn't own one, Myron tells us that there is one hidden in the back of the barn. He uses a variety of other tillage tools to conserve crop residue, prepare a seedbed, and manage weeds. He maintains a very solid soil testing program and bases his fertility program on these test results and OSU research. Wesley is known for his farming skills and his operation is always a shinning example of a top notch well managed operation that neighbors and landlords watch closely and admire.

  Wesley has been an active supporter of OSU's Division of Agriculture for more than 45 years. In the 1950's, he cooperated in the release of Lady Beetles to help control greenbugs and assisted the Entomology Department with monitoring the results. He has worked closely with Dale Fain and Roger Gribble in his farming operation, and was one of the first to work with Dr. Greer on the use of sulfonyl urea herbicides including applying the herbicide behind a grain drill. He assists the Cooperative Extension Service and area producers by cooperating in wheat variety and fertility tests. Traditionally, Wesley entertains 100-125 producers each year at the variety test tour at the variety test tour.

  Wesley has also been a valuable member of the Woods County PPAC, the Northwest Oklahoma District Extension Advisory Council, and the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association. His cooperative attitude and friendly spirit has been extremely valuable to Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service and the Agronomy Department. Wesley and his family are also very active in civic service and church activities, and he serves on many of their committees.

1995

• Hollis Dickey

  Hollis began his farm and ranch operation on family land that was settled in 1903. Today he has a very active wheat and cattle operation on his 1300 acres near Waurika, Oklahoma. Hollis can best be described as a true leader, dedicated volunteer and strong supporter of OSU Extension Programs, he provides land, labor, and equipment for research conducted in Southern Oklahoma. Hollis makes every effort to update his knowledge on the latest improvements in agronomic and animal science practices using the latest information on pasture management, improved grass varieties, pasture rotation, soil fertility and weed control. The Dickey farm has been host to wheat variety, low-till wheat plots, and wheat planting depth, lime, and soil compaction studies. He has hosted wheat producer meetings, pecan grafting schools and conducted on-farm small grain, grazing trials with county and area extension personnel. Through his participation, many producers are planting new varieties that are increasing their beef and grain production from small grains.

  He has a strong commitment to the community. He serves on numerous local, county and area committees and boards, including the Jefferson Co. Extension Program Planning Advisory Committee. He has given a lifetime to county government having served on the Jefferson Co. Excise Board for over 30 years. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Ringling State Bank for over 14 years and now serves on the Executive Board of the Association of South Central Oklahoma Governments. He works diligently with legislators seeking financing for Oklahoma Agricultural Extension.

  
  Aside from the auctioneer business which Hollis was in for over 36 years, his greatest interest is in youth and volunteer work for non-profit organizations. He has donated countless hours and considerable resources to many of his special interests including serving as advisor and auctioneer for the North Texas Rehabilitation Center For Crippled Children for 23 years. He has also served 28 years as an auctioneer for the Wichita Falls Jaycees Junior District Beef Livestock Show, and for the 4-H and FFA Junior Livestock Show in Jefferson Co. since 1949.

  For his time and dedication to others, Hollis has received many honors and recognition. Some of his most cherished awards were the l98l - Honorary State Farmer Award, the 1982 - Soil Conservationist of the Year Award, the 1988 - Ardmore Chamber of Commerce Leadership Award for 4-H and FFA of Southern Oklahoma, and the 1988 - Friend of Extension Award from the OSU State Extension Council.

  Hollis is an active member and Sunday School teacher in the Claypool Church, which was built by his father in 1936. He and his wife Betty have two daughters and four grandchildren.

• Ronald J. Overstreet

  In the far western part of the Oklahoma Panhandle where the climate can be very harsh, it takes a dedicated hard working individual with a pioneering spirit to not only survive, but to carve out a good life for himself and his family. Ron Overstreet is such an individual. Ron and his wife Peggy have amassed a very diverse farm and ranch operation consisting of nearly 4000 acres of mostly irrigated land near Boise City, OK. They also own and operate a 10,000 head feedlot and have recently entered into a joint venture on a 2000 head dairy.

  Ron is a solid businessman. Who credits much of his success to his undergraduate education in business administration from Panhandle State University and his business education/accounting master's degree from Oklahoma State University. For several years after college he taught at PSI I and Northwestern State University. He gained a great deal of experience working as an auditor for Peat Marwick and Mitchell & Co., and later for the Ford Co. KS. Feed Yard, before starting the Boise City Feed Yard and associated farming operations.

  Mr. Overstreet is a true supporter of Oklahoma State University and a strong voice in the Oklahoma Panhandle. He regularly attends OSU meetings, tours, and field days. Much of OSU's support in the Panhandle from the private sector, agribusiness, and local legislators has been the result of his efforts. This has allowed OSU to reach a new and expanded agreement with OPSU that greatly increases the land area for research and extension activities. Ron was directly responsible for acquiring a large cash investment for the Panhandle Research and Extension Carter from the Panhandle Oklahoma Development (POD) group. His relationship with local legislators was pivotal in a 576,000 appropriation from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. In many instances, he has personally solicited the involvement of regional, agribusiness, and industry leaders in OSU's research.

  He is a leader in promoting the development of new and better farming methods. To insure this happens, he generously gives land, water, equipment labor, and finances for numerous field demonstrations and research plots, especially ones on non-traditional crops such as wheatgrass, bromegrass, blackeyed peas, garbanzo and pinto beans, and chickpeas. He has also been involved in several cropping system and irrigation studies designed to improve the efficiency of farming operations. He also encourages value-added companies to locate in the panhandle to help enhance the value of agronomic products grown in the area.

  The Cimarron Co. Cattlemen's Association, Cimarron Co. Program Planning and Advisory Council,Oklahoma Panhandle Research and Extension Center Advisory Committee, Boise City and Northwest Oklahoma Chambers of Commerce, POD and numerous other farm civic and community organizations have all benefited from Ron's contributions and leadership in recent years. He has received many honors and awards for his tireless efforts to promote agriculture and OSU in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

  The Overstreets have three children, all are active 4-H members.

  
  * For several years, BCFY supplied the steaks for the Agronomy Club's spring picnic.

1994

• Don M. Schieber

  Don Schieber has always been a very innovative farmer with a curiosity for doing things differently when it comes to growing crops. This probably stems from his exposure to agronomic research during his formal education in Agronomy at Oklahoma State University where he received both his B.S and M.S. degrees. His zeal for knowledge and improved methods of doing things has helped him become very successful. He is someone that many local farmers look to for advice and counsel.

  
  One of Don's main interests is the improvement of agricultural crops, specifically wheat, through quality seed. He recognizes the importance of clean wheat seed in improving stands and crop yields, as well as in reducing weed problems. Several years ago, he purchased a portable seed cleaner to help attain this goal. The seed cleaning has now grown into a business and approximately 250,000 bushels of seed are cleaned each year for his neighbors and other farmers in both Texas and Oklahoma. The family also operates a small grain hauling business to the Port of Catoosa.

  
  Don works closely with Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association and the Oklahoma Seedsmen Association in promoting quality seed and lobbying for strict rules and regulations pertaining to seed certification. He has worked closely with various chemical companies to test new products and procedures on wheat to see if they are workable in this pan of the state.

  
  Don's unselfish qualities are shown by the time and sacrifice he has made in cooperating with OSU by providing land, labor and equipment for countless research and demonstration plots. Over the years he has worked with various county, area and state research and extension personnel. He has had buckwheat, cheat and bindweed herbicide trials on his farm. He has had wheat variety trials and row spacing research on his farm for a number of years. He was one of the first in his area to try reduced or no-till wheat production methods.

  
  Don Schieber has been a long time supporter of OSU Agronomy Department and the Cooperative Extension Service. Don has served on the Kay County and Northwest District Program Planning and Advisory Committee. ln addition, he served as the Chairman for the State Advisory Council for Cooperative Extension Service and lobbied heavily for increased research and extension funding at both the state and national level. He is also very active in numerous other agriculture organizations including the Newkirk Farmers Coop and the Ark-Kay Soil Conservation District Board of Directors.

  
  Don is an active member of the Catholic church and a 3rd degree Knight's of Columbus. Don and his wife Cecilia, and their four daughters, farm approximately 700 acres of wheat and some grain sorghum an their farm near Kildare, Oklahoma.

• Don Covington

  Don Covington of Hugo, Oklahoma is a very successful Choctaw County cow/calf operator and hay producer. Using an aggressive management style, he and his wife, Katherine have been able to make a good living on the I60 acres that they own and the approximately i00 acres of land that they lease.

  
  Due in part to his good grass and livestock management, Don credits much of his success to a well designed, regular, soil testing program coupled with a good fertility program for his bermudagrass pastures and hay meadows. Don utilizes a number of information sources in making his management decisions. They use computers to help in making key decisions and for record keeping.

  One practice he adopted that has been financially rewarding, has been that of selling hay on a quality basis. A dollar value is agreed upon for a baseline crude protein, after the hay is baled and tested, bonuses are given for an increase in crude protein. This has resulted in increased net income per acre from his nitrogen fertility program. Don also believes in growing most of his livestock feed. To do this, he has extended the grazing season for his livestock herd by regularly overseeding his warm-season pastures with small grains and clovers.

  
  Don is a strong supporter of the OSU Extension Service and regularly attends agricultural education meetings, field tours and other activities sponsored by OSU. He has been a cooperator in bermudagrass fertility and arrowleaf clover response to phosphorus demonstrations. Don is a long time member of the local Agriculture Program Planning Advisory Council and Choctaw County's representative at the District Advisory Council.

  
  Don is an excellent spokesperson for agriculture in Southeast Oklahoma. He is a member of numerous agriculture associations and boards. He is a past president and vice president of the Choctaw County Cattleman's Association. He also represents the agriculture community by serving as Co-Chairman for the Agriculture Committee on the Hugo Chamber of Commerce. He is also a recognized church and civic leader.

1993

• Robert "Bob" Dietrick

  Words like innovator, leader, professional were used by the nominators to describe Bob Dietrick and his profitable crop production practices that make maximum use of crop residues to reduce wind erosion and conserve available moisture on his farm in northwest Oklahoma. As an innovator he continually searches for new and better ways to reduce his tillage operations. If an unusual weed problem develops he will devise a way to deal with it, chemically and mechanically.

  As a professional, he works closely with the ag chemical industry and follows many of the OSU recommendations. He continually refines and improves the use of pesticides and their application for himself and his clients. As a leader, Bob has a strong desire to share his experience and knowledge with his neighbors. He has provided a great deal of public service to his community by hosting annual educational meetings and filed days on his farm to show off many of his herbicide, fertility and moisture conservation demonstrations. Bob is a person who "practices what he preaches" and many producers in his area look to him for guidance and information.

  Bob and his wife Jeretta farm 1,120 acres near Tyrone. This past year Bob decide to almost double his farming operation. Nearly all of his crops are grown using a chemical tillage system with a bare minimum of tillage. He grows dryland wheat and grain sorghum using a fallow rotation program. His crop yields will challenge the yields of similar crops grown in a more humid climate. He attributes his ability to farm more acres and get better yields to this innovative cropping system that greatly reduces the hours he spends per acre. Mr. Dietrick has used his other business, Dietrick's Ag. Service, to influence, guide and assist other producers interested in improving their agronomic practices as well as stimulating others to implement better residue management systems on their farms. In 1991, Bob was selected as the Texas County Co-operator of the Year by the Conservation District.

  He was born in Turpin, Oklahoma, graduated from Turpin High School, and received his B.S. degree from Panhandle State University. Although he did not pursue a formal graduate education, he regularly attends educational programs and conferences. Bob serves on several local boards and has membership in numerous crop, agri-business and civic organizations.

• Kenneth Failes

  Kenneth Failes is a well-respected agricultural leader in Alfalfa County. He is a tremendous supporter of Oklahoma State University Extension and Research. He regularly attends educational programs and meetings, and promotes and utilizes the soil testing laboratory at OSU. He willingly gives his time and provides land and equipment for demonstrations conducted by the Alfalfa County Ag. Agent, Area Agronomist, State Specialists and by OSU researchers. The OSU wheat variety test plots have been located on his farm for a number of years. In addition, he has had numerous fertility and weed control research and demonstration plots on his farm over the years.

  He was born in Cherokee, OK, graduated from Cherokee High School, and received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Agronomy from Oklahoma State University. After graduation, he was employed by Kansas State University for one year at the Newton Agricultural Experiment Station before returning to the family farm. In addition to farming, he has been employed by the Burlington Co-Op as an Agronomist for the past 24 years. He has used his position and training to provide agronomic production information to many farmers and ranchers in Alfalfa County. He is highly recognized by his customers and neighbors for his vast knowledge, skills, leadership and guidance on issues dealing with agriculture.

  He has served nine years on the Alfalfa County ASCS committee, serving six years as chairman. He has been a member of the Alfalfa County Extension Program Planning and Advisory Committee, Crops Superintendent for the Alfalfa County Fair, and has served on the Cherokee School Board. Currently he is a member of the Advisory Panel for the North Central Research Station at Lahoma. In addition, he actively participates in numerous civic and church activities.

  Kenneth is a devoted father and husband to four children and his wife Marcia. Together they operate an 800 acre farm north of Cherokee. Their farming operation consists of wheat, alfalfa and grass for cattle.

1992

• Alvin M. "Buck" Clements

  Buck Clements has always been involved in organizations and programs to help others, especially in agriculture. Currently he serves on many committees ranging from the local level, such as the Grady County Farm Bureau, to the state level where he is a director for the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association. Buck moderated the statewide OSU Wheat Day '80, at Stillwater, while he served as President of the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association. Oklahoma has been home for Buck all his life except while he served in World War II. He was born in Comanche, Oklahoma, graduated from Comanche High School, Cameron Junior College and Oklahoma A&M. Buck and his wife, Irene, own and operate a 1.,117 acre farm eight miles southwest of Chickasha, OK. Alfalfa, wheat and improved pastures cover Buck's well managed farm. The neighbors recognize him for his leadership in production practices as well as his conservation ethics.

  In addition to his farming reputation, Buck had a career as a soil conservationist, beginning as a soil scientist in Hugo in 1941 and concluding with retirement in 1975 while serving as Assistant State Conservationist in charge of the Great Plains Program for Oklahoma.

  Buck has been a strong supporter of Oklahoma State University Extension and Research. He has served on advisory committees, utilizes information, and attends educational programs regularly, but most of all, Buck is recognized for his desire to help others. Buck and Irene have demonstrated their support for OSU and future agriculturalists by funding a Centennial Scholarship for an outstanding agronomy student.

• Robert C. Ross

  Robert Ross is a leader in agriculture from the local to the national level. Locally he is an innovator and one of the driving forces behind profitable crop production in the Webbers Falls bottom. For several years, Robert served on the Oklahoma Soybean Association Board of Directors. His wife, Midean, currently serves on the Board after having served as a Soy Ambassador, promoting soybeans in Oklahoma. Nationally, he has been active in the American Soybean Association and has served on the American Soybean Federation.

  Robert, his wife, and son manage a diversified farming operation covering nearly 2,750 acres in the Webbers Falls area. Many different crops are found on their farm, ranging from grains (wheat, corn, and soybeans) to forages (alfalfa and pasture) to horticultural crops (green beans, sweet corn, etc.). Robert is also a partner in SRS, a general merchandise store in Webbers Falls where he sells fertilizer and other agricultural products.

  
  

  Support for Oklahoma State University Division of Agriculture is noted in Robert's life. He promotes soil testing at OSU and makes his fertilizer recommendations based on the results. He provides land and equipment for demonstrations conducted by the county agent, area agronomist, state specialists and researchers. Recent combine and chemical demonstrations and soybean variety trials are examples. Finally, we are sure Robert remembers his days at Oklahoma A&M before receiving his degree in 1950.

  Service as an advisor also is noted in Robert's career. He has been a member of the Muskogee County Extension Program Planning and Advisory Committee, the Eastern Research Station Advisory Committee, the ASCS Community Committee and others.

1991

• Kenneth Boggs

  Kenneth Boggs has been very active in several areas of agronomic research and production. Kenneth has a special interest for alfalfa research and education, not only on the county basis but also on an area and a state-wide level. He currently has a study originated in 1987 in cooperation with several State Extension specialists. Kenneth has hosted several tours of ag leaders and producers interested in southwest Oklahoma agriculture.

  Because of his interest in the improvement of agricultural crops, he has worked closely with the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association as an executive committee member and with OSU Extension to provide area farmers with top quality wheat and alfalfa seed.

  Kenneth has served as Washita county Alfalfa Hay Association president since its establishment in 1985 and has served on the State Alfalfa Hay Association board of directors. He demonstrates a rear interest in the total alfalfa industry and in his fellow hay producers. This is demonstrated by helping to secure the State Alfalfa Hay show in Washita County for 1991 and 1992.

  He has worked with chemical companies to test new products and procedures on wheat to see if they are workable for this part of the state.

  Kenneth is an individual who has worked closely with county and area extension staff to provide research and educational materials to the area, by providing wheat variety test plots for several years. He also provided land for Dr. smith's "Wheat Breeding in Advanced Strain Research" for Western Oklahoma for several years.

  Not only does Kenneth work closely with OSU in research and demonstration plots, but he learns well and converts this knowledge into excellent alfalfa production practices. In 1990 this was demonstrated with his numerous prize winning entries in the State Alfalfa Hay show. He then donated his cash prizes to the Oklahoma Alfalfa Research Fund.

• Hazen E. (Earl) Marshall

  Earl has always been a very innovative farmer who is totally unselfish. He not only strives to keep up with the very latest in production technology, but shares his knowledge with all he can. Marshall and his wife Bea own and operate a 1,000 acre wheat-stocker operation two miles east of Hennessey. While operating this farm, they have raised three children, who have each moved on to successful leadership roles.

  Earl's unselfishness is shown by the time and sacrifice he has made to cooperate with OSU by providing land, labor and equipment for countless research and demonstration plots. In 1990-91, there are at least three detailed research studies on his farm and probably nobody except Earl knows how many demonstrations. Some of the demonstrations are Earl's own design while others were requested by OSU or private chemical companies. Neighbors have been known to kid Earl about having a research station on his farm, while others ask whether he has an acre which is not part of some experiment.

  In a attempt to obtain more precise application of pesticides and fertilizers, Earl purchased a spray coupe some ten years ago. He now owns two spray coupes modified specifically for his purposes to better serve his and his neighbor's needs. His ability and willingness to share ideas on proper chemical choice, timing and placement has been a guiding light for many in his community.

  Kingfisher County Wheat Growers and Cattlemens Associations as well as the Kingfisher Program Planning and Advisory Council have benefited from Earl's contributions and leadership in recent years. In addition he has been active in the Oklahoma Wheat Growers and Oklahoma Fertilizer and Chemical Associations. He is recognized as a church and civic leader.

1990

• Larry Davis

• Bob Lowe
• Cletus Carter

1989

• Clarence Baden

  

  Clarence Baden was born in 1922 in the western part of Kiowa County near Roosevelt, Oklahoma. Clarence has been a part of that community ever since. For over 50 years he has been actively involved in farming and ranching. His operation consists of 700 acres of wheat, 300 acres of cotton, and 1,000 acres of haygrazer, bermudagrass, and rangeland.

  Clarence has been actively involved with demonstration work in cooperation with the OSU Agronomy Department and Extension personnel. Since 1976, he has furnished land, equipment, and labor for cotton, wheat and agricultural chemical demonstrations.

  Agriculture activities also include membership in ASCS and SCS committees for over 20 years plus active participation on two local cooperative gin boards, Con 8 and Hobart. He is also a member of the Kiowa County Cattlemens Association.

  Clarence and his wife, Juanita, are very active members of the First Lutheran Church in Hobart, are active in civic endeavors, and tremendously supportive of OSU endeavors in the community.

  The Baden operation exhibits the best and most current aspects of soil conservation, with proper terracing and grasses on erodible land. Soil is tested routinely, quality seed is used and, in general, state of-the-art agronomy technology is employed.

  Mr. Baden is a tremendous asset to OSU Agronomy programs and the community in which he resides.

• Ronnie Muncrief

  

  Ronnie Muncrief has been farming in Marshall County since his high school graduation in 1962. He and his wife (Kay) began farming 40 acres of cotton and grain sorghum using borrowed equipment. His first tractor was purchased in 1966 when he added 16 acres of peanuts to the farming operation. About the same time, he started a small herd of beef cattle and hauled hay for a dairy farm. The dairy paid him in baby calves which he bottle raised.

  
  Today, Ronnie, Kay, and their children, manage a diversified farming and ranching operation which includes over 2,000 acres of owned and leased land. Their crops include both irrigated and dryland peanuts, corn, cotton, grain sorghum, wheat, oats, and alfalfa hay. A beef cow herd is grazed on well managed bermudagrass pastures. calves are retained after weaning and wintered on home grown grains.

  
  Over the years, the Muncriefs have added the needed machinery to the farming operation. They have cleared brush in their better bottomland soils and planted alfalfa and sprigged bermudagrass. Ronnie utilizes crop rotation and cover crops in his farming operation to increase yields and protect the soils from erosion. He has developed stock and irrigation ponds for his livestock and row crops.

  
  Ronnie has cooperated with OSU Extension personnel since 1980 by furnishing land for peanut variety rests, fungicide tests, and weed control studies. He and Kay have been strong supporters of the 4-H program in Marshall County. He is active in many organizations and this year is a finalist for Farmer Stockmans "Farmer of the Year" Award.

1988

1987

• Marvin Agan

  

  Marvin Agan of Clinton, Oklahoma Custer County, entered farming full time in 1963. Marvin, his wife Linda, and their two sons, Derrick and Ryan farm in the Custer City area. Their operation includes wheat and stocker cattle and a small sheep enterprise. Recently Marvin has expanded his business enterprises to include a seed and feed dealership and small equipment merchandising operation.

  Mr. Agan has served as a member of the Custer County Extension Program Planning Committee and as County Advisory Committeeman with the Custer County Farmers Home Administration Office. In addition, Marvin and his Dad have been very active cooperators with the Custer County Soil Conservation District. They were among the early participants in residue management. Marvin has supported extension and research work in agriculture. For several years he supplied land and equipment for a wheat variety test plot and in 1984 agreed to furnish 30 acres of his wheat land to become the home site for the department's West Central Wheat Demonstration Center. Marvin has been an excellent cooperator at the Center, frequently interrupting his own farming operation to move needed machinery to the Center for tillage operations,

  Marvin Again is on of Oklahoma's most progressive farmers. He credits much of his success to a well designed, regular, soil testing program coupled with a good fertility program. He represents the innovative, precision oriented group of farmers upon whom our future depends.

• Lee Tyler

  

  Lee H. Tyler of the Keota area of Haskell County has probably produced more tons of agronomy products in his lifetime than any other person in the county. He has been a longtime OSU supporter and has served on Haskell county OSU Program Planning and Advisory Committee. He has been involved in numerous field trials for soybean varieties and pest control. He has been a promoter of recommended agronomic practices for many years. Lee has belonged to many farm organizations and served on many boards including as President of the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association, where he purchased and helped distribute foundation seed in large quantities. He was one of the two Haskell County delegates for the new Wes Watkins Research Center Advisory Committee.

  In addition to his agronomic contributions, Mr. Tyler has also served on the Board of Deacons of his church, is a founding member of the Keota Mill and Elevator, has served as Haskell County Farm Bureau President, President of the Keota Lions Club and has donated time and resources to the 4-H and FFA Programs.

  For almost 50 years Mr. Tyler has been a practicing farmer and rancher and a contributor of his time and good fortune to the people of Keota, Haskell County and Oklahoma while raising 5 daughters, all of whom attended Oklahoma State University.