Agricultural News
A New Day- and A New Board of Directors for American Farmers & Ranchers
Mon, 21 Feb 2011 4:04:05 CST
The President of the American Farmers & Ranchers, Terry Detrick, will be working with a brand new board of Directors, starting first thing Monday as the farm organization holds its first Board of Director's meeting after their 106th annual meeting that was held this past Friday and Saturday.
State Secretary Bobby Green of Okemah was reelected as the State Secretary of the organization, running unopposed. However, two board members chose not to run for reelection in 2011, Dick Stults of Luther and Ed Preble, Jr. of Norman- and three others were defeated in their bids for reelection- Scott Blubaugh, John Ogden and Billy Perrin. Current Board Members Jim Campbell of Idabel and Melody Cummins of Elk City were not up for re-election in 2011.
The five new board members include Eric Bilderback in the Northwest District Seat from El Reno, Joe Ed Kinder in the Southwest District Seat from Frederick, Jerry Nick in the Northeast District Seat from Okmulgee, Bobby Holley in the Southeast District Seat from Antlers and Justin Cowan who won the At-Large Seat that was up for grabs in 2011.
Here's a quick profile of the five new board members for the American Farmers & Ranchers:
Northwest District: Eric Bilderback was raised on a small farm in El Reno. He received an Associates Degree from Eastern Okla. State College, a Bachelors in Agricultural Education from Oklahoma State University, and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Southern Nazarene University. Bilderback currently is the Agricultural Instructor at Chickasha High School and a farmer/rancher in El Reno. In addition to raising cattle, he has a custom hay business. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge, Sirloin Club, Cattleman's, and Heaston Community Church. He and his wife, Shelly, have been married for 13 years and they have one daughter, Lauren.
Southwest District: Joe Ed Kinder grew up on his parents' farm near Chattanooga in Tillman County. He graduated from Chattanooga High School in 1960, and has been a member of Oklahoma Farmers Union since the late 1950's. Kinder and his wife, JoAnn, were married in 1961, and have two children, six grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Since marriage, they have lived in the Chattanooga and Frederick area, where they farm and ranch currently. The Kinder farming operation consists of 2,760 owned acres where they raise wheat and have a cow-calf operation.
Northeast District: Dr. Jerry Nick is married to Jearlyn, who is a Family Nurse Practitioner in Okmulgee. They have three sons: Robert, 28; Jeff, 25; and Zachary, 24; and one grandchild, born November, 2010. Nick was born in Borger, Tex., in 1958. The family moved to Okmulgee in 1963 and he graduated in 1976. He attended Claremore Junior College on a golf scholarship from 1976 to 1978 and the University of Oklahoma from 1978 to 1985 where he earned a Doctorate of Dental Surgery degree. Nick has practiced Dentistry in Okmulgee for the last 25 years. In addition he owns and operates a real estate rental business and a 117-acre farm outside of Okmulgee.
Southeast District: Bobby W. Holley graduated in 1957 from Broken Bow High School. He graduated from Eastern Oklahoma A&M College, earning an associates degree in agriculture and then attended and graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1961 with a degree in agriculture and a minor in science. Bob and his wife, Norma Holley, reside on their ranch in the Nelson community. He has been a member of Oklahoma Farmers Union/American Farmers & Ranchers for 47 years. They each represent Choctaw County as delegates. Civic-minded, Bob serves on the Boards of Kiamichi Conservation District; First Bank, Antlers, 35 years; Choctaw Electric Cooperative trustee, 11 years; and formerly Soper school board, five years. He is also a licensed real estate agent.
At Large Seat: Justin Cowan and his wife, Linda, have owned and operated Cowan Insurance Agency in Locust Grove for the past 22 years and have been AFR Members for 33 years. The Cowan's have been married for 29 years and have three daughters, two of which are presently attending college, and one is a sophomore at Locust Grove High School. They also operate a small cow/calf operation on 160 acres north of Locust Grove. He has served as President of the Mayes County Farmers Union for the past 11 years. Cowan has been active in the AFR Speech Contest, the AFR Livestock Achievement Contest, the Youth Expo and served on the AFR Agent Bonus Committee. They are active with the local FFA Chapter and 4-H Club.
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