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The granddaddy of all of the dozens of awards that are handed out by the National FFA organization is the Star Farmer of America. It was first presented in 1929, just one year after the founding of the organization. Stretching back to the days when the organization was the Future Farmers of America, the announcement of who the Star Farmer was, as selected by the youth organization, was truly a big deal. Farm Magazines would feature the Star Farmer on the front cover of their magazines. They were held up as the model of what the future of farming looked like. Today, there are four "Stars" honored by the National FFA Organization- but the Star Farmer is still the "special" one.


With that said- the Star Farmer award is coming back to Oklahoma once again, as the 2014 Star Farmer of America is Zach Weichel, a graduate of Cordell High School, a Senior at Oklahoma State University and a Cordell FFA Chapter member.

Weichel was competing for the honor of having the top farm program in America this year against three northern states FFA members- two with Dairy operations and one large diversified farm operation in North Dakota. What may have set Weichel apart was the fact that he bought land as a teenager and built his own operation from there. He reminded us that he was told in a mock interview session the week before the national convention to be ready to explain the "wheat pasture" concept to judges from other parts of the US- who would not be familiar with that system. (We were there for that conversation in Stillwater)  

Weichel says that proved to be good advice as he did have to explain the concept of planting wheat earlier than you would for just grain production- running cattle on that pasture late fall and into the winter and then pulling the cattle at first hollow stem. The practical knowledge of his stocker operation impressed the judges and helped secure the Star Farmer title for this Washita County farmer.  

Click or tap here to read more- and to listen to our conversation with Zach just moments after he heard his name called out on stage that he is the 2014 Star Farmer of America!

Creed and Agriscience Winners and Two Teams Snag National Championships- PLUS Five Proficiency Champions- We summarize 2014 National FFA Convention

We mentioned to you last Friday morning in the Daily Email that Kale Parker of Indianola FFA was in the holding pattern to see if he had done a good enough job of reciting the Creed and answering questions midday Thursday to be named the National Champion Friday night.  He did and he was!  In winning one of the three National Speech Contests here in 2014, Kale makes it six years running that an Oklahoma FFA member has won one of these three speech contests on the National stage.  

We have some of the details of his journey to the Championship in our "overview" web story on the Blue Green Gazette- and there is an audio conversation that Kale had with one of the National FFA Media interns after hearing the news he had won- click here to jump to that overview and check out details of Kale's victory.

Two Oklahoma FFA Chapters brought home National Championships from the 2014 Convention- Kingfisher wins the Marketing Plan competition while the Fairview Chapter claimed the Ag Communications Team Championship. Names of the team members- a picture of the Kingfisher team and a couple of other teams that placed in Louisville are detailed in that overview article. 

Emma Meeks of Dickson won a National Agriscience Championship in the Food Products category- AND

Oklahoma comes home with five National Proficiency Awards- tied for third most such honors among the states-

We did interviews and have profiles of each of the winners- click or tap on their name to check them out:

Reighly Blakeley, Oologah FFA- Diversified Livestock

Clayton Mack, Drummond FFA- Fiber or Oil Crop Production

Joshua Haven, Cheyenne FFA- Ag Sales

Blaine Mibb, Adair FFA- Equine Science

Kyler Belinson, Elgin FFA- Ag Education

Thanks to our sponsors for helping us bring you the latest from Louisville and the 2014 National FFA Convention and Expo- they include the Oklahoma FFA Association, the Oklahoma FFA Alumni and your Oklahoma Ford Dealers.  

One final note from Louisville this morning- my thanks to several of the current state officer team(Megan DeVuyst, Drake Boyce, Wyatt Shaw and Cody Dean)  for helping take pictures that are up on our FLICKR album from the 2014 National FFA Convetion- between what they took and what I snapped- we have over 700 pictures for you to check out.  Click or tap here to jump over to our FLICKR album and take a look!

Blayne Arthur Named Ag Woman of the Year at Diamond Hats Gala 

The 2014 Diamond Hats Gala was called a tremendous success by those attending this past Saturday night- and the event achieved its main purpose of helping raise money for the young people involved in the Oklahoma Youth Expo- at least $76,000 was raised from the November first event.  

One of the highlights of the event in recent years has been the naming of the Woman of the Year in Oklahoma Agriculture- and they honored Blayne Arthur, the Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.  

Blayne is a tireless promoter of Oklahoma Agriculture in her role at ODAFF- is a product of Oklahoma FFA and a graduate of Oklahoma State and co owns with her husband the Lucky Strike Show Cattle Company. 

Good job Diamond Hats- you picked one of the really good ones!

Ag Producers Urged to Vote in FSA County Committee Elections

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is encouraging farmers and ranchers to make their voices heard by voting in the upcoming Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee elections. FSA Administrator Val Dolcini announced that beginning Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, USDA will mail ballots for the 2014 elections to eligible producers across the country. Producers must return ballots to their local FSA offices by the Dec. 1, 2014, deadline to ensure that their vote is counted.


"The role and input of our county committee members is vital as we implement the 2014 Farm Bill," said Dolcini. "New members provide input and make important decisions on the local administration of FSA programs. We have seen promising increases in the number of women and minority candidates willing to serve on county committees, helping to better represent the diversity of American agriculture."
 

The deadline to submit ballots is Dec. 1, 2014.  Click here to learn about the role of the FSA County Committee members.   

Through their checkoff, the nation's dairy farmers and importers can lead through collaborating with others to grow sales and trust, said Tom Gallagher, CEO of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff.


Gallagher shared his views with more than 900 dairy farmers and industry representatives attending the 2014 joint annual meeting of United Dairy Industry Association, National Dairy Promotion and Research Board and National Milk Producers Federation in Grapevine, Texas.


Gallagher said there is a changing consumer perception of value pertaining to dairy.


"Traditional consumer interests like taste, price and convenience are just table stakes to get you in the game," he said. "Today, there is no 'the consumer.' There are many, and they are complex and demanding. The Chinese consumer places safety first. The foreign ingredient buyer wants traceability. The millennial consumer is interested in agricultural production practices like animal care. Others are concerned with dairy's relationship to water quality, or access to water." 

The dairy industry has set to focus greater attention on consumer issues.  Click here to learn more about the plan to more actively engage with consumers.   

DuPont Awarded Best Crop Protection R&D Pipeline for Second Year

DuPont received three prestigious Agrow Awards for its R&D pipeline, public outreach efforts and formulation innovation at the annual awards ceremony held in Amsterdam on October 29. Agrow is a leading provider of news, analysis and data to the global agriculture industry.


The Agrow Awards were developed to recognize excellence in the crop protection and production industries. Entries are evaluated using a wide range of criteria by an independent judging panel consisting of a group of experts from around the world.


"DuPont is honored to receive these awards as they further acknowledge the work we are doing to develop market-leading innovations to advance agriculture and help create a sustainable global food supply," said Rik Miller, president, DuPont Crop Protection. "Our product and technology development efforts are driven by innovation to increase productivity for growers worldwide." 

Click here to learn more about the three Agrow Awards DuPont received. 

Ardmore Rancher Receives 2014 Leonard Wyatt Award

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation presented Kent Donica with the 2014 Leonard Wyatt Memorial Outstanding Cooperator Award during a special presentation yesterday at the organization's all employee meeting.


The Leonard Wyatt Memorial Outstanding Cooperator Award is given annually to one of the 1,400 farmers and ranchers who work with the Noble Foundation's Agricultural Division. As part of its mission, the organization provides farmers, ranchers and other land managers - called cooperators - with no-cost consultation services and educational programs in an effort to help them achieve their financial, production, stewardship and quality-of-life goals.


"Kent has built a financially successful stocker operation through hard work and staying informed about applicable research," said Steve Swigert, agricultural economics consultant. "He has developed a niche for himself through the handling of high-risk, light-weight stockers." 

Click here to learn more about Donica and his wife, Gayle and their commercial stocker operation.