L to R Sen. Darcy Jech, Rep. Dell Kerbs, Rod & Nanette, Blayne Arthur & JanLee Rowlett

As short winter days bring me into the house more, and I get to spend more of my time in my winter office – my rocking chair by the fireplace (I’m not old enough to rock yet, I just like to sit in it).  I get to think over the past season’s happenings.  When we’re running in season, life is like a whirlwind.  Many times I’m forced to pick the most urgent tasks at hand.  Because of Covid, we were short-handed and stayed that way all season, making our workload heavier.  We also helped open the new Scissortail Park Farmers’ Market which made life a little more complicated, getting used to a new set-up and all.

In the middle of the season, I had what I feel was the greatest honor in my Ag career (just haven’t had the time to write about it).  We had a visit from the Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Blayne Arthur.  Also with her, was Senator Darcy Jech and Representative Dell Kerb.  What’s so special about Blayne Arthur is that she is the first ever female Secretary of Agriculture in Oklahoma.  She is a unique person and showed much interest in small organic farms and farmers markets in Oklahoma.  We found that we had a lot in common – both of us came up through traditional Ag and FFA.  I was chapter secretary in La., and Blayne was chapter president in her chapter in Chickasha.  Please read more about her at the following link https://www.ffa.org/50-year-of-women-in-ffa/stationed-by-the-ear-of-corn-as-oklahoma-secretary-of-ag/ where she received national recognition for her FFA roots.  Her accomplishments are amazing.  The background that I received from FFA largely formed me in my early years, but that’ a story for another day.  The photo of our visitors and us hang on my office wall, and if you come visit, I’ll proudly show it to you.  I’m Ag proud!  Remember the words of our own Oklahoma-grown songwriter, Woody Guthrie, “This land is your land, this land is our land.”  Both Blayne and I want to do our part to take care of it.