Garfield County’s Joe and Mary Jo Peeper were named Oklahoma Farm Bureau Farm Family of the Year Nov. 6 at the 68th annual state convention in Oklahoma City.
A panel of judges selected the Enid family from 13 entries in the annual contest, which honors the farm family who best represents farming and ranching and the spirit of Oklahoma agriculture.
The Peepers received use of a new Dodge pickup for a year, an expense-paid trip to the American Farm Bureau Federation meeting in Seattle, Wash., and other gifts in recognition of their accomplishments.
“The strong spirit of family is alive on our Oklahoma family farm,” said the couple.
They have three adult children, William, Christie and Daniel.
Joe, 59, and Mary Joe, 59, were married in 1971 after he graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. Joe first had to fulfill his military obligation, and then he taught vo-ag in Missouri for five years and also completed his master’s degree in agriculture.
Both grew up on farms, and when Mary Jo’s father became ill they moved back to Oklahoma to manage the family farms. They purchased the equipment, cattle and home along with grain storage and also rented another 480 acres. Their focus was on wheat, hay and stockers.
Today’s operation consists of 320 owned acres and 320 leased acres plus 527 acres of contracted cropland. Foundation and registered wheat is planted on the majority of the acres, with some rotational sesame plus test plots of canola and sesame. Pasture now is used for hay or rented for grazing since the cow herd was dispersed after all their children graduated from college.
“Our marketing plan is to get the product to the farmer in the most efficient method and outstanding quality for our seed wheat customers,” they said, adding “we must keep detailed records on the seed wheat to fulfill all rules under the Plant Varieties Protection Act.”
Mary Jo is responsible for sending information and contracts to their seed wheat customers and keeps sales records and tracks grain availability. Some of that information and records are computerized.
“We measure our success by producing consistently high quantity and high quality seed wheat and by having the variety available that the customers need and desire,” they said.
While the farming operation demands most of their time, both Joe and Mary Jo are active in other organizations and their community.
Joe has served on the Garfield County Farm Bureau board some 25 years, and served many years as president and vice president.He has served numerous times on the resolutions and membership committees, and also has represented the county as a delegate to the state convention many times. He also has attended three AFBF conventions.
Mary Jo has served on the Garfield County Women’s Committee for 12 years and on the county’s resolutions committee for 23 years. She has represented her county as a delegate to the FBW meetings at state convention for 15 years. She, too, has attended three AFBF conventions.
They have served as ushers in their church as well as Eucharistic ministers and lectors. Joe has served as a director of the local Conservation District, and Mary Jo has been a school librarian and yearbook advisor as well as Student Council and senior class sponsor.
“Oklahoma agriculture is about hard working families feeding America on less land each year,” they said. “If we are not careful there will not be enough land left to produce what we need.”
