New Kansas Master Farmers, Master Farm Homemakers Named 3/1/04

Note to Editors: For more comprehensive news releases about the following couples just click on the couples name.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – In recognition of their leadership in agriculture, environmental stewardship and service to their communities, six couples have been named 2003 Kansas Master Farmers and Master Farm Homemakers by Kansas State University Research and Extension.

What is the Master Farmer and Master Farm Homemaker Program?

MANHATTAN, Kan. – It’s a growing, but select group – more than 350 Kansans who have been recognized for successes in their agricultural operations and service to their communities.

Who are they? They’re members of the Kansas Master Farmer Association and the Master Farm Homemakers Guild. The two groups were formed in the late 1920s to publicly recognize excellence in farming, homemaking, farm living, and rural citizenship.

Initially, the two organizations were sponsored by Kansas Farmer magazine, and recognition was given to individuals rather than couples.

In 1953, Kansas State University, through the Cooperative Extension Service, assumed responsibility for the selection process and setting up the annual banquet. From 1957 to 2003, the program was sponsored by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and K-State Research and Extension. In 2004, however, Kansas Farmer magazine joined with Extension to co-sponsor the program.

Farm couples are nominated by county Extension councils and Extension districts. The associate director of Extension appoints a committee to choose one couple from each of the four Extension areas in the state, plus two additional couples at large.

Both groups – the Master Farmers and the Master Farm Homemakers hold an annual meeting and a joint recognition banquet in the spring, where members discuss agricultural and rural issues and share individual experiences with other members. This year, the meetings and banquet will be held March 19 in Manhattan at the Manhattan Holiday Inn. The groups also meet every year at the Kansas State Fair.

Master Farmer/Master Farm Homemaker couples are chosen for their past contributions to agriculture and their communities, but the giving doesn’t stop there. The group awards a $500 Master Farmer-Farm Homemaker 4-H scholarship every year to a high school senior or college undergraduate.

In addition, numerous donations to the Rock Springs 4-H Center by Master Farmer individuals and the organization as a whole, are reflected in various facilities and improvements made at the sprawling center’s campus near Junction City, Kan.

This year, the Kansas organizations will also host their national meeting in Hays Aug. 18-20, 2004.

For more information on the Kansas Master Farmer/Master Farm Homemaker organizations, contact the K-State Research and Extension administrative office at 785-532-5820.

The award program dates to 1927 and is sponsored by Kansas State University Research and Extension and Kansas Farmer Magazine. The couples will be honored at a banquet March 19 at the Holiday Inn in Manhattan. Friends can make reservations by calling 785-532-5820 by March 9. Tickets, including dinner, cost $20 for adults and $10 for children under age 12. The event starts at 6 p.m.

The 2003 Master Farmer and Master Farm Homemakers, in alphabetical order by last name are:

In 1981, Gerald “Gerry” and Linda Franklin returned to Linda’s family’s farm in Sherman County, Kan. The couple made a two-year commitment to try it. At the time, Gerry was working as the director of special education for the Hutchinson school district.

“We had been returning to help with harvest each year, and I found that there would be times when I would sit at my desk and wonder what was happening on the farm,” Gerry said.

The couple met in high school. About 10 years later, after Gerry had completed military service and was working as a special education teacher in Wellington, Kan., a friend suggested that he write to Linda. She was working as a computer software design consultant in Houston. They married a year later.

Gerry, who earned a degree in biology from Southwestern College in Winfield, a master’s degree in psychology and special education at Emporia State University and Ph.D. in special education administration at Kansas State University, said that Linda’s father told him, “your education will never hurt you on the farm.”

Linda earned a degree in computer science from K-State, and the couple believe that the problem-solving skills they learned in their respective fields still serve them well.

The couple’s children – son Kyle; daughter Sarah; and son Tim – participated in 4-H as they grew up.

Kyle earned a degree in industrial engineering at K-State and is in the Operations Leadership Development Program at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Sarah earned dual degrees in Bakery Science and Food Science with a minor in Business Administration from K-State and currently works as a quality assurance manager at The Corner Bakery in Atlanta. Her husband, Kyle Johnson, graduated from K-State and works for Lockheed Martin in Atlanta.

Son Timothy is a junior pursuing a degree in milling science and management at K-State.

The couple manages 4,480 acres, a combination of land they own and rent. Their crop production is largely wheat (1,290 dryland acres plus 300 acres that are irrigated). They also plant 60 acres in grain sorghum, 480 acres in corn, and 240 in sunflowers.

From 1986 to 1999, the couple were involved in the cattle business, finishing up to 950 head per year. In the mid-‘90s they left the cattle business, but are reconsidering that move.

The Franklins have invested in an ethanol plant and are charter members of the 21st Century Alliance. The couple have worked to make their operation as efficient as possible by implementing ridge tillage that increased yields and cut water use; installing LEPA sprinkler nozzle packages that increase efficiency and curb water use; and using strip tillage, in which fertilizer is placed directly below plants to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous loss and excess runoff. The couple also rebuilds terraces and plants trees every year.

Through the ups and downs of running a farm, the McReynolds have remained optimistic. Their attitude is likely a reason the couple was tapped as Kansas Master Farmers and Master Farm Homemakers.

Jerry grew up on the land the couple now farms. He met Diane, who was from Buhler, Kan., at McPherson College. The couple moved to Manhattan where Jerry completed his education at K-State before they returned to western Kansas, which turned out to be an adjustment for Diane.

“I was used to trees and people, rather than so many open roads and driving such distances," said Diane. She now thinks of drive time as an asset.

Diane was a stay-at-home mom for 14 years, but now is a Title I teacher (fourth to eighth grades), At-Risk Coordinator and director of TIGER (Time to Improve Grades and Enhance Responsibility) for USD 271.

The couple cite their children – son Shawn, and daughters Reneé and Michelle – as their “best crop,” but their business – a diversified crop and cattle operation – reflects broad-based interests in agribusiness.

The couple has 2,000 acres planted to wheat, 800 to grain sorghum, and 200 to corn. Seventy-five acres are planted to grain for silage, with 50 to alfalfa and 90 acres devoted to grass hay. Another 850 acres are fallow, with 140 set aside for forage.

The McReynolds have a commercial cow-calf enterprise that finishes an average of 500 to 600 calves/stockers and feeders annually and as many as 400 contract (or custom fed) cattle.

“Recent concerns about BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or mad cow disease) serve as reminders of our responsibility in providing safe food that also tastes great,” said Jerry, who earned a degree in agricultural economics from K-State. He also is a graduate of the first class of the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership Program (KARL).

The McReynolds market their beef through U.S. Premium Beef and are charter members of the 21st Century Alliance, at whose mill they have their flour processed.

The couple follow a soil conservation plan on the acres they farm and build and rebuild terraces. They also use minimum till or no-till practices and credit technology with helping them increase efficiency. By curbing chemical use and managing nutrients, they have helped improve water quality.

Jerry serves on the Governor’s Rural Life Task Force, the National Association of Wheat Growers Board and as president of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers.

The McReynolds’ son Shawn, who owns cropland and cattle, is actively involved in the farming operation with his parents. Both daughters are married and living away from the farm, but return for harvest each year.

Reneé and her husband, Aaron Laird, live in the Chicago area, where Reneé is a senior vice president and manager of the Agricultural Over-the-Counter Derivatives Desk for Fimat, USA.

Michelle and her husband Gary Ziegler, live in Kingman. Michelle is a fifth grade teacher in Goddard (USD 265).

In 45 years of farming, Sid and Lois Nattier of rural Newton have lived the reality of most successful “corporate” agriculture operations. The “corporation” has involved everyone in the family – usually three generations at a time.

For the Nattiers, it’s also meant a commitment to church and community, life-long education, and their industry. Plus it’s meant thousands of ounces of decorative yarn and thread.

The Nattiers became sweethearts during their junior year at Whitewater High School. They married and started farming with Sid’s dad in 1959.

Sid helped build the operation’s first retention pond for livestock waste in 1960. The wastewater system has been remodeled four times since then, and the waste itself used to improve the farm’s soil.

Along the way, Sid became a founder of the county’s 4-H foundation, its livestock association and a water district. He held leadership positions at the couple’s church and served 14 years on the county’s soil conservation board, nine years in the National Guard, and three years each on the FHA advisory board and Harvey County Development Committee. He also served on the county fair board and on the county Extension’s agriculture Program Development Committee.

The couple have been active in their church and in 4-H, as well as in other Extension programs.

Lois also served terms on Extension committees and on several boards. She participated in and held leadership positions for 38 years in an Extension homemaker club (now called Family and Community Education or FCE) and 40 years in Rural Life. She also served on the local election board.

Lois didn’t leave 4-H when her children did, and she now has 40 years as a 4-H knitting and crochet leader to her credit. She’s been a Master Knitter for 26 years and leads Extension’s Hook, Yarn and Needle group. She oversees the open-class knitting and crocheting at the county fair and has judged at other fairs for 19 years – including seven at the Kansas State Fair.

For her work with the county fair, Lois was named Volunteer of the Year in 2003.

Sid and Lois started building their own farm in 1960, by purchasing 67 acres. They immediately developed a conservation plan, which included a switch to minimum tillage. Over time they’ve added more land and now own 3,650 acres, mostly in pasture or dryland wheat and grain sorghum. They participate in Extension’s grain sorghum variety test plot program and have a 1,700-unit cattle backgrounding and finishing operation.

“We make annual cash flow and business budgets and have 33 years of farm management records to draw from,”Sid said.

The Nattiers’ son Stuart earned an accounting degree from the University of Phoenix and works for Wilkerson Crane in Kansas City. He and his wife Susan have four children.

The couple’s son Jeff and his wife, Kristy have a farm of their own, but also have some business interests with his parents. Jeff and Kristy have two children.

Lisa (Nattier) Riffel is the Nattier farm’s office manager. She and her husband, Mike Riffel also have a child.

Jack and Pat Painter look over their land in rural Meade, Kan. to rolling pastures, strong cattle and a stable farm business. It’s a far nicer scene than the one the couple faced in the early- to mid-1980s farm crisis, when land prices dropped and interest rates were high. But the couple dug in their heels and are being honored for their determination.

When told that they’d been selected to receive the Master Farmer/Master Farm Homemaker award, Pat said “we were surprised; we didn’t think we did anything to deserve this.”

Jack Painter serves on the Meade County Fair Board and spent time on the board of directors for the Kansas Farm Management Association of southwest Kansas. He’s held several offices in the local Jaycees.

While growing up, Pat Painter participated in 4-H, and was a volunteer as the couple’s children participated through their own high school years. She has been the Meade County dog project leader for 29 years, and received the “Friend of 4-H” award three times. Pat is a member of the recently-created Meade County Health Alliance committee which helps promotes cooperation between health entities in the county. She’s been employed by the Meade District Hospital for 42 years.

The Painters have three children: Mark; Debra Carpender, husband Jim and their two children, Nathan and Tori; and Bradley, a junior at Fort Hays State University studying construction science.

The Painters’ children were involved in 4-H and other activities – most of which required family participation.

Mark, who earned a degree in agribusiness, and Debra, who earned a degree in animal science, each have farming and cattle operations of their own.

Jack and Pat inherited his family’s original homestead when Jack’s parents died in the early 1980s. Jack’s great-grandfather, Cap Painter (the first state representative from Meade County), built the original homestead in 1884. It has since been passed four generations to Jack.

“I’m mostly a rancher,” Jack said. These days, he cares for 400 stocker steers and 43 cows and calves for others, plus the family owns 37 beef cows.

He prefers a Hereford-Angus cross, because “they’re an animal that’s hardy. They can go out and fend for themselves. Out on the grass, you don’t have to baby them.”

The couple owns just over 1,700 acres and rents another 3,900, growing wheat and grain sorghum. Some of the land is left fallow every year.

In the early 1990s, while their children were off to college, Pat drove the tractor and rode horseback to help Jack on the farm.

When Loyd Ratts of rural St. John, and Betty Austin met on a blind date 43 years ago, both were widowed with children ages 15 and under. Together, they reared eight youngsters – four of his, three of hers and one of theirs. Now they also have 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Today, the Ratt’s 480-acre home farm is mostly devoted to growing corn, soybeans and wheat. Their often-renovated home is the turn-of-the-century house where Loyd grew up.

In 1991, they started taking annual trips to Mexico, to help build or add on to churches for the poor. Their children are spread from Florida to Colorado and they enjoy visiting family, making new friends and learning more about agriculture

Loyd started his farming career in 1919 at age 4, when he drove a team of mules pulling a wheat-laden wagon to St. John. His father, Edmund, planned to catch up with him before they got to town. But, Loyd became known as that little boy who drove the mules around the town square by himself.

Loyd finished high school during the Depression, so worked at the family farm and supplemented his income by working at the Radium (Kan.) Garage.

The Dust Bowl added to his work load. His father had homesteaded Kearney County land in 1911. His renters were losing yields because neighboring land was blowing onto their wheat crop. The neighbors were asking for help, too. So, by the 1935-36 growing season, Edmund and Loyd were farming 16 quarter sections in western Kansas, in addition to the Stafford County farm.

Loyd kept his job at the garage, but started farming the home place on his own in 1942. He started Loyd’s Repair Shop on the farm in 1954 and operated it until 2000. He also served as a church elder and was on the Kansas Soybean Commission during the initial promotions for soy milk and soy “ethanol.”

About Betty, one of her children wrote: “She helped herd cattle and kids, drove tractors, drove trucks, drove cars full of kids wherever they needed to go, and did it all with grace.”

Betty has helped care for the elderly and disabled in the community, taught Bible classes and for almost 25 years worked in the Democratic Party, including serving four times as an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

The Ratts’ farm has two irrigation systems, modern storage facilities and incorporates minimum- and no-till practices. Loyd also uses annual variety test plots to keep up with advances in crop genetics.

The Ratts’ children include Army wife Lorraine (Ratts) Brock, librarian Lana (Ratts) Farmer, Florida “farmer” Brenda (Austin) Guilinger, performer and record producer Jim Ratts, homemaker Denise (Austin) Guinn, computer wizard Doug Austin, Oklahoma University’s Vicki (Ratts) Livingston, and St. John farmer/head bank teller Terri (Ratts) Koelsch.

Russell and Pat Winsor are lifelong learners – a trait they consider crucial to survival in the tough, competitive world of modern agriculture.

“Keeping up with new technology and implementing it in our operation is probably the most innovative and profitable thing we’ve done in our business,” said Russell. “When I started farming, what herbicide to use was a ‘no-brainer’ because there were only three or four choices.”

Russell grew up in the Grantville-Perry area and graduated from Perry Rural High School. He earned an agricultural economics degree from Kansas State University in 1969, after which he joined the Army Reserve. Once finished with basic training, he joined his father and uncles on the family farm. After his father retired in 1978, Russell took over the operation, in time adding land – both purchased and rented.

At one time the Winsors left the cattle business, but later re-entered it and established a registered Angus herd.

Pat and Russell are members of the Grantville United Methodist Church. Russell has served on the Farm Service Agency committee, the American Angus Association, the American Salers Association, the Cargill Customer Council and the Kansas Livestock Association. He was a 4-H livestock leader and was recently elected to the Jefferson County Extension Council. He also serves as the president of the Rosehill Cemetery and the treasurer of the Muddy Creek Drainage District.

Pat also graduated from Perry Rural High School, and had grown up helping her father with farm chores. After high school and in her early married days, she worked for Kansas National Guard. Once her first child was born, however, she decided to become a full-time homemaker.

In addition to family activities, Pat handles the farm’s accounting and is always on call to be a “go-fer” and communicate with landlords. She and Russell are members of the Northeast Kansas Farm Management Association. Pat has been involved with 4-H for years, and still serves as the chairman of the Jefferson County 4-H Spring Beef Committee and as a leader for the Grantville Circle G 4-H Club.

Pat recently took on another role by earning a real estate license. She was named “Rookie of the Year” in 2001 for being the new agent selling the most that year at Land Kansas Real Estate.

The couple owns 1,234 acres and rents 3,025 acres. Most of the tillable land is planted to corn and soybeans, with wheat and grain sorghum planted in smaller amounts. Just under 800 acres are devoted to pasture for the family’s Angus herd, which consists of 350 head.

The Winsors participate in the Certified Angus Beef Program and grow food grade white corn.

“Putting GPS (global positioning satellite) units in our combines and having the ability to make yield maps on the computer at home helps pinpoint problem areas in a field,” said Russell in describing improvements the family has made. “Grid sampling and AI (artificial insemination) are some other technologies that have been beneficial to our operation.”

The Winsor’s son Andy, his wife LaVell and stepson, Kade live near Grantville. Andy earned a degree in agronomy from K-State in 1994, then joined his parents on the farm, bringing a knowledge of precision farming, variable rate fertilizer application and an understanding of global positioning technology to the business.

The couple’s son, Ben is a junior at K-State, with a dual major in agricultural communications and agribusiness. He started showing Angus cattle as he was growing up in 4-H, and today has his own herd.

K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.