Stan Fimple, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service, Stillwater was awarded the 2009 Oklahoma Certified Crop Adviser of the Year at the Oklahoma Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) annual meeting held at Oklahoma State University December 16.
This award was based on 22 years of crop advising experience recognizing him as a certified crop adviser who delivers exceptional customer service, is highly innovative, has shown that he is a leader in his field, and has contributed substantially to the exchange of ideas and the transfer of agronomic knowledge within the agriculture industry.
Stan is the only Oklahoma Certified Crop Adviser currently active in Ottawa County. He has established himself as the authority that crop producers and ag dealers rely on as their point of contact for diagnosing production issues in agriculture and especially in crop production.
This includes working closely with a clientele of approximately 60 farmers who produce forage for 50,000 cows, grow 25,000 acres of wheat, 10,000 acres of soybeans, 8,500 acres of corn, and 1,000 acres of sunflowers. Ottawa County also has approximately 75 poultry houses which have him assisting both the poultry grower and other ag producers to safely and economically use this fertilizer resource.
He is especially skilled in recognizing and diagnosing production problems in the field across a broad range of crops.
Stan works closely with State and Area Extension Specialists and his local producers to conduct what is probably the most extensive list of off station field research trials in the state. Ottawa County has hosted canola variety trials and currently has ongoing sunflower, soybean and wheat variety trials. He was an early supporter of the Partner’s in Research concept which resulted in numerous farmers conducting research trials evaluating soybean fungicides, strip tillage in corn and sensor based nitrogen management.
One of Stan’s clients is beginning his second year of a PIR research trial to evaluate the potential benefit of planning crops on beds to manage excess moisture problems on poorly drained soils. Stan was one of the first to obtain a GreenSeeker™ Sensor and has probably personally walked more N rich strips, on wheat and corn, than any Extension Educator in Oklahoma.
While an educator in Mayes County, Stan conducted an extensive research trial at two sites that culminated with Stan presenting a paper at the 50th Southern Pasture and Forage Crop Improvement Conference in May 1994 in Knoxville, Tennessee. His motivation was to assist livestock producers in managing the newly discovered fescue endophyte problem.
He has conducted three different trials beginning several years ago to screen options for controlling grassy weeds in Bermuda-grass hay meadows. He also participated as one of the sites in a herbicide/fertility IPM trial to demonstrate methods for renovating mismanaged pastures.
Stan has planned and conducted many CCA continuing education unit approved crop schools in Ottawa County. He supports the activities of the Oklahoma State University Plant and Soil Sciences department and commodity groups. He has also attended National Conferences including: Southern Pasture and Forage Improvement, American Forage and Grassland Council and American Society of Agronomy Meetings.
Stan has served as President of the Oklahoma Association of Extension Agriculture Agents and was a principle player in the successful effort to bring the National Association of County Agriculture Agents Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference to Tulsa in July 2010. He is a member of the Miami Chamber of Commerce.
In recognition of his support of youth programs he has received honorary Chapter Farmer awards from FFA chapters in Ralston, Adair, and Vinita and comparable recognition from 4-H in Muskogee, Tulsa, Mayes and Ottawa Counties.
