Blackwell Farmer, Elmore Bathurst, Inducted into Ag Hall of Fame
Posted by arthur1234 on March 24, 2009
Secretary Peach and Elmore Bathurst
Today Blackwell farmer and rancher, Elmore Bathurst, was inducted into the Oklahoma Agricultural Hall of Fame at the State Capitol. Today was Oklahoma Agriculture Day and the induction served as the closing ceremony.
Bathurst was a founding member of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission when it began in 1965 and served as its chairman from 1968 to 1970. He has also been a member of the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association since 1967 and served as chairman from 1972 to 1975.
Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach, said Bathurst represents the type of farmer and leader best deserving of the recognition.
“Mr. Bathurst and a handful of his peers had the vision nearly 50 years ago to see that agricultural marketing and promotion would be necessary to compete in a global economy,” he said. “The actions they took back in the mid 1960s set the stage to help make Oklahoma a leading exporter of wheat to markets such as Mexico and Cuba.”
Bathurst was also appointed to the U.S. Wheat Industry Council by two U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture and was selected by then U.S. Senator Don Nickles to serve on the Oklahoma Ag Advisory Committee. He was later selected by Governor Henry Bellman to serve on the Oklahoma Futures Advisory Committee.
The newly inducted Agricultural Hall of Famer offered the same advice to farmers and ranchers he said he received many years ago, don’t spend all of your time on a tractor.
“Spend part of your time in the political arena and get active about the issues,” Bathurst said. “I followed that advice and it was one of the best things I ever did.”
Bathurst is the twelfth inductee into the hall. The Oklahoma Agriculture Hall of Fame was created in 1998 to honor Oklahoma agriculturists who have distinguished themselves in the industry and as community and state leaders.
