News release issued December 21, 2000, effective immediately.
For media inquiries, contact Caroline Booth Lara, Communications Specialist, (580) 224-6379.
  email: cblara@noble.org

Agricultural Division Reorganizing to Better Aid Producers

ARDMORE, Okla. – Fifty-five years ago Lloyd Noble established the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation with one overriding mission: to help local farmers and ranchers make wiser and more productive use of their land.

The Foundation's commitment to providing timely, quality information to local agricultural producers has changed little since 1945. But because today's agriculture is radically different in terms of production methods, economics, regulations and lifestyles, the Foundation is adapting its outreach programs to better serve its agricultural customers.

These adaptations include a new Ag Division management team, a reorganized farm management structure, the hiring of additional staff, and an increased emphasis on educational programs and events.

"We looked at all aspects of our program: education, consulting, and the operation of our farms," explained Wadell Altom, a 34-year Foundation veteran who serves as administrative coordinator and support manager for the organization's Agricultural Division. "We have had a rapid increase in the number of requests for assistance from land managers during last several years. We felt like we were having to wait too long to provide information to those people. So we set out to try to develop a process in which we could be more effective and efficient. The bottom line was that we wanted to continue to deliver relevant information to area land managers in a timely and efficient manner."

With those goals in mind, the Agricultural Division underwent a comprehensive planning and reorganization process beginning in 1999 and ending this past summer. Changes outlined in the plan began several months ago and will continue for the next several years.

Noble Foundation President Mike Cawley said he is very pleased with the actions the Ag Division has undertaken to ensure a high level of performance.

"In a division with a long and rich tradition of quality service, the changes that have taken place did not occur without some questions and concerns; however, the management group and the Ag Division staff showed a remarkably positive attitude and pursued the reorganization and strategic planning with enthusiasm and vigor," Cawley said. "They are excited about the opportunities in front of them to better serve a rapidly changing agriculture environment. So am I. Their performance during this transition has been quite commendable."

Outreach to local agriculturists centers around four teams consisting of specialists in agricultural economics, soils and crops, livestock, wildlife and fisheries, horticulture, and forages. These teams formerly managed the Foundation's four research and demonstration farms in Carter and Love counties.

"Shifting the management of these farms to a new research and demonstration manager and associated staff will give our consulting specialists more time to interact with land managers," Altom said. "Our consulting specialists have developed time allocation goals, with 55 percent of their time committed to direct consultation activities with land managers, called cooperators, and another 10 percent of their time providing information to other land managers and agricultural agency personnel. This time allocation reflects our commitment to providing information and services to persons who manage the land resources in our service area, which we define as 47 counties surrounding Ardmore."

Another aspect of the service plan is designed to ensure that priority service is provided to those producers whose livelihood is most directly tied to the land.

"We did a survey of demographics; we looked at a lot of information, including how many farms and ranchers there are and how many of the people involved are full-time producers," Altom explained. "Those numbers vary considerably from county to county, with a larger percentage of part-time producers close to metropolitan areas. The overall trend is for more part-time producers in the future, and many of our new requests for assistance have some from this group."

The Foundation now categorizes producers as income dependent or income independent. An income dependent producer (full-time) is defined as an individual who spends more than 50 percent of his or her time on farming/ranching or receives more than $100,000 per year in farm-related gross revenues. Income dependent producers as a group will receive a higher level of service from Foundation specialists. Income independent producers are those who spend less than 50% of their time farming or ranching and sell less than $100,000 worth of agricultural products.