Margie McKeenThe National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization (NAITCO) and National Grange have selected New Mexico rancher and educator Margaret 'Margie' McKeen as the winner of its Agriculture Advocate Award for 2018.
McKeen won the award for her efforts to establish New Mexico's largest and longest running agricultural event called 'McKeen Ranch Days,' an annual program held at her ranch where more than 30 teachers and 450 students learn about animal agriculture and life on a working ranch. They learn how to milk a real cow, how to make butter and where honey comes from. In addition, they learn about the compartments of a cow's stomach and the nutrients cows absorb by observing a cannulated cow provided by the USDA Research Center. They also learn about how and why cattle are branded and dehorned.
"I'm so excited and honored to be chosen for this award," says Margie. "I never expected to be recognized for my ag advocacy efforts, I just love sharing agriculture with students. This a group effort with people who are willing to contribute and volunteer. There were many agricultural and natural resource agencies who were a great help. Of course, the Cooperative Extension Service has been a big help over the years. I am just one of many that see the need to remind people not to take food for granted."
"The impact that Margie McKeen has had over the last 56 years as a 4-H volunteer with 12 to 14 students in her group and 25 years of planning ag days is too immense to calculate," says Traci Curry, Southern Region Director for New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom. "Her impact will be felt for generations and we already see many of the students she works with going into agricultural careers. Margie McKeen is a true ag advocate!"
"Margie McKeen is the perfect recipient for this year's Agriculture Advocate Award," Betsy Huber, President of America's oldest agriculture advocacy organization and award sponsor, the National Grange. "From her imagination sprang a program that has helped tens of thousands of students and families understand and appreciate agriculture. She has put a face to the producer and allowed children and adults alike to know the compassion for their animals and their craft. Not just the children, but all of agriculture has benefited from the work of amazing volunteer educators like Margie, and we are so proud to honor these amazing individuals for their work."
In 1993, McKeen began visiting a local (K-12) school. She would start these visits beginning on National Ag Day and continue with weekly visits through Earth Day. During each school visit, McKeen would conduct an agriculture lesson, often the type available through Agriculture in the Classroom. The final visit celebrated on Earth Day culminated with an Agriculture Day in which she would bring farm animals to school and route students through 10 stations about local agriculture production. In 1998, McKeen took her volunteerism to a whole new level by creating 'McKeen Ranch Days' because she wanted to involve more schools.
It attracts participation from schools within a 200-mile radius of the ranch in New Mexico and Arizona. Partners involved in McKeen Ranch Days include: New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension and College of Agriculture, New Mexico Department of Agriculture, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, USDA Cotton Ginning Research, New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom and the U.S. Forest Service.
McKeen will be presented with the award at an awards banquet Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at the National Agriculture in the Classroom National Conference in Portland, Maine.
New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom (NMAITC) is a non-profit educational outreach program funded primarily by the membership of the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau. The purpose of NMAITC is to educate the general public, with an emphasis on K-12 students and educators, about the importance of agriculture. Visit us at www.nmaitc.org for more information.
New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau is a 19,000 member organization comprised of farmers and ranchers, and those who are interested in private property rights and a local food supply. NMF&LB is the state's largest, private agricultural organization and was founded in 1917. For information about joining us, please call 575-532-4703 or visit www.nmflb.org.