Madam Secretary of Agriculture

By Rachel Booth, Miami Oklahoma

Blayne Arthur is no stranger to an early morning, hazy sunrise commute into Oklahoma City, but this year, she makes her commute as the first female secretary of agriculture for the State of Oklahoma.

The 37-year-old Arthur grew up in Chickasha, Oklahoma, on her family’s wheat, soybean, cattle and equine operation. Her childhood experiences allowed her agricultural roots to develop at a young age, she said.

“Growing up, 4-H and FFA programs had a strong influence on me,” Arthur said. “The people I like working with the most are folks with an agricultural background, and being involved in the agricultural industry is a natural fit for me.”

After graduating from Chickasha High School, she attended Oklahoma State University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“OSU was a great place for me to go to school, especially with the family feel CASNR has,” Arthur said.

Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Blayne Arthur, represents the state of Oklahoma at various agricultural events, including the Oklahoma Youth Expo.

Photo by Rachel Booth.

Through involvement in campus activities, Arthur gained the tools to develop her network and learned how to work and interact with others, she said.

“While at OSU, I always felt like I was surrounded by people who wanted me to be successful, whether it be faculty, staff or peers,” Arthur said. “College is an excellent place to learn, grow, and develop your skill set, and OSU is a great foundation for students’ success.”

After graduating from OSU, Arthur took a job as a loan officer for Rural Enterprises Inc. In her position, she traveled across Oklahoma to put together financial packages for small businesses, she said.

“This was a unique learning experience for me, as small businesses face challenges similar to those agricultural producers face,” Arthur said.

In 2009, Arthur switched roles and became executive assistant and social media coordinator at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry under past Secretary of Agriculture Terry Peach.

During her time in this position, Arthur worked with commodity groups and completed various projects, giving her the opportunity to learn how the department’s divisions worked, she said.

Blayne Arthur (back right) and her husband, Jerrod, join children Kennedy (front left) and Kelton at the OKC stockyards.

Photo by Morgan Vance.

Arthur said early during her time at the Oklahoma Capitol she learned how ODAFF interacts with the public and the legislature as well as the way agricultural policy is developed.

“As soon as Blayne got the position at ODAFF, I realized she was a team player,” Peach said. “As she became more involved, she went from being a team player to a team leader.”

Peach said he as well as leaders from various Oklahoma commodity groups realized Arthur grasped the challenges of rural Oklahoma versus urban Oklahoma. They trusted her as an individual, he added.

“You can take Blayne’s word and bet money on it,” said Morgan Vance, public information officer for ODAFF. “As an advocate for agriculture, anything she says you can guarantee that is the way it is. You never have to second guess what she tells you.”

Arthur said her first ODAFF position motivated her to find a career where she could have a positive impact on agriculture.

She said this passion led her from ODAFF to the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation as the executive director and now back to ODAFF as the secretary of agriculture.

“Now more than ever, consumers care where their food comes from and how it is produced,” Arthur said. “Some people may see this as a challenge.

“However, I see it as an opportunity for us to engage with consumers and show them what a great job we are doing within production agriculture,” she said.

To bring a new, youthful perspective of how consumers perceive production agriculture, Arthur created the Agriculture Youth Council, a youth advisory group for the agency.

Selected in early May, these 20 students will provide the agency with a younger viewpoint, she said. This council will be selected from high school seniors each year through an application and interview process.

“We want the council to be a leadership development opportunity for youth as well as a career immersion opportunity,” Arthur said. “I look forward to the students’ fresh perspectives to address some of the challenges we have in agriculture.”

As the Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Arthur said she also plans to spend time talking to producers on their farms and ranches.

Arthur said she always learns something new when touring agricultural facilities and believes visiting an operation is the best way to understand the dynamics of agriculture.

“We can do a much better job being promoters of agricultural products or solving challenges in agriculture by helping producers access resources,” Arthur said.

Visiting agricultural operations will give Arthur an opportunity to see producers’ challenges and give producers a face to put with ODAFF, she said.

“Agriculture is very diverse across Oklahoma,” Arthur said. “There are different challenges for each producer, and the way regulations impact each producer differs.

“We want to ensure we are having good dialogue with them so we can do a great job at what we do,” she added.

Arthur said she wants ODAFF to be a resource for agricultural producers by identifying industry-wide challenges and then providing solutions to some of those challenges.

“Blayne has always been a good listener, and she hears what people are saying,” Peach said.“She comes to good decisions based upon the information that she gathers.”

In addition to serving as the first female secretary of agriculture for Oklahoma, Arthur balances the roles of wife and mother.

Arthur and her husband, Jerrod, have two children, Kelton, 10, and Kennedy, 6. Together, the family owns and operates Lucky Strike Cattle Co. in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Arthur said she and her husband are flexible and understand each others’ demanding schedules, but their ultimate priority is their family.

“We usually take things 24 hours at a time,” Arthur said. “I do not think there is a magic solution, but we try to be very flexible with one another in what we do. Many things are unanticipated in our world, and we have learned to make it work.”

Arthur is nothing less than the product of working hard and taking opportunities that have come her way, Vance said.

“If you are involved in agriculture and you have been raised in agriculture, you know how to work hard,” Arthur said. “That goes a long way no matter the career path you decide to pursue.

“The opportunities to be successful are endless in the agricultural industry,” she added.

Oklahoma agriculture has a bright future with Arthur leading ODAFF, Vance said.

“Agriculture has been a part of Arthur’s past, provides her present, and is definitely in her future,” Vance said.

“The future of Oklahoma agriculture is in good hands."