Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur named Don Schieber as the recipient of the 2022 Governor’s Outstanding Achievement Award in Agriculture.
The Ponca City farmer will become the 25th inductee into the Oklahoma Agriculture Hall of Fame, the state’s most prestigious agriculture award.
Schieber will be arriving to the annual Ag Day at the Capitol event in Oklahoma City via a mule team wagon on March 24 at 8 a.m., alongside of Gov. Kevin Stitt and Arthur.
As a farmer with more than 50 years of experience, Schieber is no stranger to the agriculture industry. His dream dates to when he was in fourth grade in Kildare schools, where he watched Marlin Penny plant crops out the classroom window. Fast forward to today and he now owns the farmland he used to dream of farming.
“We are exceptionally proud to call Don Schieber our 2022 Agriculture Hall of Fame inductee,” said Blayne Arthur, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture. “He is an exceptional agriculturist, is extremely passionate about what he does and has raised the bar for Oklahoma wheat producers.”
One who knows Schieber likely has heard him say “there is no better place on Earth than to be with God and your family in the field while harvesting a crop to feed the world.”
“Over the decades of knowing Don, I have enjoyed watching how he has served the wheat industry and really, all of Oklahoma agriculture tirelessly,” said Ron Hays, of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network. “And he and Cecelia still had time to raise a family, be big supporters of Oklahoma State University and for Don, to be one of the best high school football referees in the state.”
Schieber attended Oklahoma State University where he received an Agronomy degree in 1968. He later served our country in the Army Reserve, where he was a Sergeant and then a 2nd Lieutenant. He received his master’s degree in Agronomy from Oklahoma State in 1970 and soon after, started his own farming business while running the OSU North Central Research station in Lahoma.
He stays involved in the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association, the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, the U.S. Wheat Associates, the Oklahoma Agriculture Leadership Program board, among many, many other prestigious boards. Schieber and his wife, Cecelia, have four children, Sheri, Christi, Cindy and Kami.
The Outstanding Achievement in Agriculture Award is the highest award given by the Governor to honor distinguished Oklahoma agriculture producers. This prestigious award honors leaders in the agriculture industry who exemplify personal values, performance, and achievement.