Meet the 2012 America's Farmers Farm Mom of the Year

This year we recieved hundreds for some amazing farm moms and thousands of you voted and now the results are in. Debbie Lyons-Blythe, a farm mom from Kansas, is the 2012 Farm Mom of the Year.

Debbie and her family run Blythe Angus, near White City, Kansas, where her husband’s family homesteaded in 1890. They raise 250 registered Angus cows and sell registered bulls. They also have a Commercial Heifer Development Program where they purchase 350 heifers from bull customers, Debbie breeds them artificially in the spring, runs her calving ease bulls with them and sells them as bred heifers in the fall. Debbie’s husband works in town, and their five children all help on the ranch, but Debbie is the daily labor. They also have a diversified cropping operation, including hay, for their cowherd.

Debbie was nominated by her 5 children. Read her winning nomination essary below.

Debbie's Nomination Essay - submitted by her children
It doesn’t take long to figure out what is in her heart...

Her love for agriculture is evident when reading her blog, hearing her speeches, and seeing her work. We would like to recognize and honor our mom, Debbie Lyons-Blythe, for her hard work and dedication to her family, farm, community, and agriculture industry.

Family: Not only did mom give us her eye color and smile, she shared with us her values and love of agriculture. She raised us five kids alongside her in the truck checking pastures, sorting cattle, and selling bulls. She loves hosting cook-outs and camping trips for our extended family.

Farm: With dad working in town and us kids at school, mom is left with the day-to-day work on our registered Angus and commercial cow/calf operation of 300 head. She sells our bulls private treaty, maintains our ranch website, artificially inseminates the heifers and cows, cuts and bales hay, calculates feed rations, and monitors herd health.

Community: Before we filled her calendar with sports games and cattle shows, mom used to own and write the community newspaper. She continues to support our town today as a substitute teacher at the local school, worship leader at church, and 4-H club leader.

Agriculture: Mom takes advantage of every opportunity to promote agriculture. She is very active in social media and posts weekly to her blog, Life on a Kansas Cattle Ranch, which is written for consumers. She speaks to agriculture organizations about the importance of advocating, engages in consumer promotions, and recently began an Adopt a Rancher program with elementary schools. Additionally, she has held leadership positions in the Kansas Livestock Association, Kansas Angus Association, and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to support and promote agriculture’s role in the economy.

Meet the Schroeders!

Meet the Schroeders, an Indiana farm family and one of the real American farm families featured in our advertisements.



Bill Schroeder knew from the time he was 8 years old what he wanted to be when he grew up – a farmer. On the other hand, his wife, Nicole, did not always see farming in her future. So when the two first started dating and she went on dates that took place in the combine or the tractor, she had to make some adjustments. But that's farm life.

When they first started out, it was just Bill, Nicole, and Bill's father, Bill Sr., handling all of the farm duties. As the farm has grown, roles changed. Nicole, for example, now handles payroll, and Bill has been able to take on a more managerial role.

The Schroeders love being a farm family and they work to make sure everyone involved in their farming operation feels the same ownership and pride in the farm they do.

Webisode 18 - Planting Season

Most people have 365 days to make a living, but for farmers, their entire year depends on the planting season. Watch our latest webisode and find out what it takes America's Farmers to get their crops in the ground and start off the planting season on a good note.



To learn more about the real farm families featured in our webisodes visit AmericasFarmers.com.

A farming story from a city girl

My farming story began in 1967 when I married my first husband. I had grown up in town but it didn’t take me long to learn how much work the farm could be.

My first husband and I were dairy farmers and I soon realized that the cows were my love of the farm. As a young mother of four; I worked long hours to make the farming operation a success. In 1988 my husband passed away and I moved back to town.

In 1990 I married Jack, also a farmer.

Jack is 11 years older than I am and has shown me a whole different view of the farm life! He was raised on a farm and is the most amazing farmer I know. His dad was a welder and had a blacksmith shop, a place where Jack was able to tap into his own creativity and ingenuity - there is nothing Jack can’t build or do.

Jack worked for a power company for 25 years and decided to "retire" just so he could farm! I guess that old saying is true, you can take the boy out of the farm but you can’t take the farm out of the boy. Jack is now 73 years old and still works 15 hour days. He loves the farm and enjoys watching the crops grow and especially loves the harvest.

Today we farm for ourselves and we also have a custom farming operation. With the help of our ex-son-in-law, Tim (who has worked for us for 21 years) we till, plant and harvest close to 4000 acres of corn, beans and hay.

Jack always says he learned valuable lessons from his dad. When Jack was young his dad built a homemade tractor. Following in his father’s footsteps Jack built an electric hack saw (out of scrap metal!) in high school that received a national award.

Jack loves the farm and the machinery that goes with it. He is a true IHC fan. He has restored 17 tractors from the 30's, 40's and 50’s. He took every single tractor apart, piece by piece, and built them back up to perfection. My favorite of his restorations is "Allie", a one of a kind 1939 Allis Chalmers. He took the tractor apart and tipped the rear reduction units upside-down, inverted the front and of course painted it RED! Then put it all back together to make "Allie" – a low rider tractor. It has been in several parades, won the Best of Show at the State Fair and has had its picture taken thousands of times! It is the only one of its kind in the country.

In addition to restoring tractors this man raised 8 children, 4 of his and 4 of mine and he is grandpa to 21 of the best grand kids in the world! His lessons for his children and grandchildren remains the same as his father’s: Be who you are, do what you want. But whatever you chose to do, do it the best you can.

Currently we are working on a building that will house all of the tractors he has restored. It will be a spot where other farmers can come see Jack’s tractors and remember what the farm was like years ago. A place to remember a much simpler life, but also a place for our grandchildren to see what "grandpa's life was all about." A place for grandpa to tell stories about farming in his lifetime with no electricity, no running water, and using horses to work the field.

Today we farm to feed the world and the technology we use to farm today is amazing. The equipment and farming practices have improved so much.

For me, a city girl, I have so much to be thankful for! I have seen the hard work of the farmers; I know how the weather, the timing, the crops and everything the farmer does affects every person in the country. We are thankful for the agriculture products that help us to be the best producers we can be.

I didn’t grow up on a farm so I don’t have the farming story that many others do but to me this story is about a man who loves farming, loves being creative and loves the land. It is about an amazing man in my life, who has given me the best 22 years I could ever ask for. It's about all the things a country boy has taught a city girl! It's an appreciation of rural life.

Bev Mader


Bev and Jack

 I was born in a small midwest town in SD. I am the second oldest of 5 children. My hobbies include quilting and scrapbooking. I work as an office manager in a Quilt Shop. In 1985 I did a national TV show with Dan Rather called "Trouble on the Land", which was a story filmed in rural SD about the struggling farm economy. Dan Rather came here to do the show, we filmed part of it at our farm and the rest at our small church in rural Madison. I also did the Farm Rallies during that year, traveling to many cities in the country to help bring awareness to the farm crisis.

We want your opinion: what do you want to see on AmericasFarmers.com?

We want to know what kind of information you want to see on AmericasFarmers.com!

If you are a consumer:

• What do you want to know about American agriculture?
• What questions do you want to ask America's farmers?
• What are your concerns about agriculture is the U.S.?

If you are a farmer:

• What do you want consumers to know about the way you farm?
• Are there any misconceptions about American agriculture you want to set straight?

We want to help tell the farmer's story on AmericasFarmers.com and educate everyone about what it means to be an American farmer. Please help us provide you with the info that you are interested in. Let's facilitate conversation and share information about American agriculture.

So - what do you want to know?

The best thing about being a Farm Mom of the Year

We asked the previous Farm Mom of the Year winners - what's your favorite thing about being a Farm Mom of the Year? Watch the video above to check out their answers!

And if you know a fantastic farm mom make sure you nominate her and give her the chance to win the honor of being a Farm Mom of the Year.

How do you define a Farm Mom

This year, at the 2012 Commodity Classic, in Nashville, TN we asked the previous winners of the America's Farmers Farm Mom of the Year contest how they would define a farm mom. Watch the video below and find out what they had to say about farm moms.



If these women sound like they're describing a farm mom you know make sure you nominate her for a chance to win the Farm Mom of the Year title and $10,000. Entries are open until April 23, 2012.