Kansas woman wins national farm mom contest

KLA member Debbie Lyons-Blythe of White City has been named the national winner of Monsanto’s 2012 America’s Farmers Mom of the Year contest. Blythe was nominated by her five children. She first was named one of five regional winners, then was chosen as the overall winner in online voting. Prizes for the two honors combined totaled $10,000.

“I want to use this opportunity to shine the light on all the farm Moms,” Blythe wrote in a Facebook post. “It is a wild and crazy job, but one with so many perks!”  

Blythe and her family run 250 registered Angus cows and sell the bulls. They have a commercial heifer development program, through which they purchase 350 heifers from bull customers. These heifers are bred to calving ease bulls and sold in the fall. Her husband works in town and while the couple’s five children help on the ranch, Debbie is the primary, day-to-day labor.

Her work on the ranch is the source of information for a blog, speeches and numerous social media posts. Blythe reaches thousands of consumers with stories about being a farm Mom through her blog, “Life on a Kansas Cattle Ranch.” Her everyday stories help potential beef buyers better understand how food is produced, with the goal of enhancing consumer confidence and usage.

For more information visit www.kla.org.

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