Megan and Kyle’s story

“My husband, Kyle and I, we live just a few miles west of here. We’re raising our two daughters on our farm.

For the last decade, Kyle and I have worked very hard to build something meaningful to us. It's not about money. It's about building a future for our girls.

When you drive by these farms and you see Tyson and Simmons and Cobb on the signs on the fence, don't be fooled. They're not owned by Tyson and Simmons and Cobb. They're owned and ran by hardworking families...”

Read the full transcript below…

Thank you, Governor Stitt, for coming to Adair County today.

It’s an honor to be here and to be asked to speak.

Thank you to Farm Bureau, Arkansas and Oklahoma, both of whom have helped us tremendously over the last few weeks.

Thank you to the growers that are here and every concerned citizen.

Thank you to our county commissioners.

A special thanks to those three guys and to Representative David Harden and Senator Tom Woods. These men have stood loudly and proudly for the poultry industry, and we appreciate that.

Just over two weeks ago, there was a small group of 12 of us that met. And look at us today—look at this crowd. Look at how many people have shown up and shown that they care about our homes, our livelihoods, and preserving them for the next generation.

My husband, Kyle, and I live just a few miles west of here. We’re raising our two daughters on our farm. Ten years ago, we built breeder houses for Tyson, and four years ago we switched to Simmons. These companies have treated us well. We have been very blessed, and I don’t have a bad thing to say about Tyson or Simmons.

For the last decade, Kyle and I have worked very hard to build something meaningful to us. It’s not about money—it’s about building a future for our girls. We raised our daughters while working on the farm, and it’s not easy having a newborn and a toddler while gathering 20,000-plus eggs a day in the chicken house with us. But we did it. We pushed through.

Today, we are fortunate enough to employ four people, two of whom are full-time. These people depend on me for their livelihood. I’m not standing here because I’m worried about Kyle and Megan. I’m worried about Susanna, who has three children in school. She’s a widow and she works for me. Where is she going to go in town and get a job where she can drop her children off at school and be home before they’re off the bus? What’s going to happen to her family?

Kyle can go to town and find another job. He would probably get two if he had to because he was raised by a man that worked hard—a man who farmed, who built something for his family, and wanted to leave a legacy for his children and grandchildren. That is exactly what Kyle and I are trying to carry on. 

When my girls grow up, I want them to know that they have a home to come home to—a farm to come home to—where they can work beside us and possibly with their future families. We would love to expand, build more chicken houses, and provide more jobs, but right now that dream is threatened.

As most of you know, it’s threatened by a few politicians who seem to care more about money and power than they do about small-town farmers. When you drive by these farms and see Tyson and Simmons and Cobb on the signs on the fence, don’t be fooled. They’re not owned by Tyson and Simmons and Cobb. They’re owned and run by hardworking families like Kyle and Megan. And with the help of our employees, we run those farms.

Drive by the red barn in Westville—they depend on farmers to come in and buy parts and supplies. Look here at Double R & P—farmers come in here and eat every single day. When these farms go under, these places are going to feel it immediately. Without agriculture, businesses like these and the whole county are going to dry up.

The Bible tells us that there is a time to listen and a time to speak. For 20 years, we’ve listened. We’ve stayed quiet as to not put targets on our backs. We’ve listened to Mr. Edmondson, Mr. Ed Fight, Mr. Drummond tell us that we have ruined their river. But today is the day for farmers to speak. It’s time to tell our stories because all of this is about greed.

The Bible also tells us that the love of money is the root of all evil. There are some attorneys who stand to make a lot of money off this lawsuit. If you think it’s about chicken litter and water pollution, you would be mistaken. When they filed this lawsuit against these integrators, they didn’t see pollution—they saw dollar signs. Why didn’t they sue the farmers directly? We don’t have billions of dollars like they do.

Today it’s the poultry growers in the Illinois River Watershed. Tomorrow it’s going to be growers in another county, in another part of the state. After that, they will go after the cattle farmers. Make no mistake—agriculture is their target.

Adair County depends on agriculture. Without it, this county will become a ghost town. I love this place. I love my county. I’m very involved. I serve on the Rural Water #5 board. I work for the election board. I’m active with the OHCE ladies. My children go to Marietta. They play sports here on Saturdays. We cheer for the Adair County Buffalos. This is our county. This is our home, our family, and our friends.

So now is the time to speak, whether you’re a grower or not. Please stand with us. Show people like Mr. Drummond and Mr. Edmondson that we’re done keeping our heads down. We have listened long enough—it’s their turn to listen.

I could stand here all day and share with you all the facts. I could share the numbers that show the water quality has improved. I could show you the hoops we have to jump through just to spread our litter. I could show you how much litter is already being shipped out of the watershed. We could go through all of that today.

But the point I want to leave you with is this: when Tyson, Simmons, Cobb—when these companies get tired of fighting the state of Oklahoma and decide it’s not worth it anymore, and they pull out, you are not destroying a large corporation. You’re destroying families like mine. Families like Susanna’s that work for me. Families like the ones in this county who depend on agriculture to survive.

And I know the Lord will see us through. He always does. It may not be the life or the legacy that I have planned, but He will provide.

 So Governor, with your help, with the help of Farm Bureau, with the help of my fellow growers, cattlemen, neighbors, family, and friends, we ask you to stand with us. It’s time for the poultry industry and all of Oklahoma agriculture to speak up. Please don’t let our way of life die.

Thank you.