The Chad and Danielle Budy family of Alva recently was honored with the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee's District Seven Farm and Ranch Family Recognition.

The Budy family has a cow/calf herd in addition to the stocker cattle they take on in the winter months. They grow wheat, milo, alfalfa, canola and sesame on their farm where they work to improve the land through conservation efforts, which includes growing cow peas on the sand hills that dot the area to prevent wind erosion during the summer months.

Both Chad and Danielle grew up on family farms, and now are proud to raise their four children – Colton, age 22; Tabor, age 19; Sagelyn, age 18; and Davin, age 14 – the same way.

"It's exciting to see our kids come back and help us and want to do what we were raised up doing," Chad said. "It's been a good living for Danielle and I, and we just hope they can do the same if they have that interest and love the industry that they have the opportunity."

The family works together to care for the crops and the livestock, which Chad said teaches life lessons that the Budy's four children can carry with them no matter what they go on to do in life.

"That's what I've tried to teach my kids living where we do," Chad said. "If you work hard, you can thrive. Yeah, we have a lot of obstacles thrown at us that are out of our control with prices and mother nature, but it's just a way of life that I enjoy."

Danielle said she looks forward wheat harvest every summer. With their kids operating combines and the grain cart alongside Chad's parents, it is truly a multi-generational family affair.

"Harvest is a good example of it's just one big family that works together to accomplish something that is so awesome: being able to harvest the wheat, being able to then take it to the elevator and to be able to feed America," Danielle said. "If you actually look at the big picture, it's such an awesome thing that farmers do."

The Budy family is also deeply invested in their community. Danielle teaches math at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, and the family is involved in the Alva First Baptist Church where Chad serves as a deacon and is on the finance committee. Chad serves as president of Woods County Farm Bureau, and the Budys' children are heavily involved in school activities.

"Our kids are what make us work hard to keep this community thriving and keep it a place they might want to live," Danielle said. "If we don't have our future to look forward to, then what do we have to look forward to?"

OKFB's Farm and Ranch Family Recognition program honors a farm and ranch family in each of the organization's nine districts who upholds the best traditions of Oklahoma agriculture and rural Oklahoma as they raise food and fiber for our state and beyond.

"Farm and ranch families are the very backbone of Oklahoma agriculture and our state's rural communities as a whole," said Mignon Bolay, OKFB WLC chair. "The OKFB Women's Leadership Committee is proud to honor these nine families who exemplify the very best of our industry as they work to feed, clothe and fuel our nation and our world."

As part of their recognition, the family received a cash award along with a custom sign to hang at their farm gate. Read more about the farm and ranch families at okfarmbureau.org/farmfamily2020.