Published 10:15 am Friday, November 4, 2022
SALEM — A ranching couple and an onion farmer-turned-social media personality will be honored by Oregon Aglink at the organization’s annual Denim and Diamonds dinner and auction fundraiser on Nov. 18.
Myron and Dotty Miles, of Miles Ranch in North Powder, have won 2022 Agriculturists of the Year, while Shay Myers, CEO of Owyhee Produce — better known as @shayfarmkid to his thousands of online followers — will receive the Ag Connection Award.
Oregon Aglink is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to agricultural education and outreach. Denim and Diamonds raises money for programs such as Adopt a Farmer, pairing farms with middle school classrooms for field trips and activities.
Every year, Oregon Aglink selects a group, business or individual as its Agriculturist of the Year, recognizing outstanding contributions to the agriculture industry as a whole.
The Ag Connection Award recognizes outstanding work connecting the public with farming and ranching.
Sustainable grazing and top-notch genetics are key for beef cattle raised at Miles Ranch in the Baker Valley of Eastern Oregon.
It was here Myron Miles grew up before meeting Dotty, from Klamath Falls, while they were attending Oregon State College — now Oregon State University.
The couple, both in their early 80s, married in 1962 and spent years hopscotching around the state for work. Myron was a county extension agent in Josephine County, operated a small feedlot in Klamath Falls, and even found his way back to Baker County as a dairyman.
That last arrangement didn’t last, with Myron quipping, “Everyone should have to milk cows once in their life — it’s all up from there.”
Finally, in 1980, the couple returned to North Powder for good after buying a 1,400-acre property. Today, Miles Ranch runs 250 head of mother cows.
Myron also has a breeding program, using artificial insemination. He works with American Breeders Service Global, a company that sells semen from bulls, carefully choosing genetic traits that will allow his cows to grow bigger, faster and produce higher-quality meat.
Cows at Miles Ranch are rotated regularly in pastures to avoid overgrazing and spreading invasive weeds. A smaller portion of the land is dedicated to growing alfalfa, with minimal tillage and cover crops to prevent soil erosion.
“You need to protect the environment and our resources, so our kids and grandkids will still have food,” he said.
Away from the ranch, Myron is a board member for the Baker Valley Soil and Water Conservation District and has spent 60 years advocating for ranchers with the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association. He was president of the Baker County Livestock Association when the county adopted its right-to-farm ordinance, protecting growers from nuisance complaints.
Meanwhile, Dotty remains active as a board member for Blue Mountain Community College and the local Baker City Rotary Club.
“We wouldn’t know how to act if we didn’t have a calendar that was completely clogged up with things to do,” Myron said.
The couple said they are pleased and honored to be recognized as Agriculturists of the Year by Oregon Aglink.
“Not only do we pride ourselves on how we run our ranch,” Myron said, “but we think that we’ve helped others along the way to improve their cattle and way of life, too.”
About 10 years ago, Shay Myers said he was having a conversation with a customer who asked to see what an “onion tree” looked like.
At that point, Myers, a third-generation farmer and CEO of Owyhee Produce, knew he had to start communicating the basics of farming with a broader audience.
“Many of those buying produce do not have any type of agricultural background,” he said. “They don’t really know anything about farming.”
Myers was already active on social media websites like Facebook and Linked-In, where he could share his firsthand knowledge of issues affecting farming — everything from local weather to global markets — and why growers do what they do.
Just before the pandemic, Myers, 42, discovered TikTok, a platform where users share short videos ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes in length.
Rather than viral dance moves or stunts, Myers began filming himself on the farm discussing harvest, current events or anything else in the news impacting food production.
His message has quickly drawn a vast audience. More than 400,000 people follow @shayfarmkid on TikTok, and his videos have generated about 300 million views a year. One video, detailing how long onions can be stored before they make it to supermarket shelves, garnered 4 million views.
“I think people gravitated to it because I am not what people would consider a stereotypical farmer,” Myers said. “Some of the skills associated with vegetable production, especially onions, is very mind-blowing to people as well.”
While based in Parma, Idaho, most of the 4,000 acres farmed by Owyhee Produce are across the state line in Malheur County, Ore. The majority of the farm’s income, about 70%, comes from onions, though the farm also produces asparagus, watermelons and mint oil.
Though a bit awkward at first, Myers said he has grown comfortable using TikTok. He can shoot, edit and post videos in as little as 15 minutes from his cellphone.
Public understanding of farming is crucial, he said. It shows people where their food comes from and why they should support U.S. agriculture.
“We have gotten ourselves to a point where, from a regulatory standpoint, we’re at a massively significant disadvantage,” Myers said. “It is OK that voters have asked us to do specific things, like reduce our water usage and use less chemicals. But they’re not fine if the consumer doesn’t realize it’s going to cost more.
“If we don’t tell people why we need to charge more,” he added, “they’re never going to pay us more.”
Oregon Aglink will host its annual Denim and Diamonds fundraiser on Nov. 18 at the Salem Convention Center. A reception begins at 5 p.m., with dinner at 7.
For more information, visit www.aglink.org.
