Matt Gard
Progressive, Innovative Farm
Leadership
A highly respected leader in the farming
community, Matt Gard is a member of the Oklahoma State University 2005 farmer leadership
class and was most recently named Oklahoma's Master Agronomist for 2008.
He is Chairman of the Board and President of the
Plains Oilseed Products Cooperative, Conservation Commissioner for Northwest
Oklahoma, a Board Member of OKFREE and a member of the Oklahoma Wheat Growers
Association and National Corn Growers Association. He is also a Certified Crop
Advisor and has a commercial pilot rating.
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PRO-SOIL PRODUCER PROFILE
Garding
Soil Health
FAIRVIEW, OKLAHOMA --
As a Conservation Commissioner for Northwest Oklahoma, Pro-Soil producer Matt Gard is committed to
conserving the state’s natural resources and to protecting the health of its soil.
As a fourth-generation farmer who manages over 8,000 acres of hay and row crops near Fairview, he’s
spent a lot of time searching for environmentally-friendly and sustainable ways to operate his farms
more profitably.
Gard says, "Since my involvement four years ago with Ray Trent, and after using biological soil
fertilizers on my own farm, I believe I've found an ally in
Pro-Soil Ag Solutions."
Gard, who is also a seed dealer and certified
crop advisor, purchased his first property and started farming in 1978 at the age of 17.
Today he says that rising input costs, including
the price of fuel and fertilizers, have forced him to change the way
he farms.
Releasing
Fertilizer Nutrients Tied Up
in
the
Soil
"We had fertilizer not being utilized because it
was tied up in the soil and we had
to find a solution that would release it."
According to Gard, the plant nutrient profile in Pro-Soil’s
liquid fertilizer for soil acts as a bio stimulant and works to release tied-up nutrients -- an
action which he credits for
increased soil tilth, improved crop health and higher yields on his farm despite last year's
extreme weather in Oklahoma.
68 Bushel Beans Despite Harsh Growth Climate
"Excessive moisture followed by severely hot, dry temperatures over
100° really hit the other crops on their head, but our soybeans and cotton still did very well.
We
had 68 bushel soybeans even though we planted a month and a half late due to tremendous amounts of
rain. I believe Pro-Soil
made the difference. Without a doubt it enabled us to achieve high yields in such a
harsh growth climate.
Pro-Soil's method of below ground management is a truly common
sense approach to agriculture: spending dollars where they do the most good, improving soil quality
and plant health, reducing long-term input costs, and promoting a cleaner environment all add up to
profitable, sustainable farming I am proud to endorse."
Matt Gard grows wheat, canola, cotton, corn, soybeans
and alfalfa on his 3,000-acre family farm - a fourth-generation Oklahoma Centennial Farm
- in Major County near Fairview, Oklahoma. Mostly
minimum-till, his current farming practices include very little clean till and some no-till.
He also owns and operates Cheyenne Valley Ag
Applicators, custom spraying; and Gard Seed Service, which carries Dekalb, Asgrow, NK, and Producers Hybrids brands of seeds. As the oldest Garst dealership in Oklahoma
– he often ranks in the top 5% of sales nationwide.
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