Cc

Purebred, Show, Sport

Show, Sport, Companionship

I support providing a market and distribution for the small holders in my state. I volunteer by driving my personal 1-ton flatbed with their product. Orders are placed online through a cooperative that serves the entire state of Oklahoma. When orders are closed I arrange to meet the producers in downtown Tulsa at the Fairgrounds early AM to load their product once a month. There are other volunteers when I don't drive.

I bring a trailer for them to load their products. The trailer is property of the cooperative. I collect a little cash from the producers for tolls and diesel. I drive the loaded trailer to a distribution center in Oklahoma City where volunteer members of the cooperative fill thousands of orders.

By 2pm I am loaded again for my return trip to Tulsa. I have paperwork in hand, make phone calls and get on the road again. On the best days I have a navigator who keeps me company by telling funny stories of her Okie ranching ancesters. Today she is an urbanite.

Arriving in Tulsa members who purchased the products will meet me there to help unload. I make one brief stop in South Tulsa where a volunteer site manager there unloads product at that pick-up location. Other volunteer drivers will meet me in Tulsa to pick up their member's orders and fan out to other pick-up sites northward outside of Tulsa. One does home and work deliveries.

I am paid in product credit for the return trip. My favorite meat is bison, but soon I wish to try some of that black hog, must be something special so I hear.

The cooperative members also donate generously to feed the hungry, support urban gardens which includes planting fruit and nut trees.

Producer small holders also sell in various local stores and markets, including the grocery chain store Reasor's.

Building the alternative food infastructure, keeping it regional, and hoping that one day this good food will be available to many, many more while building local communities and building more of these viable farms along the way.

I know the producers and their families. To see them profit is very personal for me.

I support urban ag and urban farms.

Our model of cooperative is free to anyone and has been used as a model around the country. For details see the website:
www.oklahomafood.coop

Update: I have finally tried black hog. So very good.

APHA, Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA), Oklahoma Food Cooperative, R-CALF USA

American Paint Horses, books, gardening, cooking, lots of stuff.

Favorite bloodlines are Wiescamp, Bonanza, Sonny Dee Bar, Joe Reed, Skipper W, Waggoner, The Ole Man, Cowboy Ranger, Q Ton and Junior Robertson bred horses.

Miami, FL