New state agriculture board member dies at 68
Recently appointed Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture member Joe Mayer has died.
Mayer, 68, of Guymon, died after a heart attack on Saturday.
“We will miss Joe very much . ... Joe was a caring, hardworking state and national leader for many years. Our prayers go to his family in our loss,” said Jim Reese, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture.
Gov. Mary Fallin had appointed and the state Senate had recently confirmed the appointment of Mayer to serve a fouryear term as a member of the board. He participated in his first meeting May 8.
“Joe Mayer was very knowledgeable of the grain and cattle business. I appreciate his willingness to serve on the state Board of Agriculture, and to help Oklahoma’s ranchers and farmers in various capacities. He has been recognized nationally and internationally for innovation and willingness to embrace new technologies. He once said his dedication to his community was how he was raised to try to make the world a better place for having been here. He will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time,” Fallin said in a statement released Monday.
Mayer grew up on the cattle ranch his greatgrandfather established in the Oklahoma Panhandle in 1883.
The ranch has grown into a 35,000-acre beef and small grain operation, which has received national and international recognition for innovation and willingness to embrace new technologies.
His work to improve his Angus herd through careful breeding and record keeping and DNA testing for specific traits earned him the Certified Angus Beef Commercial Producer of the Year Award in 2013.
Mayer was also a recipient of the Governor’s Outstanding Achievement in Agriculture award, which is the Oklahoma Agriculture Hall of Fame.
Mayer served on Gov. Frank Keating’s transition team and numerous other state and county task forces and commissions.
He also had served as director or chairman of many state and federal committees devoted to agriculture and private property rights. He served on the USDA FSA Committee under both Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush.
Mayer and his wife, Mary Anne, have three children, Paul, Katie and Margie, who all still work for the family farm and ranch business.