Gary Obenhaus has dedicated many hours to the corn industry aboard his tractor and harvesters, and as a director on the Texas Corn Producers Board.

Born and raised on a farm, Obenhaus has remained involved in the issues, trends and interests that are important to the corn industry, while also raising cotton, cattle, soybeans and hay in Colorado County.

As a TCPB director, Obenhaus serves on the Advertising, Education and Promotion Committee that aims to spread the good word about Texas corn and it’s many uses and benefits.

"There are so many uses and bi-products of corn," Obenhaus said. "That is just one of the many key pieces of information we need to educate producers and consumers about the corn industry."

Obenhaus encourages others to pay close attention to the details that make for a successful and profitable farming operation.

"Make finance and marketing expertise a high priority in the many skills needed to make it in this industry."

Aside from the daily farm operations and his activities with Texas Corn Producers Board, Obenhaus is also involved with his local church.

David Ford
Dumas, Texas


 
Texas Corn Producers Board director David Ford of Dumas, Texas farms land in Hartley and Moore counties.

He grows 3,000 acres of corn, 1,000 acres of wheat and 1,200 acres of cotton with his brother, Donald, and his son, Kevin, who is a fourth generation farmer in the family. In addition to row crop production, David also has a 250 head cow/calf operation.

David is currently in the middle of his second term as a TCPB director, and has been on the board for eight years. He also serves as president of the Corn Producers Association of Texas.

"I wanted to be more invovled in the direction of corn production in Texas and do my part to improve things for producers," David said. "Those are the main reasons I wanted to be apart of TCPB."

David said that the 2007 Farm Bill is among the most important issues that he feels currently affect Texas corn producers.

"Getting the farm bill through and promoting the ethanol industry are both ongoing projects that TCPB continues to be involved in actively," he said. "We also need to meet the need for improvement in drought tolerant corn varieties."

David and his wife of 34 years, Vicki, have three children: Jeff, who is a girl’s basketball coach in Lasbudy; Dena, who lives with her husband John in St. Louis; and Kevin, and his wife Kylie.