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. 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 products on my own farm, I believe I've found an ally in Pro-Soil." 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 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 products works to release tied-up nutrients, which he credits for increased soil tilth, improved crop health and higher yields on his farm despite last year's extreme weather. 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 conservation 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.