New OSU Extension educator ready to meet local farmers, ranchers

Image
  • Zack Henderson
Body

Zack Henderson, the newest addition to the Custer County OSU Extension office, said he is ready to get out and meet all the county farmers and ranchers.

Henderson has been farming most of his life in the Elk City-Sayre area. His family has a cow-calf operation which also grows hay, wheat and bit of cotton.

“I’ve got a lot of experience with pretty much every kind of crop grown in Custer County,” he said.

Henderson has settled into his job after joining the extension Monday and now is looking forward to getting out and helping the local farmers and ranchers.

“I am young, but I have farmed my entire life, and I know how a farmer thinks,” he said. “My goal is to reach out and see what problems they have. I think it’s easier for someone involved in the industry to wrap their minds around issues and build educational tools to help maximize output.”

Henderson graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in agriculture business. After graduation, he and his wife moved to Tulsa for a year before returning to Western Oklahoma to help with the family business.

He interned at the Kiowa County extension office in 2016, where he learned a little bit of everything. While in Kiowa County, he put on a successful livestock judging contest which drew in 200-300 students from 16 different counties. Henderson said he hopes to put on another contest in Custer County.

Henderson also wants to revive the Custer County Cattlemen’s Association and write a weekly agriculture column in the Weatherford Daily News.

Those interested in the Cattlemen’s Association or other agriculture related questions can contact Henderson at (580) 323-2291.