At the Dedication Display of Mona Lee Brock, Farm Director KC Sheperd had the chance to visit with the American Farmers and Ranchers Secretary, Paul Jackson, about the impact Brock had on the lives of many.
The event honored the late Mona Lee Brock for her farm stress advocacy work during the 1980s Farm Crisis.
Brock is recognized within Oklahoma and across the nation for her work—country music star Willie Nelson called her “The Angel on the End of the Line” as she took farm stress calls from distressed farmers and ranchers facing foreclosure and dealing with drought, low farm prices, high-interest rates and devalued land prices (high inflation).
Mona Lee Brock was a retired educator whose own family experienced the loss of their farm. Over time, Brock began to take calls not just from Oklahomans, but from farmers across the country. She ultimately helped save not only thousands of farms but also thousands of families. Remarks were made by several families impacted by Brock including Jim Esbenshade, Scott Blubaugh, Wayne Allen, and Brock’s son, Ronnie Brock. Ag Secretary, Blayne Arthur was also on hand for the reveal.
Not only did Mona Lee Brock touch so many lives, Jackson said, but she also impacted many generations because of the lives she saved.
“It was not just in the 1980s- it truly was a long time that folks have been impacted,” Jackson said.
At the dedication event, Jackson said many individuals expressed personal stories of how their lives and the lives of people they know and love have been impacted by Mona Lee Brock
“We hope we never see interest rates go to that 21 percent of the 1980s, but already this last year, we have seen the doubling of interest rates,” Jackson said.
Tough times in the 1980s, similar to today, make staying in business hard for many farmers. The difference between farming and other career paths, Jackson said, is the pressure these individuals feel because of their connection to the land, and in many cases because the farm has been in their family for generations.
“It is part of your heritage,” Jackson said. “It is part of your lifeblood, and your soul, if you will. You put your life into that, you work long hours, and you are always hopeful there is another good crop and everything.”
Most farmers have a lot of pride, Jackson said, which can lead them to keep all of their stress held up.
“Farmers and ranchers, we are very independent, we are bullheaded, we just want to do it our way, and we don’t think we need any help,” Jackson said. “I think that is one of the big hurdles that we all have to get over in agriculture.”
