Melissa Midgley
Family: Together Melissa Midgley and her husband Lance have five children with 16-year-old son Caleb still at home.
In Town: “I have worked in the Talihina, Okla., Branch of the Spiro State Bank for 23 years, first as a teller. I have been a loan officer for the last 10 years but in a town and a facility of this size everyone has to be able to do several different jobs. I earned a two-year degree in business and started working for the bank before I graduated. My husband, Lance, works as an oil rig consultant and is on two weeks and off two weeks so he is gone much of the time. Though we have five children, Caleb, our 16-year-old son, is the only one at home and attends Talihina High School.”
In the Country: “Our tax advisor suggested a small commercial cattle operation to help with our taxable income level. We gladly took it from there. We live on 20 acres in Wister, Okla., but are currently purchasing another 40. I like the black Limousin breed because they look strong and are more muscled. We only started our cattle operation a year ago, and neither my husband nor I have any farming background so we are learning daily. The best advice we have gotten so far are tips on breeding wisely so we produce profitable calves. We currently sell our calves at 400 pounds and take the bigger calves to our vet for shots and castration. However, we are taking a class in the spring called the OSU Calves Boot Camp to lower our overhead and because we want to be more independent. We change pastures according to calf weight starting with a weaning pasture. We supplement with a grain mix not only to support growth but to keep the animals accustomed to our presence and make them easier to work.”
Future Plans: “Our dual income allows us to build our cattle operation which we plan on continuing. However, Lance’s schedule also means most of the hands-on cattle work has to be done by me and Caleb and daughter, Shaylin. Because of our recent involvement in production agriculture, Caleb is now in FFA and might become an officer in the future. Our goal is to retire in 10 years when we plan on spending time developing and improving our herd.”
