Tulsa County farmer-rancher Mike Spradling was elected as the eighth president of Oklahoma Farm Bureau Nov. 10, 2007, at the organization’s 66th annual meeting in Oklahoma City.
Spradling won a two-year term as the president of the state’s largest general farm organization. He succeeds Steve Kouplen of Beggs, who had served four consecutive two-year terms as president and was prohibited from seeking another by term limits.
The 58-year-old farmer-rancher along with his wife, Lotsee, own and operate the Flying G Ranch near Sand Springs. Cattle and pecans are the primary agricultural enterprises. They also have a retail pecan operation and own a nursing home business.
Spradling has been active in Farm Bureau for more than 30 years. His first involvement came with the Young Farmers and Ranchers, where he served on the state committee. He has been a longtime Tulsa County Farm Bureau leader and has been president of the board for many terms.
Spradling also was in the first class of the Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program. OALP is open to Oklahoma men and women, 25 to 45 years of age, who are engaged in production agriculture or a related agriculture business. They must show a strong commitment to aspire to a leadership role to benefit Oklahoma agriculture. It consists of a series of seminars and study tours over a two-year period.
He has served on the Oklahoma Farm Bureau state board of directors since 1999, when he was elected to fill an unexpired term. Spradling was re-elected and has served continuously since then, representing Farm Bureau members from Creek, Lincoln, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Payne, Pawnee, Tulsa and Washington counties as the district nine director.
The newly-elected Farm Bureau president has served as a trustee for Indian Electric Coop and has been a representative on the Oklahoma Association of Electric Coops.
Spradling is a 1966 graduate of Broken Arrow High School. He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in business. He also earned an associate degree in health following his graduation from OSU.
Spradling and his wife, Lotsee, have three adult children.
