Brad Bain of McCurtain County honored with OSU Extension Distinguished Educator award
Friday, January 12, 2024
Media Contact: Gail Ellis | Editorial Communications Coordinator | 405-744-9152 | gail.ellis@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University Extension has recognized Brad Bain, McCurtain County Extension director and agriculture educator, with its annual Distinguished Educator award.
He was honored at an awards ceremony during the OSU Extension Biennial Conference Jan. 11 in Stillwater.
“We are grateful that Brad’s experiences in 4-H as a youth helped bring him to a career in Extension,” said Dr. Damona Doye, OSU Extension associate vice president. “He has contributed tremendously to youth development, production agriculture and community economic development in his role. His hard work and commitment to the Extension mission have served many people very well.”
Bain’s early days in 4-H and Extension are linked to his childhood. He was a member of the Valliant 4-H Club and enjoyed livestock judging. His county team won the Oklahoma 4-H championship twice, took home the OSU Field Days Sweepstakes Trophy and competed in three national contests. His mother served as a Valliant 4-H leader, and both of his parents were involved in county and district Extension advisory committees.
While a student at Eastern Oklahoma State College, Bain launched his professional career in Extension by serving as a program assistant for 4-H youth in the Choctaw Nation. He earned a degree in agricultural education from OSU and worked as the 4-H educator in Dewey and Major counties for two years. After a six-year stint teaching high school agricultural education, he returned to Extension as the 4-H educator in McCurtain County in 2002. Bain took on the duties of county Extension director in 2008 and added the title of state poultry waste management education coordinator to his title in 2022.
Bain considers 4-H and Extension programming his life’s work, providing youth and producers opportunities to develop and thrive within their communities. As a 4-H educator, he enjoyed organizing McCurtain County’s 4-H camp with fun breakout workshops, evening presentations, good food, a comedy skit night and a dance for 150 camp attendees.
He also initiated officer workshops, public speaking events and record book sessions.
“I believed then, and still do, that a county 4-H program is only as good as its local clubs,” Bain said.
His school enrichment projects through 4-H included Ag in the Classroom, High School Financial Planning, an environmental stewardship program, dairy education and the Southeast Oklahoma Youth Leadership Program. Bain hosted the two-day leadership retreat with fellow educators from Choctaw and Pushmataha counties for non-4-H members who had been denied leadership opportunities at school due to race, economic status or other factors.
He also coached a successful forestry judging team and partnered with his county’s family and consumer sciences educator to offer beef cooking schools.
When Bain became McCurtain County Extension’s director and agriculture educator, he learned firsthand how his community relies on the expertise of a local Extension office.
“With 4-H, you can look at your calendar and predict what questions you are going to get 90% of the time,” he said. “As an ag educator, it feels like it’s something new every time someone comes in the door, calls you on your phone, or sees you at your grocery store or kid’s ball game.”
The McCurtain County office typically sends 250-275 test samples to the OSU Soil, Water and Forage Analytical Laboratory in Stillwater every year, and Bain provides handwritten recommendations for each set of results. He is available for weed, insect and disease identification services, has served as the executive director of the McCurtain County Cattlemen’s Association and has led his county’s Master Cattlemen program, developing and presenting short courses on hay and forage management for producers.
As the county Extension director, Bain has strengthened relationships with county commissioners, the excise board and other local funding sources while advocating for Extension resources and programming. Bain’s additional role of state poultry waste management education coordinator has allowed him to work closely with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Oklahoma Conservation Commission to write new rules and regulations for the state’s newest poultry legislation.
“Brad has that unique mix of intellect, wit and practicality that enables him to be a great county educator,” said Claude Bess, OSU Extension southeast district director. “However, it’s his servant’s heart and strong work ethic combined with his love of people and family that makes him a distinguished educator.”
Like all hardworking and devoted Extension educators, there are no limits to the amount of energy and time Bain devotes to his Extension career. He said he’s always been fortunate to have the support of excellent county and district directors to elevate Extension engagement in McCurtain County.
“Extension has changed a lot in the past 20 years — first the internet, then social media,” Bain said. “It’s caused our job to evolve. In a time when information and misinformation are everywhere, my neighbors know they can rely on Extension for research-based answers to their questions.”
Alongside his wife and two children, Bain operates the family cattle herd on land that was owned by his grandfather. Even though he didn’t grow up to become the full-time farmer he dreamed of as a child, he thrives today in his role of helping others find success in their agricultural pursuits.
“I know that I’m in a distinguished profession, and I will forever be grateful to serve my home county and state in this role,” Bain said.