Tag Archives: Andy Barth

Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon–The Road Less Traveled

Family farms have been a tradition in America for years. From crops to livestock, farmers keep the grocery stores shelves stocked and the clothes racks full.

A trend that is emerging is the average age of farmers is increasing and less and less young farmers are coming up to take their place. With the global population nearing nine billion, a small amount of people are presented with the task of feeding and clothing more with less.

Despite this grim scenario, a young couple in Western Oklahoma are bucking the trends and have a farm and then some. I was able to spend a couple days with the Base family at their farm in Geary, Okla. It was easy to see their passion for agriculture and it was obvious to see how dedicated they are.

In today’s video blog, we take a look at the Base Vines and Cattle farm. Diversity doesn’t begin to describe what the Base family does. They seem to have their hands in all things agriculture. They have a little bit of traditional and a little bit of nontraditional. All in all they are definitely doing their part in feeding the world.

Andy Barth

On the Horizon: Variety on the Farm from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.

Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon: Give Them a Fighting Chance

Whether I am recovering from a surgery or just that annoying lower back twinge we get from time to time, I am grateful for pain medication. It amazes me how scientists have figured out ways of stopping, or at least minimizing pain. But with all of the different cases for which I have taken prescription medicine I have never found myself “needing” more. The best side effect for me is the fact that it takes the pain away.

Every day we see more and more people hooked on prescription medicine. This epidemic is quickly becoming more serious than marijuana and cocaine. It is a sad and dangerous issue but one that doesn’t only hurt addicts and their loved ones. While reading an article about prescription drug abuse, I came across some frightening information. According to doctors in Oklahoma City, women are more likely to become addicted to prescription painkillers. With that increase comes the higher rate of unborn babies also becoming addicted. Our world can be a scary and dangerous place. Add that to the fact that an unborn baby is addicted to painkillers through no fault of their own – it is disheartening.

Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice is not an issue. If a baby is coming into the world, they should not have to start out a step behind because of unfortunate choices of their parent.

Andy Barth

On the Horizon: Prescription Drug Abuse from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.

Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon: It’s Hard and That’s a Good Thing

On a recent trip to Southeast Oklahoma, I met a group of students who really impressed me. They were all valedictorians at their home schools and taking a pre-engineering course at Kiamichi Tech Center in Idabel.

Now a lot of people think that going to a tech center means you aren’t planning on going to college, but that just isn’t the case. Many students are taking courses at local tech centers to prepare them to go to college. In the pre-engineering course, the instructor talked about how he had a student who had gone through his class and then went to college only to find out that one of the books they had used while in high school, was the same book that was being used in his college class. The only difference…when he went through it at the tech center, they went ALL the way through the book and at college they only did a portion of it. So he actually got more academic training at Kiamichi Tech than he did in his college class.

When I asked each of the students why they took the pre-engineering class at Kiamichi Tech, every single one of them said, “Because it’s more challenging.” They were wanting an education that challenged them and the basic high school classes just weren’t enough. There was even one student who before taking the class was very introverted and wouldn’t talk to anyone and just kept to himself. But after going through the pre-engineering class, he became very outgoing and animated when talking about what he was learning. I guess his classmates were more on his level and could understand him. It’s really nice to see high school students excited about learning.

In this week’s video blog, meet the students from Kiamichi Tech Center’s pre-engineering class and see what makes these kids want to learn more.
Alisa Hines

On the Horizon: It’s Hard and That’s a Good Thing! from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.

Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon: Tuition is Up, Up, and Away

I remember receiving mail from the Bursar’s office and always cringing at the sight of my tuition bill. Luckily, I had scholarships to fund a lot of my education, but because I was an out-of-state student, my bill was even higher than most of my peers. I realize a college degree is important, but how much is too much for a piece of paper in a picture frame?

In today’s video blog, we take a look at the national student debt and why employers are saying that graduates aren’t fully prepared for the workplace.
Andy Barth

Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon: Bracing for another waterless storm

It’s still hard for me to get over the fact that water is being rationed. I come from a state where water is everywhere and we never have to worry about how to water livestock, the grass or ourselves. This concept of only being allowed to use so much water per day reminds me of the stories about war time and having to ration food and supplies for the troops.

I have covered the drought from a journalistic standpoint since its beginning in 2011. I’ve witnessed the heartbreak, the struggles, the concerns, and the farmers’ realization that their livelihood may not be a reality any longer. I have sympathized with them and, on occasion, have had to put down the camera and share in their tears.

In this week’s video blog, we take a look at the year 2013 and how all signs point to a continued drought with record setting heat. We talk with a cattle producer whose goal in life is to raise cattle and be the best producer he can be.

In the words of Paul Harvey on the 2013 Dodge Ram Super Bowl commercial, we need someone who will be dedicated to feeding and clothing the world “so God made a farmer.”
Andy Barth