Keith Cyrus inducted into hall of fame

Keith Cyrus, of Deschutes County Farm Bureau, was inducted into the Oregon Farm Bureau (OFB) Hall of Fame in recognition of his years of exemplary service and volunteer leadership.

The induction came at the Oregon Farm Bureau 79th Anniversary State Convention earlier this month.

"It's a great honor to join the few in Oregon who have been honored before me," Cyrus told The Nugget. "It's really special."

A fifth-generation farmer, Cyrus was born and raised near Sisters.

"I started helping my parents farm when I was 7, 8 years old," he recalled.

From raking hay he moved to bailing with one of the first automated bailing machines in Sisters Country.

In 1959, he made a down payment on a farm with money earned from his 4-H animals, and began farming on his own. He and his wife Connie have since built the farm to its current 900 acres.

Seed potatoes provided the main cash crop in those days.

"That was kind of our backbone," he said.

Seed potatoes were a good crop for Cyrus, but the pressures of competition made it less and less viable. Areas with bigger acreages and closer proximity to markets could outcompete Sisters Country, which had nearly the same input costs for lesser yields.

Cyrus continues to farm, raising wheat, which he describes as "a bit hit-and-miss, depending on the weather," and cattle and hay.

Cyrus has always served the farming community and helped the Central Oregon agricultural industry innovate to try to stay up with changing times and markets.

The Hall of Fame, established in 1996, is the highest award given by OFB. To be eligible, candidates must be nominated by their county Farm Bureau and must have at least 35 years of active involvement in the organization. Inductees are selected by the OFB membership and recognition committee. Cyrus is the 20th Farm Bureau member to be inducted into the OFB Hall of Fame.

"Farm Bureau and the Oregon agriculture industry as a whole are better off because of the decades of involvement, passion, and dedication of Keith Cyrus," said OFB President Barry Bushue. "We are honored to induct him into the Oregon Farm Bureau Hall of Fame."

Over the decades, Keith Cyrus has served as president, vice president, and board member of the Deschutes County Farm Bureau.

Cyrus brought a number of innovations to the Deschutes County farming community, including use of the first solid-set sprinklers for frost protection of potatoes. This technology enabled other potato growers to not only protect their crops from killing summer frosts, but to enhance production, conserve water and fertilizer, and raise crops more uniformly.

Cyrus also was the first in the community to build irrigation storage reservoirs, use wheel lines, and install center-pivot irrigation. Before other farmers in the area, Cyrus drilled irrigation wells to provide supplemental water when the irrigation district ran short.

Cyrus also is a supporter of the OSU Extension Service, and allowed it to use his land for crop research plots.

There is a bittersweet edge to the recognition of a long career as a farmer. Asked if he saw his grandchildren carrying on the family tradition, he said: "I wouldn't wish it on 'em. I don't see family continuing with what we've done. There's no future in it, unfortunately."

An increasingly globalized market has created uncertainties that increase the risks in a business that has always been at the mercy of markets and the weather. For example, major Brazilian purchases of fertilizer have driven costs up 30 percent, Cyrus reported.

That kind of spike makes raising a crop of hay a gut-tightening proposition.

"With the high input costs, it's gotten to be a high-stakes, high-risk game," Cyrus said.

Cyrus noted that the development of Aspen Lakes as a golf course and residential development was his family's response to the vagaries of farming -it was conceived as a means of subsidizing the original family business.

And, though the future of farming in Sisters Country is uncertain, the family tradition has continued.

"Perhaps there is no greater testament to Keith's dedication and life of service to Farm Bureau than to know that his son Matt has been a Farm Bureau leader for more than 30 years," said Bushue.

Cyrus has received numerous agricultural awards in his lifetime, including the Oregon Jaycees Outstanding Young Farmer for Oregon, the Voice of the Oregon Potato Industry, and the Outstanding Soil and Water Cooperator. He has also served on the county planning commission and the Cloverdale Fire District board, among many other appointments.

Now he has an even bigger award to attest to a lifetime of service.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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