This month’s Kansas Ag Heroes are Debbie Lyons-Blythe and her husband Duane Blythe, who own and operate Blythe Family Farms near White City in the heart of the Kansas Flint Hills.
Debbie carries on a powerful legacy of leadership in Kansas agriculture. Her mother is Jan Lyons, who is an ag hero in her own right, and who raised Debbie and her younger sister Amy to understand and love the family business. Duane also grew up raising cattle, taking over his family’s operation at the tender age of 14 after his father passed away. Duane's grandfather Lawrence J. Blythe was also a rancher and a State Representative for more than 20 years. Debbie and Duane both feel a commitment to the land and the people of Kansas. They began Blythe Family Farms in 1989 on the same ranch that Duane’s great-great-grandfather settled in 1890. Their five kids (Meghan, Allie, Trent, Tyler, and Eric) grew up tagging along with Debbie in the tractor while Duane worked at the bank in town during the week. On the weekends, the whole family came together to take care of the farm chores, grow wheat, corn, and soybeans, and raise high-quality cattle.
Debbie now serves as the Chair of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, and Blythe Family Farms recently received the Certified Angus Beef Progressive Partner Award. Debbie and Duane are on the front lines – proving that farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers are the original conservationists and that raising beef is a sustainable part of caring for the land. Debbie and Duane are Kansas Ag Heroes because they are attuned to the past while being future-oriented; they see it as their responsibility to carry on agriculture’s history and empower the next generation of producers. Even though Debbie and Duane have no immediate plans to retire, they are already thinking about the mechanics of transitioning their farm to their five children. Duane has been preparing a “transition kit” for years, which includes a grazing management plan featuring photos of pastures and plants as well as handwritten notes about weather and grazing.
Compared to 30 years ago, it takes less land, less water, and less energy to produce a pound of beef because of the creative advancements and hard work of ranchers like Debbie and Duane. On her blog, Debbie writes, “Every day I work to make the land better than it was when I began ranching, not just because it keeps me in business, but because it is the right thing to do. Caring for the land is a responsibility that we feel for ourselves and future generations.”
Debbie and Duane are people of faith. They have three wooden crosses on a hill where people gather at sunrise on Easter morning with the local youth ministry to read scripture and sing hymns. The Blythe family’s faith informs them as they gather around agriculture itself and rally people together around its founding principles of faith, family, freedom, and hard work. Ag heroes are people who understand that the calling of agriculture involves self-sacrificial care for your land, your loved ones, and your community. This family, under Debbie and Duane’s leadership, exemplifies what makes this calling so special. It isn’t just a business, it’s a way of life, a responsibility, and an opportunity to serve people everywhere. You can find out more about Debbie and Duane's family operation at their website Blytheangus.com.
