There She is, Miss Agriculture!

Two months ago Poteau High School Junior Traegan Ballard was named LeFlore County Miss Agriculture. “It’s really rewarding, I never thought that I’d do something like this.” Traegan will be competing for the title of State Miss Agriculture in Broken Arrow sometime in August and if she qualifies she’ll go on to nationals. “One of my friends from Roland won national, so I hope I get that opportunity.” According to their website, Miss Agriculture is a non-profit organization that was started in 2018 to promote and celebrate all forms of agriculture. Not only does it bring awareness to the agriculture industry, but it also helps contestants build confidence, develop public speaking skills, and form lasting friendships within their community. Instead of the typical pageant events, Traegan will be graded on what her agricultural impact is and how she spreads awareness for agriculture. For example, Miss Agriculture has an evening wear category with a twist “You have to come up with formal wear that includes something special from Oklahoma… I’ll probably do something that involves my native heritage with the Cherokees,” explained Ballard. When asked how she felt about winning the county title Traegan  stated “ I’ve never been a pageant girl, (so) knowing that I could succeed in doing this means a lot and it really helps realize that I do anything I set my mind to.”  We want to wish Traegan the best of luck at state!