News

In far northeast Oklahoma, next to Tar Creek, sits Homa Thomas Field, home of the Golden Norsemen Baseball Team. A program known for its competitive edge and strong appearances in its Regional Tournament, the Northeastern A&M Baseball Team has made a name for itself, both in the local Miami community and across the state of Oklahoma.

Yet, with bright success also comes stormy challenges – and in this case, those stormy challenges were literal. In 2019, as well as 2007, the Miami area was hit with torrential rain and flash flooding, causing Tar Creek to overflow and damage the Golden Norsemen’s warmup areas, batting cages, dugouts and locker rooms. Where insurance was able to kick in to repair some of these areas, Roger Ward, Head Coach of the NEO A&M Baseball Team, wants to go one step further by creating a facility that will sustain any future floods.

In collaboration with CoBank’s Sharing Success program, Oklahoma AgCredit and CoBank were able to donate $2,000 towards the project. For some employees of Oklahoma AgCredit, this donation was incredibly special.

“As an alumni of NEO and local community member of Miami, giving back to the college that helped me become who I am today was ‘full-circle,’” says Michael Robinson, Branch Manager of Oklahoma AgCredit’s Vinita location. “It’s an incredible feeling knowing that I am a part of an association like Oklahoma AgCredit and a funding bank like CoBank where it’s their mission to intentionally invest back into rural communities and agriculture. It’s even more incredible when their investment goes back to my own community.”

NEO A&M Baseball recently received full funding to begin Phase I of this project through additional donors, in conjunction with Oklahoma AgCredit’s and CoBank’s contribution. Phase I is set to be completed in 2024.

"Coach Ward has put a lot of thought into this project," states Steve Davenport, Chief Credit Officer of Oklahoma AgCredit and NEO A&M Alum. "I'm excited to see the impact these upgrades will have, for the baseball program and community as a whole."

About Oklahoma AgCredit

Oklahoma AgCredit supports rural communities in 60 counties with reliable, consistent credit. Headquartered in Edmond, Okla., the agricultural lending cooperative serves borrowers from 18 full-time lending offices and a number of weekly contact points. A member of the Farm Credit System, Oklahoma AgCredit provides loans to agricultural producers and rural landowners with combined assets over $1.9 billion and a portfolio of more than 6,500 loans. Visit okagcredit.com or call 866-245-3633 for more.

Media Contact:

Emily Gilley
Marketing Manager
marketing@okagcredit.com