The U.S. Custom Harvesters Hall of Fame

INDUCTEES OF USCHI HALL OF FAME

Lance & Mona Stephenson - (2016)

Lance Stephenson was born March 7, 1945 in Webb, OK. He started combining wheat the summer of 1961. Took his fathers 27' Massey to a neighbor's wheat field. The following summer he cut for Neighbor and another neighbor.
1963 started to College at NWSC at Alva OK.
1967 went back to the farm to help his father Ranch and Farm.

Lance and Mona (Barney) were married Sept. 3, 1964.
They have two children Neal and Lana
They celebrated 50 years of marriage 2014.

In 1967 he made his first run to North Dakota
In early 1970's Mona drove truck and kept their daughter with her, while Lance kept little son with him on blanket in floor of combine.
Son Neal started when he was 10 year old driving a combine.
Daughter Lana also drove a combine then went on to drive a truck.

Summer of 2015 he is still harvesting for the same farmer that he first started for the summer of 1961.
He has went from Massey Combines to Case Combines in 1985, From Case to John Deere in 2001.

Lance got his first Tandem Truck in 1973. Semi's in 1984.
Earlier years loaded combines with 14 ft. headers on single axle trucks.
Purchased first combine at age of 21. At that time the combines had no cabs, or air conditioning.
First year that he went to Southern OK didn't have a Harvest Trailer. He stayed in apartment above grocery store.

He hired first boy from South Africa in 1982 as a FFA Exchange Program.
Since then has employed H2-A labor from South Africa every year.

Some of the major changes Lance have seen in 53 years of harvesting are Being able to obtain qualified workers. The size of equipment, fuel prices, and farmers with their own equipment, new government regulations and fewer farmers

Summer of 1971 Lance purchased gasoline in Arapaho, OK for 19.9 cents Per gallon. His trucks at the time were all gasoline. In 2008 diesel was $4.97 per gal in Limon, Colo.

Lance has had 3 generation working with him harvesting.
From son Neal and wife Monica, to grandsons Brandon, Brant and Lyle, and Granddaughter Katie. All but 1 grandchild have helped with the harvest. He finally run out of Grandchildren.

Neal continued to be a business partner until summer of 2015.
He also farmed at home and had to much farming of his own, Needed to be home.

Lance and Mona have 2 children, Neal and Lana
5 Grandchildren and 6 Great Grandchildren.

Lance has been a member of USCHI since it was organized.
Lance and Mona have made numerous trips to the State Capitol in Oklahoma City to work on permits or legislative issues.
In the early 1990's there was not an Insurance company that would write Insurance in Oklahoma. Lance spent many hours and trips to State Insurance Commissioner to discuss this situation. A ruling from the State Insurance Commissioner was that if any Insurance Co wrote Insurance for Custom Harvesters in other States they had to write Insurance in Oklahoma also. Three Insurance Companies opened up to start writing Insurance in and For Oklahoma Custom Harvesters.
He also worked on CDL for H2-A employees in the early 1990's

Lance has represented Oklahoma at the conventions when we have State Meetings concerning Permits and Legislation. He has always been available and taken the time to work on any questions or issues presented to him. He is a valuable asset to our rules and regulations for all members concerned.

He says that the benefits of working the harvest, include meeting many good Friends and Customers.

Love of his job as a Husband, Father, Grandfather, Harvester, Rancher And Christian Friend is always important to Lance.

Lance Stephenson