EDITORIAL: Magazine coming Saturday

Sep. 22—Our community has a history of farming and ranching, which we feature in the latest edition of our McAlester Living magazine.

The magazine is set to be inserted in Saturday's print edition of the McAlester News-Capital and will be available at our offices at 500 S. Second St. in McAlester.

Big V Feeds in McAlester is one of the largest feed producers in the state and the Verner family has deep roots in the community.

Verner Ranch, or Big V Ranch, along U.S. Highway 270 in McAlester is well-known in the area for buffaloes grazing in the pastures, the sheer mass of land, the late Christine Verner's art studio and gallery, and more.

Our latest McAlester Living magazine takes a look at the Verner family's history, how Big V Ranch came to fruition, and how Big V Feeds became a success.

Of course, we also write about the Big V Clydesdales that quickly became popular at parades and events recently.

McAlester Union Stockyards is also part of our community's ranching and farming history.

Lindsey Grant and Julie Sherrill Grant, co-owners of the Stockyards, tell us about how it's essentially a family business in this latest edition of the magazine.

Simply Country Ranch is another family business after Lauren and Ben Denny moved to McAlester from Idaho.

They started the ranch to educate fellow first-generation farmers and grew a massive online following by sharing their story.

Choctaw Nation also has a ranch in our area — with a massive path of land for drone operations and more.

The latest edition of the magazine looks back at our community's history of farming and ranching in this fall-themed edition that also provides details on upcoming events like the SimplyCountry Ranch Country Music Festival, the Ribtoberfest cooking competition and community block party in McAlester, and more.

So we hope you read and enjoy because it's fall, y'all.

—McAlester News-Capital Editorial Board