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Regular Session, 2012 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 4
BY SENATORS KOSTELKA AND WALSWORTH
A RESOLUTION
To commend and congratulate Charles H. "Charlie" Staples of Calhoun, Louisiana, upon
selection as Outstanding Agricultural Producer of the Year at the 2012 AG EXPO
Agricultural Awards and Legislative Appreciation Luncheon sponsored by the North
Louisiana Agri-Business Council.
WHEREAS, farming has existed for thousands of years and agriculture has been the
mainstay of this state's economy since its inception; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana farmers engage in all manner of agrarian pursuits, in
particular, dairy farming, that yields products which target local, national, and international
markets; agribusiness contributes to a positive aspect of America's foreign trade balance with
the exportation of foodstuffs; and
WHEREAS, Charlie Staples is owner of Staples Dairy, a family-owned business that
has been in continuous operation since 1924; it is the only operating dairy in Ouachita Parish
and one of eight dairies found in the Northeast Louisiana region; and
WHEREAS, Charlie Staples learned the business from the ground up; he began to
hand milk cows at the tender age of three; by age of six, he started daily milking chores; and
with the exclusion of three years of military service in the United States Air Force, he has
been involved in milking operations at the dairy, twice a day, for over seventy years; and
WHEREAS, Charlie took over supervision of the dairy in 1958, and since that time
it is estimated that Staples Dairy has produced over eighty-seven million pounds of milk;
that is enough to fill 174 million eight-ounce glasses; and
WHEREAS, since childhood, Charlie has witnessed a steady development of applied
technologies related to the advancement of animal husbandry, refrigeration, and increased
milk production, from hand milking to the latest vacuum devices, milking pipelines, and
fully automated robotic milking stations like the Herringbone Parlor; and SR NO. 4 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, these improvements are most evident in a comparison of milk
production output; in 1958, a dairy cow produced thirty-five pounds of milk or four gallons
per day, while presently, daily production averages sixty pounds or about seven gallons; and
WHEREAS, Charlie transformed Staples Dairy from a small business selling raw
milk stock locally, to a more profitable enterprise selling to Dairy Farmers of America
Co-op, a national marketing co-operative that distributes bulk milk to commodities
producers throughout the United States and overseas; and
WHEREAS, Charlie continues in the vocation that he loves, in a venture started by
his parents, Fred and Vivian Staples, and he has inherited their stewardship for the land with
concern for water and soil conservation and a respect for the animals placed in his care
embracing sound practices in feed nutrition and veterinary medicine; and
WHEREAS, Charlie Staples is passionate about dairy science, proud of his
family-oriented business, yet humble from the presence of God's grace in his life; and
WHEREAS, Charlie Staples is a successful business manager, farmer, and dairyman;
his family enterprise has prospered from his hard work and tenacity; and his continued
success contributes greatly to the economic strength of the state and the nation.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend and congratulate Charles H. "Charlie" Staples upon selection as the
Outstanding Agricultural Producer of the Year for 2012.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Charlie Staples.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE