Join this free online introduction to raising heritage poultry! Interest in traditional or “Heritage” breeds of poultry has been on the rise as farmers look toward animals that can thrive outdoors and on pasture. Although many are superb for these environments, they are also slower growing and take much longer to get to market weight and will produce fewer eggs than commercial strains of birds. In this workshop we will discuss the perks and challenges producers will face, and how to take advantage of other income streams from your flock that can be generated beyond eggs or meat.

The guest presenter is Jeannette Beranger, Senior Program Manager at The Livestock Conservancy. Jeannette has 30+ years’ experience working as an animal professional in zoological and non-profit institutions. She is an active lecturer, writer, and photographer, and is co-author of the best-selling books An Introduction to Heritage Breeds and Managing Breeds for a Secure Future. Recently Jeannette was named one of Country Women Magazine‘s “45 Amazing Country Women” for her work in conserving endangered breeds. At home she practices what she preaches and maintains a heritage breeds farm with a focus on the critically endangered Crèvecœur chicken.

For more information or to register, visit the registration page, or contact the Food Animal Concerns Trust by email or phone (773-525-4952).

Oklahoma Project WET is partnering with East Central University’s Institute for Math and Science Education to bring you this virtual Project WET Workshop! This virtual workshop will consist of two live zoom sessions (October 21 and November 4) and an asynchronous module to complete your training.

Project WET is not just for science teachers! This interdisciplinary program incorporates reading and writing all while teaching about water resources through hands-on, investigative, and easy-to-use activities. The Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide 2.0 contains more than 60 water-related activities correlated to NGSS K-12 student standards. All participants will receive a Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide 2.0, activity demonstrations, and access to additional online resources!

• Live Zoom Session #1: Thursday, October 21 at 4:00pm-5:30pm
• Live Zoom Session #2: Thursday, November 4 at 4:00pm-5:30pm
• (Both dates are required to attend; they are not separate.)
• The asynchronous module and instructions will be emailed to you upon registration.

For more information or to register, visit the Blue Thumb website, or contact Candice Miller by email or phone (405-464-2838).

The Blue Thumb Program is the education arm of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission’s Water Quality Division. Blue Thumb is a statewide citizen science effort focused on training volunteers to share their knowledge of water quality with others, with the goal of stream protection through education. Blue Thumb aims to inspire and empower people across the state to use education and monitoring to protect water in their region from nonpoint source pollution.

In this three-part NCAT livestock virtual workshop series for beginning farmers, NCAT’s sustainable agriculture specialists will present information about soil health, grazing management, and basic livestock enterprise selection. Each session is planned to run one hour for presentations, plus ample time for questions. Participants will also receive a follow-up email with extra resources to explore.

Each session will last from 5:00-6:30 pm CST. Dates and topics are as follows:

Nov. 4 – Principles of Soil Health and Forage Management
NCAT’s Nina Prater, Justin Morris, and Lee Rinehart will talk about soil health and grazing management. This session covers the basic principles you need to protect and improve your soils and forages so your farms can thrive.

Nov. 11 – Regenerative Grazing, Soil Health, and Land Carrying Capacity
NCAT’s Nina Prater, Justin Morris, Lee Rinehart and Linda Poole will expand on session 1 and explain how to increase water infiltration on your farm, teach how to assess your farm’s carrying capacity and how to know if your practices are working.

Nov. 18 – Building your Healthy Farm: Choosing a Livestock Enterprise
In this session, NCAT specialists will give tips for success in any livestock enterprise, as well as brief overviews of different livestock species. This session features most of the NCAT livestock team and will end with virtual “tours” of the specialists’ farms.

This NCAT livestock virtual workshop series is free, but registration is required. Register once to attend any or all of the sessions.

For more information or to register, visit the event webpage, or contact Linda Coffey by email or phone (866-442-6085).

Planning the future of your farm can be a difficult and emotional task. The Farmland Legacy Webinar Series will assist in the planning process by providing valuable resources for all generations. Topics will include family communication, business and estate planning, record keeping, and much more.

The webinar series is planned to assist farm families in the succession and transition of their farmland estate. The webinars will be held starting November 9, 2021 at 7 PM EST/ 6 PM CST and continue on the 11th, 16th, 18th and 23rd of November at 7 PM EST/ 6 PM CST.

The program will help in the planning process by providing valuable resources for all generations. The webinar series will feature nationally prominent speakers on farm transitioning, such as Dr. Dave Kohl and Dr. Steve Isaacs. Topics will include family communication, business and estate planning, record keeping, and much more with attorneys Anna McKinney and Laura Vaught on the program to share information and answer questions. The program will help landowners start a dialogue with their family and plan today for the future of their farm.

Resources available to webinar participants will include the recently updated, 120-page Planning Today for Tomorrow’s Farms Workbook.

Webinar Cost Options

Option 1 – $75 registration fee includes webinar series and on-line access to the Planning Today for Tomorrow’s Farms Workbook.

Option 2- $100 registration fee includes webinar series and a printed version of the Planning Today for Tomorrow’s Farms Workbook shipped to the participant. ($100 registration includes printing and shipping fees).

For more information or to register, visit the event webpage, or contact Kevin Ferguson by email or phone (615-898-7710).