Registration for the Oklahoma Master Gardener Program is due by May 6. Orientation will be held on May 10 and May 12, and training will begin in September.
The Oklahoma Master Gardener Program is a volunteer training program designed to help county extension centers meet the demands for consumer horticulture information. Master Gardeners take classroom training coordinated by local extension staff with the assistance of state extension specialists located at Oklahoma State University. After training is completed, participants are involved in an internship program of volunteer services.
For more information or to register, visit the registration page, or contact Julia Laughlin by email or phone (405-713-2102).
The 2022 Langston University Small Farmers Conference is under the leadership of the School of Agriculture & Applied Sciences. This year’s theme is “Innovate, Grow and Succeed in Food and Agriculture: Avenues to Building Stronger Oklahoma Communities”. This conference will provide a rich venue for small farmers and ranchers to learn about practices to enhance their production systems and alternative enterprises. The conference will also provide a platform for small farmers to meet and engage in conversation with national, state, and local representatives in the United States Department of Agriculture agencies.
For more information or to register, visit the conference registration page, or contact Jewell Golden by email or phone (405-466-6122).
Join Pioneer Library System and Blue Thumb to gain some educational information about creeks and non-point source pollution by watching a hands-on model explanation, and then help out the local park/community by picking up some trash.
For more information or to register, contact Kim Shaw by email or phone (405-522-4738).
‘Growing Together’ – The Farmer Veteran Stakeholders Conference is back for its first in-person conference at the national level since 2019.
Join in the 8th Farmer Veteran Stakeholders Conference from November 13 to 15 at the Sheraton Midwest City Hotel at the Reed Conference Center in Oklahoma City.
The Farmer Veteran Stakeholders Conference is the largest national gathering of the agriculture and military communities and features three days of education, distinguished speakers, guest panels, networking events, farm tours, camaraderie and much more.
For more information or to register, visit the conference webpage, or contact the Farmer Veteran Coalition by email or phone (530-756-1395).
Register by December 8
Free virtual training workshops will be offered this fall for both new and experienced users of OK-FIRE, the statewide weather-based decision support system of the Oklahoma Mesonet for wildland fire management with applications to wildfire, prescribed fire, and smoke. Dr. J. D. Carlson, OK-FIRE program manager and fire meteorologist in OSU’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, will conduct the training. Workshops will be held in a virtual format over Zoom from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., spanning two consecutive afternoons.
Registration is required and can be done here. For those interested in the virtual workshops, please note that information on the specific content of Part 1 and Part 2 can be found on the online registration form. Part 1 will be useful to all wildland fire managers (those who work with wildfires or conduct prescribed burns), while Part 2 will be of most help to those who work with wildfires. If you can only make one of the two consecutive days, feel free to sign up for the other half of the workshop in another month. It would also be better, if possible, to attend a Part 1 workshop first and a Part 2 workshop in a later month. In addition, you have the option to only sign up for either Part 1 or Part 2. Note that the registration deadline for each workshop, virtual or in-person, is the Friday before the workshop date.
Workshops will consist of a combination of presentations, website demos, and question/answer periods. Participants will learn about the available fire weather, fire danger, and smoke products on OK-FIRE, as well as their application to wildfire, prescribed fire, and smoke management. In addition to past/current conditions based on Oklahoma Mesonet data, OK-FIRE also includes a 3-day forecast component, useful for anticipating periods of high fire danger as well as identifying windows for prescribed burning. If possible, attendees are encouraged to use either tablets or computers, as the larger screens will make for easier viewing and learning. Please note that these workshops are designed for those who work directly (or indirectly) with wildland fire (wildfire and/or prescribed fire). Finally, for those who attended any OK-FIRE virtual workshops last fall, please note that the workshops this fall will be similar to those of last year.
For more information or to register, visit the OK-FIRE training webpage, or contact Dr. J. D. Carlson by email or phone (405-744-6353).
December 15 is the signup deadline for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission’s new Neighbors Helping Neighbors program. The program allows either poultry growers or their immediate neighbors to sign up for one of several conservation practices to be installed on their farm.
The project will focus on the poultry growing areas of eastern Oklahoma and will primarily work directly between poultry growers and their immediate neighbors. On a larger scale, it will protect natural resources in eastern Oklahoma while also supporting the important regional poultry industry. Landowners that either own a poultry farm or land adjacent to one in the following counties could be eligible: Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Delaware, Haskell, Le Flore, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Ottawa or Sequoyah.
Some of the natural resource concerns that can be addressed through the program are odor and dust, water quality and light pollution.
For more information or to sign up, visit the program webpage, or contact Jeri Fleming by email or phone (405-334-6343).
The Neighbors Helping Neighbors project is funded in part from USDA NRCS with additional funding from the U.S. EPA Section 319 program and an appropriation from the Oklahoma legislature. Other partners include the Grand River Dam Authority, OSU Extension Services, the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, and the Poultry Federation.
Register by December 8
Free virtual training workshops will be offered this fall for both new and experienced users of OK-FIRE, the statewide weather-based decision support system of the Oklahoma Mesonet for wildland fire management with applications to wildfire, prescribed fire, and smoke. Dr. J. D. Carlson, OK-FIRE program manager and fire meteorologist in OSU’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, will conduct the training. Workshops will be held in a virtual format over Zoom from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., spanning two consecutive afternoons.
Registration is required and can be done here. For those interested in the virtual workshops, please note that information on the specific content of Part 1 and Part 2 can be found on the online registration form. Part 1 will be useful to all wildland fire managers (those who work with wildfires or conduct prescribed burns), while Part 2 will be of most help to those who work with wildfires. If you can only make one of the two consecutive days, feel free to sign up for the other half of the workshop in another month. It would also be better, if possible, to attend a Part 1 workshop first and a Part 2 workshop in a later month. In addition, you have the option to only sign up for either Part 1 or Part 2. Note that the registration deadline for each workshop, virtual or in-person, is the Friday before the workshop date.
Workshops will consist of a combination of presentations, website demos, and question/answer periods. Participants will learn about the available fire weather, fire danger, and smoke products on OK-FIRE, as well as their application to wildfire, prescribed fire, and smoke management. In addition to past/current conditions based on Oklahoma Mesonet data, OK-FIRE also includes a 3-day forecast component, useful for anticipating periods of high fire danger as well as identifying windows for prescribed burning. If possible, attendees are encouraged to use either tablets or computers, as the larger screens will make for easier viewing and learning. Please note that these workshops are designed for those who work directly (or indirectly) with wildland fire (wildfire and/or prescribed fire). Finally, for those who attended any OK-FIRE virtual workshops last fall, please note that the workshops this fall will be similar to those of last year.
For more information or to register, visit the OK-FIRE training webpage, or contact Dr. J. D. Carlson by email or phone (405-744-6353).
Oklahoma State University Extension’s Master Irrigator Program kicks off its third year in January 2023 to educate producers on water conservation and irrigation practices.
The Master Irrigator Program will take place 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday over the course of four weeks. The dates for 2023 are Jan. 17, 24, 31 and Feb. 7. Registration is $100 per person. Participants will also have the option of attending in-field events for hands-on learning next fall.
Curriculum for the 2023 program includes Ogallala hydrology, soil/water relationship, soil moisture sensors, economic value of Ogallala water, irrigation scheduling models, the Oklahoma Mesonet, irrigated forage production, irrigation equipment, well energy efficiency, drip irrigation, VFDs, center pivots, soil health and nutrient management.
Master Irrigators offers a platform for sharing peer-to-peer knowledge with producers while discussing irrigation techniques they have used, problems they have faced and management techniques they are curious about, said Jason Warren, OSU Extension specialist for soil and water conservation.
The Oklahoma Water Resources Center works with several state and federal agencies to provide funding and opportunities to producers following the program. They can receive up to $2,000 to purchase irrigation technology, such as soil moisture sensors or irrigation schedulers. Program graduates are also eligible for benefits to improve their irrigation systems.
Program participants can receive additional points on their Environmental Quality Incentives Program applications for financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service. They can also request free irrigation audits to measure how much energy and water an irrigation system uses in daily operations as well as locate leaks in pipelines and assess the uniformity of irrigation application.
For more information or to register, visit the program webpage, or contact Sumit Sharma by email or phone (580-349-5441).
The 2023 Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts State Meeting includes more breaks for networking, watershed training, and special sessions for new employees and new directors. In addition, the meeting will provide information about ecosystems crediting markets, climate smart agriculture, and the vast amount of federal funding that is on the horizon for conservation. Additional topics include direct marketing of products, diversifying your operation to include agritourism and increase financial resiliency, and what exactly it is that large corporations are looking for from commodity producers in the upcoming year. As always, there are also networking opportunities with local, state, and national leaders in conservation.
For more information or to register, visit the meeting website, or contact Sarah Blaney by email or phone (517-763-8609).
