National Pollinator Week is June 19-25, 2023.
In 2006, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution designating a week in June as “National Pollinator Week.” According to Pollinator Partnership, this “marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations.”
Pollinator Week has now grown into an international celebration, promoting the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles, moths, wasps, and flies.
People across the planet have pledged to continue promoting pollinator health and well-being through their Pollinator Week events. These include virtual and in-person gatherings, webinars, planting sessions, garden and farm walks, and monument lightings.
Check the Pollinator Week website for events in your area. If there aren’t any near enough, you can add your own!
(Pollinator Week is managed by Pollinator Partnership, the largest non-profit organization in the world dedicated exclusively to the protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems.)
In Eco Academy, kids ages 8-14 can learn about conserving natural resources and making sustainable choices in everyday life. Lunch is provided. Presented by Oklahoma County 4-H.
Eco Academy is free, but space is limited, and registration is required by June 22.
For more information or to register, visit the event webpage, or contact LaDonna Hines by email or phone (405-713-1125).
Oklahoma State University Extension will host the AgricultHer Women in Ag Conference June 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Eastern Oklahoma State College Student Center Ballroom in Wilburton.
The conference registration deadline is June 14. Those interested in participating can obtain a registration form from their local county office or register online. The $30 registration fee includes a T-shirt and lunch.
The event will provide hands-on learning and networking opportunities for women in agriculture along with a trade show for participants. Vendors are requested. Conference topics include farm safety for women and children, ag marketing, farm stress and mental health.
Afternoon breakout sessions will cover:
- Cattle birth
- Fecal egg counts in livestock
- Forage quality and supplementation
- Beekeeping
- Raised bed gardening
- Backyard poultry
For more information or to register, read the press release, visit the registration webpage, or contact Crystal Shipman by email or phone (918-967-4330).
Please note that, in cooperation with efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, the Kerr Center is currently offering tours by appointment only, and only outdoors. To request a tour, please contact us at least two weeks in advance by calling 918.647.9123 or emailing mailbox@kerrcenter.com (please put “public tour” in subject line).
(Under normal circumstances, guided tours are available one day each month, on the second Tuesday, April through September.) During these tours, Kerr Center staff show visitors our current horticulture and livestock projects.
Tours go from 9-11 or 1-3 (approximate length), and cost $10 per person.
Advance registration is required. Contact us a week in advance to let us know you are coming and whether you want to see horticulture or livestock projects or both.
Keep in mind that what is available to see varies according to season. When you call, we can let you know what is available to see. We want you to have the best possible experience!
Pay at the door. Tours begin at the Kerr Center office.
Click here for directions and map.
All other visits must be requested at least two weeks in advance. Groups are welcome.
Call the Kerr Center at 918.647.9123 or email mailbox@kerrcenter.com with “tour request” in the subject line to arrange a visit.
In the Bee Wild Contest, thirty-five youth garden programs will be awarded $200 to plant a pollinator garden.
The Bee Wild Contest closes on July 14, 2023. Winners will be announced July 27, 2023. Awards will arrive in September 2023, perfect for planting a fall pollinator garden!
This a contest for kids and adults, together!
- The first part of the entry will ask kids to share about their dream pollinator garden. Kids can submit a drawing, short video, written description, collage, or any other medium of their dream pollinator garden. (Dream pollinator gardens do not need to be realistic!) Kids can work alone or as a group to create their entry.
- Adults will be asked to tell us a bit about their youth program and plans for the $200 prize.
- Any program that serves at least 15 kids is qualified to win.
- Entries are welcome from around the world, but only entries from the US and US territories are eligible to win.
- The prize money can be used to plant a new pollinator garden or expand an existing pollinator garden.
For more information or to enter, visit the contest webpage, or contact KidsGardening by email or phone (802-660-4604).
July 15 is the last day to apply for a grant from the Brighter Future Fund, an American Farmland Trust grant program providing direct support to farmers and ranchers across the country.
The Brighter Future Fund was launched in 2020 to assist farmers in successfully launching, growing, and sustaining farms in the face of forces impacting the food and agricultural system, including the COVID-19 pandemic, changing markets, severe weather, and climate change.
A major commitment of this program is to uplift, support, and amplify the work of a wide range of farmers.
Funding will be allocated to help farmers 1) Improve farm viability; 2) Access, transfer, or permanently protect farmland; or 3) Adopt regenerative agricultural practices.
For more information or to apply, visit the program webpage, or contact American Farmland Trust by email or phone (800-886-5170).
The National Association of Conservation Districts’ (NACD) Summer Meeting runs from July 15-19, 2023, in Bismarck, North Dakota.
For more information or to register, visit the event webpage, or contact the National Association of Conservation Districts by email or phone (202-547-6223).
In this Plant-It Earth workshop, kids ages 8-14 will learn about growing food and flowers, composting, and conserving natural resources such as water. They will also take home a garden “smart pot” for growing vegetables. Lunch is provided.
Register by July 14.
For more information or to register, visit the event webpage, or contact Julia Laughlin by email or phone (405-713-1125).
Join the Ottawa County Conservation District and GRDA for this free workshop on how simple changes in landscaping can help protect water quality. You will also learn more about the Yard by Yard program so you can improve pollinator habitat, soil health and water quality.
GRDA has donated 25 rain water barrels to be given away. Be there for a chance to take one home!
Lunch will be provided.
For more information or to register, visit the workshop registration page, or contact Shirley Hudson by email or phone (918-542-4576).
Come hear the latest information on Oklahoma land values in this free webinar from OSU. Extension Specialist Roger Sahs will discuss land values for pasture and cropland in different regions of Oklahoma as found in a recently conducted survey. He will also discuss the primary factors behind the agricultural land markets including commodity prices, farm earnings, interest rates, and credit conditions. Note: advance registration is required to view this webinar.
For more information or to register, visit the event registration page, or contact Brent Ladd by email or phone (405-744-6159).
