The Locally Led Conservation Process is an Integral Part of Continually Improving Conservation Efforts

At the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts’ 85th Annual Meeting, Farm Director, KC Sheperd, had the chance to visit with NRCS State Conservationist, Stacy Riley, talking about the locally-led conservation process and why it matters for communities throughout the state.

Locally led conservation consists of a series of phases that involve community stakeholders in natural resource planning, implementation of solutions, and evaluation of results. Locally led conservation begins with the community itself, working through the local conservation district. It is based on the principle that community stakeholders are best suited to deal with local resource problems.

“The locally-led process is a process that our conservation districts and our NRCS employees use to help engage public involvement with what we need in our counties,” Riley said. “Specifically for us, as a conservation agency, we are looking for what the conservation needs are- what the resource concerns are out there, what are the problems going on in the communities so that we can find solutions to help make things better in that conservation district.”

Trying to find people to come to NRCS meetings to give local input has become a challenge, Riley said, so the conservation districts are always working to find more ways to increase attendance to gather information to address the needs of these individuals.

“We have got to know what the local needs are so that we can figure out a solution- a plan,” Riley said. “So, we gather all the information from our local constituents, hopefully, though a locally led process of either in a public meeting, or a lot of our districts will have surveys they hand out when they are at different functions, or even when people just walk in to local offices’ doors.”



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Here Comes OYE 2023- Oklahoma Beef Council Offers $2,500 in Prizes for Cattle Exhibitors

The Oklahoma Beef Council through the Beef Checkoff is excited to once again provide an incentive program for quality assurance certification for cattle competitors at the Oklahoma Youth Expo with $2,500 in prizes. 

The Oklahoma Beef Council will draw for the winners with twenty lucky competitors winning $100 and one lucky participant winning $500. You must have a current Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) certification or Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification. Just a note, it takes only about an hour to complete the YQCA certification.

Entries are due by Wednesday, March 8, 2023 and winners will be drawn for during the Oklahoma Youth Expo starting March 10, 2023. The OBC will mail the gift cards to the winners. You do not have to be present to win. To register, click here. 

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The first animals that can arrive at the OKC Fairgrounds are commercial heifers and gilts at 5 PM on Tuesday afternoon.

All day Tuesday- the items that will be judged in the Ag Mechanics contest will be arriving- and they will be the first contests that will be happening first thing Wednesday morning, March 8th.

ESG Conversations to Become More Frequent Over Time and Impact Cattle Industry

This past week, I attended the 2023 International Livestock Congress at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Following the presentation, I visited with the moderator, Don Close of Terrain about the impacts of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), on the beef cattle industry.

“I don’t think there is anything that is impacting agriculture globally as broad as the whole environmental and sustainability component,” Close said. “The classic line that, ‘if you are not at the table, you are soon going to be on the menu,’ I think that is the real message here that we can do the work now to largely determine our own future, or we can sit back, and it will be determined for us.”

The three big drivers in consumer decision-making, Close said, are price, taste, and food safety.

“On the sustainability side, in my view, I am not convinced that consumers want to know where their food comes from as much as they want to know they have the ability to determine where their food comes from, should they choose to look into it,” Close said.

One thing that livestock producers have seen in this ESG conversation is the proposed rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission, requiring companies to go to their suppliers and get greenhouse gas emission data, which could include livestock producers. Even if cattle producers wanted to deliver that information to corporate partners, Close said there is no way to measure it at this point.

Editor's note- The total focus of Day One of the 2023 International Livestock Congress in Houston was on the impact of ESG to Beef cattle. Over the next several Beef Buzz reports, I will explore what was discussed at the Congress as it relates to Cattle and this exploding concept.

Kristina “Tina” Jerome, Acting State Conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), announced the 2023 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Classic application deadline. Oklahoma agricultural producers who wish to be considered for the upcoming Fiscal Year’s (FY) funding should apply by Friday, March 31, 2023. 

Through CSP, NRCS helps farmers and ranchers earn payments for maintaining their current level of conservation across their entire operation. CSP provides the opportunity to expand their conservation activities by adopting new technologies and management techniques. The program provides many benefits including increased crop yields, decreased inputs, wildlife habitat improvements and increased resilience to weather extremes. CSP is for working lands including cropland, pastureland, rangeland, nonindustrial private forestland, and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of a tribe. Farmsteads and other associated agricultural lands are also included. CSP also provides specific support for organic and transitioning to organic producers.

CSP is a program made for farm operators. To be eligible, contract participants must meet Farm Bill Program eligibility in conjunction with the Farm Service Agency (FSA), including meeting the Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Compliance requirements and the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limits.

Once Again, USCA Joins Chorus to Halt Brazilian Beef Imports

The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) stands with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, RCALF-USA, Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) in calling for the immediate suspension of Brazilian beef imports. 

According to DTN’s Progressive Farmer, more than a month passed before Brazilian authorities reported a case of mad cow disease, more properly known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

DTN reported earlier that BSE was confirmed in the state of Para. The Ministry of Agriculture identified the infected animal as a 9-year-old male in a 160-head herd. Samples from the sick animal were sent to a World Health Organization for Animal Health Lab in Canada.

USCA President Justin Tupper issued the following statement: 

“We acknowledge that Atypical BSE arises spontaneously in certain cattle, especially amongst individuals animals that are 8 years of age or older..."

Cynda Clary recognized with Leave the Ladder Down Award

Cynda Clary, associate dean of the Ferguson College of Agriculture, received the Leave the Ladder Down award at the fall 2022 University Awards Convocation.

The Leave the Ladder Down award is given to an individual who has mentored and encouraged others to reach their fullest potential at Oklahoma State University. The recipient is selected by a committee of campus leaders through a nomination process.

Karen Hickman, Ferguson College director of undergraduate research, honors programs and academic assessment, nominated Clary for the award.

“She’s a highly positioned female leader who has left the ladder down and helped others climb up the ladder,” Hickman said.

Before coming to OSU in 2012, Clary served in administrative positions at New Mexico State University for 19 years. In her current role as associate dean of the Ferguson College, Clary is committed to helping students, staff and faculty achieve success, and her enthusiasm for agriculture is apparent to anyone who speaks with her.



Hickman described how Clary has given her several opportunities to learn new leadership skills and how this has impacted her professional career. Clary encouraged Hickman to participate in several leadership trainings, such as LEAD21.

In Case You Missed It- Ag Groups Unite in Opposition to SQ 820

On March 1, Three of the state’s leading agriculture organizations gathered for a press conference opposing State Question 820 today in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau, the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and American Farmers and Ranchers strongly oppose the state question appearing on ballots Tuesday, March 7. Members of all three organizations believe the legalization of recreational marijuana use will be harmful to rural Oklahoma and Oklahomans across the state.

Rodd Moesel, OKFB president, acknowledged the overwhelming sentiment from the organizations’ members on Oklahoma’s marijuana industry.

“Each of us has spent a disproportionate amount of time hearing from our members with concerns about marijuana and the impact within their rural communities,” Moesel said. “A lot of times that gets lost in the urban environment, but in the rural environment, a lot of these changes have showed up very dramatically and have had a big factor in the fabric of many of our rural communities."

State Question 820 is on a special election ballot tomorrow- March 7th. Learn more about the question and then plan on voting on Tuesday.