Agricultural News
International Leadership Alumni Conference Offers Expanded Insights, Skill Enhancement, Motivation
Fri, 19 Jul 2013 15:43:12 CDT
Expanded insights, skill-enhancement and personal fulfillment relative to sharing the importance of agriculture is the focus of the 2013 International Leadership Alumni Conference set for Aug. 14-17 in Oklahoma City.
"We're excited to have ILAC in Oklahoma this year; traditionally, the conference has been for alumni of agricultural and rural leadership programs, but this year we're inviting anyone who is interested in the speakers and tours that we have planned," said Hope Pjesky, Agricultural Leadership of Oklahoma president and a farmer-rancher from Goltry, Okla.
Pjesky spoke with Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays. You can hear their full conversation by clicking on the LISTEN BAR at the bottom of this story.
Pjesky said ILAC is designed to provide an informative, thought-provoking and motivating experience.
"I would especially like it to be a grand reunion for those of us who have gone through the Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program over the years," she said.
"OALP is such a useful program, with so many great people involved."
The conference will take place at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, located at 2101 S. Meridian Ave. The full conference rate for Wednesday through Saturday is $200 per person, or participants can attend individual days at the rate of $50 per day.
Registration and hotel information is available online at http://www.ilac-conference.com. Payment by credit cards is accepted. Participants must register no later than July 31.
James Trapp, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service associate director, said it is important for those on the front-line of agricultural and natural resource management practices to promote greater positive interaction with the public at large.
"The days when almost everyone had a direct connection to the land and farming or ranching are long gone, and that has created a lack of awareness about what is involved in providing food and value-added products in ways that are economically viable and environmentally sustainable," he said. "This conference can help local leaders learn how to foster better understanding and engagement."
Both Trapp and Pjesky touted a particular strength of the conference as being the number of agricultural-related tours being offered, in addition to the opportunity to hear and interact with noteworthy speakers who are experts in their fields.
"Oklahoma has a lot going on in terms of successful agribusinesses and cutting-edge research and development related to agriculture and natural resources," Pjesky said. "It's something about which the whole state can be proud."
First-day tours will include the National Weather Center in Norman, Stockyards City, Producers' Cooperative Oil Mill, Express Ranches and Braum's Plant and Bakery. Conference participants will visit the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum that night.
Tours and activities for Aug. 15 will take place at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Red River Farm and Oswalt Ranch. Upon returning to Oklahoma City, participants will attend presentations focusing on the Dust Bowl and the leadership exhibited following the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing, presented by Kari Watkins, executive director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
Morning sessions for Aug. 16 will feature experts speaking about misrepresentations relative to agriculture, food and related topics. Speaker Jayson Lusk of Oklahoma State University's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources said many of the world's most pressing challenges, from feeding the hungry to protecting the environment, require a look forward more than a fixation with the past.
"There are a great many so-called answers being put forth by individuals and groups, a number of which aren't sustainable or don't stand up to the science," he said.
"It's important to realize what is likely to work and what will not, and what people can do to work toward actual solutions to these concerns and issues."
Participants will tour diverse agricultural operations in Caddo County in the afternoon, and attend the Wichita Tribal Dance that evening.
Final-day activities will include a series of insightful speakers in the morning, and afternoon tours of the Myriad Gardens, an oil drilling site and a wind farm. Also featured will be presentations showcasing large-scale renewable energy projects for Oklahoma agriculture and the oil and natural gas industry. Participants then will take part in the Bricktown experience that evening.
Conference speakers include Lusk; Watkins; Jolene Brown, an author and family business consultant known for using humor to illuminate and promote solutions relative to family business issues and life in general; Bruce Knight, a nationally recognized expert on conservation, agriculture and the environment; Kevin Murphy, the owner and founder of Food-Chain Communications; Evelyn Browning-Garriss, a historical climatologist; OSU alumna Janet Hufnagel Thompson, an economist, public speaker, wife and mother who grew up on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma; and Mike Steinke, executive managing partner of WECC, LLC based out of Enid who has acted as a wind business consultant on more than 300 projects.
Anyone seeking additional information about the upcoming Aug. 14-17 conference should contact Pjesky at 580-496-2222.
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