Agricultural News
After 17 Years- Mike Thralls to Retire from the Oklahoma Conservation Commission September First
Thu, 28 Aug 2014 21:09:58 CDT
After serving as the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission for the past seventeen years, Mike Thralls is retiring from the agency as of September first. A retirement reception will be held for Mike Thralls on Thursday, September 4th 1:30 - 3:30 pm at the Oklahoma Conservation Commission 2800 N. Lincoln Boulevard Oklahoma City, Okla. There will be a formal presentation at 2 pm.
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm News Director Ron Hays sat down with Thralls to reflect on his career with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission under three governors. He said during his tenure his agency has targeted three major areas with flood control, water quality and soil health. Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear the full interview as a part of our Ag News Perspectives Podcast series..
In going through a drought, Thralls said the importance of flood control is not readily recognizable. The state's flood control projects deliver $85 million dollars worth of benefits annually from a infrastructure worth $2 billion dollars. Improvements to the state's watershed infrastructure will be renovated over this next year due to funding provided through the 2014 Farm Bill. Thralls credits House Ag Chairman and Congressman Frank Lucas for his leadership in providing funding the state rehabilitate 14 high hazard dams across Oklahoma.
Protecting the state's water resources for drinking, recreation and industry has also been especially important. Thralls said Oklahoma has had considerable success in showing progress in implementing voluntary conservation practices to a particular watershed. He credited the state's monitoring system monitoring hundreds of streams annually in a rotating fashion. To date Oklahoma has taken 45 streams off the Environmental Protection Agency's impaired streams listing.
"Farmers are natural stewards," Thralls said. "They for the most part they value that land and they want it better for their kids then they got it and they want to do the right thing, especially if we can show them it won't negatively impact their bottom line and that's what have been able to do and I am very pleased with that."
Ron Hays reflects with Mike Thralls about his 17 year career as OCC Executive Director
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