The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture is a 501(c)(3) educational foundation in LeFlore County, Oklahoma, USA. It focuses on sustainable agriculture in southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas.
History
editThe family of former Oklahoma governor and senator Robert S. Kerr established the Agricultural Division of the Kerr Foundation in 1965. Headquartered on the Kerr Ranch, the Agricultural Division offered free technical assistance to farmers and ranchers in the area.
The Agricultural Division became the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture in 1985, during a reorganization of the Kerr Foundation.[1]
Although they are named after the same individual, the Kerr Center has no connection with the Kerr-McGee Corporation; the Center's operations are funded through earnings from its endowment, along with donations and grants.
Sustainable Agriculture
editThe conception of sustainability implemented at the Center encompasses ecological, economic, and social dimensions, recognizing ten "steps to sustainability":[2],[3]
- Conserve and create healthy soil.
- Conserve water and protect its quality.
- Manage organic wastes and farm chemicals to prevent pollution.
- Manage pests (weeds, insects, diseases) with minimal environmental impact.
- Select plants and animals adapted to the environment.
- Encourage biodiversity (of domesticated animals, crops, wildlife and native plants, and microbial and aquatic life).
- Conserve energy resources.
- Increase profitability and reduce risk.
- Ensure equity for farmers and give farm families a good quality of life.
- Develop strong, vibrant and resilient rural communities.
These steps are examined in depth in the 2001 book The Next Green Revolution[4], written by Kerr Center President Jim Horne and Communications Director Maura McDermott.
Programs
editAround 4,000 acres of the original Kerr Ranch where the educational programming is located, are managed by the Kerr Center. Active programsinclude horticulture and livestock activities. that overlap with work on and demonstrations of riparian area management, and the establishment and preservation of native pollinator habitat. [5] Horticultural projects focus on:
- bioextensive management, with a quarter of cultivated area in cover crops at any given time,
- composting and compost teas,
- minimal tillage,
- organic management (the Cannon Horticulture Plots were certified organic in 2011), and
- heirloom crop varieties (variety trials in recent years have included corn, sorghum, squash, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes).
The livestock program manages two separate herds of cattle, consisting of breeds adapted to the warm, humid climate of southeastern Oklahoma. These include Angus-Gelbvieh cross, and heritage-breed Pineywoods cattle. The livestock program practices management-intensive grazing, moving cattle as often as once a day.[6]
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (Southern SARE) relies on the Kerr Center to serve as the coordinator for its Professional Development Program (PDP), which awards grants to entities providing training in sustainable agriculture to extension and other agriculture professionals.[7]
In 2011, the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program made a three-year grant to the Kerr Center. This funding supports the Oklahoma Beginning Farmer & Rancher Program (BFRP), a year-long course for beginning farmers and ranchers focusing on minority and limited-resource individuals.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Going Green". Oklahoma News Report. OETA. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^ Gay, John. "Sustainable Agriculture Information Links & Resources". Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
- ^ Harnly, Caroline (2004). "Sustainable Agriculture and Sustainable Forestry: A Bibliographic Essay". Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
- ^ Horne, Jim (2001). The Next Green Revolution: Essential Steps to a Healthy, Sustainable Agriculture. CRC Press. p. 340. ISBN 1-56022-886-5.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Thriving Sustainable Agriculture in Oklahoma". National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ Garrett, Rusty (July 15, 2012). "Area Ranchers, Farmers Cope With Drought". Times Record. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ "About SSARE PDP". SSARE. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^ USDA-NIFA. "Developing Enterprises for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in Oklahoma through Training, Mentors and Resources". CRIS. Retrieved 15 January 2013.