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Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture Vol. 37, #2 • Fall 2011

IN THIS ISSUE:

Blizzards and record cold, tornadoes, gale

force winds, flooding rains, drought and

record heat: the crazy weather has made

farming, ranching, gardening, even living, in

Oklahoma this year, especially challenging.

Nowhere is this truer than at the Kerr Center.The office was closed for more than a week inJanuary due to snow, ice and extremely coldtemperatures. We, like livestock producersacross the state, worked overtime to keep ouranimals fed, watered and healthy.

In April, after a tornado toppled trees andbarns, killed livestock and mangled a newlyerected hoop house, we got busy and fixedthe damage. The hoophouse field days in Aprilwent on as planned, with a large, enthusiasticgroup in attendance. Two hoophouses werebuilt onsite and participants went away withvaluable hands-on experience.

When torrential rain washed seed out of

Crazy Weather–Maura McDermott

Field NotesField Notes

continued on page two

Reflections on aLong Hot Summer

3

Meat Goat Field Day 4

How the Drought is AffectingLivestock Programs

5

2011 Sweet Potato Trial 6

Organic and HeirloomCrops Field Day

8

Mr. Carver and the Sweet Potato 9

Kerr Center News 10

What’s New Online 12

Vision 2035 14

Calendar 16

PHOTO CREDITS:

Luke Freeman:pgs. 1, 3, 12, 13

Andy Makovy, p. 15

Maura McDermottpgs. 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15

Ann Wells: pg. 11

They say a little summer breeze Couldn't do nobody harm;But it burns like a blazin’ blowtorchWhen you're livin' on a dryland farm…

Butch Hancock,“Dryland Farm,”

from West Texas Waltzes and Dustblown Tractor Tunes

The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agricultureoffers progressive leadership and educationalprograms to all those interested in makingfarming and ranching environmentallyfriendly, socially equitable, and economicallyviable over the long term.

The Kerr Center is a non-profit foundationlocated on 4,000 acres near the south-eastern Oklahoma town of Poteau.It was established in 1985.

For further information contact us at:P.O. Box 588, Poteau, OK 74953918/647-9123 phone,918/647-8712 [email protected]

Visit the Kerr Center web pagesfor information on programs, staff,history and for extensive informationon sustainable agriculture.

STAFF:James E. Horne, PhD.,

President and CEO

Simon Billy, Stewardship Ranch Technician

Erin Campbell-Craven, Program Assistant

Luke Freeman, Program Assistant

Wylie Harris,Contract Communications Specialist

George Kuepper,Sustainable Agriculture Specialist

Rebecca Lanphier,Administrative Assistant, PDP Assistant

Andy Makovy,

Ranch Herdsman/Technician

Maura McDermott,Communications Director

Lena Moore, Administrative Assistant

Mary Penick, Livestock Specialist, SARE PDP Assistant

David Redhage, Manager, Southern SARE PD Program, Agricultural Economist

Liz Speake, Business Manager

Ann Wells, Program Director

Melanie Zoeller, Human Resources Manager

Field Notes is published semi-annuallyand is sent free to subscribers.Editor: Maura McDermottAssistant Editor: Wylie Harris

Copyright 2011 by the Kerr Center forSustainable Agriculture. Newsletter articlesmay be reprinted if credit is given and acopy is sent to the newsletter editor.

Printed by Calvert-McBride, Ft. Smith, AR

Design by Argus DesignWorks

2 F IELD NOTES FALL 2011

continued from page one

the ground, the hort staff dug in andreplanted. On the plus side, the rainmade the winter cover crops of rye,hairy vetch and winter peas grow intoa lush deep carpet that is enrichingthe soil. These cover crops are anessential aspect of the organic produc-tion system underway on almostseven acres at the center. (Thisacreage was certified organic in June.)

For the “Healthy Soils, HealthyLivestock” grazing workshop on April8-9, it was unseasonably hot. But thespring storms had got the Kerr Ranchpastures off to a great start, and therewas plenty of grass to illustrate theimportance of a good rotationalgrazing plan that encouraged healthysoil and grass.

In late May, with Kerr Centerponds full to the brim, Ken Williams,one of the region's foremost pondexperts, conducted an evening work-shop on managing farm ponds for bothrecreational and commercial uses.

After eight inches of rain fell inMay, the spigot was turned off: Junesaw not quite an inch and a half; July atrace. As the record heat of July boredown on southeast Oklahoma anddrought set in and deepened, weworked even harder to keep livestockand hort projects on track.

The center's multi-species rotationalsystem includes cattle, goats and pigs.Because of the drought, pasture grasseshave gone dormant and animals havehad to be moved more often, saysMary Penick, livestock specialist.

Providing adequate shade andwater for the livestock has become toppriority. As a result of the extreme con-ditions, “plans to add more does andhogs to the pasture rotation have beendelayed,” she says, until we get somemoderate temperatures and rain. Andthe pastured pork field day, scheduled

for October, has been cancelled.Before the drought set in, the

overall grazing system at Kerr Centerhad been overhauled, becoming muchmore efficient and productive. Thishas paid off: Penick figures she hasenough grass for the cattle throughOctober (see p. 5).

While change is a constant, noteverything is negative. For instance,the bucks in this year's OklahomaForage-based Buck Test are doing“fantastic,” says Penick. Due to goodplanning, they have plenty of forage,and she explains, “There are far fewerparasite problems during dry months…so the bucks are enjoying this weather.They like hot, dry conditions.” A fieldday focusing on meat goat productionis set for Saturday, September 24.(See page 4.)

As for the horticulture crops,George Kuepper and his staff aredoing a heroic job of keeping thingsgoing and learning a lot in the process(see page 2 and 6). Crops that lovethe heat, like sweet potatoes, are per-forming like champs. On September17, experts on sweet potato produc-tion will share information during theOrganic and Heirloom Crop Field Dayat the center.

Finding the crops and livestockbreeds best-adapted to the localenvironment– that can not onlysurvive, but thrive– is a basic tenetof sustainable agriculture. At KerrCenter we are looking for sustainableapproaches that work on a practicallevel in this region. We invite you tofind out more about what we aredoing in the pages of this newsletter,on our website and at our field daysin September. Or join us for a guidedtour (see p. 10).

And don't let the crazy weatherget you down.

KERR CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE 3

You know how it is when you hear that irritating

Golden Oldie on the radio; the song that goes

round and round in your head for days on end? And you

just know you'll never get stop thinking about it… ever!?!

Lately, for me, that song has been “Disco Inferno.”Perhaps I'm lost in a 70s time warp. Then again, it mayhave something to do with these blistering temperaturesand the very serious and on-going drought.

The weather is certainly taking a toll on both gardenersand gardens. I've heard many experienced growerssimply say that their plots have “burned up.” Those thatare still trying to salvage things are complaining mostabout their tomatoes and the fact that they won't set fruit,despite an abundance of blossoms.

The technical name for this problem is blossom drop.It occurs when day time temperatures exceed 85° F., and72° F. at night. That has certainly been the case here atthe Kerr Center and we have very few tomatoes to showfor our efforts.

Since we'd had similar problems with blossom dropin 2010, we grew part of this year's crop under a hightunnel covered with shade cloth. To date, it appears thatshade cloth has reduced high temperatures by only acouple of degrees-not enough to make an obvious differ-ence in a year of such extreme heat.

As for now, the standard advice for blossom drop isto keep your plants watered and fertilized. When temper-atures ease back down a bit, you may yet have a fall crop.I mention this as standard advice. We took this advice in2010 and failed to get a fall crop, even with a reliableindeterminate variety like Cherokee Purple. Still, we'regoing to try it again this year. Maybe we'll get lucky.

Of the area gardeners that were lucky enough to getthem to grow and set fruit, we've heard many complainabout blossom end rot on peppers, eggplant, andsummer squash. The likely cause of this problem is alsoweather-related. Blossom-end rot commonly occurs when

watering is uneven, that is, the plants alternate betweenabundant water and drought stress.

You can counteract the problem by mulching andwatering deeply each time you irrigate. Since the condi-tion is also related to calcium in the plant, it doesn't hurtto apply a foliar spray containing calcium chloride. Ofcourse, foliar sprays only work well if you apply themduring the cooler parts of the day. Good luck with that!!

On the positive side, if anyone is growing sweetpotatoes, and you've managed to keep them reasonablywell-watered, you probably have a very nice looking cropabout now. We've done that and our planting of a dozenheirloom varieties is in excellent condition.

Another crop that we're optimistic about in this hotweather is okra. While we are not growing okra ourselvesthis year, we recently visited the Wes Watkins AgriculturalResearch and Extension Center at Lane, Oklahoma, wherethey have quite a bit planted. While the researchers reportedsome stress and aborted flowers, the plants we saw weresporting a lot of attractive pods; a good crop, for sure.

While we hope that these weather extremes are not“the new normal” for Southeastern Oklahoma, our fieldplans for 2012 will be well-guided by the experiences of2011. We will likely have a performance trial of heat-toleranttomatoes (or at least those that claim to be “heat-loving”).Among them will be several cherry-tomatoes and othermore “primitive” types. These are the kinds of tomatoesthat the Lane Research Station and a few area gardenersreport setting fruit despite the heat.

We will certainly continue our evaluations of sweetpotatoes and probably take another look at okra varieties.If we're harvesting anything of value this summer, it is newinsights into the challenges gardeners and commercialgrowers in the uncertain years ahead.

Keep cool!(George, who has been living and working in Oklahoma andArkansas for most of his professional life, grew up on a farm inWisconsin. He is the center's sustainable agriculture specialist.)

Reflections on a Long Hot Summer:

This is Why Yankees MoveBack to Wisconsin

–George Kuepper


Love is not love without a violin-playing goat.

So said Julia Roberts in the movie “Notting Hill.”

You won't get any fiddling goats at the Kerr Center'supcoming meat goat field day. But you will get seriousinformation about how to raise healthy meat goats in thisregion.

Meat goat producers, as well as those considering acommercial meat goat enterprise, will learn about para-sites, forages, and animal health at this annual field day,which runs from 9-3 on Saturday, September 24, at theKerr Stewardship Ranch in Poteau.

The registration fee of $30 includes lunch. Featured speaker Dr. Nada K. Nadarajah, an animal

geneticist from Auburn University, will speak on“Breeding, Genetic Selection, and the Importance ofRecordkeeping.”

Nadarajah has been a collaborator on the OklahomaForage-Based Buck Test (popularly known as the “bucktest”) for several years. He has used data from the test toestablish statistical relationships - for instance, demon-strating that bucks with more parasite eggs in their feceswill tend to weigh less at the end of the test. (See FieldNotes, Spring 2011.)

Another highlight of the field day will be certificationin FAMACHA scoring. The FAMACHA system comparesthe color of a goat's inner eyelid to a set of colored cardsto evaluate parasite loads. Participants will receiveFAMACHA training at the field day, and can then applyonline to receive certificates and eye score cards.

Additional topics for the field day include parasitemanagement and control, managing goats for herdhealth, and forages. Staff from both the Kerr Center andOSU Extension, including veterinarians Ann Wells andDave Sparks, will present on these topics.

The field day will end with an announcement ofresults, and awards ceremony, for the 2011 OklahomaForage-Based Buck Test.

Download a registration form or register via Paypal onthe center's calendar of events page(www.kerrcenter.com) or call/email to request a form.Registration is due by September 19. The event is free forbuck test participants.

A Wealth of Meat Goat WisdomAs the Kerr Center's meat goat program continues to

grow and develop, it generates ever better resources tooffer producers.

Results and reports from each year's buck test havebeen available free on the Kerr Center website since thebeginning. The results pages list the names, owners, andvital statistics of winning bucks; the reports detail thebackground, rationale, and protocol of the test, as well aschallenges encountered and changes made.

The 2011 report will continue that vital reporting, butwill also take a more comprehensive look at lessonslearned during the first five years.

“We've seen how the quality of the bucks coming intothe test has changed over the years,” says test managerMary Penick, as producers have learned what traits allowmeat goats to gain weight on pasture.

“We're dealing with the weather better, with moreand better housing. We're already supplementing thedoe herd less than the 'minimal' supplementation used inthe buck test.” Sixteen does make up the center's year-round meat goat herd.

“We should be able to project and have really solidguidelines for people who want to raise goats onpasture,” Penick says.

In addition to the buck test reports, the Kerr Centerwebsite offers extensive resources and links on meat goatproduction and management. Some of the highlights andrecent additions include:

Meat Goat Field Day Coming Up

Brush Control with GoatsOne of the Kerr Center's most

visited web pages, this report is nowin available in a download-friendlyformat. It details the Center's experi-ences with using goats to controlbrush in a project that ran from 1988to 1992. Originally published in1996, the report includes informationon fencing, facilities, breeds, stockingrate, management, and predators.www.kerrcenter.com/publications/brush_control_with_goats.pdf

Multispecies Grazing Field Day This 2010 event was hosted at

the Porum area farm of OSU veteri-

narian and goat producer Dr. DavidSparks, and his wife Linda, whomanages their goat operation. Inaddition to the Sparks, speakers

included Dr. Steve Hart of LangstonUniversity, OSU extension agronomistDr. Bob Woods, OSU Extensionanimal waste specialist Josh Payne, andHaskell County Extension EducatorBrian Pugh.

Topics included general principlesof multi-species grazing, fencing,economics, forages and stockingrates, parasite control, birthing andneonatal care, mortality composting,and a demonstration of the Sparks'home-built working system.

Full proceedings from the fieldday, including handouts, presenta-tions, and slideshows, are availablefree from http://kerrcenter.com/past-events/goat-field-day-2010.htm.


Buck Test OnlineThe buck test has its own Facebookpage (www.facebook.com/pages/Oklahoma-Forage-Based-Buck-Test/134978943189279), as wellas a blog (kerrosubucktest.blogspot.com). While the test isrunning, staff post frequentupdates with the latest performanceand weather information.

How the Drought is AffectingLivestock Programsby Mary Penick, Livestock Specialist

Here on the ranch we are doing everything we can just tokeep up with the changing conditions of our pasturesand water sources. It seems daily that the conditions

become drier and more fragile.

Our pastures are not coming back as we graze over them,and the rotation has slowed to a snail’s pace. Most, if not all,of what our cow herd is eating is standing hay. Despite thiswe estimate that it will be the end of October before we runcompletely out of grass, even if conditions stay the same.

Shade has become a life or death limiting factor here, andthis has added to the complexity of our grazing system.

The other item we are watching is the loss of our livestockwater.We mainly rely upon ponds and a gravity flow systemout of our larger ponds, and with every day of these extremetemperatures we are losing enormous amounts of water.

Because of the weather, we have not been able to developour fencing systems to add more goats and hogs to ourpasture rotation. For this reason, we canceled our pasturedpork field day.

We are also looking at selling more females than we wouldin a good year, as well as most of the steers we weregrowing out for a new grass-fed beef endeavor.

The heifer sale was plannedbefore the drought.Wedecided to keep all our heifersfrom last year after they wereweaned, so that we could sellthem as bred heifers, whichwould bring a higher price.

For right now we are lookingat keeping four or five steersand selling the rest. The veryhigh prices steers are fetching currently also factored intoour decision.

As for the females, we will begin with the youngest femalesthat do not fit our program very well.

We will then possibly sell some older females. We don’tknow as yet how many that will leave us with, but by theend we should have a lean, highly productive cow herdthat our land can sustain.

HEIFERS FOR SALEThe Pineywoods cattleproject has developed tothe point that twentyheifers will go up for salethis fall. Interestedparties should contactPineywoods cattlemanager Mary Penick at918.647.9123 [email protected].

Details forthcoming atwww.kerrcenter.com


In November 2007, the Wall Street

Journal, in a front page story,

panned the sweet potato.

The venerable newspaper pointedout that annual per capita consumption(4 lbs.) hadn't changed in 40 years andtrailed even celery. The conclusion: oncethe Thanksgiving and Christmas holidaysare over, the sweet potato "might aswell be a turnip."

It now appears that this unassumingvine, with its sweet fleshy roots, did nottake this dig lying down.

Fast forward to 2011 and the sweetpotato is everywhere, in a surprisingarray of colors at farmer's markets, inrecipes, in restaurants, in bags of "fries"in the frozen foods aisle.

Why this sudden reversal of fortune?At about the same time as the frontpage dismissal, the sweet potato made

the top ten list of "super foods" thatAmericans should eat on a regular basisfor good health.

Called a "near perfect" vegetable,the sweet potato's popularity has beenclimbing steadily ever since, leaving theturnip in the dust. High in vitamins A andC, potassium, antioxidants and fiber, theorange spud is not only sweet, but islow on the glycemic index and good fordiabetics.

In the last few years, the number ofrestaurants offering a sweet-potato sidedish has increased 40 percent. In 2010U.S. farmers harvested a record-settingtwo billion pound crop.

The homely sweet potato's star, atlast, has begun to shine brightly. TheAmerican people, armed with the nutri-tional facts, have voted: this old timefavorite of the rural South is the newAmerican Idol of the veggie world.

Move over CarrieThe New American Idol

(of Veggies)–Maura McDermott

2011 SweetPotato TrialVarieties * also grown in 2010

Bunch Porto Rico

Southern Delight

Georgia Jet

Carolina Ruby

Carolina Nugget

Japanese Red

* Nancy Hall

* Dianne

* Hernandez

* Oklahoma Heirloom

* Okinawa Purple (akaOkinawan)

* Sumor

Other varietiesgrown in 2010: Jewel, Vardaman, Centennial,

Allgold, Cordner's Red,

Cherokee, Redgold, Georgia

Red, Caro Gold, Scarlet,

Redcliff

Varieties recommended by

OSU Extension include:

Jewel, Redgold, Earligold,

Allgold, and Centennial.


A Deserving RootFor farmers and gardeners in

places where the sweet potato growswell, like Oklahoma, this is goodnews. Attractive, heat loving, heavybearing-- sweet potatoes in the KerrCenter's test plots thrived during thebrutal summer of 2010. Grown underheavy mulch and with drip irrigation,this year too they have shrugged offthe heat, during the hottest July inOklahoma history.

Experiments with the sweet spudbegan last year when the Kerr Centerreceived funding from the OklahomaDepartment of Agriculture, Food andForestry (ODAFF) through the 2009Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.The grant funds a three-year projectinvestigating and demonstrating small-scale heirloom sweet potato production.

Goals for the project include identi-fying appropriate-sized equipment,small tools, varieties, and organicgrowing practices suitable for theregion's market farmers and gardeners.

The first year (2010) was an oppor-

tunity to experiment with planting andharvesting equipment and techniques,says the center's sustainable agriculturespecialist George Kuepper.

Kuepper and 2010 student internSeth Stallings also made general obser-vations about the performance of thevarieties grown, which they related intheir report, "Heirloom Sweet PotatoVarieties: A Preliminary Look in 2010,"available free on the Kerr Centerwebsite. (www.kerrcenter.com/publica-tions/sweet_potato_2010.pdf)

This summer the center began thevariety trial in earnest, planting twelve"heirloom" varieties (see sidebar).Kuepper included several that did wellin 2010. Results will be covered infuture reports.

The varieties of sweet potato familiarto most U.S. gardeners and consumershave moist, orange flesh, with red ororange skins. However, Kuepperpoints out, there are also dry-fleshedvarieties, and flesh and skin colors canvary widely. Yellow, white, purple, andred are among the common colors.

According to OSU extension,

George Kuepper

Some of the KerrCenter Publicationson Organics andHeirloom VarietyTrials(Available online andat field day)

• Rotations, Cover Crops, andGreen Fallow on the CannonHorticulture Project: A 2010Status Report

• Heirloom Vegetables,Genetic Diversity, and thePursuit of Food Security(2008)

• Heirloom Variety TrialReports: okra, sorghum,tomatoes, grafted tomatoes,squash, sweet potatoes

• A Brief Overview of theHistory and Philosophy ofOrganic Agriculture (2010)

• Farm Made: A Guide to On-Farm Processing for OrganicProducers,An Overview and FourExample Enterprises:Sorghum Syrup, PackagedFresh Salad Greens or SaladMix, Jams, Jellies andSpreads, and Table Eggs

• Organic Foods: What do WeNeed to Know About Them?(2007)

• Small Scale Organics: AGuidebook for the Non-certi-fied Organic Grower(Includes Guidelines and anOrganic System Plan)

• Organic Production InOklahoma - Questions andAnswers (2007)


sweet potatoes can be one of the mostprofitable vegetable crops grown inOklahoma. It is not, however, a “getrich quick” crop.

Oklahoma Sweets On Saturday, September 17, from

10-4:30, the center will hold itsHeirloom and Organic Crops Field Day.

Why test heirloom varieties?These older varieties were oncewidely grown and often have uniqueflavors, colors or shapes. The KerrCenter is looking for varieties that dowell, are adapted to the soils andclimate common eastern Oklahomaand western Arkansas.

An example of a locally-adaptedsweet potato is Oklahoma Heirloom,which did well in the 2010 preliminarytrial. Reportedly the original stock wasgrown by Ralph Mills of Beggs,Oklahoma. He received it from aneighbor in Coalgate and grew it formore than 30 years.

Field Day topics will include vari-eties, planting and harvesting methods,irrigation, and pest management.

Featured speakers include Dr.Warren Roberts of OSU/ARS LaneAgricultural Center and Gary Schaumof Duck Creek Farms in Mounds,Oklahoma.

Roberts' topic will be sweet potatoproduction for field and garden. Schaumwill talk about heirloom varieties.

Schaum's farm is the source formost of the heirloom sweet potatovarieties in the Kerr Center trials. His2011 catalog lists about 75 varieties,including Redgold, which was devel-oped by OSU.

Kerr staff will also discuss growingheirloom tomato varieties (Paul RobesonAngola, Cherokee Purple, Millionaireand Homestead) in-season undervarious high-tunnel covers to evaluateeffects on sunscald, pollination, earlyblight, and insects.

Innovative OrganicsAnother focus of the field day will

be the center's organic system. In2008, several acres of pasture on theKerr Ranch near the Kerr Center officeswere converted to organic vegetableand herb production. This past June thealmost seven acres was certifiedorganic, meeting the standards estab-lished the USDA National OrganicProgram and adopted by ODAFF.

Growing crops organically inOklahoma requires not only a goodplan, but the willingness to innovate.During the field day, visitors will learnwhat approaches the center is usingto meet the unique challenges ofgrowing crops organically in south-eastern Oklahoma.

Topics will include: compostingand compost teas, biochar, no-till pro-duction, crop rotation and cover crop-ping (including organic management ofbermudagrass), and ways to integratelivestock and crop production.

Farm implements designed for useon small-scale farms will be ondisplay, including a Jang Clean Seeder,a Hatfield Transplanter, a Seed StickPlanter, a propane lawn mower, andan Italian-made BCS walk-behindtractor and the implements that gowith it. The tractor gets heavy useduring the growing season.

Scheduled to talk about organiccertification and compliance are BrianBuchwald and/or Jeff Stearns fromODAFF's organic program.

Also on hand will be Brian Freking,Le Flore County extension educatorfor agriculture. He will tell growersabout assistance and resources avail-able to farmers and ranchers.

If you want to dig deeper intosweet potatoes, heirloom varieties,and organics, join us on Sept. 17!

Organic andHeirloom CropsField DaySept. 17, 10-4:30,Kerr Ranch, Poteau

The $40 registration fee is due bySeptember 7 and includes a noonmeal and refreshments, as well ascopies of materials used by presenters.

To register, use Paypal atkerrcenter.com/joomla/eventlist/details/92-field-day-heirloom-veg-etables or MAIL your registrationform (available to be printedonline) to: Kerr Center,Organic/Heirloom Crop Field Day,PO Box 588, Poteau, OK 74953.Include a check made out to KerrCenter, and your name, mailingaddress, daytime phone, and emailaddress.

Call the Kerr Center at918.647.9123 to receive aregistration form by mail or fax.Directions to the ranch areonline on the Contact page atwww.kerrcenter.com.

Tomatoes grown under shade clothduring the hot 2011 summer.


When it comes to innovative thinking, George

Washington Carver is up there with Henry

Ford and Thomas Edison. And although his name is

on schools, stamps and submarines, you probably

know next to nothing about him.

Called the "Black Leonardo" by Time magazine in1941, Carver was an African-American botanist,inventor, educator, and all-round genius. Most famousfor his work with peanuts, he also developed morethan 100 products for sweet potatoes, including dyes,wood fillers, candies, library pastes,breakfast foods, starches, flours,and molasseses.

Carver was also an earlyproponent of what we now callsustainable agriculture.

From his vantage point at theTuskegee Institute in Alabama,Carver saw the deleterious effecton Southern soil of monoculturecotton and tobacco. Early on, herecognized the importance ofcrop rotation, promoting peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes asalternative crops.

According to Dennis Keeney ofthe Leopold Institute for SustainableAgriculture, "Carver worked on improving soils,growing crops with low inputs, and using speciesthat fixed nitrogen (hence, the work on the cowpeaand the peanut)."

Carver's many "bulletins" full of practical information,even recipes, made him a trusted advisor to limitedresource farmers in the South through the days of Jim Crow, and then the Great Depression.

He wanted poor farmers to grow alternativecrops both as a source of their own food and as asource of other products to improve their quality oflife. He was also a strong proponent of self-sufficiency,and making use of on-farm resources.

His success was all the more remarkable consideringwhere he started. He was born in the last year of theCivil War as a slave on a southwest Missouri farm.Orphaned after the war, he was raised by the Carvers

(who had once held his family as slaves) and taughtto read and write. Seeking more schooling, he wentfrom town to town, until he finally was allowed toattend high school in Kansas.

After farming and saving money for tuition, heattended Iowa State Agricultural College in Ames(now Iowa State University). When he began in1891, he was the first black student, and later taughtas the first black faculty member.

He died in 1943. Because his products and inven-tions were largely non-commercial (but of great use

on the family farm), he never mademuch money. The epitaph on hisgravestone says it all: “He couldhave added fortune to fame, butcaring for neither, he found happi-ness and honor in being helpful tothe world.”

In 2000, Carver was a charterinductee in the USDA Hall ofHeroes. Henry Ford was anadmirer; he even erected a replicaof his birth cabin at the FordMuseum in Dearborn, Michigan.

Closer to Oklahoma, one canvisit the George WashingtonCarver National Monument,located between Neosho and

Joplin, Missouri, about 20 milesfrom the Oklahoma state line. It is the first nationalmonument dedicated to an African American and thefirst to honor someone other than a president. The210-acre complex includes a science classroom, abust of Carver, a nature trail, a museum, the 1881Moses Carver house, and the Carver cemetery.

The monument will hold a free “Prairie DayCelebration” on September 10, from 10-3. Celebratinglife on the Missouri prairie during the late 1800swhen George Washington Carver was a child, theevent includes woodcarving, basket weaving, candle-making, Dutch-oven cooking, spinning, weaving, storytelling, musical groups, quilting, a junior rangerstation, and more.

For more info call 417.325.4151 or visitwww.nps.gov/gwca/index.htm

Mr. Carver and the Sweet Potato


Flies, Beetles, Bats and Bees: A Native Pollinator EducationProgram In mid-August Kerr Center received a two-year Oklahoma Conservation InnovationGrant (CIG) called “Native PollinatorEducation for Eastern Oklahoma.”

With the ongoing decline in honeybeecolonies, native pollinators are increasing-ly needed to pollinate food crops.Livestock operations can also benefitfrom native pollinators by improving theseed set on legumes in pastures. Nativepollinators include numerous flies,beetles, bats and other bee species.

While honeybees are under siege, nativepollinators, too, face threats from manysources including the use of insecticides,intensive farming/ranching practices andloss of habitat to urban development.

While native pollinator habitat has beenstudied and promoted in differentregions of the United States, limited workhas been done in the Eastern Oklahomaregion. Kerr Center will be developingstrategies to both develop and maintainhabitats for native pollinators, and thenteaching the public about it.

The two year project is in cooperationwith the Xerxes Society. David Redhage,the center's expert on natural resourcemanagement, will lead the project.

Kerr Center featured on PublicTelevision Newscast

Kerr CenterPresident and CEOJim Horne and KerrCenter AgriculturalEconomist DavidRedhage were featured on theOklahoma NewsReport, Friday, July 22. Reporter

Cathy Tatom toured the center's horticul-tural and livestock projects for thesegment.

The Oklahoma News Report (ONR) is aone-hour in-depth news program airingon OETA, Oklahoma's public broadcastingnetwork. It is the only news program to

cover the entire state.

If you missed the broadcast, check thecenter's website for a link to the video asit becomes available.

New Program Assistants on theJob on the RanchThe Kerr Center has two new programassistants: Erin Campbell-Craven andLuke Freeman.

Erin joined the KerrStaff in late spring2011. She worksclosely with MaryPenick and the live-stock team. Erin hasa degree in animalscience from theUniversity of

KERR CENTER NEWS

Guided Tours of Kerr Ranch Now AvailableGuided tours are now available one dayeach month, on the second Tuesday (seebelow for dates in 2011).

During these tours, Kerr Center staff showvisitors our current horticulture, livestockand conservation projects.

Half-day tours go from 9-12 or 1-4 and cost$10 per person. Full-day tours are alsoavailable, beginning at 9 a.m., and cost $20per person. Tours begin at the Kerr Centeroffice; advance registration is not required.

Tour fees are tax-deductible donations to the Kerr Center, a non-profit 501c3foundation, and benefit educational programs. Request a form/receipt at thetime of your visit.

Kerr Center public tour dates for the rest of 2011 are: September 12, October 10,November 14, and December 12.

All other visits must be requested at least two weeks in advance. Call theKerr Center at 918.647.9123 or email [email protected] with “tourrequest” in the subject line to arrange a visit.

The Kerr Center is a working ranch and farm, as well as an educational center.Our emphasis is on sustainable methods of meat and vegetable production andsustainable natural resource management.

Check the “contact” page on www.kerrcenter.com for directions.


California, Davis. She grew up outside ofPlacerville, California, on a five acre farm,raising sheep, goats and chickens. She isputting that experience to good use workingwith the Kerr Center chicken flocks and thegoats in the buck test and doe herd. She hadan internship with Heifer International inArkansas before coming to Kerr Center.

Luke joined the staff atthe Kerr Center in Juneof 2011 after graduatingfrom the University ofMissouri. He earned aBachelor of Science inAgriculture with anemphasis in sustainableagriculture. At the Kerr

Center, Luke is working with George Kuepperto maintain and expand the horticultural pro-grams on the farm.

National Conservation InnovationGrant Awarded to CenterIn August the center received word that athree-year project to train organic, transition-ing, and sustainable vegetable farmers will befunded by the USDA's National ConservationInnovation Grant (CIG) Program.

“We are very pleased to be working throughthe Natural Resources Conservation Service(NRCS) to further our work in soil buildingtechnologies that reduce off-farm inputs andlabor costs,” says Kerr Center Program DirectorAnn Wells.

“This project will allow us to reach farmers inthe Mid-South with our information and helpthem learn about sustainable and organic veg-etable growing methods,” she added.

The focus will be organic bio-extensive models,which have not been well-explored or demon-strated in the Mid-South. Bio-extensive strate-gies rely mainly on crop rotations and the useof winter and summer cover crops to nurturesoil biology, improve fertility, control erosion,prevent nutrient leaching, provide mulch,attract beneficial insects, and control pests,especially weeds.

George Kuepper and staff have been success-fully using a bio-extensive approach on the onthe Cannon Horticulture Project since 2008.This grant affords them the opportunity toexpand their educational outreach.

Workshops, targeting training, handbooks,manuals and videos are planned under this

The tornado caused extensive damage to trees, barns and fences.

The April 15 tornado destroyed a newly built hoophouse.

grant. A key collaborator will be theMvskoke Food Sovereignty Initiative(MFSI). MFSI is a grassroots, NativeAmerican-led organization located inOkmulgee, Oklahoma, capitol of theMuscogee (Creek) Nation.

The workshops will be open to thegeneral public. At the core of theproject, however, will be a targeted

training effort that will work with aselect group of Eastern Oklahoma andWestern Arkansas farmers to assistthem in adapting the bio-extensivemodel to their farms.

For more information, download"Rotations, Cover Crops and GreenFallow on the Cannon HorticultureProject," at www.kerrcenter.com.

Spring Tornado Damage at the Kerr Center


VIDEOSThe Kerr Center now has its own

channel on YouTube to share videos onsustainable agriculture and related topics,at www.youtube.com/user/Kerrranch.Some recent video offerings include:

FencingDoes setting up a new electric fence have you

tied up in knots? Give as good as you get, afterwatching these videos' explanations of knot-tying for electric fences.

Ray ArchuletaSoil quality expert Ray Archuleta opened many an

eye as the featured speaker at this spring's “HealthySoils, Healthy Livestock” workshop (see 'Reports andResources' next page). These videos capture his infor-

mative and inspiring lectures on how to foster andmonitor healthy soils: www.kerrcenter.com/past-events/soil-health-2011/archuleta/index.html

What's New Online?Have a look at these latest offerings on the Kerr Center website:

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Day-to-Day This new blog on the KerrCenter site lets visitors keepbetter track of the latestgoings-on in the Kerr Center's variousprograms on the Stewardship Ranch.Recent posts include minimal-till techniquesfor small farms, and summer photos ofcattle, hogs, goats, and chickens on theStewardship Farm & Ranch: www.kerrcenterdaytoday.wordpress.com

Email updatesAnother way to stay in the loop on KerrCenter news and events is to sign up forour email list. Mailings are sparse enoughnot to fill your inbox, yet often enough tokeep you up to date. You also get anelectronic version of Field Notes.Sign up at www.kerrcenter.com

FacebookOne fan responded to a post on a newsweet potato report with a question aboutwhere to buy slips. Within hours, othersprovided several sources.

An outpouring of concern and supportfollowed on the heels of this spring'stornado damage.

Come join in the discussion and find outwhy nearly 400 people are fans of theKerr Center on Facebook. Search for“kerr center” on Facebook, or go to:www.facebook.com/pages/Kerr-Center-for-Sustainable-Agriculture/179959438245

SOCIAL MEDIA

Ray Archuleta , left, talks with an attendee at this spring’s“Healthy Soils, Healthy Livestock” workshop.

Visit our blog to find outthe latest happeningsaround the Kerr Center.Google “kerrcenterdaytoday”


Workshop: Healthy Soils, Healthy LivestockThis two-day event drew over fifty people from five states for a slate of speakers includingveterinarians, livestock producers, and extension educators. Topics included soil health,hands-on animal assessment, fencing and watering system layout, and genetics for grazing.Full proceedings from the workshop, including handouts, presentations, and video, areavailable online: www.kerrcenter.com/past-events/soil-health-2011/index.html

Growing Cows for GrassThis is a text version of a presentation from the “Healthy Soils, Healthy Livestock” workshop, by Kerr Center Pineywoods Cattle Manager Mary Penick. In it, she discusses the Center's low-input, higher-profit approach to raising cattle on grass, with emphasis onthe role of genetics: www.kerrcenter.com/publications/growing-cows-for-grass.pdf

Hoop House SlideshowsThe “Hoop House How-To” manual is one of the Kerr Center's most popular publications.Now, these even more lavishly illustrated slideshows complement that publication, with avisual guide to the process of building a low-cost, Hanley-style hoop house: www.kerrcenter.com/publications/hoophouse/hoophouse-how-to-slideshow.htm

(For additional slideshows on a range of topics, visit www.kerrcenter.com and click on“Slideshows and Presentations” on the right-hand side of the page.)

Riparian Area Management TechniquesUpdated for this spring's pond management workshop, this fact sheet by the Kerr Center'sDavid Redhage details the practices used on the Kerr Center Stewardship Farm and Ranchto keep river and stream ecosystems healthy and productive: www.kerrcenter.com/publications/Riparian-Area-Management-Techniques.pdf

Hay, Fertility, and ProfitThis recently reissued report explains the bottom-line rationale behind the Kerr Center'spractice of buying hay in rather than baling it on the ranch - a system that still works as well now as it did when this publication first came off the presses in 1997: www.kerrcenter.com/resources/publications/hay-report-2011.pdf

Where We ShopEver wonder where the Kerr Center horticulture and organics programs get their seeds, tools,and supplies? If so, you're not alone. This handy new publication answers all those questionsin detail, and includes contact information for suppliers:www./kerrcenter.com/publications/seed_and_supply_list.pdf

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REPORTS AND RESOURCES

The next 25 years promise to be among

the most challenging time periods in

the history of our nation, indeed the world.

The key to meeting these challenges is education.Building upon its 25 years of experience, the Kerr Center

for Sustainable Agriculture is establishing an educationalcenter at its headquarters on the historic Kerr Ranch nearPoteau in southeastern Oklahoma.

Over the next 25 years the Kerr Center will become the“destination for education” about sustainable food andagriculture in the region. The center will give rural resi-dents the tools they need to meet the economic, social andenvironmental challenges of the 21st century.

A sustainable agriculture is an essential piece of a sus-tainable world. At the Kerr Center, producers from familyfarms across Oklahoma and the South will learn to raiseanimals and crops using the most up-to-date, innovative,sustainable practices.

1985-2010: The First 25 YearsSince 1985, the Kerr Center has been looking to the

future-- dedicating its own endowment, and staking itsreputation, on a vision of healthy, sustainable farms andranches. In its early years, the center did groundbreaking workin formulating the basic concepts of sustainable agricultureand applying them to operations on the home ranch.

From 1998-2008 the center expanded its educationalprogram statewide. Field days, conferences, and workshopswere held in locations across the state of Oklahoma, reachingmany thousands. These events, along with educationalpublications and a comprehensive website, spurred agroundswell of support in the state for family farmers, sus-tainable and organic agriculture, sustainable livestock pro-duction, farmers' markets, farm-to-school programs, andeating healthy, locally grown food.

These efforts succeeded beyond our wildest dreams,and we are proud of the “seeds of change” we have planted.But the effort has been costly. In addition, the GreatRecession has cut deeply into the center's endowment.Over the last couple of years, in response to these fiscalconstraints, the center has had to cut staff and services tothe bone, and stay closer to home.

While painful, the changes allowed us time to assessour strengths and weaknesses. And just as the darkest houris just before the dawn, this period of austerity and takingstock has given rise to a bright vision for the next 25 years.

We call it Vision 2035.

VISION 2035


Over the next 25 years the KerrCenter will become the “destinationfor education” about sustainablefood and agriculture in the region.

Join Us in Building a Sustainable World:

VISION 2035


2011-2035: The Next 25 YearsIt can be difficult to envision a

future very different from the present.But a vision is imperative for progress.

The Kerr Center will mark its 50thanniversary in 2035. By the time thatlandmark date rolls around, we envi-sion the center as a first-rate, state-ofthe-art educational center open to all.Over the next twenty-five years, thecenter wants agriculturists from aroundthe region to make the Kerr Farm andRanch near Poteau, Oklahoma, their“destination for education.”

What will be uniquely valuableabout the Kerr Educational Center willbe the hands-on training in sustainableproduction that it will offer farmers andranchers, in the field and in the pasture,under real-world conditions.

Vision 2035 has already been setin motion. Workshops on grazing, farmpond management and hoop houseconstruction took place in spring 2011.In late summer and fall 2011, field daysand workshops on horticulture crops,organic production, and meat goatproduction are planned.

Nowhere else in the region is thiskind of experience available, and theresponse has been overwhelminglypositive. The spring events filled oursmall meeting room to capacity, andwe have had to limit attendance. Wehope to expand our facilities in futureyears so that more people will be ableto participate.

We also want to continue to makethe center's website,www.kerrcenter.com, a "virtual destina-tion" for education. Our reports andour newsletter also offer valuableinformation to anyone who wants it.

To realize this vision of being adestination for education, the centerneeds your support. Donations, largeand small, will be used to:

• Provide internships to collegestudents

• Provide scholarships for produc-ers to attend educational events

• Develop online educationalresources, accessible to those ofall income levels

• Create curriculum for beginningfarmer and rancher courses

• Enhance ranch infrastructureto be used for educationaldemonstrations

• Bring top-notch instructors toour educational events

• Expand educational facilitiesDonations may be earmarked for

any of the areas above, if desired.If you have benefitted from a Kerr

Center event, publication, or webpage,please consider donating and becom-ing a Friend of the Kerr Center. It's easyto get involved and show your support.All donations are tax-deductible.

With your support, we will succeedin making Vision 2035 a reality. Pleasejoin us in building a sustainable worldfor our children and grandchildren!

All contributions are tax deductible.We have designated levels ofsupport–

TILLER ($20-$34), SOWER ($35-49), CULTIVATOR ($50-$199),HARVESTER ($200-$999) and STEWARD ($1,000 or more).

All donations, no matter what the level, will be gratefully accepted.

Please visit our website or call the center for more information.You may donate online or mail donations to the center (seeaddress on page 2).

Friends of theKerr Center:How it Works

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPoteau, Ok 74953

PERMIT No. 64The Kerr Center forSustainable Agriculture, Inc.P.O. Box 588Poteau, OK 74953

CALENDAR: FALL/WINTER EVENTSFIELD DAY: Organic & Heirloom CropsSeptember 17 (register by September 7) Poteau

Participants will learn about KerrCenter's experiences with sweetpotatoes as part of the specialtycrops research project. Topics willinclude varieties, planting and har-vesting methods, irrigation, andpest management.

Featured speakers and topicswill include:

n Dr. Warren Roberts, LaneAgricultural Center - sweet potatoproduction for field and garden

n Gary Schaum, Duck CreekFarms, Mounds, Oklahoma -heirloom sweet potatoes

(Duck Creek Farms is the source formost of the heirloom sweet potatovarieties in the Kerr Center trials.)

n Brian Buchwald and/orJeff Stearns, ODAFF - organic certification and compliance

n Brian Freking, OSU Extension -assistance and resources availablefrom the extension office

Kerr staff will also discuss growingheirloom tomato varieties in-season under various high-tunnelcovers to evaluate effects on sun-scald, pollination, early blight, andinsect pests.

Tours of the Kerr Center's otherhorticultural projects will also beoffered, featuring biochar, com-posting and compost teas, no-tillproduction, organic crop rotationand cover cropping (includingorganic management of bermuda-grass), integration of livestock andhorticulture programs, and small-scale market gardening equipment(See p. 8.)

FIELD DAY: Commercial Meat GoatsSeptember 24(register by September 19)Poteau

Meat goat producers, as well asthose considering a commercialmeat goat enterprise, will learnabout parasites, forages, andanimal health at this annual fieldday, which runs from 9-3.

Featured speaker Dr. Nada K.Nadarajah, an animal geneticistfrom Auburn University, will speakon “Breeding, Genetic Selection, andthe Importance of Recordkeeping.”

Participants will also become certi-fied in the FAMACHA system ofeyelid color scoring to assess para-site loads.

Staff from the Kerr Center and OSUExtension will present on topicsincluding parasite managementand control, managing goats forherd health, and forages. (See p. 4.)

FIELD DAY: Pastured PorkOctober 6 CANCELLED

CONFERENCE: Practical Tools &Solutions for Sustaining FamilyFarms (Southern SAWG)January 18 - 21Little Rock, AR

The full conference schedule willbe posted in October atwww.ssawg.org.

To register for Kerr Centerevents, and for moreinformation on these andother upcoming sustainableagriculture events, visit theonline events calendar atwww.kerrcenter.com.

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