PROGRESS

Staffing and Technical Assistance – The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical assistance on grazing lands.  More than 110 NRCS employees spend more than 50% of their time providing technical assistance on grazing lands across the state at the county level.  Assistance includes planning and application of conservation systems and practices to facilitate management and improvement of grazing lands resources.  NRCS has 13 designated grazing lands specialists and /or range conservationists at the field, multi-county and state level.   To contact an NRCS field office near you, go to http://www.ok.nrcs.usda.gov/.

Demonstration Projects – Through a cooperative Agreement with the Oklahoma Grazing Lands Conservation Association (OGLCA), 15 demonstration projects have been established in various locations around the state.  These projects include:

·        Demonstrations on grazing management for wildlife benefit

·        Mesquite and cedar control strategies

·        Water quality and impacts of poultry litter and grazing

·        Prescribed burning and season of burning effects on plants and various plant communities

·        Livestock nutrition monitoring through fecal sampling and collecting data on forage quality throughout the state

·        Rotational grazing and management strategies for expiring CRP fields

·        Use of goats to control plant pests such as salt cedar

·        Demonstration on electric fencing systems and development of CD for producers

·        Benefits of adding legumes to pastures for quality forage and reducing fertilizer inputs

Public Awareness and Education – Projects and activities reach over 5000 people annually including producers and non-producers.  Each year, over 100 producer educational activities take place with over 4500 participants.  Activities include: 

 

 

• The OGLCA has provided 18 educational grants to partners such as conservation districts and RC&D councils to sponsor education activities for producers. 

• OGLCA workshops on pasture management, prescribed burning, brush and pest management, grazing management, and monitoring on rangelands. 

• Developed products including pasture sticks used for measuring forage production, plant ID books (jointly with partners), grazing record books, range management handbooks, plants pest website and small pasture management guide. 

• Each year the OGLCA sponsors an annual grazing lands conference with speakers that have included Alan Savory, Dr. Fred Provenza, Joel Salatin, Jim Gerrish, Bud Williams, David Pratt, Greg Judy, Dick Diven, Charley Orchard and many others. 

 Other Activities:

• Forage Quality and Animal Nutrition Project

• Special Initiatives / Efforts – Eastern Redcedar,  Threatened and Endangered Species, Developing Burn Associations

• Rancher / Stockman meetings – To identify issues and concerns and work with local and state agencies to address.

• Support of State and National Range Judging Contests and Range and Wildlife academy for high school students.

All of these accomplishments are a result of a strong partnership of federal, state and local agencies, organizations, and producers.  This is what GLCI is all about; working together, coordinating efforts and resources to accomplish a common goal of improved grazing lands.

Impacts of GLCI Efforts on people in Oklahoma

GLCI has brought awareness to grazing lands issues and concerns that are addressed through conservation programs, special initiatives and educational activities. The efforts of the OGLCA and its partnerships impact many Oklahomans.  People are impacted directly (those who actually participate or are a direct recipient of services) and indirectly through increased food and fiber products, clean and dependable water supplies, improved wildlife habitat, recreation and overall economic and environmental stability in rural and urban Oklahoma.