Field Day Targets Oklahoma, Texas Urbanites

Managing natural resources at one time put farmers and ranchers on opposite sides of the fence from urban landowners, but such isn't necessarily the case any longer.

"Natural Resource Management — Problems and Opportunities," is a field day being held Oct. 17 to bring those two factions together to show that good agriculture can make for good neighbors.

The field day is being sponsored by the nonprofit Noble Foundation, headquartered in Ardmore, Okla. The full-day session, however, will be held in Marietta, Okla., and on a Noble Foundation property in Love County — the Coffey Demonstration Ranch.

Russell Stevens, a wildlife and range specialist at NF, said the goal for the program is to reach an urban audience.

"We want to show that agricultural practices, properly implemented, do not harm the environment," Stevens said.

The program is being divided into two educational formats — general sessions in tshe morning, including a panel discussion emphasizing both producer and envirnomental viewpoints, producer and environmental case studies, and four concurrent sessions in the afternoon.

Morning speakers for the environmental and producer viewpoints scheduled for the field day include Catriona Glazebrook, Texas Audobon Society, and Dave Fischbach, a South Dakota rancher. Barron Rector, Texas A&M University, will moderate. The environmental case study will be presented by Larry White, Texas A&M University. A presenter for the producer study has not yet been confirmed. These speakers will then make up the panel discussion to be held later in the morning.

That afternoon, speakers and their topics at Coffey Ranch include Dave Engle, Oklahoma State University, "Post Oak Ecology"; J. Q. Lynd, OSU, "Soil Ecology"; and Rufus Stephens, Texas Park and Wildlife Department, "Wildlife Management." A fourth topic, "Watershed Management," also is scheduled.

The day begins with registration and refreshments at 8 a.m., followed by a welcome from NF Agricultural Division Director Jim Schaffer at 8:30. There is no cost for the field day, but participants are asked to call Kathy Spohn during week days at the Foundation to make lunch reservations by Oct. 1, at (580) 223-5810. The program is limited to the first 200 registrants.

(FYI — The Noble Foundation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization headquartered in Ardmore, Okla. The Foundation conducts agricultural and plant biology research; provides grants to numerous other charitable and educational organizations; and assists farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative programs.)