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Extension News

Volume 17, Number 15
September 29, 2017
CURRENT EVENTS
GardenFest and Mum Sale is TOMORROW: Make plans to attend tomorrow’s GardenFest and Mum Sale at The Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University. There are activities for all ages, including garden tours, children’s games and crafts, live music and food trucks. Live music will include Stillwater High School choir, The Williamson Family Band, and Tanner Bryan. Informational booths will be set up in the garden offering information on everything from plant diagnostics/identification and homemade soaps to yard art and tea drinks. Activities begin at 10 a.m. A Jack O’Lantern Jog will begin at 1:30 p.m. Mark and Tabitha West, of Cedar Valley Nurseries will be guest speakers. Perfect for your fall landscape, a variety of mums will be available for purchase.
Aquaponic Farming Workshop to Take Place Oct. 11: Entrepreneurs who wish to help meet the growing
demand for fresh, local vegetables and fish can learn how to do so at the
upcoming Aquaponic Farming Workshop to get the latest research-based
information on this growing trend. Slated Oct. 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in
Vian, Oklahoma, this free workshop is geared toward those who are interested in
starting or expanding an aquaponics business. The workshop will take place at
the Blackgum Community Center, 449458 Highway 100.
Aquaponic farming is defined as the
combination of aquaculture, which is raising fish, and hydroponics, which is
the soilless growing of plants, together in one integrated system.
Registration is free and includes lunch
and materials, but attendees are asked to register on or before Oct. 6 by
calling Kyle Robinson at 405-273-7683, or via email at kyle.robinson@okstate.edu. For more information about the workshop, contact
James Arati at 405-321-4774 or via email at jarati@okstate.edu.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Training Workshops for the New OK-FIRE Announced: A series of workshops are planned this fall to help
people use and understand the new OK-FIRE website. The old
site is being retired in October. The new OK-FIRE is
more user-friendly, but substantially different in terms of layout and content,
so training, even for current users, will be important. Training dates/locations include: Bartlesville,
Oct. 12; Antlers, Oct. 26; Woodward, Nov. 2; Altus, Nov. 16; Ardmore, Nov. 30;
El Reno, Dec. 13; and Stillwater, Dec. 18. These workshops consist of 6 hours
of training and all will be directed by Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
fire meteorologist J. D. Carson, who serves as program manager.
Workshops are free but
registration is required. Since, in most
cases, space is limited to about 15-25 participants for these workshops, only
those who work directly with wildland fire (wildfire and/or prescribed fire) or
advise those who do should attend. Registration information is available here.
Operational since 2006,
OK-FIRE is a weather-based decision-support system for wildland fire
management. OK-FIRE uses the Oklahoma Mesonet for current/recent
conditions and an 84-hour forecast to predict weather, fire danger, and
smoke dispersion conditions out to three days in the future. Users include multiple federal and state
agencies as well as local fire departments, emergency managers, cooperative
extension educators, and private landowners.
With respect to wildfire,
benefits of using OK-FIRE include better anticipation of high fire danger
conditions, guidance for optimal staffing levels, and tracking existing and
forecast weather and fire danger conditions during the wildfire itself, leading
to more effective suppression strategies. With respect to prescribed fire,
OK-FIRE can help in the planning and conducting of prescribed burns, as well as
providing guidance for smoke management.
New/Updated Publications on PODS: There are a number of new and updated publications available on the Print on Demand System at http://osufacts.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/HomePage. New publications include:
No new publications
Revised publications include:
- CR-2143 2016-2017 OSU Small Grains Variety Performance Tests
- CR-7195 Commercial Management of Turfgrass Insects and Mites
Condolences to: Heath Sanders, Area Extension Agronomy Specialist, on the death of his grandmother. Doris Jean Sanders passed away Sept. 14. Funeral services took place Sept. 19 at the First Methodist Church in Sterling. Cards may be sent to Heat at 1523 NE Stone House Dr., Elgin, OK 73538.
AWARDSPERSONNEL ACTIONS
Appointments
Katie Miller, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Pottawatomie County, effective 9-18-17
Title Changes/Transfers
None to report
Separations/Retirements
Wyatt Kirwan, Extension Educator, Agriculture/4-H Youth Development, Cotton County, effective 9-29-17
Tony Yates, Extension Educator, Agriculture/4-H Youth Development, and CED, Sequoyah County, effective 12-31-17 (retirement)
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Cleveland County
Extension Educator, Agriculture/4-H Youth Development, Grady County
Extension Educator, Agriculture/4-H Youth Development, Haskell County
Extension Educator, Agriculture/4-H Youth Development, Pushmataha County
Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Rogers County
Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Wagoner County
Northeast Area Agriculture Economist, Muskogee County
Internal Applicants Only
Extension Educator, Agriculture/4-H Youth Development, Marshall County
Extension Educator, Agriculture/4-H Youth Development, Okmulgee County
Extension Educator, Agriculture/4-H Youth Development, Washington County
COMING EVENTS
September 28-October 8:
Tulsa State Fair (Tulsa)
September 28: West District CED Meeting (Clinton)
September 30: 4-H State
Judging Day (Stillwater)
October 4: Food Safety
Modernization Workshop (Oklahoma City)
October 5: Fall Organic
Farming Workshop (Oklahoma City)
October 7: Oklahoma 4-H
Hunting Skills Contest (Oklahoma City)
October 11: Aquaponic
Farming Borrower/Lender Matchmaking and Resource Event (Vian)
October 20: Rural Economic
Outlook Conference (Stillwater)
October 21: Oklahoma 4-H Trapp Contest (TBA)
October 23: West District
Extension Administrative Supports Specialists/Assistants Training (Weatherford)
October 24: Viticulture and
Enology Workshop (Ada)
October 25: Greenhouse
Biological Control Workshop (Stillwater)
November 8: Annie’s Project
In-service and Certification (Stillwater)
November 9: Online Tools
for Grassland management (Duncan)
November 11: Co-Parenting
for Resilience (Kingfisher)
November 11: Oklahoma 4-H
Muzzleloader Contest (Oklahoma City)
November 30: 4-H Volunteer
Management System (Webinar)