news news news news EXTENSION BRIEFS
Goat and Hair Sheep Field Day: Knowledge Is Power Since 1986, the American Institute for Goat Research (AIGR) has held an annual field day to equip small ruminant producers with essential skills, knowledge, and abilities to sustain their operations profitably. One of AIGR’s core cooperative extension events, the field day focused on goats until 2018, when hair sheep programming was added to the event and the name became Goat and Hair Sheep Field Day. Each year is focused on a different theme, the most recent being “Holistic Practices.” Field day proceedings books are handed out to attendees and posted on AIGR’s website. In 2019, for the first time, AIGR livestreamed the morning’s plenary sessions, reaching many who could not attend in person. The Goat and Hair Sheep Field Day is popular with producers. Over the past several years, more than 200 have attended annually. The field day is an important opportunity for the AIGR team to share successful production methods and challenges and to meet face-to-face with producers and other stakeholders from Oklahoma and other states.
A future goat owner holds an Alpine kid at the Goat and Hair Sheep Field Day. For more information about the annual field day, contact Dr. Terry Gipson, terry.gipson@langston.edu.
Extension Partnership: Farmers Market & Agritourism Conference Why can using plasticulture help me raise more vegetables
conference drew over 500 participants. The three-day
to sell? What is the most economical way to control pests
event kicked off with a day of workshops, including one
in a market garden? How can I take the gardening lessons
that proved why Anderson is the “extension educator of
learned by the diverse cultural groups in Oklahoma and
choice” on all things plasticulture. Day two gave all three
apply them to grow unique, marketable crops? These were
SAAS extension team members time on the stage. Ringer
a few of the many questions posed to the LU-SAAS
gave lessons on cultural gardening, Payton dis-
horticulture team of Dr. Joshua Ringer, Dr. Tracey
cussed integrated pest management, and Anderson
Payton, and Micah Anderson at the Oklahoma
preached the do’s and don’ts of plasticulture. The
Farmers Market and Agritourism Conference in
third day wrapped up the conference with farm tours.
February 2020 in Edmond, Oklahoma. Sponsored
Listening to producers, learning their production
jointly by LU-SAAS; the Oklahoma Department of
constraints, and providing useful information are
Agriculture, Food and Forestry through a USDA
key components of the SAAS extension strategy.
Specialty Crop Block Grant; and the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center’s Oklahoma
For more information on market gardens and agritourism, contact Dr. Joshua Ringer, joshua.ringer@langston.edu.
Nutrition Information Education Project, the
Aquaponics: A Growing Industry in Oklahoma Aquaponics is the raising of fish and plants symbioti-
growing rapidly. To provide much-needed education and
cally in a water-efficient circulating system. Dr. Malcolm
information to new producers, SAAS researcher Dr. Yonathon
McCallum, assistant professor of aquaculture, reports that
Tilahun led a team that proposed and was awarded an
the Oklahoma aquaponics industry, just a decade old, is
1890 Institution Capacity Building Program Grant entitled
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LANGSTON UNIVERSITY
