southernplainspodcast: Recent Episodes
Clay Pope
The Southern Plains Podcast will cover information on agriculture, climate change, and how USDA and it's partners are working to help farmers, ranchers and rural communities adapt to the extreme weather events that are being exacerbated by our changing climate.
In our latest episode of the podcast we again talk to Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas about current conditions in the region and what to expect weather wise over the next few weeks and months.
Can we set up wildfire warnings in a manner similar to tornado or thunderstorm warnings? Can we predict where a burn is going to happen and put it out before you even start to see smoke? That is what they are doing in Oklahoma and we discuss it all with Mark Goeller, Oklahoma State Forester in our latest episode.
In this special episode of the podcast we visit with Matthew Sittel, Assistant State Climatologist in Kansas about the weather conditions in Kansas and what the outlook shows over the next weeks and months.
In our latest episode we visit with Brad Rippey, Meteorologist with USDA in Washington D.C. about the heat dome over Texas, the possibility of a super El Nino and the wild weather we are facing in 2023.
In this special episode of the podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy of the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas about current conditions in Oklahoma and Texas and what the future will bring the region weather-wise.
What do NRCS, Conservation District and State Conservation employees think about climate change and what do they know about how conservation programs can help ag producers both adapt to the changing climate while mitigating some of climate change's root causes?
Those were the questions Dr. Amy Hagerman asked conservation employees and conservation district directors in Oklahoma this last fall. In our latest episode of the podcast we talk with her about her findings and what information she gleaned from her climate conversations with conservation.
In this special edition of the podcast we again talk to Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas about current conditions in the Southern Plains and what we can expect weather wise over the next few months.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Dana Ashley Kornbuger, the National Climate Coordinator at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) about the work the agency is doing to help farmers and ranchers adapt to our changing climate while addressing some of climate changes root causes.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Dana Ashley Kornbuger, the National Climate Coordinator at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) about the work the agency is doing to help farmers and ranchers adapt to our changing climate while addressing some of climate changes root causes.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Oklahoma State Climatologist Gary McManus about current weather conditions in Oklahoma and the region and what the outlook shows moving forward through the Spring, Summer and Fall.
In this special episode of the podcast we visit with Matthew Sittel, the Assistant State Climatologist for the State of Kansas about the ongoing drought, current weather conditions, and what the outlook shows moving forward through the spring and summer.
In this special episode of the podcast we visit with Matthew Sittel, the Assistant State Climatologist for the State of Kansas about the ongoing drought, current weather conditions, and what the outlook shows moving forward through the spring and summer.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Dr. Kevin Wagner, head of the Water Resources Center at Oklahoma State University about their research work with virtual fencing systems and how these systems could help producers manage grazing and assist in natural resource work.
In this episode of the podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth, Texas about the current weather conditions in the region and what the outlook shows over the next few weeks and months.
In our latest podcast episode we visit with Adam York, Sustainability Director for the National Sorghum Producers, about their new climate smart commodities initiative with USDA and how grain sorghum can be part of how producers deal with extreme weather challenges.
The Ogallala Aquifer has a huge impact on agriculture and communities throughout the western portion of the Great Plains. In this episode of the podcast we visit with Dr. Jean Steiner, Associate Professor at Kansas State University and Science Coordinator with the Sustainable Southwest Beef Project about some of the challenges facing the Aquifer in Kansas as well as some of the ways that producers can help extend the life of this critical resource.
In this special episode of the podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas about the latest weather conditions in Oklahoma and Texas and what the outlook is like moving forward through January and on into spring.
In this last episode of 2022 we visit with Julian Reyes, the National Coordinator of the USDA Climate Hub Network in Washington, D.C.
Julian talks to us about the History of the Hubs, the work they do and what some of the initiatives in store for 2023.
In this special episode of the podcast we visit with Matthew Sittel, Assistant State Climatologist in Kansas. Mr. Sittel talks to us about the Kansas Mesonet system, the current drought impacting his state and what the weather forecast looks like for Kansas moving forward over the next few weeks and months.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Amanda Mathis, the Acting State Conservationist for NRCS in Oklahoma. Amanda talks to us about her work for NRCS both as acting State Conservationist in Oklahoma and as the Assistant Conservationist for Partners in Arkansas and about some of the current initiatives at NRCS including the ongoing work to help producers through the drought and the upcoming push for Climate Smart Conservation practices funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.
In this special episode of the podcast we again talk to Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth, Texas about current conditions in the region and the weather outlook over the next few weeks and months.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Dan Meyerhoff, Executive Director of the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts about the role the association plays in helping Kansas farmers and ranchers protect the state's natural resources. We also discuss the ongoing drought and their new Kansas Climate Smart Ag initiative that helps producers undertake soil health practices on their land.
Last week we had the chance to again sit down with Victor Murphy at the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth, Texas and discuss the current conditions in Oklahoma and Texas as well as the outlook for weather in the region over the next few weeks and months. You can listen to the discussion here in our latest podcast episode.
In this episode we visit with Jacob Shaffer, the NRCS District Conservationist in Weatherford, Texas about the rainwater harvesting system Parker County installed at their county fairgrounds and how these types of systems can help producers better prepare for droughts while potentially lowering their input costs.
In this special episode of the podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas about the current conditions in Oklahoma and Texas and the weather outlook for the weeks and months ahead.
In this special episode of the podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth, Texas about the current weather conditions in the Southern plains and the outlook for the coming months.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Dr. Karen Hickman, Director of the Environmental Science Program at Oklahoma State University and the Past-President of the Oklahoma Invasive Species Council.
We talk with Dr. Hickman about some of the challenges ag producers in the Southern Plains are facing from invasive plants in our changing climate.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Earl Lewis, Chief Water Engineer with the Kansas Department of Agriculture about the drought emergency in his state and the challenges the region is facing in dealing with the current dry conditions.
In this episode of the podcast we talk to Dr. A.J. Tarpoff, Extension Veterinarian at Kansas State University about the weather conditions that caused the massive loss of cattle in Kansas feedlots last month and how cattle producers can better prepare for extreme weather events.
In this episode we again visit with Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth about the outlook for Oklahoma and Texas.
In this episode we visit with the team of researchers at Oklahoma State University involved in the Prairie Project (a research, teaching and extension collaboration between Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and the University of Nebraska) about their work on grazing cattle and goats in a multi-species system, combined with patch burning, to help control woody invasive plants while increasing productivity and building extreme weather resilience.
In this special episode of the podcast we once again talk to Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas about the current conditions in the region and what the forecast has in store for us moving into the summer.
Can you help control soil erosion, better prepare for droughts and floods and reduce input costs all while increasing yields AND helping the environment?
In this episode of the podcast we talk to Blane Stacy with the Soil Health team at the Oklahoma Conservation Commission about the economics of soil health and what they found out when they asked that question.
Can you help control soil erosion, better prepare for droughts and floods and reduce input costs all while increasing yields AND helping the environment?
In this episode of the podcast we talk to Blane Stacy with the Soil Health team at the Oklahoma Conservation Commission about the economics of soil health and what they found out when they asked that question.
In our latest podcast episode we visit with Mike Langston, Deputy Director of the South Central Climate Adaptation Center about their work to help communities and individuals in the region deal with the challenges they are facing due to our changing climate.
The weather outlook is not looking good in the Southern Plains. Fire danger in the west, severe storms in the east-the next few days will be very interesting in Oklahoma and Texas. In this episode of the podcast we again talk with Victor Murphy of the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth Texas about the current weather conditions in the region, the ongoing drought and what to expect over the next few weeks.
In this episode we visit with Sean Babington, the Senior Advisor for Climate to the Secretary of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Sean Talks with us about his work for Secretary Vilsack and about the strategy USDA is undertaking to help farmers and ranchers deal with the challenges they are facing from climate change.
In this special episode of the podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas. Victor talks to us about the current southern plains weather conditions and what the outlook is like as we move into the spring and early summer.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Aliza Wasserman-Drewes, Executive Director of Rural Investment to Protect our Environment (RIPE), an organization working to develop programs that reward farmers and ranchers for good stewardship on the land. We talk to Ms. Wasserman-Drewes about the work of the group, their focus and what she sees as the benefits of soil health and regenerative agriculture.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Dan Kittredge, the Executive Director of the Bionutrient Food Association about the work they are doing to identify and promote the nutrient density of food grown using soil health practices. Mr. Kittredge also talks about the tools they have developed to help producers analyze their crops to determine their level of nutrients.
In this special episode of the podcast we again talk with the National Weather Service's Victor Murphy about the current weather conditions in Oklahoma and Texas and what the forecast looks like for the coming months.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Debbie Lyons-Blythe, a White City, Kansas cattle producer and the incoming Chair of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Mrs. Lyons-Blythe talks to us about how the roundtable works to help farmers and ranchers analyze their operations and work to improve their profitability while protecting our natural resources base.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Dr. John Nielson-Gammon, the Climatologist for the State of Texas and Director of the Southern Regional Climate Center at Texas A&M University about the work of the Regional Climate Center and the weather challenges we are seeing in Texas.
In this episode we visit with Kristy Oates, USDA NRCS State Conservationist in Texas about the work of the agency in the Lone Star State and about some of the initiatives they are undertaking to help farmers and ranchers deal with extreme weather events.
In this special episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we again talk with Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth about current conditions in Oklahoma and Texas and what the weather outlook looks like moving into the winter.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we have the chance to sit down and talk with Dr. Frank Mitloehner, professor and air quality specialist in cooperative extension at UC Davis. Dr. Mitloehner will be presenting his talk "Rethinking Methane: Animal Agriculture's Path to Climate Neutrality on October 11 at Kansas State University as part of their Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems Lecture series. He shared with us some of his thoughts on livestock production, sustainability and climate change.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Joel Lisonbee with the National Integrated Drought Information Systems (NIDIS) network about the work they do to help inform folks of developing dry conditions, including their Drought Early Warning System (DEWS).
Dry weather has set in throughout Oklahoma and the specter of "flash drought" has reared its ugly head. In our latest podcast we visit with Oklahoma State Climatologist Gary McManus about current conditions, flash drought and what the precipitation picture looks like over the next few weeks.
In our latest podcast episode we had the chance to visit with Mary Knapp, Assistant State Climatologist in Kansas about current weather conditions in the Sunflower state and what the future trends look like.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Dr. Renee McPherson, the University Director of the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center in Norman, Oklahoma about the work of the center in helping communities and individuals adapt to extreme weather events, the latest U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report and what it means for the future of weather in the Southern Plains.
In this episode we again visit with Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth, Texas about the current weather conditions in the Southern Plains and the outlook for the next few months.
In this episode of the podcast, we visit with Dr. Brandon Bestelmeyer, Research Leader at the USDA-ARS Range Management Research Unit in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Dr. Bestelmeyer talks about the Long Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network and how this ongoing effort can help agriculture better prepare for the challenges climate change is bringing to the industry.
In this special episode of the podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth. We discuss the weather conditions in Oklahoma and Texas and talk about the recent La Nina forecast from NOAA.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Francie Tolle, Director of the Product Administration and Standards Division with the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) in Kansas City, Missouri. Francie visits with us about the role RMA plays in helping producers manage risk (including the risk caused by extreme weather events), the new Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP) and why its important that soil health producers report their cover crops to FSA.
In this special edition of the podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy of the Nation Weather Service about the weather outlook in Oklahoma and Texas.
In this special episode of the podcast we again visit with Mary Knapp, Kansas State University Extension Climatologist and Assistant Climatologist for the State of Kansas about current weather conditions in the Sunflower State and what the outlook is for the next few weeks.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we talk to Bailey Norwood with the Ag Econ Department at Oklahoma State University about research he conducted showing that the greenhouse gas footprint left by eating beef could be offset with just a $20 carbon credit.
In this episode of the podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service about the weather outlook in Oklahoma and Texas on May 3, 2021.
In this special episode of the podcast we visit with Mary Knapp, Assistant Climatologist for the State of Kansas about the weather conditions in her state and the weather outlook for the next few weeks.
In this special episode of the podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy from the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth about current weather conditions and the outlook over the next few months.
In this episode we visit with Theresa Crimmins, Director of the USA National Phenology Network, an organization dedicated to collecting, storing and sharing penology data--information about when plants bloom, leaves change color, birds build nests, etc--to help inform folks on issues like Management of invasive species and forest pests, predictions of human health-related events, such as allergies and mosquito season, optimization of when to plant, fertilize, and harvest crops, understanding the timing of ecosystem processes, such as carbon cycling and the assessment of the vulnerability of species, populations, and ecological communities to ongoing climate change. The network has a new tool-the Winter Wheat Development Forecast tool--that we discuss as well as other information about the work of the network.
With all the discussion about carbon credits and agriculture, we wanted to give attention to the first and most successful state-sanctioned carbon program in the U.S.--the Oklahoma Carbon Credit program.
Shanon Phillips, Director of water quality at the Oklahoma Conservation Commission joins us on the podcast to talk about the program, how it operated and how the bundled benefits generated by the land enrolled in the program not only reduced greenhouse gasses but also helped improve water quality.
In this special episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we talk to Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth about the record cold weather we say at the end of February and what the next few weeks ahead may look like.
In this special episode of the podcast we are talking about the weather outlook in Kansas with that State's Assistant Climatologist, Mary Knapp.
Mary talks to us about current conditions and what we can expect weather-wise in Kansas over the next few days and weeks.
In this episode of the podcast we have as our guest Dr. Steve Mauget with the Agricultural Research Service in Lubbock, Texas. Dr. Mauget visits with us about his work looking at soil health, climate impact on crops and Livestock weather stress.
In this special episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth Texas about the current conditions in Oklahoma and Texas and what to expect weather wise over the next few weeks.
Once again, Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth, Texas visits with us about the current weather situation in Oklahoma and Texas and what is in store over the next few weeks.
In this special episode of the podcast we visit with Mary Knapp, Assistant State Climatologist for the state of Kansas about weather conditions in her state and what the outlook for precipitation looks like over the next few weeks.
In this episode of the podcast we talk with Dr. Drew Smith, Chief Scientist with the Rodale Institute located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania about their recent report entitled "Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Carbon Solution" where they outline how their research shows that global adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across both cropland and grassland could sequester more than 100% of current anthropogenic emissions of co2. We also discuss the work of the institute, organic regenerative agriculture, and the role soil health can play in addressing environmental issues.
In this special edition of the Southern Plains Podcast we again talk with Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth Texas. Victor updates us on the current weather outlook in Oklahoma and Texas.
In this episode of the podcast we are honored to have as our special guest Ray Archuleta, regenerative agriculture/soil health expert, former NRCS soil scientist, and star of the recent film "Kiss The Ground." Ray talks to us about soil health and regenerative agriculture, his experience working with farmers and ranchers and what he sees on the horizon for production agriculture.
In this special episode of the podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy from the National Weather Service in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Mr. Murphy runs down the impact of the late October Oklahoma ice storm and talks about the future weather outlook for both Oklahoma and Texas.
In this episode of the podcast we are honored to have as our guest Kevin Norton, the Acting Chief of the USDA NRCS in Washington D.C. Kevin talks to us about the history of the NRCS and the role of the agency in helping farmers and ranchers deal with extreme weather events and other natural resource concerns while producing the food and fiber we need to feed and clothe the world.
In this special episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we again visit with Victor Murphy about the increasing dry conditions in Oklahoma and Texas and what the precipitation picture looks like over the next few weeks.
In this special episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we again talk about the drought conditions with Victor Murphy, Climate Services Program Manager for the National Weather Service Southern Region out of Ft. Worth. Victor talks to us about the worsening conditions drought in West Texas and Western Oklahoma and the outlook for the next few weeks.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with MIke Fuhr, State Director of the Oklahoma Nature Conservancy about the work of his organization, including their partnership with farmers, ranchers and other landowners to promote prescribed fire, soil health and sustainable agriculture.
In this new special episode of the Southern Plains Podcast, we again talk with Victor Murphy, Climate Service Programs Manager for the southern region of the National Weather Service about the drought conditions in Texas.
In this episode we visit with Dr. Jaymelynn Farney, Beef specialist at Kansas State University about her research on grazing cover crops.
In this episode we visit with Dr. Jaymelynn Farney, Beef specialist at Kansas State University about her research on grazing cover crops.
In this special episode of the podcast we continue with our series on drought in the southern plains with Gary McManus, Climatologist for the State of Oklahoma. Gary talks to us about the conditions in the Sooner State and how mother nature seems to be playing "whack-a-drought" with pop up rain events and changing dry conditions.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Dr. Andres Cibils, Professor of Range Science in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences at New Mexico State University and the Director of the Sustainable Beef Coordinated AG Project.
Dr. Ciblis talks to us about their research looking at Raramuri Criollo cattle and other 'Heritage' breeds as options for producers to enhance ranch and rangeland resilience in the Southwestern US and turn a profit while potentially hardening their operations to extreme weather events.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Russell Stevens, a strategic consultation manager and a wildlife and range consultant in the producer relations program at the Noble Research Institute in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Russell visits with us about the work of the Institute, its interaction with agriculture producers and his work in helping landowners and others understand the importance of prescribed fire as a tool for range improvement and wildfire fuel reduction.
In this third special episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we again talk to Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service out of Ft. Worth about the improvement in drought conditions in south Texas. We also discuss the webinar he took part in on May 20 discussing the current drought conditions-the webinar can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0q6UbR2Huc&t=3s
In this second special edition of the Southern Plains Podcast we again talk to Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service out of Ft. Worth about the ongoing drought in South Texas. We also discuss the webinar he took part in on May 6 discussing the current drought conditions-the webinar can be see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib1rbDqtKcc
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Jenny Hopkinson, the lead staffer for National Farmers Union on climate change. Jenny talks to us about the issue of climate change, how her organization is responding to it on behalf of farmers and ranchers and how soil health/regenerative ag, conservation and ag policy all intersect when discussing extreme weather adaptation and climate change mitigation.
In this special edition of the Southern Plains Podcast we talk to Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service out of Ft. Worth Texas about the ongoing drought plauging the southern part of the Lone Star State. We also discuss the webinar he took part in earlier in the month discussing the current drought conditions-the webinar can be see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrOWjZaLbXY&t=13s
In this episode of the podcast we talk with Didi Pershouse, soil health educator and the author of our soil health classroom curriculum. Didi visits with us about the curriculum, how it was created, its use in the classroom and how it has been utilized throughout the world.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Corey Jager, the legislative liaison for the Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation. Corey talks with us about the department, their programs and focus, and how good land stewardship helps not just agriculture and the environment, but it also improves wildlife habitat.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Chris Clayton, ag policy editor for DTN-Progressive Farmer about the natural resource issues facing farmers and ranchers across the United States.
It's a new year and we have a new podcast episoded! We start off 2020 on the podcast by visiting with Cheryle Cheadle, Volunteer Coordinator for the Blue Thumb Program at the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. Cheryl talks to us about the Blue Thumb water quality education and monitoring program in Oklahoma and the role it plays in conservation's effort to help address water qualtiy issues and improve soil health.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Amy Seiger, Soil Health Coordinator for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. Amy talks to us about some of the soil health work going in Oklahoma including efforts by the Commission to work with urban home owners and their education and outreach work with cattle producers.
In this episode of the Podcast we visit with Dannele Peck, the Director of the USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub. Dannele talks with us about the Northern Plains Hub and some of the tools they've developed to help ag producers cope with the changing climate including GRASSCAST--a computer tool that helps ranchers by predicting potential future forage conditions.
In this episode we visit with Carol Crouch, NRCS Tribal Liaison in Oklahoma. Carol visits with us about some of the natural resource issues concerning the Tribes in Oklahoma, the role NRCS plays in helping them address these concerns and how the agency and its partners are working to help the tribes deal with the challenges of the future.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Julian Reyes, Research Fellow with the Southwest Climate Hub about the Ag Risk Viewer, a tool developed by the Southwest Hub that analyses data from the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) to look at crop insurance loss trends over time by commodity at a county or state level. (The viewer can be accessed at https://swclimatehub.info/rma/). Julian also talks about the work of the Southwest Hub and some of the climate related issues facing agriculture in his region.
In this episode we visit with Ken Salisbury, a farmer/rancher from Vici, Oklahoma about the impact wildfires have had on his operation. We also talk about what he thinks can be done to reduce wildfire risk.
In this episode of the podcast we visit with Dr. Corey Moffet, a Range land and Pasture research specialist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) at Woodward Oklahoma. Dr. Moffet talks with us about wildfire and prescribed fire and how producers can utilize prescribed fire as a tool to get ahead of several natural resource issues including reducing wildfire fuel load.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast I talk with Larry Caldwell, Upstream Flood control specialist with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and former USDA NRCS state engineer for Oklahoma. Larry will talk about the history of the USDA upstream flood control program and how it continues to provide real time protection for life and property, especially during the rain events we have seen recently in the midwest.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast I talk with Larry Caldwell, Upstream Flood control specialist with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and former USDA NRCS state engineer for Oklahoma. Larry will talk about the history of the USDA upstream flood control program and how it continues to provide real time protection for life and property, especially during the rain events we have seen recently in the midwest.
Gary O'Neil, Oklahoma NRCS State Conservationist is our guest for this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast. Gary visits with us about the work NRCS has done in Oklahoma to help farmers and ranchers deal with natural resource challenges on the land and how conservation programs can help agriculture deal with extreme weather events.
In this edition of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Scotty Herriman, a farmer from North East Oklahoma and a leader in the soil health movement. Scotty is the former President of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, a member of the Soil Health Champions Network of the National Association of Conservation Districts, and a board member of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.
Scotty talks with us about his experience with soil health practices on his land, why he switched to these practices and what he sees as the future of soil health in Oklahoma.
In this episode of our podcast we visit with Greg Scott, former NRCS state soil scientist and the current soil health specialist for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. Greg is an expert on soil health in the Southern Plains and how soil health concepts and practices can help agriculutre adapt to extreme weather events. For most of the interview, I simply listened to the wealth of knowledge Greg has to share. We hope you enjoy it!
In this epidsode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Dr. Dan Sebert, Executive Director of the National Watershed Coalition, a non-profit that supports the work of the USDA watershed (upstream flood control) program.
Dan visits with us about the history of the USDA watershed program, the important role it plays in helping ag producers and rural communities deal with extreme weather events and the role of the National Watershed Coalition in supporting the work of the program.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we caught up with Barth Crouch, Executive Director of the Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition at the Great Plains Fire Summitt. We visit with Barth about wildfire vs. prescribed burning and the importance of managed fire as a tool to improve pasture and range health as well as reducing the danger from out of control wildfires.
In this episode we visit with Shanon Phillips, the Director of the Water Quality Division of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. Through the work of her division in partnership with USDA NRCS, Region Six EPA, Local Conservation Districts, USDA FSA and others, Oklahoma has taken over 70 stream segments off of the EPA impaired list--the most of any state in the country. They have achieved this success not with regulations or law suits, but with voluntary, incentive based locally-led conservation with a focus on those practices that improve soil health. Shanon also talks about how these practices save communities down stream money by reducing treatment costs while helping farmers and ranchers better prepair for drought and floods while reducing emissions and sequestering carbon dioxide.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Steve Swaffer, Executive Director of No-Till on the Plains, a 501c3 non-profit educational organization whose mission is to provide education and networking on agricultural production systems that model nature. Steve talks to us about his organization, the role no-till and cover crops play in helping ag producers deal with extreme weather events and how No-Till on the Plains is working to educate farmers and ranchers on the benefits of soil health.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we talk to Nathan Hale, Soil Health Specialist for USDA NRCS in the State of Texas. Nathan talks to us about how the Natural Resources Conservation Service is working with producers to promote soil health/regenerative agriculture in Texas, how producers are responding to this work and the role soil health can play in helping farmer and ranchers adapt to extreme weather events.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with John Weir, Extension Fire Specialist at Oklahoma State University about the recent Southern Plains wildfires, the need for more prescribed fires as a means to prevent new wildfires and how the use of prescribed burning can help improve the landscape and benefit production agriculture.
In this episode, we visit with Dr. Rick Haney with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Temple, Texas.
Dr. Haney discusses his work with soil testing, the role microbial activity plays in the soil and the improtance of soil health.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we talk to Tom Roth, Kansas State Agronomist for USDA NRCS about soil health, its roll in water and soil conservation and the work of NRCS in the state of Kansas.
In this episode we visit with Dr. Larry Sanders, Agriculture Economics Professor at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Sanders shares with us some of the findings of his study on producer attitudes toward conservation programs. He also talks with us about some of the challenges and opportunities he sees on the horizon for production agriculture.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Dr. Cait Rottler, Research Fellow with the USDA Agriculture Research Service (ARS) and the USDA Southern Plains Climate Hub. Dr. Rottler talks to us about the role of the Hub Fellows program, her ongoing research in the Southern Plains region and what she sees as challenges on the horizon for Agriculture.
In this episode, we visit with Trey Lam, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission about the role of the State Conservation Agency in Oklahoma, the work they do to help agriculture producers adapt to extreme weather through conservation practices on the ground and their partnership with USDA and local conservation districts. We also discuss the commissions role in protecting the state from flash flooding, and their work in the areas of water quality and soil health.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Andrew Lyon, Technical Unit Program Manager with the Kansas Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) program. Andrew talks with us about the importance of land treatment strategies on farm and ranch land in protecting our water.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we visit with Dr. Sherry Hunt, the Research Leader at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit about the research conducted at the Unit, the importance of the USDA upstream flood control program and the future needs of water infrastructure at USDA.
Farmers, ranchers and rural communities hit by the effects of Hurricane Harvey have options available to them from USDA to help with their recovery.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast we share information about USDA's response to the storm and tell individuals how they can start the process to see what assistance they qualify for.
In this episode of the Southern Plains Podcast, we interview Gary McManus, Oklahoma State Climatologist. Gary talks about the changes we are seeing in our weather patterns from a historical perspective, flash droughts, ice storms and what the crystal ball shows for the regions weather.
All too often farmers and ranchers think about soil erosion as a problem of the past.
The Dust Bowl of the "dirty thirties" was horrible, but we beat back the tide of dust, right?
In this episode we will discuss how we still are seeing high rates of soil erosion and how it is having a major impact on both our bottom lines and the environment.
This episode of our podcast covers information on the spring fires that plagued the Texas Panhandle, Northwest Oklahoma and Southwest Kansas in the spring of 2017. It also contains information on help that is available to farmers and ranchers to help them deal with the effects of this disaster.