Southeast District PAC Issue Identification Agriculture/Natural Resources & Rural Development 2012 Program Year

DASNR Issue(s) Counties Initiative Cattle & Forages Drought Management Both Long & Short Term, Watering Latimer, Coal, McCurtain, Atoka, Seminole, Pontotoc, Systems, Proper Stocking Rates, Forage Systems, Nutrition Bryan, Johnston, Hughes, Pottawatomie, Choctaw, Issues, Herd Health Haskell, Love, LeFlore, Pittsburg, Marshall, Carter,  Drought Preparedness Education Pushmataha, Murray  Weed/Brush Control Options, Particularly Eastern Red Cedar Control Options  Pasture Recovery from Drought  Rotational Grazing Systems/Crossfencing & Stockpiling of Forages  Fescue Management  Soil/Forage Testing  Legumes & Cool Season Grasses for SE OK  Drought Tolerant Forages for SE OK  Increasing Forage Quality  Theft Prevention  Year Round Grazing  Mineral Nutrition for Drought Stressed Cattle  Increasing Fertilizer Costs  Post Drought Pasture Rehabilitation  Increasing Feed Costs  Limit Feeding Options for Hay, etc.  New Pregnancy Detection Options  Benefits of Controlled Breeding Systems  Determining Cow Efficiency  Alternative Feedstuffs  Animal Rights Issues  Multi-Species Grazing Options  Improving Land Use Efficiency  Getting More Youth Involved in Livestock  More Emphasis on Economics/Record Keeping  Continue Master Cattleman Programs  Implant Pros & Cons  Restocking the Cow Herd  Increased Sandbur and Johnsongrass Infestations  Poultry Litter vs. Commercial Fertilizer  Consumer Preferences and Perceptions regarding Beef Cattle Management Strategies Marketing  Additional OQBN education and opportunities  Bull Selection/Genetics for Today’s Market Coal, Latimer, Seminole, Bryan, Pittsburg, Atoka, Bryan,  Identifying & Evaluating Niche Markets Hughes, Pushmataha

Miscellaneous  Goat Parasite Control Pushmataha, Murray  OCA Vet Laws Water Quality and Availability, Water Rights  Cattle Watering Options/Water Conservation Methods Latimer, Atoka, Seminole, Pittsburg,  Water Rights Education

Homeland  Agro-terrorism Choctaw, Johnston, Atoka Security –  County Bio-Security Plans Agricultural Biosecurity  Emergency Preparedness (Family)

 Drought Tolerant Crops & Varieties Pottawatomie, Love  Soil Fertility Education Crop  Basic Crop Education Management  Alternative Crops  Peanut Variety Development for Shorter Pod-Set Period  Business Plans, Enterprise Record Keeping  Farm Bill Changes/New Farm Taxes/New Health Care Impacts  Developing Cash Flow Statements  Farm Estate Planning Farm &  Understanding USDA Farm Programs Pittsburg, Coal, Bryan, Coal, Haskell, Hughes, Pontotoc, Agribusiness  Surface, Water, and Mineral Owner Education, Legal Love, Management Issues  Farm Profitability, Cost Control  Agri-Tourism Opportunities  Study Impact of Biofuels on Production Costs  Affordable Crop Insurance  Direct Farm Marketing of Vegetables/Fruits

Commercial and  Pecan Management Coal, Pittsburg, McCurtain, Seminole, Pontotoc, Consumer  Wildlife Predation in Pecans Pottawatomie, Love, Pushmataha, Murray, Carter Horticulture &  Organic Vegetable Production Urban Forestry  Small Scale Fruit Production  Natural/Non-toxic Pest Control Options  Farmer’s Markets  Organic vs. Natural Production  Education on Sustainable Production  Farm To School Programs  Community Gardens  Education on Government Regulatory Programs  Community Garden Demonstrations  Watermelon Disease & Insect Control  Impact of Drought on Landscaping Considerations  Junior Master Gardener Program  Tree Care/Disease Prevention  Lawn Care Management  Community Landscaping as a Therapy for Managing Stress  Landscaping for Aesthetics and Property Value Enhancement  Home Gardening to Reduce Family Food Costs  Conservation of natural Resources and Energy

 Fire Ant Management/Control Integrated Pest  Insect/Disease Control for Timber Owners Latimer, Atoka, Coal, Murray Management  Tree Dieback  Invasive Plants/Insects

Ecosystem  Wild Hogs: Crop and pasture destruction, how to Mgmt., prevent, Predator control Coal, LeFlore, Latimer Conservation &  Lease Hunting/Alternative Enterprises Restoration  Oil and gas exploration environmental issues

Community  Local/County Government Education Pontotoc, Coal, Latimer, Atoka, McCurtain, Seminole, Resource &  Improving Life Skills ”Common Sense Education” Bryan, Pottawatomie, Choctaw, Pittsburg, Love, Economic Dev.  Public Education on “Agriculture” Marshall, LeFlore, Murray  PRIDE Programming in Community  Etiquette Training  Red Cedar Bio-Fuel Plant  Health Care Sustainability  Industry/Jobs  Promote SET Training for Community Leaders  Hiring of Local Employees  Natural Gas Accessibility for Autos  Integration of E-911 data into OSU’s GIS Database  Support for Economic Development Programs in County  Increase Cooperation Between Cities within Counties  Increase Agri-Tourism via New Facilities  Youth Education  Tax Base Increase  Promote Higher Education to Youth  Promote Workforce Training for Adults  Trash Dumping and Littering in Rural Areas  Building Stronger Family Units  Provide Economic Data to Cities  Training Youth to Respect Mankind  South Pottawatomie County Isolation  County Disaster Preparedness  Community Health Awareness  Funding for Roads & Bridges  County Road Signage  Consumer & Credit Education  Healthy Lifestyles  Community Agricultural Awareness & Support  New Fair Grounds Facilities  Lack of Networked Resources  Need for Rural Chambers of Commerce  Unemployment Rates  Age of Farmers  Urban vs. Rural  Leadership Training