Learn about Kerr Center programs, history and groundbreaking work defining sustainable agriculture and reaching out to farmers, ranchers, policymakers and consumers.

1. Welcome to the Kerr Center
A private non-profit
educational foundation

2. Located just off highway 271
5 miles south of Poteau, Oklahoma,
on Kerr Rd.

3. We demonstrate sustainable agriculture
on the Kerr Farm & Ranch

4. Kerr Foundation:
Established by the
family of Senator
Robert S. Kerr after his
death in 1963

5. Kerr Center Beginnings
•
1965-66, Agriculture Division of the
larger Kerr Foundation established
•
Mission: Outreach to farmers and
ranchers in SE Oklahoma

6. •
In 1985
sustainability became
central focus
Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture

7. Foundation supported
by an endowment,
grants and donations.

8. Dr. Jim Horne
•
President of Kerr
Center since
transition to
sustainable
organization

9. On-farm & ranch projects make Kerr
Center different from most non-profit
sustainable educational foundations

10. •
Organic
Horticulture
•
Sustainable
Livestock
•
Conservation
What Kerr Center offers...
•
Online & in print
•
In person, in Poteau

11. www.kerrcenter.com

12. Education available
online:
publications, videos,
slideshows

13. Social media
FORID:0

14. ●
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Training
Program
●
Resilient Farm (Organic) Project
●
Intern Training Program
●
Native Pollinator Project
Current Special Initiatives

15. So, how do you “do” sustainable
agriculture?

16. So, how do you “do” sustainable
agriculture?

17. In the 1990s Kerr Center identified 8
components of sustainable ag
•
Healthy Soil
•
Water Quality & Conservation
•
Responsible Waste Management
•
Adapted Crops

18. •
Biodiversity
•
Ecological Pest Management
•
Energy Conservation
•
Profitability

19. Steps are Covered in this 2001 book:

20. 1. Soil:
•
Conserve and Create

21. Good Soil:
The foundation
of a sustainable
agriculture
Microorganisms in one
spoonful of soil outnumber the
people on earth
Sustainable Ag
Soil

22. Erosion: still a threat
Erosion threatens the productive capacity of
nearly one of every three cropland acres.
---Natural Resources Conservation
Service

23. One solution: Keep the soil covered

24. Cover crops or green manures: basis of
Kerr Center’s organic program

25. Cover crops like vetch also add nitrogen, a key
nutrient, to the soil.

26. George Kuepper,
Horticulture Manager,
mowing cover crop

27. The mowed material can be tilled in, or left on
the surface as mulch.

28. We also create healthy soil with
compost

29. & compost tea...

30. 2. Water:
•
Conserve and Protect
Its Quality

31. Riparian buffers
on Kerr Ranch
Buffers can trap
70-80% of
sediment and
contaminants in
run off.
Protecting
Water Quality

32. Drip irrigation conserves water

33. 3. Organic Wastes:
•
Manage so They Don’t
Pollute

34. Sustainable Agriculture
•
Animals are raised on integrated farms
•
Animal wastes provide nutrients for growing
crops without polluting watersheds

35. Kerr cows on the move: rotational grazing

36. Electric fencing allows management
intensive grazing

37. As cows move to new pastures, manure is
distributed more evenly & doesn’t pollute

38. 4. Adapted to the
Environment:
•
Grow Locally-Adapted
Breeds and Varieties

39. •
With large amounts
of inputs, farmers
can raise non-
adapted crops
•
Farmers raise animals
and plants adapted to
the existing
environment
Industrial Sustainable
Agriculture Agriculture

40. 2010 -2012: heirloom sweet potato variety
trials...

41. Sweet potatoes are heat and drought tolerant

42. and well adapted to Oklahoma

44. Looking for the best tomato: Trials of heirloom
varieties

45. Okra, squash, sorghum, flour corn also
tested

46. Reports with results from all variety trials
are available free online.

47. A Good Mix for
Oklahoma
Angus X Gelbvieh
Cattle
Adaptability—Sustainable Ag

48. Pineywoods cattle: hardy heritage breed

49. •
5. Encourage
Biodiversity

50. Biodiversity
•
Over 100 breeds of livestock and poultry are
endangered in U.S.
•
With important genetic traits: adaptability,
hardiness, disease resistance
• Only 20 per cent of the maize varieties
reported in Mexico in 1930 are now being
grown

51. Kerr Center is growing rare corn varieties

52. Biodiversity Threatened
•
Monoculture-- planting fence row to
fence row-- destroys habitat for native
plants and wildlife

53. Saving space for wildlife on
the Kerr Ranch
Wildflower Meadows & Plots Provide Habitat
for Diverse Pollinators

54. A native pollinator (sweat bee)

55. Wildlife on the ranch

56. Kerr Ranch has woods, pastures, riparian
corridors

57. Beneficial insects help control insect pests in
hort plots.

58. Birds eat
millions
of insects
and
billions of
weed
seeds

59. Pests:
•
Manage Them with
Minimal Environmental
Impact

60. Environmental Consequences of Overuse of
Pesticides
•
Resistance: 500 insect pests, 270 weed species,
150 diseases resulting in chemical treadmill
•
Non-target pests often killed, too often
beneficial predators
Industrial Ag--Chemicals

61. Health Consequences
•
Pesticide poisoning (worldwide)
• 10-20,000 deaths per year
• At least 3 million acute cases
• American farm workers have the highest rate
of chemical-related illness of any group
Industrial Ag--Chemicals

62. Pesticide Use
•
Rate of usage in agriculture more than
doubled since 1964—3/4 of usage in U.S.
•
Share of farm budget for pesticides rose 35
percent in same period
Industrial Ag--Chemicals

63. .
Our Cannon Horticulture Farm is certified
organic

64. Without herbicides, controlling
bermudagrass is a challenge...

65. ...but sorghum-sudangrass, a summer cover
crop, outcompetes it

66. Energy:
•
Conserve Nonrenewable
Resources

67. Conserve fuel by using small-scale
equipment

68. Solar-powered fencing

69. Profitability:
•
Increase Profitability
and Reduce Risk

70. Consumers are driving change

71. •
Farmers’ markets
•
Farm-to-school
•
Community gardens
•
CSA farms
•
Food cooperatives

72. Opportunities: Direct and local sales
•
Higher per acre returns–
horticulture crops
•
Direct sales: farmers get
100% of food dollar
•
Attractive to young,
women, minority and
beginning farmers

73. Farmers’ Markets
•
Increase Access to
Healthy Foods, Affordable
•
70 Farmers’ Markets in
Oklahoma (35 in 2007)
•
For more info:
http://okfarmandfood.org

74. It’s Affordable! Selected produce price comparisons
($/lb.), (F.M. had lower prices on majority of items)
Farmers'
Market Wal-Mart
•
Romaine Lettuce $0.76 $1.38
•
Turnips $0.91 $1.46
•
Green Onions $1.63 $3.26

75. Farm-to-School
•
Makes healthy foods
available to low-income kids
•
Research says farm-to-school
programs significantly improve
eating habits
•
2007: 40 school districts in OK
•
2013: over 100 school districts
•
More info:
http://www.okfarmtoschool.com
/

76. We Can Grow It in Oklahoma
•
From A-Z, Asparagus to Zucchini

77. For more info read our report Closer to Home :
http://www.kerrcenter.com/publications/closer_to_home/toc.htm

78. Consumers are the key to change
•
Buying safe, nutritious, locally-produced food
•
Be willing to pay a fair price for this food

79. WE NEED MORE FARMERS

80. Farmer Training at Kerr Center
•
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Training Program
•
Resilient Farmer Project
•
Intern Training Program

81. Intern Program: college students get
hands-on experience in sustainable ag

82. Popular educational events held regularly

83. Tours: second Tuesday of each month

84. Learn about
Kerr Center
online
•
Programs,
history, staff bios,
awards

85. Subscribe to
our free
newsletter

86. Tremendous
Progress since
1985
•
and
•
Many
Challenges to
Come

87. You can help us meet the challenges!
Donate online!

88. Contact us:
918.647.9123
• mailbox@kerrcenter.com
• www.kerrcenter.com
•
24456 Kerr Road
•
Poteau, OK 74953-8163

89. When you’re right, don’t
run. Hoe your row out.
•
Robert S. Kerr