Photo of meat goats. — Meat goats are gaining popularity as a livestock option in Oklahoma. (Photo by Todd Johnson, OSU Agricultural Communications Services)

Registration open for initial OSU Extension Beginning Farmer Workshops

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Oklahoma State University Extension is offering a series of three workshops in October for people interested in starting their own agricultural enterprise and the best avenue to pursue that dream.

“We live in a state where rural and urban lifestyles often intersect. What it takes to grow their own food or raise a few head of livestock are topics about which a number of Oklahomans who have never been involved in agriculture have told us they would like to learn,” said Josh Campbell, Oklahoma County Extension urban agriculture and natural resources educator.

The October workshops will focus on risk management, general herd health, animal nutrition and industry overviews for the following livestock. Each event will run 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.:

OCT. 16 – Cattle production, including an outing to the Oklahoma City National Stockyards.
OCT. 23 – Sheep and goat production, with a tour of Prairie Thyme Goat Dairy in Newalla.
OCT. 30 – Poultry production, featuring a visit to Native Pastures Farm in Tuttle.

All three will begin at the Oklahoma County Extension Office, 2500 NE 63 in Oklahoma City, just east of Martin Luther King Boulevard and south of Interstate 44 and near Interstate 35. Participants can attend all three workshops for a onetime fee of $25. There is a limit of 45 participants per class.

To register, contact the Extension office by email at joshua.campbell@okstate.edu or by phone at 405-713-1125.

The October workshops are the first in a series of OSU Extension Beginning Farmer events that will take place in Oklahoma City through the fall and into 2021. The program is being funded through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management grant from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the USDA Southern Region Risk Management Education Center.

“Participants who attend the series of workshops will receive valuable insights on two different tracks, livestock production and horticulture,” said JJ Jones, OSU Extension area agricultural economics specialist. “Oklahoma has a significant number of people whose primary job may be in an urban area, but they live on the outskirts of town and may be able to take advantage of backyard chicken production or growing vegetables for their own use and for sale through local farmer’s markets, as examples.”

For more information about OSU Extension Beginning Farmer events, contact Campbell by his email or phone number, or Jones by email at jj.jones@okstate.edu or by phone at 580-332-7011.

OSU Extension is one of two state agencies administered by the university’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and is a key part of OSU’s state and federally mandated teaching, research and Extension land-grant mission.

MEDIA CONTACT: Donald Stotts | Agricultural Communications Services | 405-744-4079 | donald.stotts@okstate.edu