EVERYDAY IS EARTH DAY ON THE OKLAHOMA FARM
Oklahoma farmers and ranchers are taking advantage of the annual Earth Day celebration by launching a major public relations campaign emphasizing their environmental stewardship. This year’s event is Tuesday, April 22.
"We work with the earth’s natural resources every day," said Steve Kouplen, Oklahoma Farm Bureau President. "This is an excellent opportunity for us to connect with the urban audience and explain agriculture."
The Beggs, OK rancher said producers are committed to protecting the environment.
"We use sound science to make this a better place not only for us to produce our commodities but for everyone to live in a healthy environment," said Kouplen.
As part of the campaign, Farm Bureau is highlighting a set of "Environmental Fast Facts." These facts include:
* U.S. farmers today use no-till practices on more than 55 million acres of cropland. This accounts for 20 percent of all cultivated acres. (With a no-till system, there is no full-width tillage of the soil, instead planting occurs in the previous crop residue.)
* In the last five years, Oklahoma has the largest increase (66 percent) in no-tillage acres in the southern United States. Today, approximately 457,000 acres are no-tilled in Oklahoma.
* There are 1.2 million miles of buffer strips established to protect our nation’s waterways.
* Erosion on the 37 million-plus acers in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has decreased 90 percent in last 10 years.
* Insecticide use on corn, soybeans and wheat has decreased by more than 60 percent since 1982. Herbicide use has declined almost 20 percent.
"We know these practices work because what little runoff water there is, remains clear," said Kouplen.
The Farm Bureau president said it is in the farmer’s best interest to practice good environmental stewardship.
"We make our living off the land," said Kouplen, "If we don’t take care of it we’re out of a job. It’s always our goal to leave the land in better shape than when we started farming."
Other aspects of the environmental campaign include sponsoring a media availability with young farmers from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Farm Bureau headquarters in Oklahoma City on Earth Day, distributing 30-second public service announcements to radio stations and displaying a banner that reads "Today is Earth Day. On the Oklahoma farm, everyday is Earth Day."
