“Ranch Conversation” headed to Arnett, Oklahoma
Coleta Bratten, chair of the High Plains Resource Conservation and Development Council, has announced that her organization, and Ellis County Conservation District, and the Comanche Pool Prairie Resource Foundation, of Coldwater, Kansas, will host a Ranch Conversation in Arnett, Oklahoma, on Oct. 29.
The Ranch Conversation will be held at the First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 226 N. Main Street, Arnett. It will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m.
“HPRCD is well known for using Ranch Conversations as a way to bring agricultural producers, rural people, and agencies that deliver programs together to provide information, answer questions, and exchange ideas,” Bratten said.
HPRCD first created and used Ranch Conversations in the early 2000s to bring stakeholders with different interests together to seek solutions to avoid listing the lesser prairie-chicken and other at-risk species in the region as endangered.
“The council was opposed to any unnecessary regulations that might be forced upon landowners by a government action,” Bratten said. “The process was successful in delaying the listing for over 20 years.”
The focus of the Ellis County Ranch Conversations will be to provide information to producers and community leaders about state and federal programs and possible funding opportunities and other assistance that might be available to them.
“The pandemic has altered the way we were accustomed to doing business,” Bratten said. “HPRCD believes that there has been a lack of and now a need for outreach meetings where agency leaders can meet face-to-face with farmers, ranchers, and community leaders and provide firsthand information about current programs.” There is no charge to attend the conversation and lunch will be provided.
The Ranch Conversation will feature speakers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA-Farm Service Agency, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, USDA-Risk Management Agency, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Department. USDA-Rural Development will present information about programs that are available to help communities grow and improve their local community.
Kenny Knowles, well known Ellis County rancher, will speak from the landowner perspective. Knowles said, “This is a rare opportunity to meet leaders from all agencies who provide services and programs to rural Oklahoma.”
High Plains RC&D is a non-profit corporation that serves a federally authorized Resource Conservation and Development region that includes Beaver, Cimarron, Dewey, Ellis, Harper, Texas, Woods, and Woodward Counties. The RC&D, based in Buffalo, has served this region for 32years and has been responsible for creating many new jobs and businesses utilizing natural resources, and adding over $2 billion in economic impact.
The RC&D has been recognized regionally and nationally for its work in creating businesses using Eastern Red Cedar, and for its support of wildlife programs. High Plains RC&D was a partner in the Prairie States Coalition, which was a five-state initiative that was named one of the national models for rural economic recovery by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Ranch Conversations will be held throughout the High Plains region in the upcoming months.
Bratten expressed her appreciation to the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service for assisting with the cost of the meeting and to W5 Waterwell Service, Dub Wagnon, and the Ellis County Star for providing lunch.
Agricultural producers and community leaders from neighboring states are encouraged to attend. For those planning to attend the lunch, please RSVP by phone to: (580) 885-7306 or e-mail to [email protected] by 5 p.m. Oct. 25.
