University Links - Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station

Division of Agricultural Science & Natural Resources
FRSU MISSION
“The FRSU works
to “provide a
central focus for
station operations
and management
with the goal to
improve overall
efficiency by
providing a
systematic means
for budget
management,
facility upgrades,
consolidation of
labor pools,
maintenance and
repair of
equipment and
buildings and
other
infrastructural
needs.”
Field & Research Service Unit News
V O L U M E
1 ,
I S S U E
1
Rocky Walker
1
New Staff
2
Idabel News
2
Projects
3
OK Mesonet
3
DASNR
J U N E ,
2 0 1 2
Sandyland Research Station-Mangum
The Sandyland Research Station in
Mangum covers 320 acres of farm
land in Greer County and has been
in existence for 61 years. In 1951
OSU purchased the 320 acres for
$28,000.
as a graduate student and getting the
old Dodge truck stuck in the sand!
A significant amount of agronomic
research was conducted there during
the 60’s and 70’s that focused on
cotton, peanut, and yellow nutsedge.
The sandy soils were difficult to
manage with small windows of
opportunity for tillage and planting
and with possibility of damage from
herbicides. However, if you could
make the agronomic system work at
Mangum, there was a good chance it
would work in any sandy soil.
In recent years, the primary focus of
Mangum has been ornamental tree
research and CRP. As part of a larger
research project in the Great Plains
area, OSU and SCS Forest
Conservation Program along with
the Great Plains Ag Council planted
2,752 trees in 1989. Two species
were planted, Burr Oak and
Hackberry.
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
Mangum
2
Don Murray, P.E. Harrill
Distinguished Professor of Crop
Science, remembers working there
Mangum has also been a part of the
Conservation Reserve Program
beginning in 2007 and ending in
2016. The CRP protects millions of
acres of American topsoil from
erosion and safeguards natural
resources by reducing runoff and
sedimentation. The land is planted
with vegetated covers and
contributes to increased wildlife
populations.
able to be used to study nutrient
cycling from CRP crops as well as
native bird and wildlife habitats.
Superintendent Rocky Thacker
oversees Tipton, Mangum and Altus
research stations and has been with
FRSU for 26 years.
A significant research opportunity
currently exists with the Sandyland
Research Station at Mangum being
Rocky Walker Honored
Rocky Walker, Station Superintendent at was recognized by Gamma Sigma Delta at their annual awards banquet. The
Gamma Sigma Delta Awards reception was held on April 19th at Stillwater. The honor society of Agriculture was
established in 1984 to promote and recognize excellence in Agriculture. The Outstanding Staff Award of Merit
recognizes an exemplary individual employed by OSU who provides outstanding service in agriculture or related
science over a sustained period of time. Congratulations to Rocky.
PAGE
2
Meet Crystal
Crystal Day has joined FRSU/
Stillwater office as Senior
Financial Assistant. Hopefully,
you’ve had a chance to visit or
meet her.
Crystal Day-FRSU
Sr. Financial
Assistant
Oklahoma State University, in
compliance with Title VI and VII of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
Executive
Order
11246
as
amended, Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972, Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990, and
other federal laws and regulations,
does not discriminate on the basis
of race, color, national origin,
gender, age, religion, disability, or
status as a veteran in any of its
policies, practices or procedures.
This includes but is not limited to
admissions, employment, financial
aid, and educational services.
This report of the Oklahoma
Agricultural Experiment Station is
printed and issued by Oklahoma
State University as authorized by
the Vice President, Dean, and
Director of the Division of
Agricultural Sciences and Natural
Resources and has been prepared
and distributed at a cost of
$000.00 for 000 copies. 0293
2012
Payne
County
Livestock
Tour
She has worked within the
OSU system previously and is
familiar with OSU procedures.
Crystal is from Glencoe and
from an active agricultural
background where she showed
pigs growing up. Currently,
she lives in Perry with her
husband, Jeff, their two
children, Kaylee and Trenton,
who are active in sports and
show pigs as well. They also
own a family cattle operation.
Chrystal will be handling pcard transactions, receipts and
monthly statements. If you
have questions for Crystal,
she can be reached at
405-744-1675.
Idabel News-”Little Lloyd”
He looks harmless…On March
24th, Idabel police responded
to a call at the Kiamichi Youth
Shelter. On arrival, a large
buck goat was seen ramming
an employee’s vehicle. After
trying to stop it with a broom
and ramming two cars and the
police vehicle, officers
resorted to pepper spray at
which point “Little Lloyd’
decided to run across the
street and jump a
fence safely
returning to the
Idabel station. He
is now happily
grazing far away
from parking lots.
Field Days
Many events were
held in May and June
at the stations. Field
Days were held at
Lahoma on May 18th
and the Payne County
Livestock Tour on
May 24th. Chris
Stansberry was a
guest speaker.
FRSU
139 Agricultural Hall
Stillwater, OK
74078
Phone: 405-744-0014
Fax: 405-744-2838
E-mail: Jan.beck-williams@okstate.edu
VOLUME
1,
ISSUE
2
PAGE
FRSU Projects & Facilities
Storm Shelters
Tipton
Currently, we are working on
providing storm shelters to
any station in need of one. At
this time we are looking at
constructing 11 shelters
throughout the state. Three
stations have requested above
ground shelters due to
flooding issues at their sites.
Bids will open on July 3rd.
Preliminary survey and design
work continues with Long
Range Planning for the
replacement facility at Tipton.
The building will replace the
structure destroyed in last
year’s tornado and will be
approximately 5,000 square
feet with office and lab space.
A storm shelter/closet will be
located inside the building for
employees.
3
Celebrating 20 Years of Oklahoma Mesonet
“We have to document everything, especially with
experimental crops,” Wehrenberg said. “The Mesonet helps
us do that.”
This month Oklahoma Mesonet celebrates 20 years of
partnering with landowners. Mesonet staff installed
equipment on Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Stations
(OAES) in June of 1992 and are currently located at 14
OAES sites. Oklahoma Mesonet was created to provide a
comprehensive statewide network to collect real-time
weather data throughout the state and OSU experiment
stations were an obvious choice for tower locations. The
information provided creates an impact on agricultural
production across Oklahoma.
Source : Mesonet Connection, Volume3-Issue6-June2012
“The Mesonet is a very significant benefit to all of our
experiment
stations,”
said
Erich
Wehrenberg,
Superintendent of the OAES Stillwater Agronomy Research
Station. “It plays a pivotal role not only in our decision
process, but the outcomes and how our data are managed.”
“Historical data, such as soil temperature and soil moisture
content, give a good indicator of planting conditions for both
no-till and conventional methods” Wehrenberg said.
“During forage baling, humidity and dewpoint measurements
are beneficial,” Wehrenberg said. “Humidity is also used
frequently during harvest because the grain needs to be dry.
At all the farms, wind speed data are utilized extensively
during herbicide applications. “
DASNR NEWS
Dr. Mike Woods will serve as interim Vice
President/Dean effective August 1 until the
position is permanently filled. Dr. Woods
currently serves as the Department Head for the
Agricultural Economics Department.
REMINDERS
End of P-Card Billing Cycle Dates:
Wednesday, June 20th
Friday, July 20th
Monday, August 20th
We’re on the web:
http://www.oaes.okstate.edu/fieldand-research-service-unit