The Express-Star (Chickasha, Okla.), Ed. 1 Thursday, April 18, 2013 Page: 4 of 12
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Emergency drought relief
goes to Governor
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Oklahoma Associated Press
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The Express-Star
Chickasha
New Holland
Chickasha
405-222-0330
Older bucks coming
through Oklahoma
check stations
BY SEAN HUBBARD
OSU Ag. Extension Office
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chickashanewholland.com
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NEWHOLLAND
BY SEAN HUBBARD
OSU Ag. Extension
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of the Oklahoma economy, and
so drought relief is not only criti-
cal for individual residents, but
also to our livelihoods," said
be available but we’ve learned
that isn’t always the case. It’s
imperative that we have a fund
for emergency drought relief
activities to protect our state
from the devastating effects of a
severe drought"
The commission will recom-
mend fund expenditures to the
governor in the event of an emer-
gency drought declaration. The
commission is comprised of the
executive director of the Okla-
homa Conservation Commission,
the Secretary of Agriculture. and
the executive director of the
4 _
THURSDAY. April. 17, 2013
Charlie
Brown
Auction Co.
me they got a job, or
they love this program.”
MIAP also is part of
the Peace Corps Mas-
ter’s International Pro-
gram. which offers the
opportunity to integrate
a master's degree with
overseas service. Stu-
dents get credit for their
International Experi-
ence of serving over-
seas. and have the
opportunity lake online
classes through OSU.
MIAP also has a dou-
Oklahoma Water
Board.
"Agriculture is a
OKLAHOMA CITY - April 15.
the Senate gave unanimous
approval to a measure that will
help provide financial assistance
around the state during severe
droughts. House Bill 1923,
authored by Rep. Dale DeWitt
and Ron Justice, would create the
Emergency Drought Relief Fund
and an Emergency Drought Com-
mission.
“Our state is going through one
of the worst droughts in its his-
tory. Water plays a critical role in
our daily lives, and we’ve seen
how devastating not having it can
be for our agricultural communi-
ty, municipalities, counties, and
private citizens," said Justice,
R-Chickasha "We tend to take
for granted that water will always
STILLWATER, Okla. - The management of the
deer population falls squarely on the shoulders of
the more than 250,000 licensed hunters in Okla-
homa, and they have been doing a great job.
Check stations throughout the state have seen
increasing numbers of older bucks being harvest-
ed. The Quality Deer Management Association
reported, from 2011 harvest totals. Oklahoma
ranked in the top five states with the highest har-
vest of bucks aged 3.5 years and older.
This is a major step up, as the Oklahoma Coop-
. erative Extension Service study years ago noted
the average age of deer at check stations was 1.8
years That number had increased to 2.4 years of
age in 2007.
"Large antlered or trophy class deer are gener-
ally 4.5 to 6.5 years of age,” said Jim Shaw,
emeritus professor in Oklahoma State Universi-
ty’s Department of Natural Resources Ecology
Management, “Occasionally, 3.5-year-old deer
will have trophy class antlers."
| In Oklahoma, 51 percent of the buck jawbones
| were 3.5 years or older, from the 2011 numbers.
In comparison, the national average was about 33
! percent.
"I think that Oklahoma has done a tremendous
job protecting yearling bucks and improving the
age structure of their deer herd," said Kip Adams,
director of education and outreach and certified
wildlife biologist for the Quality Deer Manage-
ment Association "This is very' positive for the
deer population and especially for Oklahoma's
hunters.”
The pressure has been put more on does during
the past several hunting seasons, which has helped
in the management of deer. Taking only bucks
causes the worst of all worlds, too many deer and
not enough trophies.
"The idea would be to have a little more balance
in the system," Shaw said. “You would like to
have a healthy population of deer, and little by
little, as they increase the number of doe days and
increase the harvest pressure on does, you see a
little bit older age of bucks coming through the
check stations.”
Past management, including the "Buck Law,"
which allowed the harvest of only antlered deer,
can be largely blamed for the lack of trophy bucks
and overpopulation of deer in the state. However,
those days may be disappearing in the rearview
mirror.
"We are living in the best time to be a deer
hunter in the history of our state," said Erik Bar-
tholomew, big game biologist for the Oklahoma
Department of Wildlife Conservation. "We have
archery. muzzleloader and modem firearms sea-
sons, youth seasons, liberal antlerless hunting
opportunities, liberal harvest limits, and literally
100 days out of the year that hunters can be out
there looking to harvest a deer if they want to.
Hunters are better educated and they are being
more selective about what they harvest."
DeWitt, R-Braman. "We’ve seen
the effect of these devastating
droughts on our communities
these past years and I am proud
of my colleagues for supporting
this legislation to try to address
it.”
Drought response activities
could include pond cleanup and
construction; water conservation
methods in production agricul-
ture; providing of water for live-
stock; rural fire suppression
activities as directed by the Okla-
homa Department of Agriculture;
red cedar eradication: soil con-
servation; emergency infrastruc-
ture conservation; and any other
activities identified by the com-
mission.
The bill will now be sent to the
Governor for final consideration.
ceed. They can use their
comparative advantage
to their own benefit."
The MLAP degree is a
32 credit hour program,
which can be completed
within a year. However,
most students do not
choose that option
“Not many do it that
way because they have
such a positive experi-
ence and they want to
stay longer,” Henneber-
ry said.
Students are expected
to choose four courses
to support their chosen
focus areas, which
include sustainability,
disaster planning and
management, commer-
cial crops, food ani-
mals, business and
trade, education and
communication out-
reach, agritourism and
hospitality, agricultural
extension, rural entre-
preneurship and agri-
cultural engineering
technology.
However, if students
cannot find a preferred
focus area within the
Drain said.
She is hopeful her
experience in Africa
will allow her to work
abroad for a few years
before returning to the
states to work in agri-
cultural education and
Extension. MIAP has a
successful track record
of placing graduates in
jobs, both domestically
and abroad.
Recent graduates
have found employ-
ment at places such as
the Royal Bank of Can-
ada; the Canadian Cat-
tlemen’s Association;
Extension in Ohio, Col-
orado and Oklahoma;
the United States Agen-
cy for internationai
Development in Bagh-
dad; and the Banana
Grower’s Association
in Belize, to name a
few.
"It’s very rewarding
to work in this pro-
gram,” Henneberry
said. “Everyday it's
rewarding when a stu-
dent emails me to tell
ble degree program
with UPAEP in Puebla,
Mexico, where students
from both countries
spend one year in MIAP
at OSU and another
year at UPAEP and earn
two master’s degrees -
one from OSU and one
from UPAEP.
“I love the flexibility
and choices that this
program offers our stu-
dents.” Henneberry
said.
STILLWATER, Okla. -
The program began in
2008 with nine Divi-
sion of Agricultural
Sciences and Natural
Resources’ students.
There are now 57
enrolled, and another
64 graduates from the
Master of International
Agriculture Program
(MIAP) at Oklahoma
State University.
Shida Henneberry,
Regents professor and
director of MIAP,
chalks up the program’s
success to its flexibility
for students and rhe
four-week International
Experience required to
graduate.
"The program is
growing, there is no
doubt about that," she
said. "Students can
select from a wide
range of focus areas or
pull courses and make
their own focus area.
That's why they suc-
multi-disciplinary
options, they can pick
from a variety to find
their own.
“Most of our students
are very independent,"
Henneberry said.
"When you see students
building themselves, it
is very rewarding. You
see them grow in this
program."
Much of that growth
comes from the mini-
mum four-week inter-
national Experience,
where students find
themselves immersed
in unfamiliar cultures.
Elly Drain, a second-
year graduate student
from Michigan, just got
back from Kenya,
where she worked with
a non-governmental
organization to estab-
lish organic farming
practices for women in
the Rift Valley of
Kenya.
“I came to OSU for
this program, and the
International Experi-
ence opportunity was a
major selling point.”
L IMEA
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Bright, James. The Express-Star (Chickasha, Okla.), Ed. 1 Thursday, April 18, 2013, newspaper, April 18, 2013; Chickasha, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1889868/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.