James Horne, winner of the Henry Bellmon Sustainability Awards for 2010, discusses the sustainability advances made at the Kerr Ranch in Poteau, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma farmers and ranchers learned a hard lesson from the dust bowl: if you don't protect the land, it will disappear. The Kerr Center has worked for decades to find ways to encourage and improve conservation.
The Kerr Center: Leading the Way
The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture has been serving Le
Flore County and southeastern Oklahoma since 1965 (read more history of
the Kerr Center).
The award-winning non-profit educational foundation has its headquarters
on the historic Kerr Ranch, five miles south of Poteau on highway
271.
The agricultural division of the Kerr Foundation was first established
in the mid-60s by the family of Robert S. Kerr, the late Oklahoma
governor, senator and oilman.
The center still manages 4000 acres of the original Kerr Ranch,
where the popular politician raised Black Angus and entertained
visitors such as President John F. Kennedy.
In 1985, the Kerr Foundation was divided and the agricultural
division became the new Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture,
with a new mission.
The center committed its resources and programs to the goals of “sustainable” agriculture.
For agriculture to be sustainable it must be profitable, environmentally
responsible, and enhance the quality of life of farm families and
their communities.
The center gives farmers, ranchers, gardeners and educators from
around Oklahoma the tools they need to be successful in challenging
times. Through projects on the ranch, a comprehensive website and
well-regarded educational events, the center reaches people around
the world.
Members of the Kerr Center staff have expertise in animal science, agronomy, agricultural economics, biological science, education, food and agriculture policy, horticulture, journalism/communications, natural resource management, and veterinary medicine.
The staff not only works with Oklahoma family farmers and ranchers, but with home and community gardeners, community and interest groups, educators, consumers, conservationists, and health advocates.
The center operates from earnings from its endowment, as well
as grants and donations. People can support the Kerr Center’s
work by becoming a “Friend of
the Kerr Center.”
Many Firsts
James E. Horne, PhD, has led the
Kerr Center since 1985. Under his leadership, the Kerr Center has
chalked up many firsts: the first organization in the state to
devote all of its resources to sustainable agriculture; the first
to establish a producer grant program in sustainable agriculture;
the first private non-profit to manage a key USDA sustainable agriculture
program.
Henry Bellmon Award for Sustainability Banquet
In partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food
and Forestry, Kerr Center formed one of the first food policy councils
in the nation in 2001. The work of the council and its partners
resulted in the establishment of one of the first statewide, state-supported
farm-to-school programs in the country.
Other firsts: organization and sponsorship of the first sustainable
agriculture conference in the state, Future
Farms 2000, and subsequent Future Farms conferences through
2008.
In 2003, the center compiled and published The
Oklahoma Food Connection, the first statewide directory
of farmers selling directly to the public.
In 2007, the first buck test for meat goats in this region was
done on the Kerr Ranch.
The Kerr Center has been honored for its soil and water conservation
work, for environmental education, and most recently, for promoting
children’s health.
The Overstreet-Kerr Historical
Farm has won awards from the Oklahoma tourism industry including
best attraction and best website.
The Kerr Center continues to innovate and lead the way as people
everywhere recognize the need for sustainability in all areas of
life.
