Kerr Center in 2005:
Celebrating 40 Years of Good Ideas
 |
The late Senator Robert
S. Kerr |
This year marks a milestone for the Kerr Center: forty
years of service to the state’s farmers and ranchers.
Oklahoma’s visionary senator Robert S. Kerr (born 1896) worked
for a prosperous future for rural Oklahoma. After he died suddenly
in 1963, his family established a private, non-profit foundation
in his name to engage in scientific, educational and charitable
activities.
The agricultural division of the Kerr Foundation was established
in 1965 to provide farmers and ranchers in southeastern Oklahoma
with free technical assistance and information. Wise land stewardship
was emphasized.
The “ag division” was headquartered on Senator Kerr’s
ranch near Poteau and its focus was on beef cattle. Before long,
the foundation gained a reputation as a source of honest, reliable,
science-based information.
The organization led a hard-fought local, later national educational
campaign against brucellosis, a serious cattle disease. (When Oklahoma
was certified free from brucellosis in 2001, the Kerr Center was
honored for its part in this achievement.)
In the mid-80s, foundation trustees, led by the senator’s
daughter, Kay Adair, recognized that Oklahoma agriculture was in
crisis. Environmental and financial problems on the farm needed
to be addressed with fresh ideas that emphasized long-term solutions.
So in the best Oklahoma pioneering tradition, the organization
made a fresh start, reorganizing as the Kerr Center for Sustainable
Agriculture in 1985.
The principles of the sustainable agriculture movement— opportunities
for small and medium-sized independent family farms, protection
of natural resources, fair and open markets, and healthy, socially
supportive rural communities—were a natural fit for the Kerr
Center.
Under the dynamic leadership of Dr. James E. Horne, president
and CEO, the Kerr Center has become an award-winning, innovative
institution— a local and national leader in finding creative
solutions to the agricultural, environmental, and social challenges
facing Oklahoma and the nation.
Today the Kerr Center continues its forty-year history of supporting
research and educational activities for Oklahomans and people in
the region. Many educational events are planned for this year—see
calendar of events for details.
The center also supports innovative policy initiatives and provides
policy guidance to public servants on the state, regional, and national
levels. A new community foods initiative is outlined, beginning
on page 3.
With the help of partners and friends, the Kerr Center will be
planting seeds of positive change for years to come.
|
