Southern Soil Health Conference highlights the Farm to Food Bank Program

Wichita Falls, TX – On November 28 and 29, Oklahoma Conservation Commission Executive Director Trey Lam, Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts President Jimmy Emmons, OACD Director Sarah Blaney and OCC Soil Health Educator Blane Stacy attended the Southern Soil Health Conference in Wichita Falls, Texas. The goal of the conference was to educate attendees on the importance of soil health and teach sustainable farming and ranching practices.

“The Southern Soil Health Conference once again surprised and enlightened me,” OCC Executive Director Lam said. “We came to talk about our Farm to Food Bank Project and took away new ideas for how to improve soil health in pasture grazing systems while increasing profits for Oklahoma ranchers. We are very excited about bringing these speakers to the annual state meeting in February.”

Lam, Emmons and Blaney had the opportunity to speak to conference attendees on the Farm to Food Bank Program. The Farm to Food Bank Program is a partnership between the OCC, OACD, USDA-NRCS, Green Cover Seed and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. “The Southern Soil Health Conference was a great opportunity for the conservation partnership to share about our Farm to Food Bank program,” Emmons said. “We have received offers to plant edible cover crops for gleaning and donation to the food bank from farmers in Jefferson, Grady, Kay, and Kiowa counties. We look forward to continuing to work with the Commission, NRCS, Green Cover Seed, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and local conservation districts to develop this project.”

The Farm to Food Bank Program, which was launched in July of 2017, aims to provide food to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma from farmers who use conservation techniques and implement practices that improve soil health.