Growing Together: The Importance of Community and Conservation
In the hills of Locust Grove, Oklahoma, stands a lush crop garden managed by the Yang family. Neng Yang and his wife immigrated to the United States from Laos in 1979 and lived in California for much of their life before moving to the plains. After working for the government for close to 20 years and then on a poultry farm for around ten years, Neng chose to retire. He eventually found retired life to be much too inactive for his taste and wanted to try something different.
Trying Something New
The Yangs now cultivate fruit, vegetables, and floral crops to provide for their family and community. Neng originally flood-irrigated his crops, moving slowly section by section and watering each area for around an hour at a time. Neng knew there had to be a more efficient way to irrigate his crops, so he reached out to his local NRCS office for assistance.
Travis Godeaux, NRCS Engineer at the NRCS Technical Service Office (TSO), worked with Neng to create a plan to install a pumping system, pipelines, and sprinkler heads throughout his garden through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and landowners to promote conservation practices on working lands.
This conservation plan was a first for the NRCS Oklahoma crew in Mayes, Rogers, and Tulsa County (Team 20) and the TSO office. When Travis and local Natural Resource Specialist, Cartwright Weaver, accepted the Deferred Resignation Program, the plan lost its technical leads and required other employees to assume the project. Kevin Morhart, Charlie Colvin, and Cambra Fields, all of NRCS Oklahoma, stepped up to take over the roles. With Charlie’s guidance, Cambra and Kevin were on the right path to lay out the main pipeline and lateral irrigation lines.
Cambra recruited now-retired Cartwright and the rest of Team 20 to come in and flag, layout, and take measurements to calculate the supplies needed. Since this irrigation system is the first of its kind in Mayes County, Kevin worked closely with the local field office throughout all phases of implementation. Throughout the process, Kevin and Cambra spent many hours with Neng working through obstacles and details while ensuring the specifications were met. The pump they installed now takes fresh water from a nearby spring-fed creek, then filters and feeds it into lines that can be individually controlled by Neng as needed.
The team completed the project in early 2025, just in time to plant their crops to sell at the summer farmer’s markets. The Yangs sell their products at both the weekly Tahlequah Farmers Market and the Pryor Farmers Market, which occurs on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Locals look forward to seeing the Yangs’ smiling faces every week and appreciate the fresh produce they provide. With crops ranging from white cucumbers and hot peppers to hand-picked and arranged floral bouquets, there is truly something for everyone from the Yang family farm.
Neng is very happy with the result of the irrigation system, telling us that it has saved him from many hours of hard manual labor and countless gallons of water. He is hopeful that it will also help extend the growing season by providing water in the later hot and dry summer months. Neng appreciates the NRCS team for providing their expertise and always being available to answer his questions.
More Information
USDA offers a variety of risk management, disaster assistance, loan, and conservation programs to help producers weather ups and downs in the market, recover from natural disasters, and invest in improvements to their operations. Learn about additional programs.
For more information about USDA programs and services, contact your local USDA service center.