Northwest Area OSU Extension

08/20/2026

Alfalfa County Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service is hosting BQA Training on Monday, August 24th at 6PM. Join us for hands-on demos about injections, implants, and strategies for euthanasia. Instructors include Dana Zook, Erin Metcalf, and Dr. John Gilliam. Call to reserve your spot!

08/17/2026

07/15/2026

Does Prescribed Fire Reduce Ticks in Fire Dependent Ecosystems?

HABITAT | Fire reduces shelter & questing space
Tick Survival: Burning increases sunlight reaching the forest floor. This increases swings in humidity & temperature, limiting tick survival.
Tick Abundance: Lone Star Tick abundance decreased when litter cover & depth were reduced from prescribed fire.

WILDLIFE | Fire changes host & predator activity
Tick Hosts: Fire reduces cotton rat abundance likely by reducing vegetative cover and increasing coyote predation success.
Tick Predators & Pathogens: areas with greater Northern Bobwhite abundance showed reduced incidence of Lyme disease, rickettsia & ehrlichia. Likely from quail eating ticks.

MORTALITY | Depends on Fire Temperature & Duration
>75% of Gulf Coast ticks were killed where fire-front reached 626°F.
Prescribed fires can peak between 200 - 1,000°F depending on fuels & weather conditions.

Gallagher et al 2022 Can restoration of fire-dependent ecosystems reduce ticks and tick-borne disease prevalence in the eastern United States? https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2637

07/13/2026

FIELD DAY
Pronghorn & Mule Deer in Oklahoma

Friday, August 7th, 2026
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Oklahoma Panhandle Research & Extension Center
Goodwell, Oklahoma

Free Lunch Included

RSVP Deadline, July 31st
https://bit.ly/PronghornMuleDeer2026

Topics
- Ecology of Pronghorn & Mule Deer
- Research Updates
- Management for Pronghorn & Mule Deer
- Livestock Grazing Management & Virtual Fencing

07/13/2026

🌱Looking for an opportunity to see this year's summer crops in the field?🌱

The Summer Crop Demo Day at the South Central Research Station in Chickasha is a great chance to hear from OSU researchers and Extension specialists while exploring current research on corn, sorghum, alternative crops, soil health, irrigation, sprayer technology, and more.

📅 July 27, 2026
📍 South Central Research Station – Chickasha

Learn more and register at OklahomaCrops.com.

We hope to see you there!

07/01/2026

Plant Look-alikes: Know Your Lespedeza!

Not all Lespedeza species in Oklahoma are invasive! The easiest way to distinguish native lespedeza species from invasive sericea lespedeza is to compare the leaves and stems.

NATIVE Roundhead lespedeza (Lespedeza capitata)
- Leaves broader than slender and sericea
- Leaves: net veined (veins curve away from the leaf edge and back towards the midrib in an oval pattern)
- Stems: tall & narrow

NATIVE Slender lespedeza (Lespedeza virginica)
- Narrower leaves than sericea and roundhead
- Leaves: net veined (veins curve away from the leaf edge and back towards the midrib in an oval pattern)
- Stems: tall & narrow

NATIVE wildlife/livestock uses:
Leaves
- White-tailed deer
- Cattle, goats
Legumes
- Bobwhite Quail
- Wild turkey

INVASIVE Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata)
- Bushy compared to roundhead and slender
- Leaves: parallel veined (veins run in a straight line from the midrib to the edge)
- Stems: with many branches

Sericea Control Options
- Herbicide: Metsulfuron-methyl (MSM), Triclopyr
- Patch-Burn Grazing
- Goats

06/30/2026

Check out the latest episode on the Extension Experience Podcast where we interveiw Dr. Silva about findings of the 2026 Wheat Trials.
https://apple.co/4uZfsxL

06/09/2026

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry continues to closely monitor the confirmed cases of New World Screwworm in Texas and New Mexico. It is important to begin extra monitoring of livestock, pets and captive wildlife for this invasive pest.

It is important to note that this does not impact food and the food supply is safe.

Have questions on animal movement restrictions? Here is what you need to know:

05/08/2026

Look out for box turtles in the road!

ONLY move them if it is safe to do so.
(Place them in the direction they were found traveling)

Ornate Box Turtle
found statewide
HABITAT: open prairies, sandy soil
FOOD: insects, plants carrion

Three-toed Box Turtle
found in eastern OK
HABITAT: woodlands, thickets
FOOD: snails, earthworms, insects, carrion, plants, fungi, fruits

Did you know...
- lifespan can be 50+ years
- survival of young is low
- very active April-June
- avoid turtles on the road

05/05/2026

Are you in NW OK and interested in Eastern Red Cedar Removal? Check out this event in Grant County later this month. Register online or call the Grant County OSU Extension office.

See live demonstrations of different cedar management practices and learn about best practices for cedar control.