Agricultural Areas

Here are several things agricultural producers in the Lake Thunderbird watershed can do to improve the health of local streams and Lake Thunderbird:

 If you raise livestock:

1. Develop a rotation grazing plan for pasture and rangeland to properly graze and ensure the soil is protected by a healthy covering of vegetation year-round.

2. Develop a manure management plan for areas where animals congregate.

3. Install riparian fencing and alternative water sources to keep livestock out of streams.

If you raise crops:

1. Where applicable, transition to reduced-tillage or no-till cropping methods.

2. Use cover crops during fallow periods.

3. Focus on improving soil health rather than external inputs such as synthetic fertilizers and herbicides.

4. Leave pollinator strips around the perimeter of cropped fields or add pollinator plants to crops as companion plantings for multiple benefits.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Oklahoma or Cleveland County Conservation District can provide information and assistance about each of these conservation practices, and many more. In some cases, financial assistance may be available.