Southern Plains Grassland Summit

The Southern Plains Grasslands Summit is coming to Northwest Oklahoma May 27, 28, and 29, 2026, at The Salt Fork Event Center in Alva. This three day event brings together producers, government agencies, academia, conservation leaders, and industry partners for collaboration, innovation, and forward thinking solutions that support the future of working lands and native grasslands.

Attendees will experience three focused educational tracks designed to meet a wide range of interests and professional goals. Track A highlights Working Lands and Ranching, Track B explores Wildlife and Biodiversity, and Track C focuses on Conservation and Resource Management. The summit creates space for meaningful conversations, practical strategies, and research based insights that strengthen the Southern Plains landscape.

In addition to expert led papers and presentations, participants can enjoy ranch tours, a Great Salt Plains Wildlife Refuge tour, a social mixer with entertainment, and a dynamic trade and vendor show with booth spaces available. The event offers outstanding networking opportunities and hands on learning experiences in one of Oklahoma’s most iconic grassland regions.

Whether you are a landowner, conservation professional, researcher, student, or industry partner, the Southern Plains Grasslands Summit is your opportunity to connect, learn, and be part of shaping the future of grassland stewardship in the Southern Plains.

About the Speakers

Trey Malone, Ph.D. 

Trey Malone is an agricultural economist whose work leverages the science of decision-making with the practice of agribusiness management. His research examines what shapes the performance and strategy of agri-food businesses. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed articles in journals including the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, the Journal of Business Venturing Insights, and the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics. His research has been funded by agencies including the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the World Wildlife Fund. Dr. Malone has received over a dozen research awards and fellowships, including the Emerging Scholar Award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Research and Communication from the Food Distribution Research Society. In 2025, he became the only academic ever named to Farm Journal’s The Scoop 40 Under 40 for his contributions to agribusiness thought leadership.

Beyond academia, Dr. Malone is a frequent public voice on the future of food, strategy, and innovation. His insights have appeared in outlets such as Fast Company, the New York Times, Good Morning America, and CNBC. He has also shared his ideas in a TEDx talk at Michigan State University and in multiple ag media outlets, including the Future of Agriculture podcast, U.S. Farm Report, and AgDay. An award-winning educator, Dr. Malone teaches undergraduate, graduate, and executive courses on managerial economics, agribusiness strategy, and entrepreneurship. A sought-after speaker for producer organizations, agribusiness firms, and academic audiences nationwide, he delivers lectures and workshops on strategic decision-making, behavioral economics, and innovation management. At Purdue, Dr. Malone serves as the Boehlje Endowed Chair in Managerial Economics for Agribusiness, advancing the university’s century-long legacy of integrating rigorous economic research with real-world business impact. He also serves as North American Managing Editor of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Review and Associate Editor of Managerial and Decision Economics.

Karen Hickman, Ph.D.

Dr. Hickman focuses primarily on addressing and understanding the effects of various management practices on plant and animal populations and communities within rangeland ecosystems of the Great Plains. Native rangelands, grasslands, and pasturelands in Oklahoma as well as throughout the central and southern Great Plains are under new threats from invasion by exotic and native species and exurban sprawl, as well as traditional challenges associated with livestock and wildlife management. Her primary research goals are to further evaluate effects of management practices (e.g. grazing, patch burning, herbicide application, revegetation) on invasive species in Oklahoma grasslands, and to elucidate abiotic (e.g. fire, precipitation), plant-plant and plant-animal interactions that might be involved in limiting invasions of native systems by various invasive species. Ultimately, her research goals are to establish collaborations with other researchers throughout the US and northern Mexico (i.e. Chihuahua) and continue to collaborate with researchers at OSU in order to conduct research whose results can be influential in the development and application of proper (and adoptable) land management practices. Dr. Hickman is an award winning professor at OSU and is a native of Alva, Oklahoma.

See a full event program 

Register today!

Contact Kay Decker at 580-327-7649 or email KLDecker@nwosu.edu with any questions.