Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD)

District Farewell

The Conservation Office would like to bid farewell to District Manager, Tawnya Williams. We enjoyed working with and getting to know her over the past year and a half. We would like to wish her well in her future endeavors. Please contact district staff for any current or future matters. 541-565-3551 x 3.

A Brief Note From the Staff:

The SWCD would like to give a big thank you and a warm welcome to Josh Hilderbrand who has graciously stepped up and was appointed to fill our open Directors position until the end of its term in 2018. This position will be up for reelection at that time.

Tree & Plant Sale

The conservation office will hold its annual tree & plant sale again in Spring 2018. Stay tuned for more information regarding types of vegetation and prices.

Soil Health Workshop

Just a reminder the OSU Extension is hosting a free Soil Health Workshop on November 16th, 2017 at the Shiloh Inn (The Dalles) from 8am-330pm. This workshop will have speakers from OSU & WSU who are doing research on low pH effects on small grain crops. Pre registration required by November 9th, 2017 to Brian Tuck 541-296-5494

Odds & Ends

* The next scheduled District Meeting will be held November 14th, 2017 @ the SWCD Office—8:30am— 302 Scott Street, Moro, OR. 97039.

* The next scheduled Council Meeting will be held December 12th, 2017 @ the SWCD Office—8:00am— 302 Scott Street, Moro, OR. 97039

SWCD, Quote of the Quarter 1

Watershed Council , FSA 2

Saltcedar Insert

ODA, Advertisements 3

Calendar of Events, Staff 4

Inside this issue:

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Volume 18, Issue 4

17, 2017

Happy

Quote of the Quarter

“ Farming is not just a job… it’s a way of life."

- Unknown

Council Farewell

I would like to say thank you to the SWCD and the Watershed Council for allowing me the opportunity to serve the community and work with such amazing people over the last 5 years. I have learned a lot in that time about conservation and about our County. I have been offered another great opportunity within Sherman County and excited to start a new adventure. My last day of work will be October 20th, 2017. Please contact Scott Susi (Scott.susi@or.nacdnet.net, 541-565-3551 x 110) for any conservation needs after this date.

- Kayla von Borstel, Watershed Coordinator

SHERMAN COUNTY WATERSHED COORDINATOR JOB OPENING POSITION: 40HRS/WK + BENEFITS; OPEN UNTIL FILLED STARTING SALARY: $29,356 TO $36,611, DOE

The Sherman County Soil and Water Conservation Office is seeking to hire a Watershed Coordinator who will be responsible for the smooth functioning of the Sherman County Area Watershed Council administered by Sherman County SWCD. The Watershed Coordinator organizes meetings, writes and edits documents, secures funding for projects, and coordinates projects on behalf of the Watershed Council, and may need to perform some duties of a Conservation Technician (field work, technical advice on projects, etc.). The position is located in Moro, Oregon and will work throughout Sherman County. The position will be supervised through the Sherman County Soil and Water Conservation District and Watershed Council. A full job description can be found on the Council and District websites, Shermancountyswcd.com and Shermancountywc.com. A copy can also be requested from the SWCD office, 541-565-3551 x 3. All applications (cover letter and resume) can be dropped off or mailed to the SWCD office, (302 Scott St. P.O. Box 405 Moro, OR. 97039).

Page 2

Sherman County Area Watershed Council

Farm Services Agency (FSA)

T HE R OLLI NG T HU NDE R

Dates to Remember: October 26 - Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP) deadline to submit your acceptable documentation for losses/expenses from last winter’s storm events October 26 - FSA county committee meeting, 9:00 AM, at Burnet Building conference room, OSU Extension Office, 66365 Lonerock Rd, Moro November 6 - 2017 COC election ballots mailed to eligible voters in LAA 2 November 10 - USDA Service Center offices closed. Veterans’ Day November 23 - USDA Service Center offices closed. Thanksgiving Day December 4 - Last day to return ballots for 2017 COC elections for LAA 2 December 15 - Deadline to report your fall planted acreage for 2018 crop year Make Sure Your Records Are Up-to-date with FSA

Changes in your farm business operation, such as changing a partnership, forming a corporation, or other entity, or adding or remov-ing partners or members must be reported to our office. Land changes, like the addition of a farm by lease or purchase, need to be reported to our office as well. Producers participating in

FSA and NRCS programs are required to timely report changes in their farming operation to the County Committee in writing and update their CCC-902 Farm Operating Plan.

If you have any changes to your bank accounts for direct deposits, or change of address or zip code or an incor-rect name or business name on file they need to be reported to our office. FSA county office staff are happy to answer any questions producers may have regarding acceptable documentation for changes or corrections. Please call or visit your local FSA office to update your records.

V OLU ME 1 8, IS SU E 4 Page 3

Oregon Department of Agriculture

1. Greenhouse & Nursery 2. Cattle & Calves 3. Hay 4. Milk 5. Grass Seed 6. Potatoes 7. Wheat 8. Pears 9. Wine Grapes 10. Onions 11. Hazelnuts

12. Blueberries 13. Christmas Trees 14. Cherries 15. Hops 16. Apples 17. Dungeness Crab 18. Eggs 19. Mint for Oil 20. Corn for Grain

Local Advertisements

SHERMAN COUNTY BUSINESSES!!

Are you interested in showcasing your business cards in our newsletter? Advertisements are $20 per issue or $75 for the year! Issues are dispersed quarterly. For those of you who already advertise, its time again to renew!

Don’t get left out! Please contact our office at 541-565-3216 ext. 109 if you wish to be included.

Oregon’s Top 20 Commodities

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE PAID

MORO, OR 97039

PERMIT #15

~BOARD & S TAFF~

Sherman County SWCD Board of Directors

Trevor Fields, Chair

Jesse Stutzman, Vice Chair

Josh Hilderbrand, Treasurer

Thad Eakin, Secretary

Clint Moore, Member

SWCD Staff

TBA, Office Manager

Kayla von Borstel, Watershed Council Coordinator

Scott Susi, Conservation Technician

NRCS Staff

Kristie Coelsch, District Conservationist

Clinton Whitten, Soil Conservationist

~CALENDAR OF EVENT S~

1. October 31st, 2017—Halloween 2. November 14th, 2017—SWCD Board

Meeting to be held in the SWCD office @ 830am—subject to change

3. November 16, 2017—soil pH workshop @ the Shiloh Inn @ 830am

4. November 23, 2017—Thanksgiving—Office Closed.

5. December 12th, 2017—Council Meeting to be held in the SWCD office @ 8am—subject to change

6. December 12th, 2017—SWCD Board Meeting to be held in the SWCD office @ 830am—subject to change

7. December 25, 2017—Christmas—Office Closed 8. January 1, 2018—New Years Day—Office Closed 9. January 9, 2018—Board meeting to be held in the SWCD

office @ 8:30 am —subject to change 10. February TBA, 2018—SWCD & Watershed Council Annual

Meeting @ TBA

The Rolling Thunder Issue 04 Fall 2017

Sherman County SWCD

P.O. Box 405

Moro, OR 97039

We’re on the Web! Don’t forget to check us out for current news! www.shermancountyswcd.com and www.shermancountywc.com; We’re also on Facebook!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any pro-gram or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)

 

Saltcedar Tamarix ramosissima

USDA symbol: TARA ODA rating: B and T

Other common names: salt cedar, tamarisk

Introduction: (Tamarix ramosissima, T. chinensis, or T.gallica) is a large shrub or small tree introduced to North America from the Middle East in the early 1800s. This weed has been used as an ornamental, for windbreaks and erosion control. By1850, saltcedar had escaped from these plantings, infesting many river systems and drainages in the Southwest – often displacing native vegetation. By 1938, infestations of saltcedar could be found from Florida to California and as far north as Idaho. Saltcedar continues to spread rapidly and currently infests water drainages and wet areas in the United States. (courtesy Montana State University Extension.

Distribution: Malheur County hosts the highest densities of saltcedar especially along the Snake River and Owyhee Reservoir. Smaller outbreaks in other eastern Oregon Counties are targeted for eradication.

Description: Saltcedar species are spreading shrubs or small trees, 5-20 feet tall, with numerous slender branches and small, alternate, scale-like leaves. The pale pink to white flowers are small, perfect and regular, arranged in spike-like racemes. The distinct petals and sepals occur in fours or fives. The fruit is a capsule (Hitchcock and Cronquist 1961).

Impacts: Saltcedar is an aggressive invader of riversides, springs, creeks and gullies in the arid regions of the American west. It has an enormous water appetite causing springs and small waterways to dry up putting stress on many desert species. The plants provides no food for wildlife and little nesting cover. Biological controls: The saltcedar leaf beetle, Diorhabda elongata is well established in eastern Oregon often causing complete defoliation of all plants in specific drainages.

Oregon Department of Agriculture � Noxious Weed Control Program 635 Capitol Street NE � Salem, OR 97301 � 503-986-4621

www.oregon.gov/ODA/programs/Weeds/Pages/Default.aspx

Photos by Malheur Experiment Station Oregon State U.