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MORROW COUNTY EXTENSION SERVICE
Harold Kerr
Mike Howell
Morrow County Agent. Chairman
Morrow County Agent
AGRICULTURAL STABILIZATION &
CONSERVATION SERVICE
DaveMcLeod
Director
COLUMBIA-BLUE MOUNTAIN RESOURCE
CONSERVATION k DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Dle Boner Project Coordinator
STATE FORESTRY DEPARTMENT
EraeLabart
DaveKasper
Unit Forester
Service Forester
VS. FOREST SERVICE
Sam Miller District Ranger
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH k WILDLIFE
Glen Ward
JackMefLand
Wlkflife biologist
Wildlife biologist
FARMERS HOME ADMINISTRATION
KenDurreil Director
STATE SOIL 4 WATER CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Chuck Lilies Director
MORROW COUNTY COURT
Paul Jones
Warren McCoy
Hommer Hughes
Judge
Member
Member
The following officers were elected to the 1978
Columbia Blue Mountain RCD Executive Board at the
annual meeting on January 28. 1978:
President
Vice-president
Second vice-president
Third vice-president
Fourth vice-president
Secretary
Treasurer
AF.Leckie
V? B. Thomas
Clarence Potter
F.K.SUrrett
Warren McCoy
George Hansen
AlOsmin
HEPPn OREGON
Boeing A gri-ln dust rial
Company
Salutes the fine work of
the Morrow Soil and Water
Conservation District.
No-Till Is Hearing
By D. J. Rydryck
CatanbU Basis Agrirattval
Research Ceater
PeadleUa SUum
A recent USDA study esti
mates that by the year 2000
only S per cent of our farmland
will be tilled by conventional
methods on a nationwide
basis.
This means that predictions
of SI per cent for reduced
tillage or 54 per cent non-tillage
can be a reality in just a
few years. The figures for
non-tilled cropland in Eastern
Oregon may not be as high as
the national average but we
can expect a considerable
increase in reduced tillage.
Non-tillage and reduced til
lage has not developed in our
wheat country as rapidly as in
the corn belt. Restrictive farm
policies of the 1950s and 60s
tended to discourage in
creases in crop production.
Weed control herbicides were
not available for cheatgrass in
the eariy 1950s. In addition,
our fertilizer and fuel costs
were very low in the early
years as compared with the
1970s.
Factors which favor the
adoption of non-tillage and
limited tillage practices in
clude (1) more effective
erosion control, (2) a reduc
tion on labor requirements (7
per cent), (3) faster land
preparation. (4) reduced ma
chinery requirements, (5) re
duced fuel requirements, and
higher yields in certain
areas.
Non-tillage research which
has been conducted since 1968
in Oregon has shown that with
the proper herbicides and drill
equipment the program is
successful. This concept has
been successful with winter
wheat, winter barley, winter
oats, spring wheat, spring
barley, field peas, potatoes
and soybeans.
Non-tilled trials have shown
that downy brome (cheat
grass) can be controlled more
easily with chemicals than
can areas that are fanned
with stubble mulch. In addi
tion, in incidence of winter
wheat disease (foot rot) is
much less in non-tilled than in
stubble mulch or plow culture.
Excellent broadleaf weed
control has been obtained in
non-tilled winter wheat, using
the standard herbicides. How
ever, due to the slower growth
rate of the crop and the mul
ched soil surface we find that
a residual herbicide is more
effective when applied early
in the season. During the
fallow year, in a wheat -fallow
rotation, we have a higher
germination of summer an
nual weeds in non-tilled areas
than we do in the tilled fallow
areas. A well planned herbi
cide program eliminates the
summer annual weeds in
non-tilled fallow effectively.
Usually we can seed our fall
crop at any time because soil
moisture is near the surface
straw mulch. In the dry
season of 1974 we had a
deficiency of surface moisture
in the low -rainfall areas (12")
and seeding was delayed until
late October. In 197S we were
able to seed in September
because the moisture was
near the soil surface. Wheat
yields in the 1974 non-tilled
Pendleton trials averaged 180
lbs per A more grain than in
the plowed areas. Winter
Wheat yields in the 1975
non-tilled trials averaged 600
lbs per A higher than conven
tional Ullage. This type of
yield response is not possible
unless you have an effective
chemical fallow program
combined with selective her
bicides that are effective on
grasses and broadleaved
weeds in the crop.
1 Standard Oil Plant
I Fuel & Heating Oil !
I Heppner !
Satesrfs Yclt I
x Rugglos-DoycG )
676-9625 Insurance j
Cenex
Soil Service Center
We're proud of the
Morrow Soil & Water
Conservation District
Herb Ekstrom Jr., Manager 422-7289
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Lexington, 989-8221