BESSIE WETZELL
U OF ORE
NEWSPAPER Ll'B
EUGENE OR 97403
No ime to
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think about
The Sticks
Bonnie Schiller will readily admit she lives "out in
the sticks." She likes the advantages but hates the
disadvantages.
Miss Schiller, a member of the 1976 Morrow County
Fair and Rodeo Court, lives at Star Route, Echo, about
45 miles north of Heppner, on the Butter Creek
Highway. .
Living In the quiet peaceful canyons is alright but
most 17-year-old girls would like to have a telephone.
The Schillers have a mobile phone but that's it.
And she gets tired of riding a bus to school every day.
After all, 111 miles a day on a school bus for the last 11
years can get a little wearisome.
She keeps busy, though, as an Integral part of her
father's work at the Tony Vey ranch, about eight miles
short of the Schiller home on Buttercrcek.
Bonnie started riding at about three years old and
has continued to ride, working with the family's cattle.
in ih late summer. Bonnie goes to live at the
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Princess Bonnie and Sam ride through field at Tony Vey ranch on Butter
Creek. (G-T Photo)
bottom of Chicken Hill on the Grande Rhonde River, 33
miles from La Grande. There she helps the family
hired hand move cattle back and forth off the Forest
Service land.
She is kept working around the Vey ranch, swathing
for her dad, moving sprinkler pipe and working with
her horses.
Her court appearance horse, Sam, will have to give
in to the younger generation this summer as Bonnie
will help with the rearing of two new colts. Both will be
trained as cutting horses.
Bonnie was a member of 4-H sewing for four years
and of 4-H horsing for a year. She is still an active
member of the Wranglers Riding Club.
Bonnie lives in a household that includes five
children. Marilyn and Bob, her parents still house
three of their children. Bonnie, John 18, and Bobbie, 15
live at home.
Tony, 26, lives on the Vey ranch and a sister, Kathy
Isom, lives in Heppner.
Bonnie, who will be a senior at Heppner High School
this fall, is an active school member. As a freshman
and sophomore, she was active in girls sports, volley
ball and track.
Last year she was a varsity cheerleader and a
member of student council. She will be the captain of
the dance team this year.
Her hobbies include riding, sewing, snowmobiling
and swimming.
Whether it's training Chuck Solo, her new colt,
swathing for her father in the fields, hauling cattle to
the mountains, sewing a new blouse or riding Sam in a
parade, Bonnie Schiller keeps busy . . . busy enough
that she doesn't have time to worry about not having a
telephone or "living in the sticks."
THE
HEPPBIEH
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AZETTE-TIME
VOL. 93. NO. 19
III -PPM It. OK
Till KSIMY. JI NK 21. 197B
12 PACKS
15c
From LCDC Gronts
c
ounfy gains $
Four Morrow County cities
were a third of the way
towards receiving $25,000
Monday to upgrade their com
prehensive plans.
The Department of Land
Conservation and Develop
ment Commission approved
grants for Heppner, lone,
Lexington and Irrigon for a
total of $.45,005.
The LCDC approvals went
through the Joint Legislative
Committee on Land Use and
the Legislature's Emergency
Board Tuesday and Thursday
but results were not available.
Tlie consensus of local offi
cials is that the grants would
be approved by all three com
mittees. The four cities applied to
gether for the $25,005. Indivi
dually, Heppner receives
$6405, Lexington receives
$6400, lone receives $6000 and
Irrigon receives $6200.
The monies will be spent on
new comprehensive plans and
rezoning maps for the cities in
a joint operation. The com-
Three kinds Identified
Aphids infest area wheat
Farmers beware. They are
here and they are invading
your wheat crop.
No Jok pMds re
among your wheat crop. And
not Just one or two, but up to 25
per head.
the dough stage, it Is probably
far enough along so that the
aphid won't cause too much
damage this year.
But, farmers must be think
ing of the future.
growers have already sprayed
for aphids this spring. Kerr
said he would encourage any
grower who does spray to
leave some areas and try to
determine if he is getting a
yield increase where the
aphids have been sprayed.
prehensive plan and rezoning
maps will have to be in accor
dance with the 14 goals of the
state LCDC. to comply with
the current law.
Each city, according to
Heppner Mayor Jerry Swe
eney, will contract with Coun
ty Planner David Moon for a
portion of the work in cooper
ation with the joint plans.
The mayors of all four
cities, Sweeney said, will pro
bably hire a person to fulfill
the necessary tasks in coop
eration with the county court.
A total of 122 jurisdictions
were granted the state general
fund money last week to the
tune of $2.2 million.
With the receipt of funds,
each local government will be
able to accelerate the time
when it will fully comply with
the state's goals.
Greenbug
Three varieties have been
positively Identified In Mor
row County wheat fields. They
arc "Greenbugs", English
grain aphid and Oat bird
cherry aphid.
All three can be found on the
leaves and heads of the wheat,
according to Harold Kerr,
county extension agent.
After considerable consul
tation with entomologists
from Washington State and
Oregon Statt Universities,
count of 25 aphids per head or
tern has been found. The
average throughout the field Is
to b a level which control
with chemical can be Justified.
This Is lot of aphids,"
Kerr said, noting that "we are
talking about 23 aphids on
every head."
Entomologists told Kerr
that 90 degree temperatures
will stop the build up of
aphid. Also, If tht wheat is in
Kerr's main concern is that
because "Greenbugs" have
been positively Identified in
the spring, "we need to be
more aware of the threat they
pose In the next fall's crop."
The greenbug is considered
the most serious of the aphids
because it ejects toxic
material into the plant which
when the aphids are in high
enough numbers, can actually
kill the wheat.
Aphids, Including green
bugs, also can carry virus
which causes Yellow Dwarf.
The diseate la showing up in
many wheat fields and Is cha
racterized by bright yellow
leaves which are transparent
and once Identified, are quite
different from drought caus
ed, or rust caused, yellow
leaves.
The aphids have been found
In both Irrigated and dryland
wheat. And, a number of
Go
Boh Straub, visiting in Heppner Tuesday, discussed
county problems tcith officials and citizens. See page 3 .
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Tommy and Roy Martin in N. Lexington tcheat field.
(G-T Photo)
Father, son team
1976 'Conservationists'
A graveled driveway leads into a
scrupulously clean surrounding, highlighted
with a white picket fence and a neatly
manicured yard.
From this scene alone, one can realize why
Roy and Tommy Martin were honored last
week as the Conservation Men of the Year for
Morrow County.
But the conservation of the 3100 acre 4 M
ranch isn't held to a neat yard or chopped
roadside weeds that in many ranch areas
would hide a picket fence. The two were
honored because of their conservation against
wind and water erosion.
The area has a history in wind erosion.
Ever since Roy's father started on the ranch
in 1918. the wind has blown and it has blown
hard.
The ranch started as about 800 acres when
Roy was a boy. There were farms all over the
North Lexington area near Baseline Road.
Today there is quite a distance between
ranches.
One of the reason's was the blow of 1933.
According to Roy, that wind storm "blew us
out 'a here." The wind blew six Inches of top
soil off some of the land. It caused whole
families to move to safer ground.
It also caused the formation of the
Lexington Blow Control District, a unique
group of area farmers, destined to combat
Mother Nature's blow outs.
There is one other blow control district In
Oregon in Warrenton.
So with the wind, coupled with a cloud burst
here and there, always unexpected, Roy and
his son Tommy, and their families, have
made conservation a family affair.
The 3100 acre ranch produces about 2CO0
acres of crop land. Half Is In crops each year
and the other half Is in summer fallow. The
ranch, of the 1300 acres in crops each year,
slates 1,000 acres of wheat and 300 of barley.
The farm's rain supply is virtually lilch.
According to Harold Krrr, extension agent for
Morrow County, wheat isn't even supposed to
grow in the amount of rain the Marti.i Ranch
gets.
Over the last 10 years, the ranch has had an
average yield of Just 8 63 inches. With the
wind that drys the ground as quick as
moisture is put into it, that statistic is
reinforced against plant growth.
Nonetheless, the Martins produced a 23
bushel of wheat average per acre during the
last 10 years on their home acreage and 27 in
Sand Hollow.
Martin said he raised a good crop of wheat
on six inches of rain last year! He noted that
the summer was cool and the deep soil kept
the winter moisture.
So when it comes down to conservation
techniques, the Martins have to be pretty
careful. What rain they get, they must retain,
and over cultivating in the wind can cause
severe blows.
As Roy puts it. "Don't turn around twice in
the same spot" while cultivating.
Back when Roy was kid and his father
was working the ranch, conservation Ideas
included mullboard plows and harrowing with
horses. Slip weeders left nothing on the
grounds surface.
Today the techniques have changed. The
Martins, did however, sUrt with $
tation. A Wheatland plow left about half the
trashy fallow and stubble needful.
"It was terrible to work." Roy said. So they
changed.
Now they chisel plow one time, vibre nhank
one time, and finally rod weed. This way, they
say, leaves more solid summer fallow but
they still must be careful in sandy areas.
The Martins can weed up to six times a
year, depending on the season's rainfall.
Problems that arise even now include one of
the many farmers greatest enemies. Cheat
grass. "Wt keep fighting it all the time,"
Tommy says.
Cheat grass means extra operation, going
(Continued on Pae 7)
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