Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1981)
The Gaiette-Tlmes, lleppner, Oregon, Thursday, February 2t. 1MI FIVE Conservation complimenting each other Morrow County began lining the Level Terrace Systems in 197B. During that year 78,000 linear feet were constructed. In 1979 the footage Increased to 236,000 LF and in 1980 3CUKH) LF were Installed. The year 1981 will show an increuse in excess of 25 percent over the previous year. Yes, over a million LF of terraces are performing their intended function, to protect the land resource from rill and gully erosion. Rill and gully erosion, of course, are very visible as we pass through the countryside. Erosion which can not be seen but which can be measured is of great concern in our effort to provide soil loss protection on all lands. Sheet and wind erosion, hardly visible, but hazardous to the hoi I surface can erode away two to five tons per acre per -year of topsoil. This type of erosion can be greatly reduced by proper use of crop residues. Stubble remaining from grain crops produced previously make up most of the residue available to us for the beginning of what we call 'Conservation Tillage Sys tem." By proper placement of about 12.ri0 lbs. of residue within the top one or two inches of the soil profile we can minimize the sheet and wind erosion to a much more acceptable loss. How much residue is pro duced from one acre of harvested wheat? Kach bushel of wheal harvested will yield approximately HMI lbs. of residue. Thus a crop yield of twenty-five husnvls per acre would provide 2rlMl lbs of crop residue to begin your tillage (iH'nili(ins What happens to the residue when the tillage operations IVo pride owselvos on being your fully stocked farm end home lumber yard. 9 Pc!nt & PcncHnj o Ssptic Tcs&s e Roofing L EKIf l&TOil Lumberyard Lexington 989-8586 Tillage-Terrace system, begin? Each tillage operation starts the residue depletion process. The following operations are examples of how a variety of tillage tools deplete the sur face residue. Plow - Reduces Surface Residue 80 percent; Heavy Disc - Reduces Sur face Residue 50 percent ; Chisel - Reduces Surface Residue 25 percent Rod Weeder - Reduces Surface Residue 10 percent ; Deep Furrow Drill Reduces Surface Residue 20 percent. As the figures above indi cate, your choice of imple ments are most important in managing the residues you have available. The wrong choices rob you of a valuable erosion control product and result in the Joss of soil. To maintain 1250 lbs. of residue in the top one or two inches of the soil profile one example of a tillage operation could be: Chisel twice, rod weed three times and seed with a deep furrow drill. If a heavy duty disc is your choice to replace one of the alxive Chisel operations, an additional 25 percent of resi due would be removed from the soil surface, leaving only iki lbs. of residue to protect the soil from erosion. This will not provide the protection needed for sheet or wind erosion. Soil tillh and fertility con tinue lu lc important factors in the ability of soil to produce crops to its capability. All tillage oerations have an adverse effect on the soil structure. Minimize your til lage operations to achieve your production goals. Use the most current technology. Con- sider the use of chemicals in your operation. Conservation does pay. If we can assist you in your decision making, stop by and let's find out which alternatives you have and how they may fit into your pro gram of conservation on yours and America's number one resource, land. Elk numbers evaluated Last March, during the annual meeting of the Morrow County Soil and Water Conser vation District, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife presenled a program concerning the establishment of Management Objective levels lor future management of deer and elk in Eastern Oregon. Development of the objec tives required an intensive examination of each deer and elk population history from data collected in the various units over the past decade. The herd levels proposed as the objective were based on what each big game range should be able to support without adding problems on private lands. Since the presentation of the Management Objective levels last March, the objectives have received only minor refinements and a great deal of public disclosure. Starting January 12. 1981, the Manage ment Objectives are being explained at a series of Town Hall meetings. A total of 22 such public meetings have Ix-en scheduled, ending with a March 2.rth meeting in Bend. Oregon. Written comments concern ing the Management Objec tives will be received by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commissioners until June 30. 1981. If you have concerns or comments, they should le mailed to: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. P.O. Box 3503. Port land. Oregon 97208. 111 us LJ Agricultural High interest in cost-share program The Morrow County Agri cultural Stabilization and Con servation Service office paid out $92,650 in cost-shares to Morrow County farmers in 1980 through the Agricultural Conservation Program. The practice most used was ter races, but other practices such as sod waterways, grass seedings, conservation tillage, irrigation water conservation, forest thinning, debris basins, livestock wells and spring developments were also used. In addition to the annual program a special project was started in 1980 with special funding received from the Slate ASC Committee. The project is known as the "Jordan Canyon Project" and consists of 19 farms and covers approximately 9,800 acres of cropland. This is a Your Garden Green's Feed Store PI flfl mail m 11 joint effort by all the farmers in the project' area to treat what is considered an area with severe erosion problems. The total treatment of Jordan Canyon will consist of approximately 838,360 feet of terraces and 9,800 acres of conservation tillage. Addition al treatment includes water ways and debris basins. It is estimated that the Jordan Canyon Project will take eight to 10 years to complete. To date. 126.330 feet of terraces have been completed, protect ing 1.335 acres. Cost-shares paid out or to be paid on terracing are $35,000. Currently there are seven Long Term Agreements (LTA) with farmers for treat ing a designated field with conservation practices over a three to five year period. Veterinarian Supplies Tack and Saddle Repair Supply Center fl Lf fALBERS 1 fMQ MR tm Hermiston Opn tvtry Wndntiday $67 7176 Heppner Opt Evtry 2nd ft 4tfc Tis4y 679912 Mom Office Pendleton 1 S.W. Ny (Wtit of M lion Inn) 276-7361 V. srrrs ftft', y
