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Show PAGE A4 JUNE 10, 2011 SUMMIT COUNTY NEWS 4\Rcs Conservation Corner Friends of Western Uintas Meet The importance of plants BY CRAIG MCKNIGHT District Conservationist NRCS As you follow our articles in the conservation corner you may have noticed the theme to the crop producer and the resources of concern, energy, soil and organic matter, water, bugs and their benefits to rename a few. This week my thoughts are on the importance of plants and more specifically the benefits of Conservation Crop Rotation. Crop Rotation is a planned order of specific different crops planted on the same field. The planned rotation can be two years or longer and some of the purposes are to improve soil fertility, reduce erosion, reduce the build-up of pests, reduce risk of weather damage, reduce dependence on agricultural chemicals and ultimately to increase net profits. The increased complexity of farming requiring more planning and management skills may have dissuaded some from crop rotation. One immediate economic benefit of crop rotation is improved yields. Rotating to a different crop such as wheat on barley ground usually results in higher grain yields when compared to continuous cropping of wheat. Even greater benefits are usually obtained by rotating to distinctly unrelated crops, such as a small grain seeded into land where the previous crop was a legume. This is a very common rotation containing alfalfa and small grains. One reason for the increase is legumes in rotation can be used to increase the available soil nitrogen. Symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria called rhizobia form nodules on the roots of legume plants and convert or fix atmospheric nitrogen to organic nitrogen. The amount of nitrogen fixed varies with species, available soil nitrogen and many other factors. Fixed nitrogen not removed from the land by the harvest cycle becomes available to succeeding crops as the legume goes through microbial decomposition. Alfalfa for example can fix over 170 pounds of nitrogen annually however only approximately 50 pounds of nitrogen credit would be available for the succeeding crop in rotation. Crop rotation combined with recommended tillage practices can play an important role in reducing wind and water erosion of the soil. No till and minimal till farming are essential as conservation practices but crop rotation must be used in conjunction to reduce build up of insects, disease and weed pests. Solid seeded crops such as small grains provide more protection against erosion than row crops. Permanent crops like pasture or hay provide even more pro- tection. Management of crops to provide residue throughout the year is essential to sufficiently control both wind and water erosion. The reasons for improved yields due to crop rotation are not completely understood. Researchers have attempted to reveal some of the unknown factors including those named above but also other terms such as phytotoxicity (chemical toxic to plant growth), allelopathy(inhibit another species) and autotoxicity (inhibit same species). Even with the unknown, the important beneficial effects that can be obtained from a well planned crop rotation are known and can have a positive effect on the profitability of crop production. The NRCS has staff available to help you on your land for improving your resources for all types of sustainable agriculture. Whether you want to improve plants and implement crop rotation, or your bottom line come visit your local NRCS staff to help evaluate your operation. The NRCS does not charge for these services and we have many programs available for technical and financial assistance for those eligible. Contact (801) 629-0575 for Davis, Morgan, and Weber counties and (435) 336-5853 for Summit County. The NRCS is an equal opportunity provider and employer. On Thursday June 2, 2011 members of the Friends of the Western Uintas Lynn Williams, Bobbie Williams along with Steve and Louise Brown and other volunteers including Patricia Musser of the U.S. Forest service Heber / Kamas District worked with Amber Mendenhall of the USDA-APHIS-PPQ Biological Control in collecting Dalmatian Toadflax Stem Boring Weevils. Dalmatian Toad Flax is an evasive noxious weed in the Summit County area and on our National forest. If not controlled, the Toad Flax will over take other natural plant life in the 2011 Francis Frontier Days Rodeo Queen crowned On Friday June 3, the 2011 Francis Frontier Days Rodeo Queen and Attendants were crowned. Shayle Thompson, daughter of Sheldon and Jody Thompson, was crowned Queen and also won personal interview. Katie Kirkham, daughter of Nancy and Chris Sabey and Jim Kirkham, was crowned 1st Attendant and also Horsemanship. Courtney Hawkins, daughter of Jeff and Amy Hawkins, was crowned 2nd Attendant and Miss Congeniality. A special thanks goes out to the New West Country Store, Sewing Siblings (Cathy Houston), Glamour Gals, Sparkles and Spice, Atkinson Sound and the supportive family and friends who cheered on the contestants. Thank you! hills above woodland. This area will be monitored for the next five years. Friends of the Western Uintas are planning another Stem Boring Weevil collection day on Monday, June 20, 2011 to collect bugs to be dispersed on the National Forest, any one interested in joining us please Call Bobbie at (435) 783-2964. Oakley holds 3rd Annual Arbor Day T. LORACKS Special to the News Left to right: Courtney Hawkins, 2nd Att./Miss Congeniality; Queen/personal interview, Shayle Thompson, and Katie Kirkham, 1st Att./Horsemanship area. This threatens our natural grazing areas on the forest and private properties. The Stem Boring weevil is natures way of controlling the toad flax, the weevil bores into the stem of the plant, eats the inside of the plant and lays it's eggs in the stem, this kills the plant. Louise Brown is pictured here collecting the weevils and then using an aspirator to separate them from other bugs and debris. After collecting the weevils Lynn and Bobbie Williams released them and set up a monitoring system on two Toad Flax infected area on the Thirty high school students from the South Summit High School and The Oakley School came joined forces to help Oakley City celebrate its third annual Arbor Day. Together, they planted four trees and mulched over 100 others at the Oakley City Rodeo and Recreation Complex. The day started off with a short educational session provided by ISA Certified Arborist A. Jason Barto. He talked abouth selecting the right tree for the right location and cautioned the group to be wary of planting a tree too deeply and suffocating the roots. The root flare of the tree should be visible at the soil level. He suggested that it is important to unwrap the tree and identify the root flare before deciding how deep the planting hole should be. Two European Bird Cherries Prunus padus, an American Linden Tilia americana and a Red Maple Acer rubrum were planted in wide shallow holes and backfilled with native soil after removing the never ending rocks. The burlap and metal cages were completely removed so that the roots have a good chance to become established to support a healthy tree. The newly planted trees were given 3-4 inches of mulch covering the existing and future root zone. Approximately 4 inches of clearance was created between the mulch and the trunk of the tree in order to protect the bark of the tree from moisture related decay. This process was repeated on the existing trees until the mulch ran out. All of the hard workers we treated to excellent lunches from The Cutting Board courtesy of the South Summit High School Interact Club and the Kamas Valley Lions Club. Celebrating Arbor Day is one of the parts of being recognized as a Tree City USA. Oakley City has been recognized in 2009 and 2010 as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation. NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING AND ADOPTION Flood update from Brian McInerney, Hydrologist Current Situation: Most recent flood potential briefing from Brian McInerney, Hydrologist with the National Weather Service: http://www.wrh.noaa.govislawxbriefing/wxbO1jun2011/player.html . Summary: Wettest March, April and May since record keeping began; Cold, wet spring; Warm weather corning Saturday, Sunday, Monday; River flows will pick up. Please watch your children and use good judgment near icy rivers. Davis, Morgan, Summit, Weber counties: Weber River from below Echo Reservoir to mouth of Weber Canyon. Flood stage is 17 feet or 4,170 cfs. Latest stage reported: 17.5 feet or 4,619 cfs. Photo by Cheryl Ovard/SCN Editor As provided by law, the following notice is hereby given: The Board of Education of South Summit School District will conduct a hearing at 6:00 pm, June 21, 2011 in the South Summit School District Board Room (375 East 300 South, Kamas, Utah) for the purpose of adjusting and closing the 2010-2011 Fiscal Budget. At 6:30 pm a public hearing regarding the proposed 2011-2012 Fiscal Budget will be held. After said public hearing, the Board of Education proposes to adopt the tentative budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. On file with the Business Administrator and available for public inspection, will be a copy of the proposed budget. Board of Education South Summit School District Kip Bigelow Business Administrator Published in the Summit County News 6/3/11 and 6/10/11 |