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Read about Oregon farmers and ranchers who are taking positive steps to
protect the natural resources on their land.
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BROWNSVILLE, Ore.—Ed and Jim Merzenich wanted to improve the hunting
grounds on their Oak Basin Tree Farm, a 961-acre woodland perched on the
north Coburg Hills in the Willamette Valley. As they examined their
land, however, they realized the existing habitat was not ideal for the
local blacktail deer or Roosevelt elk because a tangle of invasive
shrubs covered much of the ground, preventing the growth of native
grasses and wildflowers that these animals depend on. “You couldn’t get
through the blackberries,” said Ed. “They were 15 feet tall everywhere.”
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Key Words:
Oak Habitat Restoration, Wildlife Habitat
Incentives Program, Upper Willamette Basin |
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Boring, Ore. – The 180-acre farmland that makes up the Hans Nelson &
Sons Nursery is tucked away in a quiet spot less than two miles outside
the Multnomah County line east of Gresham. Accessible via a web of
neatly paved back roads, the property is speckled with large puddles
that reflect the nearby butte during the brief sunbreaks.
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Key Words:
Water management, nursery management,
Lower Willamette Basin |
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Siletz, Ore. – A tornado is the symbol in their farm’s logo and for
their personal lifestyle. Randy and Sarah Walker have generated a
whirlwind of conservation activity and results as they converted their
20-acre property located 16 miles east of the Pacific Ocean, from point
source polluter to productive, sustainable farmland. Their success is
the result of their vision, hard work and the assistance from technical
staff and programs of the USDA-National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS),
the Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District (LSWCD) and other
natural resource partners. More (HTML)...
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Key Words:
EQIP,
Manure Management, Soil Management, Upper
Willamette Basin |
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Gearhart, Ore. – The Clatsop Plains on the Oregon coast is normally a
place of quiet solitude pierced occasionally by the shrill sound of a
Western seagull. On this volunteer work day, there are also the sounds
of clippers and hand saws, as a small army of habitat advocates works to
reclaim the dunes of the Clatsop Plains from a sea of Scotch broom, so
the Oregon Silverspot Butterfly can be reintroduced and flourish.
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Key Words:
EQIP, Wildlife Habitat Restoration, Oregon
Silverspot, North Coast Basin |
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Paulina, Ore. – One hundred million years ago during the earth’s
cretaceous period, Gary Bedortha’s ranchland was a shallow ocean
supporting a rich community of sea life. Today, that same land rises
5,000 feet above sea level, and supports a different kind of ecosystem –
one rich with sagebrush, bitter brush, juniper, elk, deer, snakes,
bobcats, coyotes, cougars, eagles, hawks and the sage-grouse.
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Key Words:
EQIP, SGI, John Day Umatilla Basin |
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Curt McKinney is a consulting forester who manages thousands of acres
of private forestland around the Eugene, Oregon area. The Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives
Program (EQIP) is just one of the many tools in his toolbox that has
helped him improve forest health, increase production, improve wildlife
habitat, and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire both on and off
the land he manages. More (HTML)...
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2.93MB)
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Key Words:
EQIP, forest management, Upper
Willamette Basin |
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Dan Hammelman is a nurseryman on a mission. He grows top-quality
flowers, fresh vegetables and wheat while using conservation best
practices that keep soils fertile, healthy and intact, and waterways
free from sediment. More (HTML)...
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Key Words:
AWEP, EQIP, water management, Lower
Willamette Basin |
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The richest and most diverse terrestrial eco-systems in Oregon are
disappearing – oak woodlands and savannahs. Since the arrival of
settlers in the early 1800s, more than 90 percent of Oregon’s
pre-settlement oak habitats have been cleared to make way for farms,
urban areas, and other development. The USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) and partner organizations are working with
private landowners to help protect and restore precious remaining oak
habitats. More (HTML)...
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1.07MB)
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link to view more images for this story on Flickr. For
related stories, visit the
US Fish
and Wildlife Service Journal.
Key Words:
CCPI, oak restoration, Southwest
Oregon Basin |
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KINGS VALLEY, Ore. – Back in 2008, with a little assistance from the
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Goodfoot Farm, a 10-acre
organic farm nestled along the banks of the Luckiamute River in Kings
Valley, Ore., was about to experience improvements not seen in years.
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Key Words:
Organic EQIP, pest management, Upper
Willamette Basin |
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A legacy of conservation lessons learned by parents who farmed during
the Great Depression left an impression on Bene Medelez. A rancher in
his own right, Bene has been working with USDA- Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) to keep and improve the good conservation
aspects of his 5,100-acre ranch acquired in 2007. While this is his
first time working with NRCS, his parents worked with the agency in
Texas early in its development. More
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Key Words:
CSP, irrigation efficiency, John Day
Umatilla Basin |
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Larry McFetridge starts his pump with the flip of a small silver
switch. According to Tom Smith, USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) District Conservationist, “Larry used to run two 75 hp
pumps. With the installation of the Prairie Creek Cooperative
Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) project through NRCS, Larry
only needs two 40 hp pumps, so he’s using significantly less energy.
That is a significant reduction in his annual pumping costs.”
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Key Words:
CCPI, water management, energy
management, Snake River Basin |
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Fawn Rupp kneels and gently pulls aside a tousled ryegrass to reveal
three pioneer gravestones that lie prone in the fenced enclosure. “I
didn’t know these were here when I bought this farm,” admits Fawn who
purchased the land two years ago. “I found the markers when I worked up
the field for the first time.” Since his discovery, Fawn has cleaned up
the grave site and built the fence, protecting the legacy of pioneers
who may have been part of the original homestead in the 1800s.
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Key Words:
AWEP, water management, John Day
Umatilla Basin |
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Dan Gover tips one of the 100 hats he has in his colorful collection,
and motors an ATV out to the timothy hay field and new pumping station
with USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) District
Conservationist, Tom Smith. The relationship between Dan and NRCS staff
has stood the test of time. Dan and the agency have worked together for
decades to create a legacy of conservation that has improved soil and
water health on his scenic ranch at the foot of the majestic Wallowa
Mountains. More (HTML)...
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Key Words:
CCPI, water management, Snake River
Basin |
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Merlie McFetridge serves lunch to her family and farmhands at the
stroke of noon every day. “If you’re late, you may not eat,” says her
son Jay who manages the farm for the family. Everyone gathers ‘round the
large table in the sunny dining room for a substantial meal to fuel an
afternoon of strenuous work in the fields. After his dessert of
chocolate cake and ice cream, Jay pushes back from the table and returns
to putting up hay. The crew follows. The tradition of farm life for the
McFetridge family is as strong as their legacy of conservation.
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Key Words:
CCPI, water management, Snake River
Basin |
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My mother’s side of the family has been in this area since the late
1880’s; my dad’s side purchased the ranch in the 1940’s — so this is a
long-term relationship with the land,” said Andy Petersen, owner of
Petersen Ranch, LLC. “We realize we are simply stewards of the land. It
is ours for this period of time; we want to take as good of care of it
as we can to pass it on in better condition than when we found it. I
think the HFRP program is a good way for us to do that.”
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link to view more images for this story on Flickr.
Key Words:
HFRP, forest management, wildlife
management, Upper Willamette
Basin |
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Mike Omeg climbs up the tall ladder and quietly peers in the top of
an owl box. The fifth generation farmer is trying to encourage barn owls
to take up residence in the 50 nesting boxes Mike has built and
installed around his cherry orchards. The owls are a low impact method
to manage rodent damage: one family of barn owls is likely to consume
3,000 gophers each year. More (HTML)...
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Key Words:
AWEP, irrigation management, wildlife
management, Deschutes
Basin |
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A new technique in irrigation management is bringing impressive
results to this fruit-growing region along the Columbia River in Central
Oregon thanks to a program of USDA-Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) known as the Cooperative Conservation Partnership
Initiative (CCPI). The program is helping farmers help the land through
the formation of partnerships, including one with Bonneville Power
Administration (BPA). Matching funds from BPA and other natural-resource
partners have leveraged the impact of the USDA-NRCS program, and
resulted in the installation of Scientific Irrigation Scheduling (SIS)
on 3,100 acres in The Dalles area, which has saved precious water and
energy. More (HTML)...
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Key Words:
CCPI, irrigation management, Deschutes
Basin |
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The Dalles, Oregon is the Sweet Cherry Capital of the World, and that
crown for nectarous fruit is the result of not just suitable soils and a
hot, dry climate, but an efficient irrigation system. Thanks to a
partnership of local landowners, eight organizations and USDA-Natrual
Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Agricultural Water Enhancement
Program (AWEP), intensive irrigation water management will meet water
quality and supply challenges of the future and growers will produce
even plumper fruit. More
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1.12MB)
Key Words:
AWEP, irrigation management, Deschutes
Basin |
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If there was a contest for producing the tallest Secar grass amongst
landowners in Oregon, Matt Williams may bring home the prize. Matt has
found chest-high Secar on his ranch in Twickenham along the John Day
River in the center of Wheeler County. Rangeland grasses like Secar are
an important tool for conservation. The first Secar on the Williams
place was planted as part of a USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) demonstration project 25 years ago. Secar is a
long-lived, cool-season wheatgrass with an extensive root system that
grows from one to four feet tall. Seed for the Secar grass growing on
the Williams rangeland was first collected in the Lewiston, Idaho area
along the Snake River. More
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Key Words:
CCPI, conservation planning, Deschutes
Basin |
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When Michael Paine, owner and operator of Gaining Ground Farm, first
approached the Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in
2008, he was powerless. Literally. His small, community-supported farm
has no electricity in or near the fields, making the task of irrigating
the land both technically and financially challenging.
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Key Words:
Organic EQIP, irrigation management,
Lower Willamette Basin |
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Alma Campbell’s blue eyes twinkle as she talks about her ranch, her
cows and her commitment to conservation. The 86-year-old rancher is
passionate about the preservation of the land and water that was in her
family and passed down to her care. Alma rides her chestnut horse daily
to check on her 4,000 acres of Eastern Oregon rangeland and 80 brood
cows. Alma urges everyone with land to use good conservation practices:
“Even if you have just a small amount of property, and a few horses and
cows, you need to take care of it because it will benefit you in the
long run.” More (HTML)...
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(PDF 1.01MB)
Key Words:
CCPI, juniper removal, John Day Umatilla Basin |
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Sarahlee Lawrence deftly peels back the white drape of row cover from
an interplanted row of organically-grown produce and flowers, inspecting
for damage from the prior night’s frigid temperatures. “Oh look, a
melon!” she says with triumph in her voice. The small green-striped orb
is partially hidden by leafy chard and yellow calendulas and it appears
unscathed by the early frost. The 28-year-old farmer is pioneering
organic production in the high desert of Central Oregon, where the
growing season is short but the potential for market success is long.
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461KB)
Key Words:
Organic EQIP, AWEP, organic improvement, irrigation management,
Deschutes Basin |
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McKenzie Canyon farmers Kathy and Steve Simpson will be sleeping a
lot better this summer. A newly-completed irrigation pipeline to their
farm will eliminate the need for round-the-clock checks of their
irrigation pond level. The Simpsons and 30 other landowners are
benefiting from a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) project that replaces open
irrigation canals and ditches with 10.3 miles of 36” High-density
Polyethlene (HDPE) pressurized pipeline, and provides turnouts and
lateral pipeline connections on 1,976 acres of Central Oregon farmland.
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Key Words:
AWEP, irrigation water management,
Deschutes Basin |
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Glenn Cooper had a personal goal to bring irrigation
water to the ranches of McKenzie Canyon in a naturally pressurized
pipeline. He found willing and able partners for this goal in USDA-NRCS
and Three Sisters Irrigation District (TSID). With the support of these
partners, the participation of neighboring landowners and a little help
from Mother Nature, that goal has been realized.
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Key Words:
AWEP, watershed enhancement,
Deschutes Basin |
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Allen and Bev Duby hang on as their pickup truck bucks and jerks
along the ragged tracks of their farm road. The ranchers are out
inspecting a 1,000-acre portion of their 10,000 acre ranch —a section
that illustrates both the rich farming history in Bev’s family and the
progressive conservation practices they are undertaking to assure the
family’s future. More (HTML)...
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Key Words:
CCPI, water-quality, juniper removal,
Snake River Basin |
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Boone Sullivan is keeper of the history and
caretaker of the precious natural resources on his family’s 18,000-acre
ranch along Burnt River south of Baker City. Boone tells the story of
logging ponderosa pines, of hunting deer and elk and of Old Sam, a
reclusive hermit and prospector who mined for gold on Forest Service
land near their home place in the mid 1900s. Over the years the quest
for gold has died out in the valley while awareness of another precious
natural resource, the sage-grouse, has emerged.
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printable copy (PDF 4MB)Key Words:
CCPI, sage-grouse, juniper removal, Snake
River Basin |
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Driving through Oregon’s agricultural areas in the summer, it’s
difficult to miss the variety of irrigation systems raining much-needed
water over field after field of fruits, vegetables, grains and grasses.
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Key Words:
EQIP, irrigation water management, Lower
Willamette Basin
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Grazing
Management for Healthy Pastures, Animals
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
helps producers manage pastures to benefit soil, water, wildlife and the
bottom line.
Sherril Wells used to start feeding hay to his livestock in August each
year. Now, thanks to a rotational grazing system he put in place with
assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP),
the cattle and sheep are able to feed on his pastures’ standing grass
until October. More...
Key Words:
EQIP, conservation planning,
grazing management, Southwest Oregon Basin
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Collaboration: Key Element of a Healthy Watershed
Stream to stream, landowner to landowner, and agency to
agency – resources and people are all interconnected, vital to the
natural system.
The waters of Pollock Creek empty into Calapooya Creek and flow through
the Umpqua to Winchester Bay on the southern Oregon coast. The course
runs through an array of forest, pasture, native prairie and savannah
lands. Numerous wildlife species use these areas, including coho,
steelhead, Chinook, and lamprey, as well as an abundance of birds and
mammals including white tail deer. While small, Pollock Creek is an
important vein feeding the interdependent processes vital to the health
of this complex system. More...
Key Words:
Cooperative conservation, watershed health, CREP,
EQIP, ranch land, stream buffers, Southwest Oregon Basin
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Conserving the Land and
a Family's Dream
As a dairy worker, Andres Sanchez hoped to someday own and run his own
operation. By 1998, he had built up a herd, bought a farm, and went into
business for himself in the dairy producing region near Tillamook,
Oregon. While this would constitute a happy ending for many, Sanchez was
just getting started making his operation productive, efficient and
sustainable. More...
Key Words:
EQIP, conservation planning, dairy operation,
North Coast Basin |
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Grower Interest Enhances
Local Soil Surveys in Oregon
It’s no secret that successful farmers know as much about their soil as
they do about the crops they grow in it. None illustrate this fact more
than vineyard operators in Oregon’s wine region. Several years ago, they
began working closely with soil scientists from the Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) to develop increasingly detailed soil data
for the Willamette Valley.
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Key Words:
Soil Survey, vineyards, Willamette Valley, Lower
Willamette Basin |
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Cooperation Leads to Solutions for Wild Fish
A small, dedicated group of local
citizens, county employees, and conservationists came together along the
banks of Oregon’s South Fork Klaskanine River this fall to celebrate
completion of a fish passage project that could never have happened
without the unique contributions of each.
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Key Words:
WHIP, salmon habitat, dam removal, cooperative
conservation, North Coast Basin |
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100
Years of Success and Still Moving Forward
“We’re third generation farmers looking toward the future for the next
generation...and conservation will be a key part of that.”
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Key Words:
EQIP, irrigation efficiency, sustainable
marketing, conservation planning, Willamette Basin |
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Dairy Operations That
Benefit the Watershed
The River Meadow Dairy is nestled in a lush, forested valley along the
Nehalem River’s North Fork. A number of native steelhead, Chinook and
coho salmon—as well as elk, deer, wild turkey and a diversity of
birds—make their home in this picturesque corner of northwest Oregon.
Dairy owner-operator Brian Tallman truly sees that protecting this
scenic and ecologically rich environment is his responsibility—and a big
one. More...
Key Words:
EQIP, water quality improvements, conservation
planning, dairy operation, North Coast Basin |
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A Willamette Valley Wetland
Restoration
"The aesthetics are a huge part of
it," Willamette Valley farmer Mark Knapp says, looking across an expanse
of lush, verdant wetlands. He restored nearly 400 acres of marginal
cropland to its naturally soggy condition in 1996. Today, this wildlife
enthusiast is enjoying the benefits.
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Key Words:
WRP, wetland restoration, wildlife habitat, Lower
Willamette Basin
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A Conservation Investment for
Sustainable, Marketable Timber Products
"You
have to be aware of conservation," says Dan Mast. "You wouldn’t have
anything down the road if you weren’t." Mast manages 800 acres of
family-owned forest land in southwestern Oregon. While the family also
operates a grade A dairy and raise lambs, Dan believes that maintaining
a diverse operation is the key to survival for small operations like
his. More...
Key Words:
Forest stand improvement, conservation planning,
small acreage, Southwest Oregon Basin
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Custom Planning and Integrated
Solutions
Alan and Susie Anderson are using EQIP to improve native rangeland
on their 6,200-acre commercial cattle operation outside of Lonerock in
northeast Oregon. “It’s an excellent way to accomplish great things on
our land that we alone, for technical and financial reasons, may not be
able to do,” says Alan Anderson.”
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Key Words:
EQIP, prescribed grazing, conservation technical
assistance, John Day Basin
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Keep the Neighbors Talking --
About CONSERVATION, That Is!
According to Ed Landis, finding the right program and technical
assistance at the right time made his streambank project a success. “It
has changed this part of the stream from just a mess to ...a win-win for
everyone.” More...
Key Words:
EQIP, CREP, conservation planning, streambank
stabilization, stream barbs, Upper Willamette Basin
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Taking Stewardship to the Next
Level with CSP
Two years ago, Jim Popson stopped irrigating the pastures on his
2,000-acre ranch. Thanks to good management, he continues to operate a
successful replacement heifer operation.
More...
Key Words:
CSP, grazing management, water conservation,
Klamath Basin
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Last Modified:
07/30/2012
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