shambipconservationdistrict.org

The Shambip Conservation District is pleased to invite your students to participate in the 2011 Conservation Poster Contest.  The theme of this year’s contest is “Forests for People – More Than You Can Imagine.”  The contest is designed to spread the word about the important role of forests in your everyday life. Deadline for entries is October 19, 2011.

The contest is open to Shambip County students in grades 4, 5 and 6. The winning student will receive a $20.00 cash prize. In addition, the winning student’s entire class will receive a visit from the Conservation District Board, as well as a 15 minute watershed model demonstration and a pizza party!

Please visit the NACD website for complete poster contest details. For questions or further details regarding the Poster Contest, please contact Lindsey Brooker, at (801) 542.8208 or via e-mail.

Click here to view the 2011 Shambip Conservation District Poster Contest flyer and entry form.

 On August 17th, from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the Rush Valley Town Hall, Shambip Conservation District will grill burgers, while residents are invited to grill our district supervisors and partners on conservation issues. Come hungry and ready to learn!

Morgan County Farmer Jason Morgan and NRCS Area I Staffer Danny McBride were featured on a USDA video news release posted today.  There is both a 2-minute version being distributed to agriculture media (and featured in the attached press release summarizing FY 2010 NRCS-funded seasonal high tunnels) and a 4-minute lighter version created specifically for YouTube. The Morgan family is an important component of both pieces, and we are delighted that they were include in both pieces, as well as in the press release.

 Both versions are posted on YouTube. Here are the links:

 Short version distributed to ag media:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c288LyqQf_w

 Longer version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeSKbgz_8ZQ

Shambip and Grantsville Conservation Districts are currently updating the 2005 County Resource Assessment. This resource assessment is designed to gather and present natural resource information specific to Tooele County. Through the outreach process, conservation districts work with the local public, state and federal partners, and other stakeholders to present specific natural and social resources.

The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that conservation efforts address the most important local resource needs. The assessments will be the basis for selecting the type and extent of the needed conservation systems and practices. It will also be used to make recommendations to fund priority areas.

The resource assessments will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the condition of the area’s natural resources and become the platform for making decisions about local conservation priorities and policies.

The Utah Division of Air Quality is looking for projects that would qualify for funding under the Diesel Emission Reduction Act. One aspect of this program is to get older agriculture diesel engines replaced with new, more efficient engines thereby resulting in fewer air pollutant emissions.

This may be an opportunity for producers to receive assistance in replacing/upgrading some of their diesel equipment. As I understand it, items such as stationary diesel engines would qualify for 75% cost-share assistance (producer to pay 25%), and items such as a tractor would qualify for 25% cost-share assistance (producer to pay 75% of the cost). All of the replaced/upgraded items should be things that would have been kept for 3 or more years.

The deadline for applications is January 13th at 4:00 p.m. MST. Lisa has offered her assistance in filling out the paperwork to anyone interested in this program.

 Lisa can be reached at:
Lisa Burr
Senior Research Analyst
Utah Department of Environmental Quality – Division of Air Quality
801-536-4019
lburr@utah.gov

The application form (relatively short) is attached. The Request for Proposals (not so short) is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/air/grants/rfp-epa-oar-otaq-11-01.pdf

Some additional information:
• $32 million allocated to this project
• Region 8 (Utah is in Region Priority Areas include:
• Priority given to poor air quality areas (portions of Cache, Box Elder, Weber, Davis, Salt
Lake, Utah and Tooele counties) – see attached map
• Priority given to proposals that reduce diesel emissions from agricultural operations
• Proposals must be submitted electronically

The 2011 Utah Hay and Forage Symposium will be held January 27-28, 2011 in St. George.  The Extension Program Planning Committee has pulled together an excellent program that addresses a number of critical issues facing Utah hay and forage producers.  Here are some of the program highlights:

Hands-on alfalfa diagnostic workshop.  A new event that we will be holding this year is a pre-conference diagnostic workshop.  This workshop will be held on the morning of January 27^th (8-11 am), immediately prior to the start of the symposium.   Participants will rotate through sessions taught by USU Extension specialists on weeds (Ralph Whitesides), fertilizers (Grant Cardon), and insects & nematodes (Ricardo Ramirez and Claudia Nischwitz).  This workshop will be hands-on with an emphasis on diagnosing in-field problems.  This will be an excellent educational opportunity for growers, crop consultants, and Extension agents.  Enrollment is limited to 60 participants, so please register early!

Symposium Speaker highlights:  There are 21 speakers on the symposium agenda and will discuss a broad range of hay and forage production issues.  Featured speakers include:

Rich Zollinger is the Extension Weed Specialist at North Dakota State University and specializes in herbicide adjuvants.  With all the new products coming onto the market, many of us are bombarded with questions about which spray tank additives to use to optimize cost and herbicide performance.  Rich has spent a great deal of his career evaluating new adjuvant products (and even unconventional adjuvants like blue windshield washer fluid and high octane perfume) and is a very engaging speaker.  Anyone who deals with herbicides won’t want to miss this!

Keith Bolsen (Kansas State University) is a well-known silage expert who is in demand for speaking engagements and consulting across the U.S.  His talk will be on trouble shooting common problems in silage management.  This will be an excellent presentation for corn growers and dairy producers.

Steve Orloff (University of California, Davis) will discuss how to improve irrigation efficiency in alfalfa and getting the most from your fertilizer dollar.

Glenn Shewmaker (University of Idaho) will speak on forage quality and how to manage gophers and voles in alfalfa.

The program will include five breakout sessions for more focused discussion.  Breakout topics include: irrigation, pest management, forage quality, corn production and other rotational crops.  The symposium will also include a Trade Show Exhibition and hay judging contest.

Where can I get more information?

For Trade Show Exhibition or other Symposium questions, contact Spencer Gibbons, Farm Bureau (435.770.4590, skg@xmission.com), or Earl Creech, Utah State University (435.797.7319, earl.creech@usu.edu).

The 2011 Utah Envirothon will be held on April 29th and 30th in Box Elder County. On Friday, the students will participate in their oral presentations at Box Elder High School in Brigham City.  Saturday morning the students will travel to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge on the fringes of the Great Salt Lake to participate in five field test stations where a natural resource professional will give students a brief presentation test them on their knowledge. The five natural resource areas include:  forestry, soils/land use, groundwater, aquatic ecology, and wildlife as well as a sixth area, 2011′s current issue, salt and fresh water estuaries.

The Utah Envirothon depends on volunteers and donations to support a quality natural resource program for high school youth in Utah.

For for more information and/or  participation opportunities, please contact Loralie Cox at 801.542.8208.

This winter the Utah Envirothon will be hosting an advisor training. The goals of this training are to introduce new advisors to the Utah Envirothon provide them with the tools to best prepare for the upcoming event. Returning advisors are also welcome to attend for a refresher and to receive new materials.

 This year’s training will again be held January 14, 2011. Check the Utah Envirothon website for more information: www.utahenvirothon.org .

We are changing up our website. A new look is on its way. Stay tuned.