The Harney Soil and Water Conservation District has seven positions (one position per zone and two at large positions).  Board directors are elected and are not compensated financially.  Requirements for service are: Actively manage 10 or more acres in the zone being represented and reside with the district boundaries (Harney County) Reside within the zone ... Read More

SageCon is short for Sage-Grouse Conservation Partnership.  It’s an organization that partners conservation groups, government agencies and special districts, and landowners/managers to see what steps can be taken to preserve the sagebrush steppe ecosystem. Sage-grouse like sagebrush.  Makes sense, right?  Some dangers to sagebrush are juniper encroachment and invasive weeds.  Juniper trees not only take ... Read More

Table 2. Actions and sub-actions from the 2015 Oregon Sage-Grouse Action Plan to address wildfire.  There are many more actions related to fire in the plan; only best fits are listed and highlighted here. Action Sub-action 1. Implement fire-reduction strategies 1-1. Develop spatial prioritization of at-risk habitat   1-4. Plant perennial vegetation parallel to rights-of-way ... Read More

Table 1. Actions and sub-actions from the 2015 Oregon Sage-Grouse Action Plan to address invasive annual grasses paraphrased for brevity. Many of these actions could be addressed through the Invasives Initiative. Action Sub-action 1. Enlist local teams to develop strategic plans to prevent, treat and restore, and contain IAG   1-1. Develop spatial prioritization   2. Implement ... Read More

SageCon Partnership Invasives Initiative A strategic approach to addressing invasive annual grasses, sagebrush habitat conservation, and rural economic benefit  Concept Document: March 14, 2020    Document Background and Purpose This document is intended to describe the background, need and components of an Oregon-based initiative to address invasive annual grasses (IAG) in Oregon sagebrush rangelands. The objective is to ... Read More

Online noncredit education is critical, now more than ever. That’s why Oregon State University has been working hard to increase access to our courses and workshops and making them more accessible than ever. For instance, through May 27th you can take our Master Gardener: Vegetable Gardening short course for free. This course is normally $45, but we ... Read More

WASHINGTON – (May 8, 2020) –The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of $3 million for grants through its new Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. The competitive grants will support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production projects through two categories, Planning Projects and Implementation Projects. USDA will accept applications on ... Read More

A friend who moved here referred to Harney County as “A Severe Beauty”.  It’s an apt description.  Many traveling through or making a short local stop may not appreciate the scenery on the dry side of the state.  It requires a discerning eye, particularly with flowers.  Though there are some exceptions, like the Balsamroot you ... Read More

According to Successful Farming, ag workers have a seven to eight times greater chance of dying on the job than other workers.  Two or three children are killed on U.S. farms every week. Imagine this:  you are branding and something goes wrong.  A family member is badly injured.  What do you do? You have a ... Read More

Contact: Amy Fischer, State Farm Bill Program Manager Phone: 503.414.3292 Email: amy.fischer@usda.gov PORTLAND, Ore. – (April 29, 2020) –The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a $15 million investment to help support the adoption of innovative conservation approaches on agricultural lands. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting proposals through June 29, 2020, for national Conservation Innovation Grants ... Read More