It’s a hot dry summer and there continues to be a fire season threat to our homes especially in the low country with all the vegetation the spring rains have rewarded us with. Keeping this vegetation mowed and trimmed away from your home is Firewise smart!

The conservation districts Firewise Program involves a site visit to your home or cabin and doing an outside fire assessment of your property. We will offer suggestions of things you can do to give your home a better chance of surviving a wildfire and it’s a free service.

The Conservation District also has a brand new Forestry Cost Share Program that works alongside Firewise. The new program will provide matching funds to create defensible space around forested home sites and it can provide forest landowners incentives to protect or increase the productivity of their forest.

Please contact Mike Miraglio, ACCD Firewise Resource Technician at 509-758-8012 or mikeaccd@cableone.net for additional information on the Firewise and Forestry Cost-Share Programs and to schedule a FREE “Wildfire Hazard Risk Assessment”.

Owners Advised To Vaccinate Their Horses Against West Nile Virus

The Washington State Department of Agriculture is recommending that horse owners vaccinate their horses against the virus. Last year, the state had 72 infected horses, the highest incidence in the nation. Typically, 50 percent of these animals die or need to be euthanized.

"It's a very serious illness for a horse, and there isn't much a vet can do after it gets sick," said Jason Kelly, Communications Director with the Washington State Department of Agriculture. "The best thing for a horse owner to do is to spend a few dollars and get their animal vaccinated."

Northwest Braces for Grasshopper Outbreak

Scientists in the Pacific Northwest are bracing for what’s shaping up to be the worse grasshopper outbreak in 30 years. The USDA reports it found a dramatic increase in the number of grasshopper eggs during surveys last fall. When combined with a relatively mild spring, the conditions are perfect for a major grasshopper infestation.

“In some areas there will indeed be masses, and there will be big masses of grasshoppers,” said Richard Zack, an associate professor of Entomology at Washington State University. “Not biblical proportions, but big masses of grasshoppers moving through areas.”

Last summer, grasshopper infestations wiped out 7,000 acres of grassland in southeastern Oregon's high desert. The most affected areas will be crops near rangelands, and vacant farm land where grasshoppers tend to live unmolested. Experts say this winged insect can travel from 30 to 50 miles a day looking for food. The critical areas projected to be at risk in Washington state are lands that lie in the high desert regions near Othello, Yakima and the Tri-Cities.

There are also warnings for an outbreak of what’s commonly known as the “Mormon Cricket,” an insect that doesn’t fly, but travels in tight packs by the tens of thousands devouring everything in its path.

“They are what we call phytophagous which means they eat plants. And they will eat almost all parts of the plants and virtually any plant that’s there. So this would be like biblical, where when they come through an area, they just start eating everything,” said Zack. “There are massive numbers of them, and then when they exit that area, pretty much anything green is gone.”

The grasshopper infestation is expected to hit its peak in late July and early August as summertime heat dries up open rangeland, while nearby crops are just hitting their stride. Federal agents are looking into pesticide options to control these insects.

For a USDA map of the projected infestations, see:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/grasshopper/downloads/hazard.pdf

Deadline for popular conservation program set for August 13, 2010

Agricultural producers have until August 13 to apply for financial and technical assistance through Washington’s most popular conservation program, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced today.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary, technical and financial assistance program designed to help farmers improve irrigation efficiency; manage nutrient run-off and/or animal waste; improve the health of native plant communities; and reduce soil loss. In most instances, producers who participate in the program pay for roughly half of the costs of the conservation measures or practices.

The August 13 signup deadline is for Washington’s general EQIP funding. According to the NRCS, there will be additional ranking deadlines later in the year for some of the EQIP special initiatives such as funding specifically for Organic Producers, funding for Conservation Activity Plans and possibly others.

“EQIP has become NRCS’ primary conduit in providing conservation assistance to producers on Washington’s working lands,” Asst. State Conservationist Dave Brown said. “Applicants who want to be considered for a fiscal year 2011 EQIP contract will need to have a signed application on file by August 13,” he said.

Based on an estimate of funding availability, selected applicants will work with NRCS staff to develop conservation plans that serve as the basis for their EQIP contracts.

In 2009, Washington agricultural producers qualified for more than $13 million in financial assistance through the program, according to the NRCS.

Brown said that while NRCS programs operate on a year-round signup basis, and producers can file applications at any time, periodic ranking deadlines are established so applications on file at that time can be evaluated for the next available funding allocation.

Interested agricultural producers are encouraged to contact their local USDA service center office or check the agency’s web site at www.wa.nrcs.usda.gov for more information.

SMALL ACREAGE PROGRAM

The Asotin County Conservation District has been offering a cost-share program to assist landowners with addressing resource concerns on properties with 1 to 20 acres. The District's goal is to provide cost-share based on cost rates set by the board of supervisors. Recently the District increased the rate for fencing in order to be reflective of actual implementation costs.

Financial assistance is available for water developments, cross fence, heavy use area protection, windbreaks, roof runoff systems and pasture planting. The small acreage program is still limited to $8,000 per landowner and is available on a first come first served basis.

Landowners interested in the small acreage program; please contact Megan Stewart at the District at 758-8012 or meganaccd@cableone.net