News

Bruce Peterson Selected as State Conservationist for Nevada

RENO, Nov. 12 – Bruce Petersen has been selected to serve as the state conservationist for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Nevada, according to Sara Schmidt, regional assistant chief for the agency.

Petersen brings 22 years of experience with him to Nevada. He started as a soil conservation technician in Minnesota, working his way up to soil conservationist then district conservationist. He also worked for several years as a technician for conservation districts in Minnesota and Wisconsin. “His field experience has given him a good background in all sides of our agency,” said Schmidt, “including the technical, engineering and Farm Bill program areas.”

He has worked for the NRCS in Wyoming for 11 years, serving most recently as assistant state conservationist for operations. From 2001–2006, Petersen had responsibility for state-wide oversight and leadership of all Farm Bill programs. In 2006, he also assumed the duties of partnership liaison to strengthen the relationship with conservation districts and the Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts.

“My experience working for conservation districts has given me first-hand knowledge of the importance of our partnership,” said Petersen. “Strengthening the relationship between NRCS and districts, and with other partners in Nevada, will be one of my highest priorities.”

Petersen has a Bachelor’s of Science in geography from Minnesota State University and studied Agricultural Business Management at the University of Minnesota.

He will assume his new position in mid-December.

Norman Vigil Arrives in Nevada to Serve as Acting State Conservationist

RENO, Sept. 23 -- Norman Vigil (vee-hill) will serve as acting state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Nevada for the next 6 weeks. Norman is the assistant state conservationist for Programs in New Mexico, and brings over 30 years of experience to Nevada.

Norman graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in range and started as a student trainee. He worked as a range conservationist, district conservationist, team leader, and area conservationist before gaining his current position as assistant for Programs.

He is an expert on Farm Bill programs, and served on a detail to National Headquarters to work on the Environmental Quality Incentives, Agricultural Management Assistance and Wildlife Habitat Incentives programs.

Norman is married and has two sons and four grandchildren.

We hope to announce the new Nevada state conservationist in the near future.

High Desert Council gets Federal Funds for New Projects in Southern Nevada

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 19 -- Laurelle Hughes, president, High Desert Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc., and Ron Davidson, acting state conservationist for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Nevada, have signed an agreement to partner on five new projects in southern Nevada.

The five projects will stimulate economic development and increase conservation efforts in southern Nevada. “We’re really excited about these new opportunities to help our rural areas,” said Hughes. “The projects will create jobs and make the areas better places to live.

The projects are:

Salt-cedar removal will continue on private parcels in Oasis and Pahrump valleys, Nye County. Amargosa toad habitat will be enhanced on one parcel in Beatty. Work is being done by Southern Nye County Conservation District, Beatty Habitat Committee, and Amargosa Conservancy.
The Town of Silver Peak in Esmeralda County will install their first solar powered street lights along Montezuma Avenue.
Agricultural land in Lincoln County will be treated for priority noxious weeds.
A new farmers’ market will be developed in Caliente in conjunction with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and Lincoln County Conservation District.
In Henderson’s Acacia Park, the Tomiyasu Memorial Garden will receive a new shade grove and a dedication stone with the help of the Conservation District of Southern Nevada and City of Henderson.

The High Desert RC&D Council has been helping rural residents in southern Nevada since 1998. Previous projects include helping create the Children’s Park in Alamo, producing the Fugitive Dust handbook to improve air quality in Las Vegas, conducting grant writing workshops, and raising native seed for revegetation efforts. The Council is also helping make Bootleg Canyon Park out of a retired rock quarry in Boulder City

Four RC&D councils provide service to communities in Nevada. In addition to the High Desert RC&D area in southern Nevada, the Western Nevada RC&D covers west-central Nevada, Da Ka Doiyabe RC&D covers northeastern Nevada, and North Cal-Neva RC&D covers northern Washoe County.

For more information about the High Desert RC&D, contact Teri Knight, coordinator, at (702) 262-9047 x 108.

Find Out What’s in the New Farm Bill

Public Meetings to be Held for Ranchers and Farmers

Reno, June 17 — Now is the time to find out what’s in the new 2008 Farm Bill. Public meetings are being held to discuss Farm Bill programs with farmers and ranchers in various locations statewide during July. Topics to be discussed include payment schedules, grazing, irrigation, pest management, wildlife, wildfire presuppression and the new small farm initiative.

Meeting Schedule

Date                 City                              Time                 Location
July 8                Overton                         9:00 am            Overton Community Center
                        Overton                         6:00 pm            Overton Community Center

July 9 Caliente 9:00 am USDA Service Center
Caliente 6:30 pm USDA Service Center

July 10              Tonopah                        9:00 am           Convention Center
                        Round Mountain             1:00 pm            Public Library
                        Fish Lake Valley             7:00 pm            Community Club House NEW!

July 14 Elko 9:00 am Cedar Room, Elko Convention Center NEW! LOCATION!
Elko 6:30 pm Cedar Room, Elko Convention Center NEW! LOCATION!

July 15 Ely 1:00 pm USDA Service Center
Ely 6:30 pm USDA Service Center

July 16 Eureka 9:00 am Opera House
Eureka 6:30 pm Opera House

July 17 Battle Mtn. 1:00 pm Cooperative Extension NEW!
Battle Mtn. 7:00 pm Cooperative Extension NEW!

July 21 Fallon 7:00 pm Convention Center NEW!

July 22 Paradise Valley 1:00 pm Fire Station
Orovada 7:00 pm New Orovada Community Center

July 23 Lovelock 9:00 am NRCS Field Office
Lovelock 7:00 pm NRCS Field Office

July 24 Smith 9:00 am Smith Valley Public Library
Smith 7:00 pm Smith Valley Public Library

July 29 Reno 10:00 am NRCS State Office

July 30 Schurz 10:00 am Tribal Conference Room NEW!

For more information, contact Rod Dahl or Liz Warner at (775) 857-8500. Persons requiring special accommodations to attend the meetings should contact Warner at least one week before the meeting date.

Public Meeting Agenda Posted (PDF; 1.3M)

News Release (DOC: 54K)

Innovative Irrigation Systems Toured on Field Day
by Tracey Jean Wolfe, Natural Resources Conservation Service

Do you know how many different irrigation systems are used to raise crops in Nevada? New technology and improved equipment are creating irrigation systems that are smarter and more efficient than ever before. Pedego demonstrates new irrigation system

Local farmers and ranchers, members of the Smith and Mason Valley Conservation Districts, and planners and engineers from the Natural Resources Conservation Service had an opportunity to look at five different systems during an irrigation field day on April 8. The purpose of the field day was to provide an overview of local irrigation practices and to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each irrigation system with clients.

The field day started at Cameron Pedego’s new half pivot in Smith Valley. Pedego (right) demonstrated how his system worked, including the Web site and remote camera he developed to “talk” to his system and keep it operating when he was not on site. The group also had an opportunity to discuss irrigation water management and how to irrigate fields, like Pedego’s, that have both loam and loamy coarse sandy soil. David Groso demonstrated a new type of water measuring device that is being tested in Smith Valley. The “Doppler Ultrasound Meter” uses sound waves to measure the amount of water being transported in the pipe. The meter will be installed in a 1-mile pipeline for the Burbank Ditch Company.

The next stop was at a tailwater recovery system on the FM Fulstone Ranch in Smith Valley. Steve Fulstone had installed a pond, pumping station, and pipeline to capture flood-irrigation water that comes off his alfalfa fields as tailwater and divert it into the pond. When needed, Fulstone pumps water from the pond to irrigate different fields. Fulstone said that the tailwater has helped him conserve roughly an acre foot of water on his fields. The pond also provides wetland and waterfowl habitat, and livestock water. This project was installed in 2001 with EQIP funding.

The group then toured a “W” weir on the 5-C Cottonwood Ranch installed with cost-share funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service by StreamWise from Mount Shasta, Calif. The purpose of the weir is two-fold: to provide habitat for trout in the West Walker River, and to provide a “take out” for a recently installed pipeline from the river to the ranch. The “W” weir is the first of its kind to be used in the area. Capurro shows how water is captured from field

Next up was Bob Capurro’s innovative irrigation pipeline. After Capurro flood-irrigates his fields, the water is captured (shown right) and piped to the next field. This method uses almost all of the water being applied. In addition to the unique pipeline designs, farm manager Louie Scatena manages the fields to be irrigated without borders. When establishing a crop, Scatena irrigates approximately the top ¼ of a grain field. He irrigates the second time on the top of the field after germination occurs. He staggers irrigation water down the field as germination occurs and when there is vegetative cover to hold the soil during the next irrigation. This method reduces soil erosion on newly planted fields.

The last stop of the day was at a Peri Brother’s field that was recently planted with onions to see the micro-irrigation system used by farm manager Jeff Pope. Each onion field has a solid set of sprinklers set up to be used for germination. Once germination occurs, irrigation is switched to buried drip line and used until harvest in the fall. After harvest, the drip line is dug up and recycled.

The field day generated discussion on NRCS practices, specifications, and applied applications. Planners and engineers all gained more knowledge and some new ideas on irrigation systems and management to share with agricultural producers interested in improving their irrigation systems.

If you’d like help with irrigation water management, contact your local NRCS office.

Davidson Arrives in Nevada to Serve as NRCS Acting State Conservationist

Reno, May 20 — Ron Davidson will serve as acting state conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Nevada for about 4 months.

“I am excited about my opportunity to be working as the acting state conservationist for Nevada,” said Davidson, “and I’m very proud to be part of an agency that has been the “technical go-to” for private landowners.”

Davidson is the state resource conservationist for the NRCS in Utah, a position he’s held for 3 years. Most of Davidson’s career has been in Utah and Idaho, states with issues similar to Nevada’s.

“Next month, I will have 34 years with the NRCS and the former Soil Conservation Service under my belt,” said Davidson. “Through all of the changes that our agency has gone through during my career, I have never lost the passion to do what we do best, and that is work with landowners to help them apply good, solid conservation.”

Davidson earned a bachelor’s of science degree in plant science/geology from Southern Utah State University. He started working for the SCS as a soil conservation technician, and worked as a district conservationist in Idaho and assistant state conservationist in Hawaii before becoming the state resource conservationist in Utah.

Davidson expects a new Farm Bill by the middle of June. “With it will come some challenges and opportunities,” he said. “I know without a doubt that together we can face any challenge and prepare for the opportunities.”

Application Period Closes for Nevada Farm Bill Conservation Programs

RENO, May 12—The application period for several Farm Bill conservation programs offered in Nevada will close on June 27, according to Curtis Tarver, acting state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Applications received for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP Ground and Surface Water, Agricultural Management Assistance, and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program must be submitted by 4:00 pm on Friday, June 27.

Producers must meet certain eligibility requirements and submit completed documents with their applications by the deadline for them to be considered. Tarver recommends that producers contact their local NRCS office to get the necessary forms and for help completing the application package.

The amount of funding and type of program funding available for fiscal year 2009 will be dependent upon the passage of the new farm bill or a continuation of the 2002 farm bill.

Applications received by June 27 will be reviewed and ranked in preparation for allocation at the start of the new fiscal year on Oct.1. Applications received after the June 27 deadline will be considered in a second batching period if funding is available.

For more information, contact your local NRCS office or Rod Dahl, (775) 857-8500 x 146.

If you have problems with this Web page or need the information in an alternative format, please contact Liz Warner, public affairs specialist, (775) 857-8500 x 105, or Rose Santos, Webmaster, (775) 857-8500 x 130.

Nevada NRCS News