Seeding Out the Weeds

By negotiating a temporary transfer of water rights from Churchill County, NRCS helped obtain sufficient water to establish two land rehabilitation demonstration projects near Fallon, Nevada. Using donated land that has been removed from agricultural production and seed from NRCS Plant Materials Centers around the western U.S., NRCS, along with conservation districts, Earth Team volunteers, and other partners are hoping to recreate a natural Nevada weed-resistant landscape. This type of natural cover, even if left alone, will out-compete weeds and anchor soil. Thick spike weed grass, Siberian weed grass, four wing saltbush, Russian wild rye, and some drought-tolerant globemallow, Indian rice grasses were used in the re-seeding project.

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“The ultimate goal for agricultural areas like Fallon is to convince water rights purchasers to re-vegetate farmland with native plants before stripping it of water. Otherwise, it will continue to take massive coalitions and someone with extra water to spare to replace what was once a self-sufficient landscape,” said Rod Dahl, NRCS natural resource specialist.
Your contact is Rod Dahl, NRCS natural resource specialist, at 775-423-5124.