SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 1, 2017

It’s that time of year again and the Local Work Group (LWG) meeting is approaching. What is this LWG meeting, and why is it important? It is the farming community’s opportunity to inject local insight into the application of Farm Bill programs in Yamhill County. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) utilizes the annual local LWG meeting to solicit input, and in turn requests appropriate grants for Farm Bill funds. This is your opportunity to let us know what programs you would like to see and to share your ideas.

Yamhill County currently has two grant fund-pools for conservation funding. One of these Farm Bill grants is focused on improving water quality and fish habitat in the lower stretches of the Yamhill River. This fund-pool can be used for converting to no-till systems, planting of cover crops, and improving the efficiency of irrigation systems. The other available Farm Bill grant is a forestry fund-pool, which focuses on improving forest diversity, and improving wildlife habitat. These fund-pools have associated focus areas which are displayed on the map lower right in designated colors.

What kind of input are we seeking?

The NRCS is looking for resource problems that possess attainable solutions.

The following is a good example of an attainable solution:

Resource Problem: Extremely poor water quality of the Yamhill River during the summer months. The water quality issues are the result of too much sediment, and too little water flowing in the river. These two factors create a deadly environment for the resident population of fish.

Solution: Improving the irrigation efficiency of irrigators,  allowing more water to stay in the river. Also implementing the use of cover crops and no-till farming practices which reduces the soil erosion, and keeps the soil on farm.

We encourage you to attend the session if you have a particular conservation issue you would like to see addressed or if you just want to be a part of the process. If you have never attended one of these meetings, we invite you to come and learn more about opportunities available to you in Yamhill County.

The LWG meeting will be held on Wednesday,  February 1^st, from 9:30 am -12:00 pm at the Yamhill County Public Works Auditorium and is hosted by the district.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Thomas Hoskins, District Conservationist: thomas.hoskins@or.usda.gov or 503-659-8636 or Sergio Villaseñor, Natural Resource Specialist: sergio.villasenor@or.usda.gov or 503-472-1474 X 109 or stop by the McMinnville NRCS Office at 2200 SW 2nd Street.