A frosty seeding day yesterday with the field crew.

Palouse Prairie Restoration Roundtable

There will be a Palouse Prairie Restoration Roundtable on Tuesday, October 25th and Wednesday, October 26th from 6:00 - 9:00 PM each evening in the Palouse Room at the University Inn Best Western in Moscow, Idaho. Please join us to learn more about Palouse Prairie and efforts to restore this unique plant community!

For more information please contact Brenda Erhardt, Assistant Resource Conservation Planner with the Latah Soil and Water Conservation District, berhardt@latahsoil.org, or go to the link at http://www.latahsoil.org/.

Sponsored by: Latah Soil and Water Conservation District, Intermountain West Joint Venture, Palouse Prairie Foundation, Idaho Native Plant Society

Field crew in Troy

Our fearless field crew takes on the small town of Troy on Ayla's last day of the season. Thanks to all of you for all of the hard work!

General CRP Signup 41

Signup 41 is March 14 - April 15, 2011.

Anyone interested in enrolling cropland into the CRP should plan to attend an informational meeting which will cover the following topics:

• land eligibility
• rental rates
• conservation cover
• making an offer to enroll
• participant responsibilities and compliance

Informational meetings will be held 9:00 AM - noon on March 15th, 16th and 17th (information presented each day is the same) at the Latah County FSA Office conference room located at 220 East Fifth Street, Room 219, Moscow (second floor of Federal Building).

North Fork Palouse River Information Meeting

The Palouse Conservation District will hold an informational meeting/panel discussion regarding the North Fork of the Palouse River on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 7:00 PM at the Palouse Federated Church located at 635 North Bridge Street, Palouse, WA. Landowners, livestock owners, local residents, and anyone interested in the watershed are invited to attend. Topics include:

• How you can benefit from value-added markets for your agricultural and livestock products
• How you can obtain cost share for conservation projects

For more information, please contact Jennifer Boie, (509) 332-4101 or jenniferpcd@palousecd.org.

Sustainable Agriculture Symposium, Ontario, Oregon

The Payette and Malheur County Soil & Water Conservation Districts 2nd "Sustainable Agriculture Symposium" will be from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at the Four Rivers Cultural Center located at 676 SW 5th Ave., Ontario, Oregon. Registration is $15 before February 7, 2011 and $20 after that date. Lunch will include a special presentation by John Taberna Sr., "How to grow a Giant Pumpkin."

Featured speakers include:

• Harry Kreeft, Hematologist/Plant Pathologist


• Lynn Rogers, Microbial Matrix Systems, Inc.


• Mir-M Seyedbagheri, U of I Extension


• Marvin Miller, "What a Soil Test Really Says"


• Steve Norberg "No Till Will Work in the Treasure Valley"


• Don Huber, PhD "Mineral Deficiencies in Crops"

For more information, please contact Charlene Wimpy, 208-642-4402 ext. 102, Charlene.Wimpy@id.nacdnet.net.

Natural Resources Camp

Will Idaho have abundant natural resources in 20 years? Will it still be a clean and scenic place to live? Idaho's natural resources need citizens who understand the trade-offs in environmental management. Natural Resources Camp (NRC) offers Idaho youth ages 12-14 an opportunity to learn about the wise use of natural resources and ways to protect the natural environment.

Camp will be June 27 - July 2, 2011 at the Central Idaho 4-H Camp in Ketchum, Idaho.

Join other campers in exploring the world around you: wildlife, rangeland, water, forests, and soil. Plus enjoy other outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, volleyball, firearm safety and target shooting, fireside sing-alongs, and the Tournament of the Outdoors!

Complete information can be found at the NRC website.

Moscow Mountain SNOTEL Site

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) installs, operates, and maintains an extensive, automated system (SNOwpack TELemetry or SNOTEL) designed to collect snowpack and related climatic data. SNOTEL provides a reliable and cost effective means of collecting snowpack and other meteorological data needed to produce water supply forecasts.

There are over 750 automated SNOTEL stations in 13 Western States, including Alaska. The data, as well as related reports and forecasts, are made available in near real time through the Internet.

In Latah County, an enhanced sensor SNOTEL site is located on Moscow Mountain. Data from that site can be accessed here.

(The above clipart is from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology at the University of Southern Florida, http://etc.usf.edu/clipart.)

North Idaho Grazing Conference and Trade Show

The annual North Idaho Grazing Conference and Trade Show will be held January 4, 2011 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Lewis-Clark State College Conference Center in Lewiston, Idaho.

Idaho Loan Program Lowers Interest Rates

The Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission (ISWC) recently made a change to its revolving loan fund to provide farmers and ranchers with additional resources to implement conservation practices on their land. The Resource Conservation and Rangeland Development Program (RCRDP) is authorized by Idaho law to provide low interest loans to farmers and ranchers for resource management projects and improvements.

The interest rate for a new RCRDP l0an varies from 2% to 4% depending on the length of the loan. New interest rates are:

• 1 to 7 year term - 2% fixed APR
• 8 to 12 year term - 3% fixed APR
• 13 to 15 year term - 4% fixed APR

Applicants may apply for a single loan of up to $200,000. Existing borrowers may have up to $300,000 in outstanding loans.

"We have over 200 active loans and expect to see new applications coming from operators and owners to the local district for initial conservation benefit analysis," said Bill Flory, ISWC Chair from Winchester. "These fixed rates are a great opportunity to aid conservation in Idaho."

The first step for interested applicants is to submit an application and conservation plan to their local conservation district. The local conservation district will review the conservation plan and forward a recommendation ranking that particular project to the ISWC. The applicant will then privide financial and collateral information to the ISWC office in Boise. ISWC staff will then prepare the loan package for review by the Commission at the next scheduled meeting.

In order to improve turnaround times, the Commission also scheduled a standing monthly teleconference to conduct any pending loan program business. The Commission teleconferences will occur on the second Wednesday of every month that there is not a regular business meeting. Upcoming Commission meetings are December 8, January 12 and March 9 via teleconference. The Commission will also meet in person in Boise on February 15, 2011. Completed applications need to be submitted at least 30 days in advance of a Commission meeting.

The Commission works closely with local soil and water conservation districts in the wise use and enhancement of soil, water and related resources. The Commission and local districts are committed to improving the environment, increasing public awareness of conservation issues, and supplying landowners and land users with the technical information needed to implement conservation measures and improve natural resource management.

A RCRDP fact sheet and application form can be found under the 'Programs' tab at www.swc.idaho.gov.