The Courier
News
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
April 26, 2017
Volume 41 ~ Number 17
2017 Western Regional Junior Angus Show
Junior Angus members traveled to Reno, Nevada, to compete in the 2017 Western Regional Junior Angus Show, held on April 1st. The champions were chosen from 67 owned females, 25 bred-and-owned females, 12 bred-andowned bulls, eight steers, and two cow-calf pairs. Three Junior Angus members received their Bronze and Silver Awards at the show, including two young men from Hagerman. The Bronze and Silver Awards are the first two levels of the National Junior Angus Association Recognition Program. Juniors must apply for the awards and then meet point requirements in many areas of participation before receiving them. Photo: Keegan Cassidy, Miss American Angus (presenting); Thomas Kinder and Johnathon Kinder, both of Hagerman, Idaho (recipients); Matt Rosman, Creston, Wash. (recipient); Katelyn Corsentino, National Junior Angus Board membership director (presenting); and Kassidy Moore, Idaho Angus queen (presenting).
NRCS Seeks Applicants for Conservation Projects
Call for Flood Irrigation Projects
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service recently announced call for applications for a pool of Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds set aside for flood irrigation projects that benefit wildlife. State conservationist for Idaho, Curtis Elke said, “NRCS Idaho is working with Intermountain Joint Venture, Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game, Idaho Bird Conservation Partnership and Ducks Unlimited to identify projects and technology that will help keep land under flood irrigation where it makes sense to do so. Science is showing us that flood irrigation has a lot of positive effects on the environment that we haven’t always recognized in the past – from providing crucial habitat for wildlife to aquifer recharge.” This is an opportunity for producers who are interested in adaptive management for wildlife and improving flood irrigation infrastructure to ensure the continued viability of flood irrigation on their land. This call for applications is targeting those producers who are in a historic flood plain and are using flood irrigation on perennial crops, pasture or hay land.
The sign up for this funding pool period will close May 5th. Contact your local NRCS office for more information and to apply. -----
Improved cattle gains per acre; Increased crop yields; Decreased inputs; Wildlife population improvements; and Better resilience to weather extremes.
Curtis Elke, also announced that a contract renewal sign-up is under way for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), USDA’s largest working lands conservation program with 614,518 active acres enrolled in Idaho alone. NRCS made several updates to the popular program last fall to help producers better evaluate conservation options that benefit their operations while improving the health and productivity of private and Tribal working lands. Through CSP, agricultural producers and forest landowners earn payments for actively managing, maintaining, and expanding conservation activities like cover crops, buffer strips, pollinator and beneficial insect habitat, and soil health building activities – all while maintaining active agricultural production on their land. Benefits to producers can include:
Participants with existing CSP contracts that will expire on Dec. 31 can access the benefits of the recent program changes through an option to renew their contracts for an additional five years if they agree to adopt additional activities to achieve higher levels of conservation on their lands. Applications to renew expiring contracts are due by May 5th. “In addition to CSP re-enrollment, there is another conservation program open to Idaho producers that help ensure the continuity and productivity of their farm or ranch,” said Elke. “The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program is a great option for those who are looking for a long-term conservation solution.” Producers interested in contract renewals or applying for CSP for the first time or in the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program should visit contact their local USDA service center to learn more.
Renewal Options for Stewardship Program Contracts