E a s t T o r r a n c e S o i l & W a t e r C o n s e r v a t i o n D i s t r i c t

East Torrance District News

Monday—Friday office hours for the East Torrance Soil & Water Conservation

District will be from 1:30 pm—4:30 pm start-ing on January 18, 2011. Office hours will resume back to normal business hours on March 21, 2011 from 8:00 am—4:30 pm. During inclement weather tune to 770 AM KKOB on the radio or KOB-TV 4 on the television for the most up to date informa-

tion regarding school closures or delays. East Tor-rance SWCD staff and the Estancia USDA Service Center fol-low recommendations from the Estancia Municipal School District notifications. Due to meetings/ trainings, site visits and leave taken as needed, Cheri Lujan may not be in the office during business working hours. In her absence you can call her on her cell at 505-980-7573 or e-mail her at

cheri.lujan@nm.nacdnet.net to make an appointment with her for a time that is convenient. Thank you.

Starting January 18, 2011 there will be a new District Conservationist at the Estancia NRCS

Field Office. Please stop by and help us welcome Mr. Mike Jones.

Mike has worked for the NRCS for 5 years. He is coming to the Estancia Field Office from the Las Vegas Field office as the Soil Conservationist. Mr. Jones was a NMACD Farm Bill Specialist in Raton, NM; a science teacher in Maxwell, NM; an Analytical Chemist for Hall Environmental in Albuquerque, NM. He grew up in Monroe Louisiana where he received his bachelor’s degree in biology at Northeast LA University. He then received a master’s de-gree from the University of Arkansas in entomology. He has worked on staff at Philmont Scout Ranch during the summers while going to college, which is why he came to New Mex-ico after graduation. He is a certified conservation planner and has worked on about 200 EQIP, WHIP and CSP contracts for rangeland, irrigated cropland, and forest. He has a Jack Russell Terrier named Jip and he enjoys playing guitar and fishing when he can get away from work.

Welcome to the Estancia Valley Mr. Mike Jones.

New District Conservationist in the Estancia Field Office

East Torrance Soil & Water Conservation District Office Hours from

January 18, 2011 to March18, 2011

Inside this issue:

ETSWCD Office Hours / NRCS D.C. 1

Annual Tree sale 2

Organic Imitative deadline 2 Kids Corner 3

Tree order form 4

Windbreak info 6 Native Grasses 7

VOLUME 11

JANUARY 2011

Page 2 Volume 11

The East Torrance SWCD will begin taking orders for the annual spring tree program be-ginning the end of January 2011;

Please see the enclosed list and price order sheet.

Please return your order form with payment to East Tor-rance SWCD, PO Box 58,

Estancia, NM 87016, or stop by the office located at 715 South 5th Street in Estancia at the USDA Service Center be-tween 1:30PM– 4:30 Pm..

Deadline to place and pay for your order will be 03/26/11, or until supplies last. Orders will come in the end of April, 2011

Happy New Year from the staff and

board members of East Torrance Soil

& Water Conservation District

year period.

Eligible practices include such measures as : Pest Management, Nutrient Management, Conser-vation Crop Rotation, Pre-scribed Grazing, Cover Crops, Forage Harvest management, and more, including a brand new practices: High Tunnels.

High Tunnels is also known as a Hoop House, that help growers extend the growing season, in-crease yields, reduce pesticide use, keep vital nutrients in the soil, and provide other benefits. They are made of ribs of plastic or metal pipe covered with a layer of plastic sheeting, high tunnels are easy to build, main-tain and move. High tunnels are used year round in parts of the country, providing steady in-comes to farmer—a significant advantage to owners of small or limited-resource organic opera-tions.

All practices installed through the program must meet NRCS standards and specifications NRCS does not provide pro-gram funding for practices al-ready in place.

The applicant must develop and carry out an organic system plan (OSP) or carry out practices consistent with an OSP, be purs-ing an organic certification and be in compliance with their organic certification.

For more information on or-ganic certification please visit the National Organic Program (NOP) web site at http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop

Or call your local NRCS office at 505-384-2272 ext.3

A portion of EQIP funding in New Mexico is dedicated to con-servation activities on operations that are organic or transitioning to organic.

Certified organic producers and those transitioning to organic production in NM are encour-aged to apply for conservation funding through the Organic Initiative of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Applications must be submitted by March 4, 2011 to be considered for current—year funding.

The EQIP Organic Initiative provides technical and financial assistance to help growers plan and apply practices to protect soil, water and other natural re-source while improving opera-tions.

Assistance is for conservation practices related to organic pro-duction and is limited to $20,000 per year and $80,000 during a six

“We would like to Thank

Everyone who attended the

East Torrance SWCD

Annual Meeting. You

made it a great success”

EQIP Organic Initiative Deadline approaching March 4, 2011

Annual Tree and Seed Program

“Now available

2011

Calendars...Stop

by the office

and pick one up

today.

Page 3 East Torrance District News

KIDS CORNER

East Torrance Soil and Water Conservation District ****** 2011 Spring Order Form ********* Anticipated delivery dates are scheduled for Late April 2011 All prices are subject to change because of availability. We will advise you of any price changes. DON’T BE DISAPPOINTED; ORDER EARLY to get what you want. Some selections are in short supply and we update our supply orders. We do not anticipate having many extra trees and shrubs available this year during the tree sale.

Total cost of trees & Essentials $____________

PRINT NAME:________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ HOME#: ____________________WORK PHONE: _______________E-MAIL____________________________________________

*CONTAINERIZED* Size Available & cost of Trees

Number ordered

Bundle Price Number bundles ordered

Total Cost

Spartan Juniper 5 gallon @ 15.00 ea N/A N/A Cottonless Cottonwoods 5 gallon @ 15.00 ea N/A N/A

Three Leaf Sumac 5 gallon @ 10.00 ea N/A

N/A

*LEAF BARING TREES

& SHRUBS* (ALL ARE

BR=BAREROOT) ALL ARE

BR=BAREROOT)

Individual plants

ALL ARE BR=BAREROOT)

ALL ARE BR=BAREROOT)

Bundle ordered

ALL ARE BR=BAREROOT

Total Cost

Selah ® Cherry Fruit Tree

BR 3/4” @ $15.00 5 in bundle @ $72.50

Native American Plum BR 3/8” @ $2.00 25 in bundle @ $42.50

Peking Lilac / White blooms

BR 2-3’@ # 4.00 N/A N/A

Bigtooth Maple Tree BR 3-6” @ $2.00 N/A N/A

Tatarian Honeysuckle BR 3-4’ @ $3.00 10 in bundle @ $25.00

Common Purple Lilac BR 3-4’ @ $6.00 10 in bundle @ $56.00

*WILDFLOWER MIX*

PRICE PER POUND PRICE PER OUNCE

Rocky Mountain Mix $28.00 $2.00

Low Grow Wildflower Mix

$28.00 $2.00

All Annual Wildflower Mix

$26.00 $2.00

*GRASS MIXES* N/A

Premium Irrigated Pasture Mix

$3.00 N/A

Dry land Pasture Mix 5lb bag @ $15.00 N/A

Native Wonder Mix 5lb bag@ 45.00 N/A Rocky Mountain Native Mix

5 lb bag $25.00 N/A

Weed Fabric 3’x300’roll $55.00 ea. Anchoring Pins .10 ea. Bag of 100 @ $9.50

Acer grandidentatum - Northern Utah seed source Bigtooth Maple To 40', Zone 3. Native to western North America, along streams from Idaho to Wyoming and south to Mexico. Brilliantly colored fall foliage. Lustrous green leaves, seeds emerge rosy-pink. Shrubby in youth, rounded head at maturity. Considered to be a sub-species of Acer saccharum. One of the most sought after inter-mountain native trees.

Prunus-Selah®-Avium-CVI Selah (RO Cherry Tree Zone 5. Large, reddish black, sweet, Bing type fruit, excellent used fresh or for cooking, canning and freezing. Bears heavy annual crops. Good cold tolerance, split resistant, ripening mid-June to early July. Pollinate with Bing, Royal Ann or Stella.

Syringa vulgaris Native American Plum To 50’, Zone 3. Shrub or tree. Profuse white flowers. Very hardy. Excellent for wildlife food and habitat. Dry alkaline soil tolerant. Low water needs, full to part sun.

Syringa vulgaris Common Purple Lilac To 20’, Zone 3. Shrub. Fragrant lilac colored blossoms in May. Attractive green foliage. Good for screen. Maximum height 10. Has light purple flowers occurring in clusters amid the dark-green hart shaped leaves. Very hardy.

Spartan Juniper zone 4, Cutting grown evergreen conifer; the densest upright juniper. Heat and drought tolerant, dark green year-round. Grows quickly to 18’ + tall and 8’10’wide. Forms and excellent wind and

privacy screen while remaining tidy.

Cottonless Cottonwood : Large, fast-growing deciduous tree valued for quick shade.

Ample water is needed to grow at maximum rate.

Syringa pekinensis Peking Lilac To 20’, Zone 3. A small tree lilac. Flowers creamy-white, densely

crowded in large panicles. Golden bark, sometimes exfoliating in rich brown flakes.

Often used as a rootstock for Japanese Tree Lilac cultivars.

Lonicera tatarica Tatarian Honeysuckle To 10’, Zone 3. Neat appearing shrub for screens and windbreaks. Dependable and hardy. Pale pink buds open to profusion of white

blooms.

Three Leaf Sumac Deciduous shrub to 6 ft. & just as broad, although more commonly 3-4 ft. tall and wide. Leaves are

divided into 3 leaflets that turn rich red-orange in the fall. Tart red berries can be used to make a lemon-flavored drink. Attracts birds. This powerful shrub of the High Plains is tolerant of poor soils and drought.

Flower Seed MIXES:

Rocky mountain mix: 10”-30”

Cornflower / African Daisy / Black eyed Susan/ Baby’s Breath / Blue Flax / Sweet Alyssum / California Poppy / Wall Flower / Prairie Coneflower / Perennial Gaillardia / Annual Gaillardia / Evening Primrose / Sweet William / Shasta Daisy / Corn Poppy / Catchfly / Rocky mountain Penstemon / Spurred Snapdragon / Purple Coneflower

Low Grow Mix 8”-20”

Cornflower / Baby’s Breath / Blue Fax / Sweet Alyssum / Chinese-Forget-Me-Not / Dwarf Godetia / Siberian Wallflower / California Poppy / Shasta Daisy / Sweet William / Dwarf Plains Coreopsis / Annual Candy Tuft / Dwarf Red Coneflower / Dwarf Gaillardia Aristata / Tussock Bellflower / Snow-In-Summer

All Annual Mix 10”-30”

Baby’s Breath / Bachelors Button/ California Poppy / Corn Poppy/ Sulpher Cosmos / Baby Blue Eyes / Annual candy Tuft / Plains Coreopsis/ Godetia / Cosmos / Annual Gaillardia/ Tree mallow / Scarlet Flax / Catchfly/ Globe Gilia GRASS MIXES:

Rocky mountain mix: 15-20lbs per acre

Slender Wheatgrass, Arizona Fescue, Western Wheatgrass, Blue Grama, Buffalograss, Thickspike Wheatgrass

Dryland Pasture Mix: 20-25 lbs per acre

Lincoln Smooth Brome, Hycrest Crested Wheatgrass, Swift Russian Wildrye

Tetraploid Perennial Ryegrass, Renegade orchardgrass, Oathe Intermediate Wheatgrass

Premium Irrigated Pasture Mix: 30-35lbs per acre

Regar Meadow Brome, Potomac Orchardgrass, late Maturing Orchardgrass, Tetrapolid Perennial Ryegrass

Native Wonder Mix: 3 to 4 lbs per 1,000 sq.ft.

Buffalograss, Blue Grama

So why do we plant windbreaks? Basic reason—to reduce wind speed, reduce heating and cooling cost to homes, and add value, provide a barrier from sound and site, smell, protect livestock, aesthetics, wildlife habitat. The best trees or shrubs for windbreaks depend on the space available and location. A rural windbreak for a ranch or farm location consists of deciduous and evergreen trees to provide height and protection from wind over a large distance. Good trees depend on the water and soil conditions (to find out your soil type go to the soil section on NRCS web site at www.nm.nrcs.usda.gov), but some to consider in-clude Cottonwood (if adequate water is available), Austrian Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Arizona Cypress, Hackberry, Green Ash, Bur Oak and other trees that are adapted and liked by the homeowner. Since trees have trunks and leave openings at their base, one or more rows of shrubs should be used as well. The appropriate shrub again depends on the desires of the homeowner, soil condition, and water available for irrigation. Lilacs, Junipers, Apache Plume, Shunkbush Sumac, White Honeysuckle, and Three leaf sumac are some of the good choices. For urban homes with limited space for a windbreak, but with other houses and other trees nearby to help moderate wind, a single row of large shrubs is often useful. Junipers and arborvitae are good choices such as lilacs, and other shrubs listed above are good candidates for the single row, urban wind-break/ hedge.

!!!Stay Away From Species!!! - Russian Olive, Siberian Elm, Salt Cedar, Black Locust

Dear Conservation Planner:

It’s conservation planting time!

Please complete the enclosed order form and return it to the office at 715 South 5th Street, Estancia., or mail to East Torrance SWCD, P.O. Box 58, Estancia, NM 87016. A receipt and copy of your order will be mailed back to you to ensure we have received your order.

PAYMENT MUST ACCOMPANY ORDER! If you need assistance in any way, please do not hesitate to call the office at 505-384-2272 ext. 5.

To be more assured of survival, we recommend that you be ready to plant your trees when you pick them up. Have your holes dug before you pick up the trees and when you get home, plant them following planting proce-dures. Please fee free to ask for planting information when you pick up your trees. We are here to help you.

Some selections are in very short supply and we update our order forms as we receive them. Don’t be disappointed; order early to be sure the trees and shrubs you want are available. (first come first served on orders) Tree descriptions have been provided to assist you in your selection.

Distribution of the trees and shrubs will be around the week of April 18th or the 25th depending on shipping. We will notify you as soon as they come in and give you the pick up dates.

TREES NOT PICKED UP ONE WEEK AFTER THE TREE PICK UP DATE WILL BE RE-SOLD OR DONATED TO A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION.

Planning for 2011 Seeding Native Grasses

Basic Guidelines for seeding Native Grasses: Seed Depth – Emergence versus moisture. The depth of seed placement is a critical factor; the goal is to balance shallow seeding depths to allow high rates of emergence versus better soil moisture conditions found with increasing depth which are critical to seedling survival. Dormancy – An advantageous trait for seed to persist for later precipitation events or future years. If less than optimum moisture conditions have allowed most seed to germinate but then die of desiccation, the presence of some dormant seed can be advanta-geous because it provides a reserve of viable seed. Soil Compaction – Survival is dependent on rapid root extension. The ability of seedling roots to follow the downward drying front can be inhibited by shallow compaction zones or claypans. Seed to Soil Contact – To facilitate imbibition of soil moisture by seed. Large soil voids can prevent adequate seed to soil contact and reduce upward capillary movement of soil moisture that can retard germination and growth Moisture Relations and Soil Texture – Infiltration depth versus water holding capacity. Without a doubt, the most important factor in arid ecoregions is soil moisture. The influence of soil texture on the depth of moisture penetration can be a key variable in seed-ing success. Mulch – Essential in arid regions. A layer of mulch retards evaporation, reduces wind and water erosion, and aids infiltration; mulching provides the maximum benefit from the small amount of precipitation received in arid climates. Application of the proper amount of weed-free material is important. Weed Control – Limit the weed seed bank. Dense stands of annual and perennial weeds can out-compete seedling grasses for soil moisture, light, and nutrients, and prevent establishment. Grass Types and Planting Dates – Cool-season (CS) versus warm season (WS). The type of photosynthetic pathway determines the optimum temperatures (70-75oF for CS and 85-95oF for WS) and temperature limitations (40oF for CS and 55oF for WS) for growth and germination (these optima and limits are adapted from K.J. Moore et al. in Warm Season Grasses, Agronomy Series 45 and C.J. Nelson in Cool Season Grasses, Agronomy Series No. 34).

Revegetation Seeding Rates and Mixes 20 to 40 pure live seed (PLS) per square foot – drilled seed. Seeding rate studies have shown that seeding rates in excess of 40 PLS (pure live seed as determined from seed testing) seed per lineal foot for drilled seed do not generally provide any benefit. If a seed mix is expensive, then a rate of 20 PLS per foot might be adequate (depending on the species, seed costs can range from a minor to a substantial portion of the overall seeding process). 40 to 60 PLS per square foot – broadcast. When broadcasting seed, higher rates are usually recommended because fewer of the seed will end up at optimum burial depth. Recommended total seeding rate for a mix – 40 to 60 PLS. The proportion of each species will depend on the species composition of the desired plant community, seedling vigor (competition between species), seed size, seed dormancy, and PLS seed cost. Common usage – 40 PLS per square foot. To access the NM USDA-NRCS standards and specifications for critical area planting and range planting provide detailed infor-mation on seeding native grasses go to (http://efotg.nrcs.usda.gov/references/public/NM/342spec.pdf.) and range planting specifi-cations go to (http://efortg.nrcs.usda.gov/references/public/NM/550.pdf). For additional information about seeding native grasses, contact the NRCS for technical assistance at the Estancia Field Office at 505-384-2272 ext 3 or stop by the office at 715 South 5th Street, Estancia, NM. Web site: www.nm.nrcs.usda.gov

Source/ Seeding Native Grasses in the Arid Southwest / NRCS NM/David Dreesen, Plant Materials Center

THE FUNCTION OF THE CONSERVATION DISTRICT: TO TAKE AVAILABLE TECHNICAL, FINANCIAL, AND EDUCATION RESOURCES, WHATEVER THEIR

SOURCE, AND FOCUS OR COORDINATE THEM SO THEY MEET THE NEEDS OF THE LOCAL LAND USER.

POSTAL CUSTOMER

P.O. Box 58 715 South 5th Street

Estancia, NM 87016

EAST TORRANCE SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Ryan Schwebach, Chairwoman

Bill Wrye, Vice-Chair

Jim Berlier, Secretary/Treasurer

Johnny Lujan, Member

STAFF

Cheri Lujan, District Manager

Miranda Millar, Student Clerk

NRCS SUPPORT

John Mike Jones, District Conservationist

Vacant, Soil Conservationist

NMACD STAFF

Lisa Dennisson, Technical Support Provider

NMDA STAFF

Roy Todd, Soil & Water Specialist

NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

TORREON, NM

PERMIT NO.2

All programs and services of the U.S. Department of Agri-

culture, Natural Resources Conserva-

tion Service, are offered on a non-

discriminatory basis without regard to

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, or

handicap.

Phone:505-384-2272 Ext.5 Fax:505-384-3043

WWW.EastTorranceSWCD.org