spring 2003 conservation quarterly - yolo county resource conservation district

8/3/2019 Spring 2003 Conservation Quarterly - Yolo County Resource Conservation District

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Conservation

QuarterlySpring 2003 Volume 7, Issue 2Yolo County Resource

Conservation District

Published by the Yolo County Resource Conservation District

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Continued on page 2

ImporImporImporImporImportant Dates:tant Dates:tant Dates:tant Dates:tant Dates:

May 15 - Annual RCD Dinner at Nelsons GroveJune 13 - Weed Management Area & District Project Tour

Inside this edition:Inside this edition:Inside this edition:Inside this edition:Inside this edition:

The Rominger Brothers belong to a family long-recog-

nized as conservation leaders in Yolo County. Their ranch isdotted with ponds and corners for wildlife habitat. They man-age their fields with a variety of soil management techniquesthat promise to reduce inputs, maintain or boost productiv-ity, and sustain their farms viability for future generations.Over the years, members of the family have provided (andcontinue to provide) leadership for the Yolo County RCD,

Western Yolo SCD, Yolo County Farm Bureau, Yolo CountyFlood Control and Water Conservation District, UC Davisagricultural programs, the California Department of Foodand Agriculture, and the US Department of Agriculture.

Bruce Rominger is a fifth generation member of thislegacy. Recently, Bruce spoke about his familys operation,

motivations, and methods for pioneering local conserva-tion on their ranches. According to Bruce, the Romingerslearned about conservation just as other farmers might:through word of mouth, observing neighbors activities,and attending workshops.

The range of products the Romingers grow, which includesrow and field crops, rice, and wine grapes, affords themopportunities to experiment with a number of different con-servation methods.

HedgerHedgerHedgerHedgerHedgerows and Pows and Pows and Pows and Pows and Perennial Grasseserennial Grasseserennial Grasseserennial Grasseserennial Grasses

When the Romingers started growing organic vegetablesat the request of a processor, they had to stop using herbi-

cides near their organic fields. As Bruce explained, Wethought we would plant perennial grasses with insectaryshrubs to control erosion on the hill and [to eliminate]spray[ing] and disk[ing] to keep the weeds down. This

method has also been successful in other areas of their landthat are difficult to reach with tractors and that would re-quire frequent hoeing. Using native plants has been very usefufor the Romingers and has enabled them to maintain theirorganic production in an efficient and ecological fashion.

Hedgerows are another key component of theRomingers conservation farming methods. Hedgerowcan provide valuable habitat for beneficial insects and smalwildlife and can be a particularly good weed defense along

a roadside. Even though this goes against the clean farming approach that many producers learned, establishingnative plants on hard-to-farm land can be a much moreeffective method of weed suppression than continuadisking and spraying.

Landowners cleaning up in Capay Valley.

Yolo County Weed Management Area tour.

Roadside Vegetation Support Program field meeting.

Yolo & Solano conservationists put on their thinking caps.


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Conservation Quarterly

page 2 Spring 2003

Landowner Profile, continued from page 1

PPPPPondsondsondsondsonds

Long ago, the Romingers constructedmulti-purpose stock and tailwater ponds.Originally the stock ponds were for thesheep we ran in the hills, says Bruce, butthey also had good water for deer andducks. The ponds also provide localgroundwater recharge and winter runoffattenuation that Charlie estimated couldprovide significant downstream floodprotection if enough ponds were con-structed. The tailwater ponds haveproved to be extremely valuable for cap-turing sediment and water so that bothcan be reapplied on the ranch instead oflost to the nearest agricultural ditch.

ConserConserConserConserConservation Tvation Tvation Tvation Tvation Tillage and Noillage and Noillage and Noillage and Noillage and No-----TTTTTillillillillill

The Romingers are also adapting andrefining conservation tillage and no-tillpractices developed in the Midwest to the

realities of farming in the Sacramento Val-ley. Bruce points out that the equipmentis transferable, but irrigation methods aredifferent. We have compaction problemsthey dont have because we have clay-rich soils and we dont have freezing andthawing to break up the soil, explainedBruce. He added that one of the big prob-

STAFF

RCD Directors

Tom Muller, ChairmanRobert Becker, DirectorWyatt Cline, DirectorJim Mayer, DirectorScott Stone, Director

David Scheuring, Assoc. Director

David Gilmer, Assoc. DirectorRCD Staff

Paul RobinsJeanette Wrysinski

Jenny DrewitzVance HowardSusan McCloudWilliam Spong

Rebecca Bresnick HolmesSam Leininger

NRCS Staff

Phil HoganStephen Jaouen

Shirley LeeperHa Truong

John Weatherford

lems he faces is trying to fit tomatoes intothe rotation because they are extremelysensitive to irrigation quantity, and theequipment used to harvest them requireslevel ground. Therefore, no-till tomatoesare still a dream to Bruce, although he andhis brothers have been experimenting withvarious degrees of working up the ground,weve done some experimenting withthe tomatoes over the last couple of yearsbut I cant say that I have it figured out.

Carbon SequestrationCarbon SequestrationCarbon SequestrationCarbon SequestrationCarbon Sequestration

One important benefit of no-till isthat untilled soil (and its organic matter)does not contribute to global warming.Untilled soil is not exposed to oxygenand consequently doesnt release bro-ken down carbon into the atmosphereto cause a greenhouse gas (the cause ofglobal warming). Bruce believes that ag-ricultural and forestry practices may be

some of the solution to preventing thebuildup of greenhouse gasses and atten-dant global warming. Whether its in theatmosphere, a tree, a stalk of wheat, or afragment of organic matter in the soil, itis all the same carbon. The benefits ofconservation may indeed reach far beyondthe boundaries of any given farm.RCD Watershed Coordinator

Vance Howard has been helpingYolo County landowners prepare toclean up their properties through theCalifornia Integrated Waste Man-agement Boards successful Farm and

Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup andAbatement Grant Program. Inter-ested rural landowners must workwith their local RCD, county, or cityin order to apply for available fundsto remove and dispose of solid wasteillegally dumped on their properties.

So far Vance and Putah CreekStreamkeeper Rich Marovich haveenrolled ten landowners who willpotentially receive some of the$200,000 available this year for eligibleprojects such as removal of illegallydumped trash (i.e., appliances, furni-ture, and scrap metal), removal of oldtires and concrete from streambanks,streambank revegetation, and the ex-cavation, regrading, and revegetationof an old dump site. Installation ofbarriers to restrict access to frequentlyused illegal dump sites may also qualifyfor funding.

For more information contactVance Howard at 662.2037, ext. 121or [email protected].

UpcominUpcominUpcominUpcominUpcoming Wg Wg Wg Wg Weed Tour & Daeed Tour & Daeed Tour & Daeed Tour & Daeed Tour & Day in the Districty in the Districty in the Districty in the Districty in the District

Come see why the Yolo County RCD and Weed Management Area are consid-ered state-wide models in conservation and collaborative solutions! On June 13from 8:30 to 3:30, RCD, Yolo Ag Department, Cache Creek Conservancy, andAudubon staff will lead a bus tour of selected Yolo County project sites gearedtowards area representatives and legislators.

Participants will enjoy a hands-on look at the RCD and WMAs cutting edgerestoration work, including areas of yellow starthistle and perennial pepperweedcontrol at Grasslands Regional Park in Davis, Arundo and tamarisk control alongCache Creek, and restored native perennial grassland (conducted by Audubon, CA)on a ranch near Winters. The tour will wrap up with a ranch-style lunch and tour atthe Yolo Land & Cattle Ranch and a brief presentation by Winters farmer and formerDeputy Secretary of Agriculture Richard Rominger.

The tour, including transportation, food and materials, is free of charge andopen only to the first 40 registrants. Support for the tour, which begins at GrasslandRegional Park in Davis, comes from CDFA, CALFED, Yolo County Department ofAgriculture and the Yolo RCD. To sign up, contact Sue McCloud at 662.2037, ext.119; and for more information, contact Jenny Drewitz at 662.2037, ext. 114.

VEGETATION MANAGEMENT EQUIPMENTFOR RENTOR HIREWant to plant or maintain a roadside or plot of native grass but

lack the equipment? The RCD can assist you with specializedequipment for native planting and maintenance, including aharrow, seeder, and mowerall pullable by ATV.

Contact Jenny Drewitz at 662.2037, ext. 114 for moreinformation on specifications and rates for rental or hire.

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YYYYYolo County RCD/NRCS Folo County RCD/NRCS Folo County RCD/NRCS Folo County RCD/NRCS Folo County RCD/NRCS Field Officeield Officeield Officeield Officeield Office221 W. Court Street, Suite 1Woodland, CA 95695

Find project progress reports, events, links, and updatedconservation articles on the RCD website at www.yolorcd.org

Yolo County RCD PublicationsYolo County RCD PublicationsYolo County RCD PublicationsYolo County RCD PublicationsYolo County RCD Publications

Know Your Natives; A Pictorial Guide toCalifornia Native Grasses .............. .............. ........... $25

Bring Farm Edges Back to Life! ................ .........$15

California Native Grass (poster) .......................$17

Monitoring on Your Farm ....................................$15

Establishing a Hedgerow (video) .......................$9

Yolo County Soil Survey .................................... $13.92

Shipping & handling:Shipping & handling:Shipping & handling:Shipping & handling:Shipping & handling:(no charge if item is purchased on site)

1 item: $3.002-5 items: $5.00

6-10 items: $10.00more than 10 items: $15.00

The Yolo County RCD offers the following items forsale. To place an order, send your request to YYYYYolo Countyolo Countyolo Countyolo Countyolo CountyRCD - Orders, 221 WRCD - Orders, 221 WRCD - Orders, 221 WRCD - Orders, 221 WRCD - Orders, 221 W. Court Street, Suite 1, W. Court Street, Suite 1, W. Court Street, Suite 1, W. Court Street, Suite 1, W. Court Street, Suite 1, Woodland,oodland,oodland,oodland,oodland,CCCCCA 95695A 95695A 95695A 95695A 95695; call us at 530.662.2037, e530.662.2037, e530.662.2037, e530.662.2037, e530.662.2037, ext. 119xt. 119xt. 119xt. 119xt. 119; or send ane-mail to [email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]. Tax and shipping andhandling charges must be added to the price of the item(s)

as listed below.

NonprofitU.S. Postage Paid

Woodland, CA 95695Permit No. 31

Woodland, CA

KidKidKidKidKids Corners Corners Corners Corners Corner

Answer:woodduck,barnowl,hairywoodpecker,treeswallow,housewren,bluebird.Theyareallbirdboxnesters.

If you would like to receive this newsletter electronically instead of

by mail, please notify Susan McCloud at [email protected].

spring 2003 conservation quarterly - yolo county resource conservation district

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