Home On The Range: Livestock and Forage Bytes

KLAMATH FALLS, OR, April 28, 2010 – USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Oregon State Executive Director, Lynn Voigt, today announced funding will be available for special drought assistance for the Klamath Basin. “I encourage all eligible producers affected by the drought in the Klamath Basin to apply for this additional funding to assist them in hauling water for livestock and developing livestock watering facilities,” said Voigt.

The funding for the practices EC-6 and EC-7 will provide farmers in Klamath county funding to assist in hauling water and providing livestock watering facilities. The practice is to be used for livestock on grazing land that do not have access to water because of an extended period of severe drought condition and to be used only if there are no other means of obtaining water for livestock.

The sign up period to enroll for ECP (Emergency Conservation Program) funding is May 4th through June 4th. Eligible participants include producers located in Klamath County, Oregon.

“We are encouraging folks that are seeking assistance to come in to utilize these funds,” said Voigt.  Producers can apply for assistance through FSA at their local USDA Service Center. FSA field office phone numbers for counties within the drought-stricken area are: Klamath Falls Service Center, Oregon: 541-883-6924, extension 2.

For more information or to apply for ECP funding and other USDA Farm Service Agency programs, please visit your FSA county office or www.fsa.usda.gov.

I have the pleasure to work with farmers and ranchers in Southern Oregon.  They are a hardy group and true stewards of the land.  Today is Earth Day and I personally want to thank all the farming and ranching families in Oregon for their stewardship of the resources that are in their care.  They work 365 days a year, they do not have paid vacation and sick days and they do not have 8-5 jobs.  They get up at 3 in the morning to go check the cow that may be having trouble bringing that new calf into the world.  They feed the local deer and elk populations with their hay stacks in the winter and manage the pastures and range that their cattle and sheep share with the deer, elk, and antelope in the spring and summer.  Many have been on the land they manage for several generations.  They are among the 2% nationally that feed the world with the nutritious grains and meat products they produce-we urban folks purchase inexpensively at the grocery store and farmer’s markets.  They manage the vast open spaces–we revel in romping around in on our weekend and vacation days off!  Take a few minutes to watch this video that allows these amazing men and women to tell their story—

Howdy!! I am the OSU livestock and forages extension agent at the Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center (KBREC).  I am excited about the launch of this blog.  I hope that it will be a great way to provide timely information to producers and those interested in staying informed with hot topics and upcoming livestock and forage programming we offer through OSU and OSU KBREC.