Ranching Continual Change and Diversity Chapter III

Great Crops

The good times of the 1960's and 1970's were filled with positivity and optimism. More land in cultivation, and profitable prices for livestock and other commodities, made sense of the notion that when you work harder you gain more monetary wealth.

Garlic production increased in the Smith Valley during this period. There were farmers that previously grew onions and potatoes that started growing garlic for seed. It was grown for  multiple fresh market garlic and dehydrated spice producers in California. They adapted the same equipment that they used in onions. They planted two rows on forty inch beds and cultivated two beds at the same time. It was much different  than the large four row cultivation and propagation that is now a common practice. The irrigation was done by furrow-flood and was very labor intensive. It is now irrigated with sprinklers and drip tape.  The cloves were separated after hand harvest in the fields. This was done in small "cracking sheds" by mostly women crews. What was a  slow and difficult process is now totally mechanical and high production. It proved to be a profitable crop alternative for more than twenty years.

We built a new cattle feeding facility and feed mill in 1970-71. We moved to a new location about three miles from our existing mill and feedlot. The old facility had been built in the early 1930's and had a capacity of about three thousand head of cattle. At that time there was a cattle packing house about fifteen miles from the feedlot. Alfalfa hay, barley, wheat, oats, beet pulp, and  beet molasses made up the cattle rations. The grains were steamed and rolled. The hay was ground in a very large hammer mill. The new facility was a continuous flow mixing system rather than a batch system at the old mill. The rations also included corn, almond hulls, rice bran, cull prunes, and hominy feed.

Farming methods were changing with the opportunities in new technology applications. The most significant to irrigated agriculture was the introduction of laser controlled land leveling technologies. It allowed for accurate and uniform grade and slope control which contributed to positive affects in irrigation uniformity. The uniformity of water distribution increased the per acre production of the various crops and proved to be water saving.

These fields were originally laser leveled and terraced during the 1970's

More Developed Lands and Water Chapter II

The late 1950's and early 1960's brought change that would forever impact the land and water resources in the Valley. Changes in water sources, and the addition of irrigated lands, would prove to be decisions that resulted in irreversible consequences.

Economic conditions were favorable and the more you could produce the more financial rewards you reaped. It was one of the driving factors of the changes.

Desert lands that were formerly marginal grazing were cleared of native vegetation. Large irrigation wells were drilled and additional underground water was appropriated. Many farmers applied to the Nevada State Engineers Office for permits to drill irrigation wells. Some of the applications were for primary allocations that served a full duty to each acre of land. The duty varied from three and a half acre feet per acre to four. The balance of the applicants made application for supplemental water allocation. Supplemental allocations allow users to draw water from underground sources to supplement surface water deliveries in amounts up to their duty. The West Walker River Basin was at the time, and remains an over allocated basin. This means there is more surface water allocated in the form of adjudicated water rights than the the annual yield.

The underground water basin in Smith Valley, Nevada, contained an artesian sub-basin. It was primarily located along the south side of the West Walker River. The depth of these wells was one- hundred to one-hundred-twenty-five feet deep. Casing diameters varied between three and six inches. The pressure was sufficient to lift water to the second story in many homes. Ranchers wells provided frost free livestock water in the pastures and corrals on their operations.  There was another artesian sub-basin in the north end of the Valley and also flowing hot springs.

Permitting of the large irrigation wells includes a process for public comment and protests. My grandfather, a man with exceptional fore sight, protested the granting of the permits for the large irrigation wells. His effort was to protect the artesian well flows. He wanted to limit pumping and make sure recharge kept the aquifer near historic levels.  Grandpa also believed the well permits should be issued to the Walker River Irrigation District and the water be made available to all irrigation district members in the basin. The alternative was the issuance to individual farmers. Neither of these requests were granted and the alternative ruled.

River cleaning and straightening was also a common practice in this same period of time. Large dozers were used in the river channel in the winter months during low water flows. The natural braided and meandering course of the river was altered and in some place diverted into new channels. These changes created a gun barrel effect that increased velocity and the consequences were large amounts of sediment were carried downstream. River bottoms lower themselves and the riparian vegetation changes to adapt to changes in soil moisture. The braided nature of the stream no longer existed and back channels that water fowl and some fish species preferred are now non existent.

Programs offered through the United States Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, and Soil Conservation Service contributed cost sharing funds to farmers and ranchers. Leveling of land and the filling of sloughs and other wetlands was commonplace. Drainage tile and huge open drain ditches were used to drain lands too wet to farm. Millions of dollars of federal funds were distributed to make this possible, with the landowner paying on a minor percentage. Many of these wetlands and sloughs served as a habitat for migrating waterfowl. I enjoyed the Red Winged and Yellow Headed Blackbirds and their songs of spring filled the air. They nested in the reeds and rushes that were the predominant vegetation. Leopard and large green French Frogs were prevalent in the ponds along the river and other lowlands. Today I have not found even one in the area. My friends and me talked our girlfriends into going frog hunting on many hot summer nights. Things are different now.

Areas of ponds, wetlands, and backwaters no longer exist. They served the purpose of storing water during high runoff and precipitation events. The water recharged the perched and deep aquifers, and some found the way back to the River throughout the season. These tracts of land were covered with native grasses, shrubs, and trees. They served a winter grazing and calving grounds for the cattle ranches. The vegetation provided protection from the wind and snow.

Irrigation methods began to change and more farmers moved from flood irrigation to various types of sprinklers. Runoff from flood irrigation was reduced, but evaporation losses increased. Some of the lands being irrigated were alkaline and the salts were being leached and carried back to the River as well as to the neighbors. Water quality has declined. The Natural Resource Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture, now has programs that cost share the building of wetlands, pipeline installation, conservation reserve areas, etc. Now we spend billions of dollars to unbuild what we paid billions of dollars to create. Are we still short sighted? I truly believe so. Our ancestors never cultivated more land than they could irrigate in the driest years, and filled the wild lands with water in the wetter years. It seems to me there was some logic to their methods.


  









  

Evolution of Agriculture in This Valley Chapter I

During my lifetime, there has been many changes in the agriculture practices in the Valley I grew up in. The period of time in this discussion is between the years 1952 and 1960. 

In 1958 the majority of the ranches in the Valley were livestock focused. There were three small family owned dairies as well as multiple sheep and cattle operations. The balance of the operations were hay, small grain, and row crop farms. The row crops included potatoes, onions, and possibly garlic for seed. I am not exactly sure when the first seed garlic was grown, but before 1960.

The diaries were owned by the Terrell, Alpers, and Settlemeyer families. They shipped their milk to small creamery operators here in Western Nevada. Prior to the bulk shipping they separated the cream from the milk and shipped the cream in ten gallon milk cans to a butter company in Minden, Nevada. They all raised pigs so they could feed the skim milk to them.  The skim was mixed with ground alfalfa and ground wheat or barley. I am sure that is where I learned the term:"Slop the Hogs". The market for the pigs was a small abattoir that did the processing and curing 35 miles away in Minden.

Three large sheep enterprises were based here. Members of the Fulstone, Annette (Day), and Compston families operated them. They all had lambing sheds for protection of the newborn lambs and corrals made from willows. The willow corrals were about twelve inches in width, with stacks of willow horizontally placed between juniper posts. They were great wind breaks as well as fences. I still am in awe at the amount of labor hours it took to build these structures. Some are still standing. There is only one of them still operating, and it is still in the same Fulstone family.

There were many cattle operations in the area. Some were quite large and others were smaller. The smaller operators often raised multiple species of farm animals both for their own use and to sell. The larger operators brought their cattle to this Valley in the late Fall. They were fed hay during the winter as well as grazed native pastures and developed land. The smaller operations kept their livestock in the Valley year around, while the larger ones moved them to private and public grazing in the higher elevations. They were trailed there in large groups, cattle drives. I have fond memories of the drives in the Spring and Fall. 

Row crop farms raising onions and potatoes were nearly all owned and operated by Italian immigrant families. Nuti, Giovacchini, Lommori, Saroni, Fenili, Petroni, Cardoni, Acciari, and Rosaschi families were all row croppers. Many of their families still live here and have businesses. They had  large cellars that they stored them in after harvest. Many of the cellars were built with lodge pole pine harvested from the Sweetwater Mountains, just south of the Valley. Lumber was available from small local sawmills that harvested pine and fir in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Some of the roofs were built by laying willows over the rafters and purlins, and then a layer of straw covered with sheet metal. They graded and sorted the onions and potatoes and shipped them in 100 lb burlap bags. Many of the workers were Native Americans from the Paiute-Shoshone tribes that lived here.

More to the story in series of blogs to come.

Happy Days of Lambing

It is an especially demanding and gratifying time of year for us. It is time for our flock of Suffolk and Texel-Suffolk crossbred ewes to lamb. It is always a time filled with anticipation. The ewes were separated into breeding groups on September 12, 2017 and then they were exposed to various selected rams until October 31, 2017. We hope the mating with the various rams brings out the best results in lamb conformation, vigor, fertility, and longevity. The breeds we raise are meat breeds and not known for the high quality of wool, because of the more coarse fiber and shorter staple length.

The lambs are cute to say the least, and have variations in personality just like all animals including humans. They are children at heart and behave in much the same way as their human counterparts. Exploring, touching, smelling, frolicking, and worrying their moms.

Many of the ewes have multiple births. We try to produce as many twins as possible. This year we have had an unusual number triplets and a set of quadruplets. We feed the ewes that have more than two lambs extra high energy feed because of the huge demand for milk the extra lambs require.  When it is necessary to reduce the burden on the mother, we provide bottle feeding of lamb milk replacer and start the lambs on pelleted supplement as soon as they are old enough to eat it.

Sheep Shearing and the Range Sheep Business

Spring is when all the sheep are shorn in most of the United States Mountain West. The video was taken on February 17, 2018 at a very large sheep operation that have several large bands (a group of 800-1200) ewes.  Their company is operated by multiple generations of a pioneer Nevada family. The sheep are the Merino breed that is known for the fine wool quality that is used to produce very high quality garments. The high grade fleeces have very long soft fibers that are preferred by woolen mills.

The sheep are grazed in Western Nevada and the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Public Lands that are under the jurisdiction of the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management are utilized in accordance with grazing management plans developed by these agencies in co-operation with the livestock owners. Wildfires and drought has had various effects on the availability of quality forage for grazing in recent years. Many of the catastrophic wildfires would have been less devastating if the areas would have allowed sheep grazing like was allowed 40-50 years ago. A non-use policy that has been adopted by the agencies to satisfy radical environmental groups desires, has proven to be the demise of millions of acres of forest and rangeland. Livestock is a viable tool in vegetative management and provides for the production of food, fiber, and jobs while providing income to the government and savings in the loss of wildlife and timber resources.

Bands of sheep can be seen in the irrigated fields in the fall and winter in many of the lower valleys of the Intermountain West. They utilize the residual forage from alfalfa and grass hay fields. They also graze the winter wheat fields and other winter grains like triticale. During the early spring, after the ewes have lambed they are put out on irrigated fields to reduce the winter and spring weed growth, especially in fields using organic production and no-till methods of crop management. The sheep are then put on the desert to graze on grasses and brushy native plant species typical at various desert elevations and  in varied rainfall areas.

Science and Technology in My Agriculture World

The journey through life is filled with opportunities that can only be found by putting forth your effort to discover them. It is hard, very hard at times. You will be faced with negativity, encouragement, frustration, elation, roads with dead ends and super highways. Technological and scientific advancements will become available all along your journey as they have been in mine. I have been challenged many times in many ways. The diversity of the skills I have learned, people I have met, and appreciation for my ancestors sacrifices, make me a wealthy man. This could not of been accomplished without agriculture as my rock to launch from.

I operated tractors with iron seats and canvas windbreakers, adding machines with rows and rows of numbers and a handle to pull when you printed to tape. Computers that filled huge rooms and took stacks of punched cards or punched paper tape as a method of data input. Personal computers that had operating system with names like CPM and DOS, built by companies like Osborne, Radio Shack, and Compaq. We grew plant varieties created with natural cross breeding and hybridization methods and used a limited scope of commercial fertilizer formulations. These were all things that excited me as much in my early career as do GMO, GPS, IR Sensors, Drones, self driving equipment, drip and micro irrigation, growing condition monitors, soil microbiology, and smarter smart phones today.

Agriculture is an industry that has benefited from science and technology that was developed by industries only remotely related to growing and producing food and fiber. NASA, medical research, biochemical engineering, computer science, microbiology, and many others have made contributions which have been applied to agriculture, although not being part of the original research and development goals.

The most perplexing and frustrating challenges are still those of marketing at profitable levels and the dynamic fluctuations in climatic patterns. We have major issues in the distribution of food to many areas of the World, especially those with historical and ongoing political instability. Socio and geopolitical conditions appear to be far more challenging than the challenges that can be overcome with science and technology.

Winter Season Grazing, Building Soils

Grazing is an integral tool we use to harvest our forage production. In the early spring sheep grazing helps to control and reduce populations of undesirable plant species. (weeds) In the late fall and winter we rent the fields that we have harvested hay from during the summer to a sheep rancher. This year we chose not to harvest the normal three cuttings of of hay and let the forage grow for pasture. Controlled strip grazing works well. The fields are left with a blanket of slightly incorporated organic matter and a mix of fresh sheep manure. We have an income producing, meat and wool production, harvesting, mulch laying, and fertilizing system. We call them sheep.

Cattle grazing is used on our fields north of the West Walker River. The soils there are quite variable and not the most efficient for harvestable crop production. They are planted with different species of perennial grasses and legumes than our market hay fields. The no till intermediate wheatgrass and annual ryegrass we planted last year established a very good plant population. The previous five years of drought had taken out most of previously established fescue. We leave the dead plant materials on the surface and plant using a Great Plains seed drill equipped with a coulter configuration that creates a narrow seed row. The mineral soils, that are characteristic of our high desert in the Great Basin, are extremely low in organic matter.  I feel strongly, that the many years of deep tillage that has historically taken place, degraded the soils from what they were when farmers first tilled over 150 years ago. 

It has become clear that soil health is as important, if not more, than the health of the farmer or rancher. The activity of the macro and micro soil organisms and organic matter is what gives that handful of rich living soils a wonderful odor.

Farming and Ranching 2018

 Farming and ranching in Nevada, another year. The short days of winter are not my favorite time. I am greeted every morning with the bleak landscape and the usual cold temperatures. Our snowpack is well below normal for this time of year which means our irrigation water supply for the upcoming summer is questionable. Topaz Lake Reservoir is near 90% of capacity at this point, most of the stored water is carryover from last year. It is much better than the available water in the drought years of 2011-2016. Our storage water allotment is a supplemental source to our Federally Decreed Water Right that provides the largest percentage of our irrigation supply. The decreed right depends on the snowmelt throughout the spring and summer. We are in dire need of a few significant snowfall events in the Sierra Nevada Mountains between now and mid March.

I have spent a significant amount of time running the various scenarios through my mind and making preliminary plans for seed, fertilizer, and water requirements for various cropping combinations. It has been challenging to say the least. My frustrations come to the forefront when I attempt to project market value that the various crops might bring after harvest. It is not fun to make a seasonal business plan that is guided by the premise of minimizing loss. Last year we had an abundance of irrigation water, but it did not come close to filling the deficit that was created the previous five years. Our subsoil moisture is however closer to "normal" if there is such a thing. The demand and market prices for both our market lambs and hay have not been good. The cost of production continues to rise as income stagnates.

Farming and ranching has always been ruled by the weather. My lifetime in the business has given me the opportunity to live through, and react to the short term variations in the climatic cycles. They are always a challenge, and sometimes there are very beneficial conditions that create pleasant rewards, while others drive a spike through your heart.

This life has been good to me and I am grateful. There is always a light on the horizon that I seem to find.

This represents my views for today.