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SERVING NORTHERN NEVADA’S

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Volume 1 • Issue 4 • Winter 2010

Inside This Issue…

Rancher says 2010 has A look at this year’s
been more profitable Centennial Ranches
Page 4 Pages 9-11
 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange Winter 2010
Preparing for 2011 Nevada Legislature
By Doug Busselman
Nevada Farm Bureau
There’s a lot that has to happen before
the Feb. 7 start of the 76th regular session
of the Nevada Legislature. From the
standpoint of the state as a whole, the
results of the final vote tally after Nov. 2
will play a significant role in determining
the landscape for the 2011 session. From
the Nevada Farm Bureau perspective,
the results of final voting delegate actions
on organizational policy to be finalized
at the 2010 Nevada Farm Bureau annual
meeting in Winnemucca in November
will determine the approach to be taken
in representing Nevada farmers and
ranchers in Carson City.
The key issues facing Nevada lawmakers
are widely discussed and hotly debated,
even if little is actually resolved with
definitive proposals: Nevada’s mythical $3
billion budget hole is nearly universally
accepted as justification for tax increases
(although the numbers which are used
to substantiate the myth might not
warrant such blind fidelity to such a pre-
conceived result).
The current Nevada General Fund
Budget is roughly $6.5 billion. The
expected revenue generated for the
coming budget period is $5 billion. To
get to the level of spending from the
state’s General Fund, legislators would
be increasing spending to $8 billion – an
anticipation built into the projections
which stimulate the belief that there is a
$3 billion budget hole.
Proposed changes to how Nevada’s
Budget System is created will likely
surface from out-going Governor Jim
Gibbons. Budget Director Andrew Clinger
and his team have been assembling a
new system approach which takes into
account a priority system of activities
performed by state agencies working to
get at the fundamental questions of the
proper role for state government and what
Fencelines
December, detangling
decorative holiday lights
stuffed in a box from the
cellar is a little harder
this year. My feed truck
is broken down. The
dog died this year. My
younger sister passed
Marie Johnson away last January and
then Dad in March,
short of his 80th birthday. This is about
Dad’s gift. After serving four years in the
Navy on Guam, Dad married Mom and
started as a share farmer in Minnesota. He
and mom raised pigs, chickens, a few cows
and corn on another man’s land. To make
extra money to buy the land, Dad traveled
the Midwest building pole barns for other
farmers. Mom raised us three kids and did a
lot of farm chores.
One year the barn caught on fire and
burned to the ground with all my folks’ farm
equipment inside. Dad managed to get
the cows out but the man who owned the
property died soon afterwards. Since My
parents had just a handshake agreement
with the man they had to move to town
after the man’s family settled the estate and
sold all the property to someone else. So
Dad became a carpenter and a plumber.
ANOTHER VIEW
services should be provided. Changing
from the current state budget system that
is based on adding expected increases to
what was spent last biennium will require
reform of state law embodied in the State
Budget Act (NRS 353.150-353.246).
Included in the legislative process
of determining the state’s spending
allocations for the coming biennium
specific concerns relating to funding for
program/service areas of importance
to Nevada agriculture will draw Nevada
Farm Bureau attention.
What types of services will be provided
by the Department of Agriculture? How
are those costs to be paid?
These are examples of the considerations
which are connected to the budget
nuances worked out in a very elaborate
legislative deliberations procedure that
embraces minutia and line-by-line
evaluations with the overall big picture
usually held to be worked out in the final
throes of the legislative session.
Reapportionment, the process of
drawing legislative district boundaries,
will also be on the list of “things to be
done” when lawmakers meet in 2011.
Expected population numbers seem
to suggest that unless something is
done to add additional members to the
Nevada Legislature – Las Vegas districts
will increase in number and shrink
in size while few legislative seats will
be available for rural portions of the
state. Most experts also believe a fourth
Congressional seat will be added and
how the dynamics of splitting the state to
accomplish this arrangement promises
to be an interesting, must-watch drama.
During the last legislative session,
activities to deal with bills that fit into the
section of state law covering irrigation
districts (NRS 539) prompted the idea by
Assembly Government Affairs Committee
chairwoman, Assemblywoman Marilyn
Kirkpatrick, that this entire section of law
Being a plumber in Minnesota, Dad was on
call a lot in winter. Driving at night through
a blowing blizzard to get to a cold family
to start up their stalled furnace or unplug
frozen pipes, Dad worked hard. He and
mom bought a house in town. Mom worked
in the school cafeteria to be home when we
girls came home from school. Dad, pretty
good with numbers and people, I asked him
why he never went to college. All he said
was, “Somebody’s got to do the work.” Yet he
supported two daughters through college.
Dad smoked since he was 14 years old.
He gave up cigarettes, but his lungs were
damaged by then. Before 70 years old he
was on portable oxygen. Freezing cold
plumber days and heavy carpentry work
had worn out his knees and bad arthritis
had set in his hands. As an older man his
hands were too swollen to hold a sandwich.
So he had both knees replaced and learned
to hold a fork differently.
Dad got dentures around the same time
he had cataract surgery. But his eyes were
still so bad he fell on a concrete foundation
during one grandson’s honor society
induction so he got an artificial hip too. Dad,
a kind, giving, clever man didn’t talk much.
But he knew a few good stories. He saw all
his grandchildren go to college. His only
granddaughter marry. He cried when he lost
his wife of 48 years, 10 years ago, and again
this January when his youngest daughter
needed evaluation
and remodeling.
Whether this
plan continues to
be in the cue for
consideration will
determine the mix
of the agenda that
Nevada Farm Bureau
will be involved in.
Given the change of
persons who will be
members of the 2011
Nevada Legislature
(with term limits and
election decisions)
the institutional
knowledge and
experience in
working on a
variety of issues
has disappeared,
leaving a working
environment for
policy deliberations
unlike anything that
has been dealt with
in the past. Getting
to know legislators
and having them to
come to know Farm
Bureau policy will be
a work- in-progress,
starting well-before Doug Busselman
the session begins in
We’re certain that Farm Bureau
February.
members will continue to step forward
Beyond the issues and the details of in volunteering their time to make
the Legislative process, Farm Bureau important contacts when called upon.
members are the key to determining how As much as possible, we would request
effective our efforts will be in 2011. That is member contact information in the form
the one constant we have to rely on going of your e-mail address, allowing us to
into what will certainly be something reach out and keep you posted in a timely
very uncertain. The communications manner. We will be providing a variety of
system that is available for Farm Bureau methods for members to get connected
members to be informed and involved to the Nevada Farm Bureau Legislative
has continued to evolve and allows for network and hope you will take advantage
up-to-the-minute interaction with our to join by whatever means best serves
grassroots base. your convenience.
The Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange is
died unexpectedly at the age of 48. a free publication printed quarterly by the
Dad never lived beyond his means. Saved Sierra Nevada Media Group.
money, owned his own home, built a Publisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pete Copeland
retirement account. But quickly medical
Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Ranson
expenses took most of the gold Dad had
saved for his golden years. His family Advertising
assured him he would always have a home Western Nevada & Eastern California
and never have to eat dog food like some . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775-782-5121
elderly poor without benefits or family. Victoria Grathwohl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x221
Dad never complained about his choices Adele Hoppe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x224
in life. He seemed pretty content making Central & Eastern Nevada
miniature hay-wagons in his retirement and
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775-423-6041
various wooden holiday decorations to give Shannon Burns
to anyone, bank teller, oxygen delivery man, Becky Taylor
waitress, family, friend, foster children,
Circulation Manager . . . . . Keith Sampson
anyone, kind to him.
Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy Mathiowetz
In March when Dad died, the hospital
said he was an organ donor. This was not a Cover photo. . . . . . . Anker-Monroe Ranch
surprise, but what could Dad donate? His in Lovelock
damaged lungs caused his heart failure. His Cover Photo by . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Ranson
kidney and liver, strained. His hips, knees
Send submissions to:
and teeth, artificial. He wore hearing aids, Editor
had serious arthritis, bad eyes. What could The Lahontan Valley News
he donate? P. O. Box 1297
Fallon, NV 89407
“Your Dad has beautiful skin,” said the
organ donor coordinator. “It could be or e-mail:. . . . . . . news@lahontanvalleynews.com
used on burn victims, in breast cancer News:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775-423-6041
Fax:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775-423-0474
reconstruction and on injured military
member.”
Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited.
We advise anyone who submits material to the Nevada Ranch &
Farm Exchange that doing so constitutes a consent for the Nevada
Dad gave one more gift. Please consider Ranch & Farm Exchange to publish the material as it chooses
without any further compensation to the author including but
being a donor. We all have so much to give. not limited to all print, electronic and archival versions. All rights
reserved. © 2010 Swift Communications
Marie Johnson is a Carson Valley rancher.
Winter 2010 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange 
Cattlemen association prepares for annual bull sale
By Steve Ranson
Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange
The 44th annual Fallon All-Breeds Bull
Sale is soon approaching its Feb. 19 date
when buyers and sellers will converge at the
Fallon Livestock Exchange, nine miles west
of the city.
“We work hard each year to bring the best range ready bulls to
the sale to provide our buyers with quality and selection.”
Steve Ranson/Ranch & Farm file photo
FFA student Trevor Detomasi hangs a Nevada
Cattlemen’s Association sign at last year’s bull
sale in Fallon. Looking on are Kristina Moore,
left, and Courtney Dahl.
“This annual tradition brings Nevada
producers and producers from around
the west together to sell and buy bulls,”
said Meghan Brown, executive director of
the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association, the
sponsor of the bull sale. “We work hard each
year to bring the best range ready bulls to
the sale to provide our buyers with quality
and selection.”
Fallon teacher receives
NCA’s top education award
By Stephanie Carroll
Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange
Fallon Logos Christian Academy
kindergarten teacher Kim Jung was
awarded the Nevada Cattlemen’s
Association’s 2010 Teacher of the Year
award in November during the 75th Joint
Annual Convention and Trade Show in
Elko.
“Mrs. Jung is an absolutely amazing
teacher,” said Lisa Rigney, president of the
Churchill County Cowbelles. “Mrs. Jung
includes agriculture into her daily lessons
to teach today’s children the importance of
who feeds America, along with our history
and the importance of preserving our
heritage.”
Jung has been teaching for 14 years and
said she has been able to incorporate
agriculture in her curriculum because she
works at a private school that allows for
innovation.
“To me it fits – we’re in an agricultural
community here,” Jung said adding many
children don’t realize their food comes
from agriculture and not just the grocery
store. “That’s really important that they
understand that – that eggs come from a
chicken.” Cattlemen’s Association Director
Meghan Brown said for this award, the
association looks for non-agriculture
teachers who still promote agriculture in
their classrooms.
“The association appreciates teachers such
as Kim that promote not only agriculture
but the uniqueness of Nevada agriculture in
Every year Brown said the consignors
who attend the yearly bring consistently
excellent bulls. She said every bull is graded
and sifted before the sale to ensure quality
and consistency. “Each bull has been semen
tested, BVD tested, and Trich tested,” Brown
said, adding that individuals should contact
Meghan Brown, Executive Director
Nevada Cattlemen’s Association
her office if they have questions regarding
the health requirements for the Fallon All-
Breeds Bull Sale.
Brown said last year’s sale brought in 108
bulls, down from 162 in 2009, a decrease
from 162 a year ago.
“The demand for bulls is down,” Brown
said, adding the demand for cows has also
declined.
During previous years, the bull sale
attracted about 300 consignors, buyers
and board members. That number
hovered somewhere between 200 to 250 at
the 2010 sale.
Brown said most of the buyers and
consignors come from California, Idaho,
Nevada and Utah. She said bulls brought to
the sale are pre-screened by veterinarians to
ensure quality after arriving at the livestock
yard; the animals will be sifted and graded
again by veterinarians. Brown said bulls
with a higher grading score are considered
higher quality animals and are sold first.
“The quality of the bulls is high,” Brown
said. “We try to make sure we have high
Sue Hoffman from Nevada Agriculture
Foundation, left, presents the 2010 Teacher of
the Year Award to Kim Jung
their classrooms, “Brown said.
Rigney said Jung promotes agriculture
through themes like cowboys and farming,
and she has events like a Cowboy Day and
field trips to the Liberty Dairy and Lattin
Farms. Plus, Rigney said Jung has a “Farm
Show and Share” where students bring
in farm related items to class, which can
include animals.
“She welcomes any type of farm animal
into her classroom, including pigs, goats,
sheep, calves and donkeys.” Rigney said.
Jung said she was surprised when she won
because what she does in her classroom
is nothing in comparison to what the
Cattleman’s association does for agriculture.
“If anything it was very humbling because
you see what these people (Cattleman
Association members) are doing, and
you feel like they’re the ones that are the
educators,” she said.
quality bulls for our buyers.”
Rancher Clay Dalluge said
he considers the Fallon All
Breeds Bull Sale one of the
best in the region.
Dalluge, who brought only
one bull in 2010 from the
Sunset Ranch (Red Angus)
in Washoe Valley, said he
travels to three or four bull
sales each year. His bull was
one of the top animals sold
by snaring the Top Range
Bull Award. This award
winning bull was 23 months
old and sold for $2,500 to
Stix Cattle Company of
Fernley.
As for the entire bull sale,
Brown said the overall sale
Steve Ranson/Ranch & Farm file photo
average was $1,933 on 88 Rancher Clay Dalluge adjusts his consignor sign in preparation
bulls. for the 2010 annual bull sale. His bull was one of the top animals
While the sale draws sold by snaring the Top Range Bull Award. This award winning
mostly ranchers, members bull was 23 months old and sold for $2,500 to Stix Cattle
Company of Fernley.
of the general public are
welcome to watch the sale.
Brown said the FFA students “Uniting the industry in important.”
seem to enjoy the large sale as members Brown said events leading up to the actual
help the NCA feed the animals, erect pens bull sale begin Friday with meetings and
then conclude with a dinner and dance.
and help wherever needed.
The sale will be accompanied by a trade Sifting of the bulls and heifers begins
show featuring industry related products Feb. 18 at 8 a.m., and the NCA’s board of
like chutes, gates and panels, along with directors meet at the University of Nevada
animal health products. The Nevada Cooperative Extension Building at 1 p.m.
Cattlemen’s Association with headquarters The Churchill County Cowbelles, a local
in Elko was established in 1935 as an group of women who work to promote
advocacy group to promote the beef beef and agriculture, will host a dinner and
industry in Nevada. dance from 5:30-11:15 p.m. at the Fallon
“We’re constantly combating different Convention Center. Awards for best of
issues,” Brown said, adding that NCA has a breeds and the champion bull will
lobbyist that works every legislative session. be presented.
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 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange Winter 2010
Cattle ranchers say 2010 has been profitable
By Rob Sabo
Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange
Faraway woes, severe flooding in the nation’s Corn
Belt in June, a severe drought in Russia that’s greatly
reduced that country’s wheat production could spell
financial trouble for Nevada’s cattle ranchers, says an
agricultural specialist at the University of Nevada, Reno.
“Now we almost are able to
compete with Australia and other
countries in exporting to China.
The cost of our beef is not much
more than Australian beef.”
~ Ron Cerri, third-generation Nevada rancher
Mike Helmar, a research associate with UNR’s College
of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources,
says both events will contribute to higher feed prices
for the nation’s beef producers, who typically fatten
feeder cattle to about 800 pounds before slaughter. As
producers’ profit margins are squeezed by higher grain
prices, Helmar says, they sell off cattle to packing and
slaughterhouses, and an oversupply of beef will result in
lower prices for suppliers of feeder cattle.
Silver State ranchers still are enjoying strong prices
for calves headed to feeder lots, about $107 per
hundred pounds through November. In November
of 2009, Nevada ranchers received about $94 per
hundredweight. Tom Harris, professor with the College
of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources,
says it’s a fallacy to think ranching operations in rural
Nevada aren’t affected by world economics. “If large
COWS are having price decreases, it will come back on
us,” Harris says. “Right now prices
are good, but they will be
impacted by live cattle
prices.”
Ron Cerri,
a third-
generation
Nevada
rancher
who
runs about 450 head of cattle at his
Rebel Creek Ranch in Orovada, says
this year has been profitable and feeder
prices have largely held up through the
recession. The weakened U.S. dollar
has allowed the country to be more
competitive with other beef exporters,
adds Cerri, who serves as president of the
Nevada Cattlemen’s Association.
“Now we almost are able to compete
with Australia and other countries in
exporting to China,” he says. “The cost
of our beef is not much more than
Australian beef.”
As of Jan. 1, there were 450,000 head
of cattle and calves on Nevada ranches.
Due to its lack of rainfall to produce
natural forage, Nevada typically ranks about 35th or
lower amongst the 50 states in overall beef production.
Little beef is butchered in Nevada due to the high costs
of fattening steers; instead, Nevada is known as a cow-
calf state, where cows are raised to birth calves, which
are sold when they reach 450 to 600 pounds to markets
in California or the Midwest for additional fattening.
Ron Torrell, a former agricultural specialist with UNR
who now raises registered Angus cattle and sell bulls to
commercial operators, says Nevada cattle ranchers also
sell market-ready cows that are about 10 years old and
have typically given birth to eight calves beginning at
age 2. These cows are largely harvested for hamburger, means getting rich, but we are keeping our heads above
and Nevada ranchers typically have a 10 to 20 percent water,” he says. “In Nevada we rely so much for beef
replacement rate per year. production on public lands; being able to continue to
use public lands to keep a viable operation is a major
Lastly, there is a small market for yearlings that are
issue.”
held over for the winter and put on grass for fattening
before being exported to feed lots. Torrell says today’s And Nevada’s open ranges are so vast, Cerri adds, that
ranchers produce more consumable meat with smaller ranchers incur high costs for transportation of horses,
herds due to improved management practices, genetics, riders and fuel to manage their free-grazing herds.
and pharmaceuticals. “Financially we are doing pretty Water rights also weigh on the mind of Nevada ranchers
good,” he says. but reduced population counts in southern Nevada
due to the lack of construction there has reduced the
Cerri says Silver State ranchers are being squeezed
demand for water from other areas, he says.
by higher fuel, power and insurance
costs, as well as from anti- “We work hard to try and at least maintain for
grazing groups that want agricultural uses the limited water that we have,” he says.
to remove cattle from
public lands.
Photos courtesy of the Rebel Creek Ranch
“We are Orvada rancher Ron Cerri, who recently served as president of
not by the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association, said his ranch, along with
any others, was able to compete with those in foreign lands. Through
November, Silver State ranchers were enjoying strong prices.
Winter 2010 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange 

Turning alfalfa fields into a Berry Farm

By Scott Neuffer raspberries, the Jacobs
Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange procured some promising
A Gardnerville family is turning a piece of Carson fruit. They now plan to
Valley history into a berry farm. plant the entire acre
into berries within the
Jack and Diana Jacobs, who purchased the original next year or so, and to
Lampe homestead in 2001, are slowly converting a eventually expand the
century-old alfalfa field into neat rows of blackberries operation to another
and raspberries. plot on the edge of their
“Everybody loves berries,” Jack Jacobs said. “There property.
is high-yield, high-income potential in it if it works. “There’s not a lot of
Everything so far is a test, and it has been a real success. formal berry growing
Now, we finally know we can have berries. Now, it’s around here, and so
time to knock on doors and find specific markets.” there’s an intriguing market
To date, the Jacobs Family Berry Farm consists of a opportunity,” Jack said. “The
third of an acre of rich river silt furrowed and planted way society is moving, people want
into five varieties of raspberries and two varieties of local produce, not imported produce. We
have good land and good water here, and
we can take care of ourselves, we don’t need
California.” The key to local berries, however,
“We want the whole ranch and is finding the right varieties that can flourish
in Nevada’s unpredictable weather patterns,
farm to be motivation for our kids thus the Jacobs’ involvement with the North
American Raspberry & Blackberry Association,
and grandkids to visit.” USDA Rural Development, Nevada Department
~ Diana Jacobs of Agriculture, and Western Nevada College’s
Specialty Crop Institute.
“We want a set of varieties that can spread out
production and extend the season,” Jack said. “It’s
blackberries. Located directly behind St. Gall Catholic important to have different tastes, shapes and textures Ranch and Farm photos by Jim Grant
Church in Gardnerville, the Lampe homestead as a because people have different preferences, just like
Jim Wheeler of Jacobs Family Berry Farm inspects one of the
whole consists of five acres of the original ranch, a turn- many varieties of raspberry plants growing on the farm. Below,
with wine.” One similarity between grapes and berries Diana and Jack Jacobs in front of the blacksmith shop on the
of-the-century barn, brick creamery, blacksmith shop, is the appeal of antioxidants and other health benefits. Lampe homestead. Bottom, a sample of one of five raspberry
smokehouse, bunkhouse, outhouse, and 1869 vintage Although not formally certified, the Jacobs are growing varieties the Jacobs family is testing.
farm home, all hidden by towering trees. their berries organically.
“I always wanted to live in an old house, and Jack “One acre has the potential to produce 10,000 pounds,”
would say, literally, ‘Over my dead body; it’s too much For more information on the
Diana said. “It costs a lot of money up front to invest
maintenance,’” Diana recalled. “I’ve always pleased and produce, but with the right practices here, with the Jacobs Family Berry Farm, call 782-3023
you,” Jack retorted. “I see all this stuff, and all I see is
work, but it’s really turned into a joy. When you buy
right varieties and markets, we’re hoping to leave an or e-mail jackjacobs@charter.net.
opportunity for our children to sustain something,” Jack
an old ranch, you don’t have a choice: there are just said. With their current
endless projects.” crop, the Jacobs are
Retired from a long career in civil engineering, Jack has targeting local restaurants
more than enough experience with lengthy projects. He and other hospitality
and Diana, herself a retired human resources executive, establishments. In the
left the Bay Area in 2002 after falling in love with the future, they want to target
Eastern Sierra. They already had family residing on this grocery stores. They
side of the divide.
The year before, they’d purchased the Lampe
also envision a unique
employment opportunity COMSTOCK
homestead. The property came with an acre of alfalfa,
which the Jacobs let a local rancher harvest until
on the farm. “Picking
berries is careful and
energy
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recently deciding to try something different. delicate work,” Diana
explained. “They ripen in CARSON CITY • 775.883.6409
“We wanted to make it a more productive, interesting the summer months, so WWW.COMSTOCKENERGY.COM
project,” Diana said. “One of the goals was to find a way we would like to hire high
for the property to produce an income and maintain school kids to harvest
itself,” Jack added. them.”
A niche berry farm seemed like the perfect solution. Providing small-scale,
Testing varieties on a portion of the land, from Triple sustainable agriculture
Crown and Chester blackberries to Polana and Nova for future generations is a
central part of the Jacobs’
mission. After all, the
word “family” appears
in the name of their
business. Their son Jim
Wheeler helps out with because you
the entire operation,
and their three other can’t use all
children already
have visited to pitch
in. The goal is to
of your energy
produce enough
income to keep the
outside…
berry farm going in
perpetuity.
“We want the whole “Natures” 100% pine animal bedding and
ranch and farm to Natures Fuel pellet stove fuel by the ton
be motivation for our
kids and grandkids to
or truck load.
visit,” Jack said. “They We Sell Windows, Fireplaces and Wood, Gas &
can come here and have Pellet Stoves.
fun doing this stuff.”
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 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange Winter 2010
Churchill County Beef Club
The Churchill County Beef Club held
its first meeting on Nov. 9, 2010. Our
club invited Karla and Jamie from Kents
Supply Center. Kent’s Supply Center is
now offering feed and show supplies.
They discussed the Farmers Best Program,
which is a program that offers awards to
the exhibitors if you purchase feed for
your 4-H project and win at either the
local or state level. Kent’s also mentioned
if anyone needs a certain type of feed that
they will get it for us.
Our club invited Donald Schank from
Country Financial Insurance, and he
discussed how to purchase insurance
for our breeding and market animals.
We discovered that the insurance was
inexpensive and worth the cost. All of the
members discussed their projects briefly.
The Churchill County Beef members
present were Marissa Lucindo, Logan
Service, Tucker Stritenburger, Jess Gantt,
Madison Gantt, Conner McGowan, and
Trey McGowan.
We thank Mrs. Tews beef club member
who also joined us, Heather Hancock,
Marie Lawson, Levi Taylor, Katy Ruth
Taylor, and Garrett Clark.
Buckaroo Crew Beef Club
The first Beef Club meeting was on Oct.
27, 2010, at the Extension Office. Linda
Tews, leader , called the meeting to order.
Gracie Lawson led the Pledge
of Allegiance and Clay
Mulder led the 4-H
Pledge. Under new
business, we had
election of officers.
They are as follows:
President: Jes Tews, Vice
President: Clay Mulder,
Secretary: Kayce Mulder,
Reporter: Garrett Clark,
Historian: Levi Taylor.
We talked about a name
for our club and decided
to ask Pat Hauch if we could use the
“Buckaroo Crew Beef Club” since
we were named that a few years ago.
Linda will talk to Pat and see if she still
has our banner and if that would be ok.
We discussed the upcoming weigh
day and the date had not been set. We
also discussed about us working at
Fallon Daily Bread for our Community
Service and possibly giving to Toys-For-
Tots. We will be working at Fallon Daily
Bread on Feb. 3, 2011.
4 Footed Crew 4-H Club
Churchill County 4-H Lamb and Goat
Club the “4 Footed Crew” held its first
meeting Nov. 10, 2010.
The 4 Footed crew participated in a
community service project on Nov. 18.
The club went to a disabled families
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Formerly Fallon Welding & Fabrication
www.FallonWelding.com
Sales • Parts • Repairs
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Northern Nevada 4-H News
residence and stacked
wood, raked leaves
and cleaned the yard
for this family in need.
All club members and
their family members
joined in helping this
family. Everyone did an
excellent job and it was nice
to see the 4-H families come
together to help the members
in the community who need
a little help during the winter
and especially around the
holidays. The family was very
appreciative of all the helpers and
served them hot chocolate.
Goat, Sheep, Swine Weigh in & Tagging
Goat, Sheep & Swine weigh in & tagging
will be held on Feb. 26, 2011, from 9 a.m.
to noon. For animals being shown at
NJLS the cost is $20 per tag. For animals
being shown at CCJLS, swine will be $2 per
tag. Sheep & Goats will use their scrapie
tag numbers at no cost. If you have any
questions contact Amanda or Lisa at the
4-H Office 423-5121.
Time Travelers 4-H Club
We finally got our Time Travelers 4-H
club going on Sept. 17 with six kids. We
are planning to hold it every other Friday
after school, but holidays make for a weird
schedule so we will only have one meeting
in November and one in December.
What is the Time Travelers
4-H Club? It is a club
designed to get kids
into the museum so it
has elements of both
the Saturday Trip into
the Past and the Junior
Docent program. As
always the idea is to turn
kids onto history by getting
them involved with the use
of hands-on projects. We will
try different projects working
on each long enough to give
the kids a basic knowledge
of the skills involved until
each has found one thing
that they really want to
know more about. As they
go more in-depth on their
projects they will work toward
setting up an exhibit on the subject
that most interests them. The goal will
be to have an exhibit ready for the 4-H
extravaganza at the end of July. To reach
that goal they have started keeping a
journal of their travels into the past and the
skills they have learned.
All that they may have down at the
moment is the 4-H pledge, but it is a start
We started simply with candles: how are
they made, what are they made of, and
why should we want to know about them,
after all today we just flip a switch? We
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made dipped candles and Shooting Sports project
we will be making ice Pen of Five-Carson Valley Shepherds first
candles, but where did place shown by Cheyenne Bidart,
people keep candles Leah, Ethan and Lillie McKinney and
so that they would be Kimberly Russell.
handy and wouldn’t
Four members of the Douglas County
melt? The kids have
4-H Shooting Sports project competed at
been working on
the Nevada State 4-H Shooting Match in
candle boxes. One
Carson City on Sept. 18.
final project will be
how did people carry About 75 youth from across Nevada
a candle to use in competed in the disciplines of archery, .22-
the barn without caliber rifle, air rifle, shotgun, air pistol and
burning it down? In muzzleloader.
a lantern, of course,
so the final project Ethan Usher, 9, captured a gold medal
will be a candle lantern. and blue ribbon in both air rifle and .22-
caliber rifle.
What do the kids want to do next? After
Ethan McKinney, 9, won red ribbons in
all it is there club. The loudest and quickest
air rifle and .22-caliber rifle.
response was “Indians!” So in January we
will start learning about the very necessary Cody Lewis, 10, won red ribbons in air
skills that the people in this area needed rifle and .22 rifle, and a blue ribbon in
not only to survive but to thrive. Just think shotgun.
of all the things that the kids will be able
Leah McKinney, 11, won a bronze medal
to try their hand at. So wish them well on
and blue ribbon in air rifle, and a red
their journeys into the past and in making
ribbon in .22 rifle.
this an active, viable 4-H club.
Awards ceremony
Carcass Workshop & Quality Assurance
Douglas County 4-H held its annual
Remember there will not be as many
Awards Night Ceremony on Oct. 18 with
Quality Assurance Workshops scheduled more than 225 in attendance. Members
this year. No others
received Year Pins, Project Medals
have been set at and Portfolio/ Recordbook
this time. We are Awards based on their hard
working on a work and commitment
Jan. 29, 2011,
to their 4-H program.
workshop to be
Volunteers and
held in Fallon
community
with the topic
supporters
being carcass
were on
evaluation and a
hand to be
Quality Assurance
honored and
Workshop will be
to share in
held then, tentatively
the festivities.
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The evening
Livestock Leaders
started off with
Workshop
food and socializing followed
We will be holding a Livestock by the formal Awards Ceremony
Leaders Educational Workshop on Jan. 18, which is planned and led by the 4-H
2011, at 6:30 p.m. at the Extension Office Teen Leaders. A highlight of the night
during the regularly scheduled Livestock is the announcement of The Portfolio/
Leaders meeting. If you have any questions Recordbook winners. A record total of 77
or would like to participate please contact entries were received this year. Portfolios
Amanda at the 4-H Office 423-5121. contain ongoing and current years record
keeping, essays and photos combined
Douglas County 4-H into a specific format. The Carson Valley
There were 300 youth from Nevada Kiwanis members spend two days judging
who attended the 2010 4-H Expo held in the books and sponsor the cash awards for
conjunction with the Nevada State Fair the winners.
in Reno. Douglas County 4-H youth who The evening concluded with the Candle
successfully completed an application, Lighting Ceremony and many door prizes
resume, and interview to become new
followed by the end of year PowerPoint
state 4-H ambassadors were Kayla Boldrick presentation with photos and music from
and Melissa Stone. There are 16 Nevada the 4-H year (Oct.1, 2009 to Sept. 30, 2010).
ambassadors who serve for two years 4-H is a community of young people across
Douglas County 4-H competitors. America who are learning leadership,
citizenship and life skills, and is a youth
development program of the University of
Nevada Cooperative Extension.
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Winter 2010 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange 
FFA 83rd National Convention awards
By Lani Martin
FFA Reporter
Fifteen FFA students, two advisers
and two chaperones traveled last
month to Indianapolis for the 83rd
National FFA convention where
Churchill County students won
multiple awards.
In the Agricultural Issues event
Cheyanne Moore, Hailey Bunker,
Macy Myers, Robyn Openshaw
and Kadee Buckmaster received a
bronze team award.
In Dairy Cattle Evaluation, Donald
Moyle and Jessica Homma received
saddle horse adoption
Amigo
bronze medals, and Derek Whitten
and Bobby Fagundes received
silver medals individually, and
the team received a bronze
medal.
In Livestock Evaluation
the bronze medal team
consisted of Sam T. Guazzini
and Trevor Detomasi, and Tyler
Detomasi and Jake Olsen
received silver medals. In
the Creed speaking event
Lani Martin received a
silver medal and placed
eighth over all.
Other Nevada chapters
also represented
Nevada. Carson Valley
sent 11 students,
whose Floriculture team
received a silver medal
and Nursery and Landscape
team received a bronze medal.
Amber Fiesen and Michelle
Gibbons from Carson Valley
received their American degrees.
Diamond Mountain FFA sent
five students and received a
bronze medal in the Dairy Foods
competition. Brenna Wright from
Diamond Mountain received her
American Degree.
Ruby Mountain FFA received a
silver medal in Horse Evaluation, a
bronze in Agricultural Mechanics
and a bronze in the Poultry
Evaluation competition. From
Ruby Mountain, Tayler Landa,
Melissa Kern, Mallory Paoli,
February 12, 2011
18 saddle-trained wild horses
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Registration
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and Jacob Nutting received their
American degrees.
Silver Sage FFA students received
a bronze medal in Agricultural
Communications and a silver
medal in the Parliamentary
Procedure competition. They
received two stars for their
National Chapter Award. Casey
Gallagher from Silver Sage received
his American degree.
Wells FFA’s Meats Evaluation and
Technology team received a silver
medal and placed 15th over all. In
Agricultural Sales, they received
a silver medal and placed 16th
over all, and in Farm Business
Management they received a
bronze medal. Mason Garrett,
Shawn Pearson, Maggie Howell,
Dillon Rose and Dustan Birrer from
Wells FFA received their American
Degrees, and in Proficiency
Awards Emma Ballard received a
gold medal for Specialty Animal.
Winnemucca FFA’s Trenton
Montero received a bronze medal
in Prepared Public Speaking, and
the Marketing Plan team received
a bronze.
FFA coordinators said they are
proud of the accomplishments
made by the FFA students of
Nevada and their phenomenal
performances at both the state and
national levels.
Note: Lani Martin placed eighth
in the nation in the FFA Creed
Recitation.
10am
Oral
Competitive Bid
2010 Heritage
Foundation scholarship
winner announced
Nevada Farm Bureau
Kelsea Krenka of Elko has been selected as
the recipient of the 2010 Continuing Education
Scholarship award provided by the Nevada
Heritage Foundation.
Krenka is currently enrolled at Sul Ross State
University in Alpine, Texas, and is in her senior year
studying Animal Health Management. Her plans
are to graduate in the spring of 2011 and possibly
return to the Elko area working as a veterinary
assistant.
She graduated from Wells High School in 2007,
where she was a member of the Rodeo Team, Wells
FFA Chapter and Ruby Mountain 4-H club. While
maintaining a 3.0 GPA at Sul Ross, she is a member
of the Collegiate Rodeo Team and Roping Club
and involved in church activities. Krenka has also
remained a member of the Ruby Valley Volunteer
Fire Department.
The Heritage Foundation’s $1,000 Continuing
Education Scholarship Award is available to
students currently enrolled in either a traditional or
non-traditional post secondary program pursuing
goals in the agricultural or Ag-Business industry.
Applications are due by July 1st of each year and the
application is available on the Nevada Farm Bureau
website.
According to Steve Achard, chairman of the Board
of Directors of the Nevada Heritage Foundation,
this years’ scholarship committee had a difficult
time selecting a recipient because of the high
caliber of students submitting applications and
added that Kelsea is certainly representative of that
caliber and well deserving of this years’ award.
Budweiser
 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange Winter 2010

Another successful story - eggxactly!

By John Seelmeyer
Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange
So this story begins when Alan and Dawn Spinola
bought land out in the country near Red Rock
Road north of Reno so they could have a horse.
Which, in due course, brought them to the feed
store where Dawn Spinola saw some chicks that
were simply too cute to resist.
Which, in a classic chicken-and-egg story,
resulted in eggs — a few eggs at first for the
Spinolas’ friends, but now the flock has grown
to 461 chickens and the couple finds that they’re
busily developing a commercial egg business that
serves grocers and restaurants.
RenoEgg.com, the couple’s business, looks to
“I am more interested in putting
healthy food on people’s tables.”
~ Dawn Spinola
catch the wave of interest in locally grown and
healthier foods, delivering eggs produced by free-
ranging chickens to Reno-area kitchens within a
week. Dawn Spinola says that’s about four times
faster than deliveries from big egg producers to
traditional grocers.
And that, more than dreams of big profits, drives
the couple as they finance the growth of RenoEgg.
com through credit cards and knock on doors to
line up new markets.
“I am more interested in putting healthy food on
people’s tables,” says Dawn Spinola. But a start-
up egg business presents a tricky challenge in
balancing supply and demand.
Newly purchased chicks — the Spinolas mostly
raise heritage breeds that are in danger of
disappearance — need to be at least five months
old before they start producing eggs. That means
that RenoEgg.com can’t simply sign up customers
to begin deliveries tomorrow; the Spinola’s need
to be marketing potential new production months
in advance.
An additional challenge: As days grow shorter,
hens produce fewer eggs.
“I’m developing my market as I go along,” says
Dawn Spinola. “The Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission
is benefiting greatly from our learning.”
RenoEgg.com started selling 30 dozen at farmer’s
markets, then added distribution through Great
Basin Food Co-Op. Next up is distribution through
Whole Foods Market, and the couple hopes to
open doors at Walmart as well.
At the same time, the business distributes eggs to
restaurants such as Dish Café, Back of the House,
and Bistro 7.
Pricing — $3 a dozen at wholesale, $4 for direct
retail sales — is intended mostly to keep
the eggs price competitive with mass-
produced alternatives, Dawn Spinola
says.
But it’s not enough yet to generate a
profit.
Along with the costs of chicks and
feed, the biggest expense is housing
the flock and protecting chickens
from the cold and predators. “My
Ranch and Farm photo
birds live in little Taj Mahals,” says
Alan and Dawn Spinola developed a commercial egg business
Dawn Spinola. “Unhappy birds that serves grocers and restaurants in the Reno area.
won’t produce healthy eggs.”
Labor costs so far are minimal.
someday hope to add meat production to the
The Spinolas, each of whom hold
down full-time jobs in town, spend business. And they figure vertical integration
many of their free hours with chickens. — growing their own feed — would add further
A teen-aged worker helps out six hours a week. to the company’s sustainability.
Another worker devotes four a week to the But the business considerations, important as they
business in exchange for a steady supply of eggs. may be, take second place to the profound sense
While the growth of egg production is one step of satisfaction that Dawn Spinola finds among her
toward profitability, the owners of RenoEgg.com birds. “It makes me happy every day,” she says.

National Onion Labs tests Peri & Sons

Farms sweet onions
Special to the Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange
Yerington’s Peri & Sons Farms, Inc. has selected
National Onion Labs, Inc. (NOL) to test and certify
their 2010 Sweetie Sweet® sweet onions.
David Peri, President/CEO of Peri & Sons, Farms,
Inc. commented, “The National Onion Labs (NOL)
program is extremely thorough. First, they collect
samples from all areas of each field. After conducting
the pungency test, they test for the compounds that
cause eye tearing, then those that make the onion
taste sweet. And lastly, but extremely important, they
examine each lot for flavor including bitterness and
other negative flavors.”
David Peri goes on to say, “In today’s world, you can
find many onions in the grocery store that may be
labeled “sweet” but that would never pass NOL’s
pungency test. NOL has raised the bar because
even if an onion passes the pungency test, it still
has to pass theses other measures of taste. If it
doesn’t taste good, it doesn’t pass. At Peri & Sons
Farms, we are convinced that our Sweetie Sweet is
up to the test!”
Peri & Sons Farms has invested 10 years developing
the Sweetie Sweet genetics that consistently yield the
flavors which sweet-onion consumers’ desire and
which translate into increased category sales –
something today’s retailers demand. Once consumers
taste Sweetie Sweet onions, they come back for more.
David Peri goes on to comment that “Even though
our Sweetie Sweet onion is great right now, we are
always looking for ways to improve the quality and
flavor. We appreciate that NOL will provide additional
on-farm field-by-field analysis. This will enable
Peri & Sons Farms to further customize its farming,
harvest and storage operations. Peri believes, “Only
through testing can we learn when, where and how to
improve our farming and management practices so
that we can be sure the onions we offer our customers
and consumers will consistently exceed their
expectations.”
David Burrell, President of National Onion Labs,
Inc. reported his appreciation that Peri & Sons Farms
selected NOL. “We believe ourselves to be on the
cutting edge of onion flavor technology. It is refreshing
to find a grower who wants to use all these tools
to insure that consumers receive the best possible
product. Peri & Sons Farms has a long track record
of innovation and we are excited to be working with
them.”
National Onion Labs began testing the first Nevada
Sweetie Sweet field in September and will continued
until the final harvest in October. Only onions that
pass all of NOL’s strict testing standards are allowed
to be identified with NOL’s Certified Extra Sweet® or
Certified Sweet® certifications. Fields that are able to
meet NOL’s certification requirements will be listed on
the National Onion Labs, Inc. web page at http://www.
onionlabs.com. National Onion Labs, Inc., located
in Collins, GA., is the acknowledged industry leader
in onion flavor analysis and flavor certification of
onions. Started in 1998, NOL has been continuously
developing and utilizing the latest technology to
identify and improve onion flavor for retail and
institutional clients.
Peri & Sons Farms, Inc. currently grows, packages
and ships over 4,000 acres of onions year round.
“The reason our sweet onions have their unique
sweetness and onion flavor” remarked David Peri, “is
because they’re grown in an environment that they
love. They thrive on the warm days and cool nights in
the high desert of Yerington, Nevada. These optimal
growing conditions make for one truly unique sweet
onion! And by using National Onion Labs’ Flavor
Certification program, we can prove it.”
Winter 2010 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange 

Families recognized for their

contributions to farming, ranching
Lawrence
Ranch
The Lawrence Ranch,
which is located east
of Fallon on Stillwater
Road, was established
in 1908 by Charles
A. Lawrence, who
worked as a surveyor
for the Bureau
of Reclamation.
Originally 160 acres,
the ranch initially
belonged to I. H.
Kent. The Dale
Lawrence Ranch
was purchased
in November
1908 by Dale’s
father, Charles
A. Lawrence, for
$9,000. He built
a one-bedroom home on his new
property and was soon busy growing
alfalfa and had a small dairy. He also
Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange
had turkeys, chickens and some prize’
mares. Soon after building the house in
Nevadan ranching families are 1908, Charlie’s mother, Mary Ellen, and
especially proud of their heritage. To her new husband, J. W. Pierce, joined
recognize their contributions to state him in Stillwater.
agriculture, centennial status is given
to those whose farms and ranches have Charles Lawrence paid off his
loan for the ranch in 1915. In 1914,
been in the same family for at least 100
years. Albert and Addie Weishaupt arrived
from Illinois and bought 80 acres of
“These families have stuck to the land through thick
and thin for a long time. It’s an honor to recognize
them for their achievements.”
Liz Warner, Program Coordinator
Reno Wild West Fair
the original 160 from Charlie. Albert
Weishaupt helped Lawrence add a
Throughout the 1930s, Dale Lawrence
and his mother were farming alfalfa,
large back porch and another bedroom
onto the original house. His mother’s
corn and grain. He bought a couple of
bred sows and they each had eleven
new husband had died, and Mary Ellen piglets. With this rate of return, he
moved in with him. The house was soon had eight sows and a boar that
demolished in 1989, but a large barn produced about 100 wiener pigs twice a
still stands as does a small shop, a hay year that he fattened and sold. He also
derrick and granary. ran a small dairy with as many as 18
cows.
When Charles Lawrence died in 1929,
Eva continued farming and barely got In 1957 Dale sold all the sheep
by financially. At one point she and and got into the cattle business. Ron
Dale, their son, moved to Reno where Lawrence now owns and farms the old
she boarded and worked for a family place as well as the Peer place.
but one day stated, “We can starve
on the ranch as well as
here.”
So they moved
back to the ranch and
at some time before
1941 she went into the
egg business. She was a
member of the Nevada
Poultry Producers
Inc, a co-operation
that distributed
Silver White Brand,
Freshlaid Brand, and
Ranch Brand Eggs.
They were owned and
sponsored entirely
by Nevada poultry
growers.
At least three of
the chicken houses
are still in use. Dale
moved one
across the
road to use as
an equipment
shed.

This year ranches from Fallon,

Lovelock and Dayton were honored at
the Wild West Fair in Reno.
“These families have stuck to the
land through thick and thin for a long
time,” said Liz Warner, the program’s
coordinator. “It’s an honor to recognize
them for their achievements.
Since its inception in 2004, 41
families have been inducted into the
Centennial Ranch Program, which is
sponsored by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Natural Conservation
Resource Service, Nevada Farm Bureau,
Nevada Agricultural Foundation,
Nevada Heritage Foundation, Nevada
Cattlemen’s Association and the
Nevada Department of Agriculture.

Photo by Steve Ranson

The Lawrence Ranch, which is operated by the
grandson of Charles Lawrence, is located on
Stillwater Road east of Fallon.
10 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange summer 2010

Skip’s Place The home on the land was built

Skip’s Place in Fallon was
established in 1907 by Frances
Harrigan, who was born in Gold Hill
in 1873 and moved to Fallon when
he was 11 years old to live with his
grandparents after the deaths of his
parents. He raised bees for honey,
turkeys and cantaloupe, as well as
Durham cattle. Both his parents
died when he was young, so
he Harrigan family
Three generations of
gathered in 1928.
Harrigan lived with an aunt. As a young
boy, he worked on the Allen Tranch
in the St. Clair District, southwest of
Fallon.
A 1911 article in the Fallon Eagle
newspaper stated that Harrigan
shipped 592 cases of honey, needing an
eight horse team to bring it to town. His
granddaughters Yvonne Prettyman and
Sidney Ellen Imeson own the original
ranch.
in 1945, one year after the original
homestead burned.
Harrigan was active in local politics
and served as a county commissioner
for 12 years and served on the school
board. Harrigan married Martha Oats
in 1902, and they had five sons and
five daughters. When Harrigan died in
1948, he was survived by his wife, eight
children and 10 grandchildren.
Quilici Ranch
An account of the Quilici
Ranch was written several
years ago in the Nevada
Appeal by Ruby McFarland.
The Quilici Ranch has
been in the same family
since 1881. The ranch has
been handed down from
father to son and finally
from father to daughter.
The ranch is now known
as the Quilici-Selmi
Ranch. The ranch is
still family operated.
Luigi Quilici came
to Nevada and was
here a while before
“These families have stuck to the land through
thick and thin for a long time. It’s an honor to
recognize them for their achievements”
Ranch because she had heard of the
hardships some of the other Italian
Victorio traveled back and forth to Italy
and eventually settled in California.
when he was 23. He stayed 10 years
and went back to Italy. He married Rita
wives had endured on the Nevada Smeraldo and Duilio stayed and Quilici Selmi’s mother in Italy. They
ranches. ran the ranch and never returned to had three children: Salvatore, Rita, and
Around 1916, Victorio sold out Italy. They are buried in the Dayton
cemetery. Lugerro, the youngest of
Ledo. Luggero inherited a share of the
Dayton Ranch, so he came to Dayton
his share and followed his other
brother Salvatore back to Italy. Luigi’s sons, came to Dayton in 1921 and sent for his wife and children a
year later. Nunzia, Lugerro’s
wife came in June 1948 with
her little children. Sal was
almost nine, Rita was seven and
Ledo was five. The youngest of
the family, Larry was born in
America in 1954. It was a painful
transition for the family as it was
very primitive on the ranch.
They had left comfortable
surroundings in Italy.
Going to school was hard
on the children who had
just immigrated, as they
When Ruggero Quilici inherited a piece of his didn’t speak English. Sal and
father’s ranch, he moved his wife and three
children to Dayton from Italy.
Rita were put in the same
grade “so we could console
he bought the ranch. Luigi one another.” Rita says they
brought his three oldest sons, were behind because they
Victorio, Duilio, and Salvatore couldn’t speak English, but
with him the first time he they were ahead in math.
came to America. His younger Rita says, “Boy, we could
sons, Smeraldo and Luggero, sure whip them in math.”
eventually followed. Luigi’s wife The entire family had
refused to move to the Dayton
to work and still work
to keep the ranch going.
The kids all had chores to
do. They raised hogs, grew
potatoes, hay and wheat. The
potatoes were raised to sell in
Reno. As children, Sal and Rita
said the worst job was sorting
potatoes in the cellar.
~ Liz Warner, program coordinator
The one thing that was
apparent in those days was that
the ranches all depended on
one another for help. They all
helped in getting in the crops at harvest
time.
The ranch at 1125 Reservation Road
is currently owned by the Anker Family
Trust and the Monroe Family Trust
and currently includes 155 acres. The
Anker Ranch homesteaded ranch grew to 800 acres,
and during the years, the family has
Peter Hanson Anker established his
raised corn, sugarbeets and other
ranch west of Lovelock in 1877 on grains but primairy alfafa. Turkeys were
Reservation Road after immigrating
also raised for sale.
from Denmark. He was a county
commissioner, served as assemblyman In later generations the ranch became
known as the Anker, Wiley, Young
in the 22nd Session of the Nevada
Legislature, and was the grandfather of Ranch, and three of the original five
parcels remain in the family today.
Cliff Young, former Chief Justice of the
Nevada Supreme Court. The 160-acre Anker-Bendure
Ranch is located at 605
Reservation Road, a short
distance from the other
Anker Ranch.
The family acquired
the ranch sometime
during 1877-78, and
currently alfafa and grain
are currently grown there.
During the years, the ranch
also produced corn and
sugarbeats and also sold
turkeys. Other animals were
raised for the family.
Liz Warner, Ruby
McFarland and the families
contributed information to
this article.
Peter Anker, left, his wife Julia Faas
and five children.
, right,
Anker came to America in 1870 when
was 18 years old and barely knew any
English. He arrived in Nevda in 1871.
Four generations of Anker’s
descendants, including 91-year-old
granddaughter Phyllis Anker Bendure,
were inducted for two portions of the
original ranch they own.

Photo by Steve Ranson

Peacocks strut their stuff at the Anker-Monroe
ranch on an autumn afternoon.
Photo by Shannon Litz
The saddle house has been around for generations at the Quilici
Ranch near Dayton.

Ranson
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Photo b nker-
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th of Fall anch
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ovelo
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Skip’s
12 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange Winter 2010
Tonopah launches popular farmers market
By University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Although recent studies
have placed Nevada last
in the nation for its rate of
people who volunteer, a
new University of Nevada
Cooperative Extension
study of volunteers in a
rural part of the state finds
that it’s possible to not only
nurture strong volunteers
but that the effort can
have a lasting impact on a
Photo by UNCE
community.
Evelyn Van Poperin helps put
up a tent at a farmers market The study by three UNR
in Tonopah.
researchers focused
on how volunteers in
Tonopah successfully launched a farmers market, despite
the fact that Tonopah is hundreds of miles from Nevada’s
metropolitan areas. Last summer, the weekly farmers
market celebrated its sixth year and drew 34 vendors to the
small, high-elevation desert town. And the volunteers have,
well, themselves to thank.
“Our study found that volunteer-based community
development programs in isolated rural communities
produce positive impacts for both volunteers and the
towns they live in,” said Amy Meier, an assistant professor
with Cooperative Extension who authored the study with
UNCE Central-Northeast Area Director Loretta Singletary
and UNR Associate Professor George Hill.
Family Storyteller program wins national award
UNCE program brings the pleasure and benefits of reading to thousands of Nevada families
By Robert Mills
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Family Storyteller—a family-literacy program that has
helped bring lasting educational and economic benefits to
more than 16,000 Nevada families by incorporating books
and reading into their everyday lives—has received national
recognition from the federal government.
The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension program
was selected for a 2010 National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA) Partnership Award. Extension Specialist
Sally Martin—who created the program with Extension
Specialist Dan Weigel—will travel to Washington, D.C., to
accept the award at the NIFA Day of Appreciation on Oct. 6,
2010.
UNCE’s Family Storyteller program was selected over
scores of programs developed at more than 100 land-grant
universities throughout the country eligible for the NIFA
award. Parents in the Family Storyteller program learn that
reading to their preschool-aged children builds a strong
language foundation that helps children learn to read and
allows them to progress through school with greater success,
helping them to avoid falling behind or dropping out of
school.
“Kids who struggle in school become the people likely to
The three researchers’ study is being published this month
in the “International Journal of Volunteer Administration.”
Meier, the Extension educator for Tonopah, said a group
of Tonopah residents came to her several years ago
and asked for her help in launching a farmers market.
The residents wanted access to fresh produce but also
to encourage the local production of fresh fruit and
vegetables.
But instead of taking on the project herself, Meier
worked with volunteers to help them launch the market.
She mentored volunteers, and helped them form a
community action team that went on to spearhead the
project. The group wrote a mission statement, applied for
grants, learned government protocol and gained valuable
understanding of project management and leadership.
“My goal was to teach them the leadership skills
they needed to gain the self-confidence to do the job
themselves,” Meier said.
A key lesson for the core group of farmers market founders
was learning how to recruit, retain and manage additional
volunteers. An initial group of six volunteers blossomed
into more than 35 active volunteers, and many are still
involved today.
“They have the confidence now to believe they can
influence the design of future community development
programs,” Meier said.
The success in Tonopah contradicts the finding of a study
by the Corporation for National and Community Service,
which concluded three years ago Nevadans don’t volunteer
end up unemployed or in low-paying jobs,” Martin said.
“So it’s really exciting and positive when they gain these
foundation skills.”
UNCE’s Family Storyteller program, designed especially for
families with limited language skills and few children’s books
at home, is available in English, Spanish, English Language
Learner and Native American versions. UNCE collaborated
with the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, KNPB-
TV, Washoe County libraries, the Washoe County School
District, Nevada’s College of Education, the Northern Nevada
Literacy Council, State Library System, Children’s Cabinet,
Head Start, Even Start, preschools and private donors to
develop the program. The late Jo Anne Kock, an Extension
Specialist in Clark County, was also involved in creating the
program.
Local public television station KNPB joined the Family
Storyteller project early in the process, producing short
videos featuring parents reading to their children. Over the
years, Family Storyteller resources and services have found
a very special place in the Ready To Learn activities of the
station.
“We teach parents to watch our children’s programs with
their children, then turn off the set and read a book,” Vice
President of Education Patricia Miller said. “What we have
learned through taping
these families reading to
their children is the power
of the book. All the studio
distractions of multiple
cameras, bright lights and
television crew fade away
when the parent begins to
read.”
The need for the program
was made clear when
studies ranked Nevada
47th in the nation for the
percentage of parents
who say they read to their
children. Other studies
found that 51 percent of
third-grade and 47 percent
of fourth-grade students in
Nevada read below the basic
reading level.
Weigel said national
very much and those who do often drop out quickly. That
study ranked Nevada last in the nation for volunteerism
and blamed the state’s rapid growth, relatively low number
of nonprofit organizations and a lack of emphasis on
volunteering.
But Singletary says the experience in Tonopah could
become a model for other small communities.
“Our study shows that volunteers gain valuable skills in
conflict resolution, planning and managing projects,” she
said. “When we surveyed the volunteers in Tonopah, most
of them said they plan on continuing to volunteer for at
another five years.”
Cooperative Extension Dean and Director Karen Hinton
said Meier’s success in Tonopah reflects Extension’s long-
time practice of recruiting and retaining good volunteers.
“We had more than 1,600 volunteers from around the
state helping us
with our programs
last year,” Hinton
said. “From
master gardeners
to weed warriors
to 4-H leaders,
these volunteers
put in many
thousands of
hours into helping Photo by UNCE
other Nevadans The success of Tonopah’s Farmers
every year.” Market was in the fruit and vegetables the
volunteers sold.
Photo by UNCE
Parents in the Family Storyteller program learn that reading
to their preschool-aged children builds a strong language
foundation that helps children learn to read and allows them to
progress through school with greater success
recognition for Family Storyteller will help to illustrate the
importance of reading to children at an early age.
“The early foundations—before children do what’s
called conventional reading—start before formal school,”
Weigel said. “These are things like learning to enjoy books,
learning the sounds of words and learning that words have
meanings.”
Many parents with low-literacy levels have benefited
from the program and have improved their own reading
comprehension and vocabulary, Martin said. The Family
Storyteller program often incorporates the entire family.
“The parents in our program want what’s best for their
children and work very hard, so we are very excited to see
them come and participate with their children,” Martin said.
“Sometimes children show up with their brothers and sisters,
too.”
UNCE Dean and Director Karen Hinton said the program’s
impacts were easily identifiable. “This is a program that
has produced measurable outcomes for the families
participating,” Hinton said. “It also produces long-term,
positive outcomes for communities and the state as a whole.”
Through selected book-reading techniques, grammar
lessons and practice-reading sessions, parents who
have completed the Family Storyteller program show
marked improvement in their vocabulary and reading
comprehension.
“Parents feel much more certain that they can help their
children learn,” Weigel said. “They’ve definitely increased
their confidence.”
Winter 2010 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange 13
75th annual NCA convention termed a success
By Meghan Brown, Executive Director
Nevada Cattlemen’s Association
The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association 75th joint annual
convention in November concluded successfully, and for
three days members joined together in educational forums,
Cattlemen’s College sessions, policy meetings, social events
and award banquet.
NCA members joined together to set policy and the
direction of the association, and this year was no exception.
This year 250 members traveled to Elko and participated
in these important meetings. Issues such as wild horses,
estate tax, youth education, water rights, wildlife and federal
land management were discussed, and policy was set forth.
Three new policies that were passed. The membership is the
backbone of the association, and without the strength of the
membership, the NCA cannot tackle the issues the industry
faces.
The theme of this year’s convention was “Today’s
Challenges, Tomorrows Opportunities.” It is no secret that
cattlemen face obstacles every day but the more they stand
together on the issues all of us face, the better chance of
success they have.
The convention started with the NCA Board of Directors
meeting. The budget was discussed and approved. Updates
on membership, fundraising and legislative affairs were given
along with updates from Nevada Beef Council, National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Nevada CattleWomen’s.
Meetings and presentations
The first day of convention was filled with policy meetings.
New and renewing policy was heard, along with updates from
state and federal agencies. Issues such as water rights, wildlife,
wild horses, grazing permits, brand department, animal
health and litigation were discussed during the meetings.
The second day started with policy meeting and then
transitioned into Pfizer Cattlemen’s College.
The first session was a jam-packed session starting with
reproduction performance and weaning health. Dr. Richard
Linhart spoke regarding the beef cattle reproduction and
herd health to help improve reproductive efficiency. He gave
a dynamic presentation that engaged producers regarding
reproduction performance and health at weaning.
The next presentation was from John Lowhan, who spoke
about what it means to be an advocate for the industry. He
spoke about what we can do at home, on the ranch with our
care and health standards with our animals. He went on to
demonstrate how decisions on the ranch affect the outcomes
on the dinner plate and the overall enjoyment and eating
experience of our product. With humor and sincerity he told
the story that we should all be proud to tell.
The last presentation was from Dr. Kynda Curtis. She
presented on transition strategies for the next generation.
She discussed estate tax planning and farm/ranch transition
strategies to include business structures, trusts, new
enterprise building and alternative marketing strategies.
Colin Woodall from NCBA and Dustin Van Liew from PLC
also made presentations to the membership during our
General Session. Woodall gave an update on the elections,
what we can expect from the lame duck session and what the
workup the House of Representatives might look like with
new leadership.
Woodall also touched on some of the key victories that
NCBA had during the past year and how some of the bigger
challenges may go away with several members not being
reelected. A priority for the 112th Congress is the 2012 Farm
Bill. The discussions regarding the upcoming Farm Bill have
already begun. NCBA is involved in that process and will
continue to be.
Dustin Van Liew gave an update on federal land issues and
litigation PLC is involved in. PLC is engaged in the wild horse
issue, permit renewals, grazing fee litigation, EAJA reform,
death tax reform, and communication with new leadership
in the House. Dustin also gave an update on the El Paso PLC
agreement. He stated that no formal agreement has been
made and no money has been taken. When an agreement
has been finalized it will come before the board of PLC to vote
on the agreement. Many questions were raised regarding the
agreement and Dustin was able to clarify.
Grazing issues
The second day of Cattlemen’s College was a forum on
“Hot Season Grazing” and “Grazing for Fuel Reduction.” The
objectives of the forum were to update definition of grazing
in Nevada — put the focus on joint management by agencies
and permittees, identify issues with hot season grazing,
determine opportunities and obstacles for using grazing as a
vegetation management tool and re-define Nevada grazing
paradigm from growing beef to growing forage resources
emphasizing need for joint management.
There were presentations relating to the history of grazing in
Nevada by Gary McCuin, what is “Rangeland Readiness” by
Barry Parryman and how research can be applied to everyday
management and achieve results that are good for the land
and good for the producer by Jake Tibbits.
The discussion then turned to grazing during the hot
season. Tamzen Stringham gave a presentation on grazing
the uplands and the different effects grazing can have on
the habitat and on the grazing animal. She gave examples
from different vegetation communities and different grazing
techniques and their impacts.
Sherm Swanson’s presentation centered on riparian grazing
management and the ability to have healthy streams and
grazing. Active management is key to health rangelands.
The final two presentations focused on active vegetation
management and grazing as a tool for fuels reduction, weed
control and habitat enhancement. Lee Turner presented
one on Partners for Conservation and Development. This
program is designed to have those work together to leverage
resources and increase effectiveness of conservation
measures.
The forum concluded with a panel discussion to identify
opportunities and obstacles to addressing hot season grazing
and implementing grazing as a tool for fuels reduction,
weed control, habitat enhancement, etc. Panel members
included individuals from the Bureau of Land Management,
Nevada Department of Wildlife, NRCS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, University of Nevada and livestock producers. For
over an hour audience members and panelists discussed the
challenges they face, the ideas they have, and the solutions
they hope will come of these discussions. Frustrations were
vented regarding what has happened in the past and how we
are going to get where we need to be as land managers.
Each year the NCA looks not only to its producer members
to support the association but also turns to its associate
members to help sponsor events, meals, and meetings during
convention. Without the help, dedication and support of the
NCA’s allied members events such as convention would not
be possible.
NCA awards
The final event of convention each year is the awards
banquet. This annual event honors individuals in the cattle
industry that have gone above and beyond to represent for
what the industry stands. This year the NCA recognized five
award recipients.
The first presentation of the evening was to the members
of the association who have served on boards and
commissions in the state. Harvey Barnes served on the
Nevada Board of Agriculture; Pete Mori served on the
Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners; and Dave
Cassinelli served on the Nevada Board of Agriculture.
President-elect J.J. Goicoechea presented these men with
plaques and certificates from the Nevada congressional
delegation and thanked them for their service and
dedication.
An award was also given to Chris Collis for his 32 years of
service to the Nevada Department of Agriculture Division
of Animal Identification. He worked hard as an inspector,
investigator, and administrator for the Division. Collis
received a plaque and certificates from the congressional
delegation.
Each year the NCA recognizes a member who has gone
Meghan Brown
above and beyond by recruiting members. This year Tracy
Vigil was given this recognition as he has been working hard
to grow the allied industry portion of Nevada Cattlemen’s
membership. He was awarded a grilling basket.
Another milestone award is the 100,000 mile award. Each
year this award is given to an individual who has spent a
lifetime in the saddle. This year’s recipients are Betty Bear
and Merilyn Sustacha. Paula Wright presented the award
to her mother Betty Bear. She spoke of the cattle drives, the
travels, and trips she made horseback, the many horses
she owned and rode. She had many great memories and
adventures with her horses. Bill McKnight presented
Merilyn Sustacha with her award. He told stories of her past
and the adventures they have had together. Both of these
women lay claim to 100,000 miles horseback.
Sue Hoffman from Nevada Agriculture Foundation
presented the 2010 Teacher of the Year Award to Fallon’s
Kim Jung. She incorporates agriculture into her classroom
in several exciting and educational ways. Jung’s units of
study include but are not limited to cowboy theme, farm
theme, how agriculture has played a large part in local and
state history, seed and planting theme, along with fruit
and vegetable theme. The Nevada Agriculture Foundation
presented her with a $1,000 donation to be used toward
future Ag in the Classroom activities.
Each year a Cattleman of the Year is presented to an
outstanding individual who represents industry, Nevada,
and the elements that make a great cattleman. This year the
award was given to Ron Torrell.
Many members work hard to represent the association
and advocate for the association and don’t receive any
recognition. Without ever being asked Torrell steps up
to the plate and does whatever he can. He is creative in
fundraising techniques, membership recruitment, and is
always there to lend a hand no matter what the event or time
commitment. Members appreciate his investment into the
Nevada Cattlemen’s Association and into the industry, and
we understand we would not be as successful without his
support and dedication. Torrell was awarded a hat donated
by American AgCredit. Each year American AgCredit
donates a custom hat to the Cattleman of the Year recipient.
The final award of the evening was the President’s Award.
This award is chosen by the president of the association and
given to someone who they feel has impacted the industry
in a positive way. This year Chris Gansberg was chosen for
the award. Gansberg has put countless hours in every year
to put on the Fallon Bull Sale. This event brings exposure
and revenue into the association. Without his dedication
and leadership this event would not be possible.
For over 25 years Chris Gansberg has dedicated himself to
putting on a great Fallon Bull Sale. As times have changed
so has the sale and with his leadership we continue to
have a great sale. This year will be the 45th Annual sale. He
received a custom pad folio engraved with his name and
brand. Again we thank him for his service to the association,
consignors and membership.
14 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange Winter 2010
These goats were made
for weed control
By Zach Allen
Nevada Farm Bureau
Fallon resident Gloria Montero owns and operates
Weed Warriors. She and her goats travel throughout
Nevada going to different job sites where there is an
abundance of weeds. At this particular site outside of
Gardnerville, the goats’ main duty was eating out-of-
control whitetop.
Montero has owned Weed Warriors for over five years,
and she has 20 plus years of experience with goats. She
also has over 15 years of nursery experience and is a
master gardener. So she can easily identify an invasive
species and diagnose the best solution to the problem.
The best solution is obviously goats, because they are an
environmentally safe and more cost-effective solution.
This particular job was contracted through the Nevada
Division of Forestry, near Mud Lake just outside of
Gardnerville. The main problem was whitetop, but the
goats were also eating Canadian Thistle and Desert
Tamarik. Gloria utilizes precision grazing. Precision
grazing means that the goats are confined to specific
areas where the invasive weeds are most prominent.
When the area is cleared, the goats are then moved
to another area. Precision grazing eliminates the
noxious weeds, but allows for other desirable
plants to be left untouched.
Montero owns 90 goats, but will lease additional
goats from other producers if the job requires
more goats. There were over 100 goats on site for
this job. Each goat unit employs 100 goats and each
unit will eat their way through one acre per day.
Goats are perfect for noxious weed eradication.
Goats are browsers, meaning they will not pick
through the grasses to find their favorite brand of
plant. They will eat just about anything. They are
also extremely agile so they can reach areas where
it would be difficult to apply herbicides or use heavy
equipment.
Goats are step one in a three step process for total
eradication of an invasive, noxious weed. After the goats
have gone through and cleared an area, the next step
would be to spray the area with Habitat. The final process
would be to bring the goats back. This three step process
usually takes care of the weed problem.
Video was also taken of the goats. If you would like to
view the video interview with Gloria and see the goats in
action log onto www.nvfb.org/video.
If you have a weed problem and would like to contact
Monero, you can reach her at (775)427-8210.
A good time to test your home for radon
By Megan Long
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
With winter creeping closer, it’s a good time to winterize
your home, and it’s also a good time to test your home for
radon.
Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that comes
from the decay of uranium in rocks and soil. But how does
it get into your home? The radon gas, which emits tiny
radioactive particles, can seep up through cracks in solid
floors, construction joints, gaps around service pipes and
many other conduits into your home. In the colder months
when your home is sealed up tightly, radon levels can rise
and become a danger to you and your family. It is estimated
that radon causes about 20,000 lung cancer deaths per
year, which is more than drunken driving and home fires
combined. It is the leading cause of lung cancer among
nonsmokers, and if you do smoke, your risk increases. But
it is also a preventable risk, and one that your family can
easily test for.
A short-term radon test kit will give you an accurate, easy
snapshot of the radon level in your home. These screening
kits are put out in your home for about three days, during
which time they take an air sample that is sent to a lab for
results. The kit includes detailed instructions, the test, a
There are three other producers in Nevada who own
businesses that go throughout Nevada and practice weed
abatement. Weed Warriors is a little different. Montero is
the only producer that stays with her goats on the job site
for the entire duration that the goats are needed. Because
the goats are out in the open, they could be an easy target
for predators. The biggest threat to goats are coyotes.
However, coyotes are no threat to Montero’s goats
because of a Great Pyrenees that stays with the goats. The
Great Pyrenees fiercely protects her goats.
All of the goats are tested and have to be CL and CAE
free. They are also vaccinated twice per year and their
hooves are done twice per year.
Montero only employs does on the job site. There
are no males at the site. She also kids the goats in the
spring and the goats never kid while on a site. A
pregnant goat at a site adds stress to the doe
and after birth causes a predator concern
with the after birth and fresh blood. In
addition to raising goats to clear noxious
weeds, Montero also raises the goats
for dairy and meat consumption
at her ranch in Fallon.
Photo by Steve Ransom
Gloria Montero owns and
operates Weed Warriors. The
Fallon resident and her goats
travel throughout looking to
take care an abundance
of weeds.
postage-paid mailer and all of the lab fees.
If the short-term test reveals elevated levels of radon,
then a second test is recommended to confirm the result.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
set an “action level” of 4 picocuries per liter of air and
recommends mitigating your home if you find levels in
excess of this number. A certified mitigator can install a
radon-reduction system, which is very effective in reducing
radon levels in your home.
Radon can be a problem in any type of home, old or new,
tightly sealed or drafty, as well as any type of foundation
such as a basement, crawl space or slab on grade. Because
radon is a gas, any building with contact to the soil (this
includes your home, school, office building etc.) is at risk.
Of course, not everyone exposed to radon will develop lung
cancer, but the higher the level of radon and the longer the
exposure, the greater the risk. By conducting a simple test,
you can ensure that you and your family are not in jeopardy.
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Radon
Education Program encourages testing. Cooperative
Extension offices statewide offer short-term radon test kits
for a nominal fee and these kits are free in Washoe, Douglas,
Carson City, Clark, Southern Nye and Lincoln counties. The
program also offers educational programs and resources
Pesticide applicator
training sessions
scheduled
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the
Nevada Department of Agriculture will be holding
certified pesticide applicator training sessions in
Winnemucca and Yerington in early 2011.
The training provides six hours of continuing
education credits for certified pesticide applicators.
An applicators test will be given Nov. 10 for those
who wish to recertify by exam rather than through
continuing education units.
The training includes sessions on pesticide laws;
label and Internet resources; worker protection
and record keeping; insects, including spiders and
scorpions; weed management; environmental safety
and groundwater protection; and squirrels, gophers
and other vertebrate pests.
The training sessions occur from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
on the first day and the $25 certification exam is given
from 8:30 a.m. to noon on the second day. The $25
exam fee is collected at the door; credit cards and
advanced payments are not accepted, and checks
should be made out to the Nevada Department of
Agriculture.
Participants must have a current and valid Nevada
Pesticide Applicators Certificate to get continuing
education credits. You must bring your certification
card as well as identification to the training. Those
attending for continuing education credits don’t need
to attend the second day or take the exam.
Pesticide control operators are not eligible for
continuing education credits; only state-certified
pesticide applicators will get education credits. Those
taking the exam must study for it; material is available
from Cooperative Extension at (775) 784-4848 or
online at www.nevadapesticideeducation.com. For
more information, contact Jon Carpenter at (775) 353-
3715 or jcarp@agri.state.nv.us.
Here are the dates and
locations for the training
Winnemucca • Jan. 19-20
Cooperative Extension Office
1085 Fairgrounds Road • Winnemucca, NV. 89445
Yerington • Feb. 3-4
Lyon County Library
20 Nevin Way • Yerington, NV 89447
available through their website at www.RadonNV.com or
by calling Long at the NV Radon Hot Line, 1-888-RADON10
for more information or to schedule a presentation.
Since September 2007, UNCE, working with the Nevada
State Health Division, has distributed more than 16,000
radon test kits. The results of these tests give us a good
indication of radon potential throughout Nevada, with
some counties showing a high rate of elevated radon
– including Pershing County, where 60 percent of the
tests conducted showed elevated levels, and Douglas
County, where 40 percent of the homes had elevated levels
– program officials are encouraging all homeowners have
their homes tested.
The data from more than 7,484 tests show that homes in
14 of Nevada’s 17 counties have greater than 10 percent
probability of having elevated levels of radon, and that 25.6
percent of all homes tested have levels higher than the
action level established by the EPA. So what does this mean
for you and your family? The only way to know is to test!
To find out how to use a simple radon test, go to UNCE’s
YouTube Channel and watch the video.
Meghan Long is Radon Education Coordinator, Nevada
Radon Education Program.
Winter 2010 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange 15
Honey business sweet
for producers
By John Seelmeyer
Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange
Chris Foster figures he has a fairly decent handle on the
behavior of consumers.
But bees? Not such much.
“They’re always doing things that you don’t
understand,” says Foster, whose Hidden Valley Honey
distributes through regional grocery chains and
specialty retailers.
He’s a relatively rarity among honey producers,
someone building a full-time business in a field that’s
dominated by hobbyists and part-timers.
Hobbyists account for 95 percent of the beekeepers in
the United States, estimates The National Honey Board,
and another 4 percent of the nation’s beekeepers are
folks who view it as a part-time job.
The approximately 1,600 commercial beekeeping
operations in the United States — a number that
includes Hidden Valley Honey — account for
about 60 percent of the nation’s honey
production.
Although bees handle much of
the work — collecting nectar,
creating honey — there’s
plenty left for the
beekeeper as
well.
“As a beekeeper, you’re a
co-keeper with the bees,” says
part-timer Al Sindlinger of Reno. “It’s
hard work. If you’re not into physically
demanding work, I wouldn’t recommend it.”
The high-energy Sindlinger — he takes care of
90 hives when he’s not teaching math to Reno middle
schoolers or working his summer job as a firefighter —
says schlepping hive boxes that weigh 60 or 80 pounds
from one field to another quickly loses its entertainment
value.
Making that work all the more
challenging, Foster says, is this:
Movement of bee colonies is best done
in the dark of night. Otherwise, bees that
are in the fields working won’t find their
way back to the hive. (In fact, he says,
bees will get lost if the hive is moved
as little as five feet while they’re out
collecting nectar.)
Foster, who manages about 200 colonies
from Gardnerville to Yerington to
Wadsworth, works all the harder because
he’s taking a financially conservative
approach since launching Hidden Valley
Honey as a full-time venture this year.
For a dozen years, Foster and his wife,
Karen, joined with their two children to
produce honey and related items such as
candles, soap and lip balm that they sold
at farmers markets as a sideline to the
family’s income.
Now that he’s doing it full-time, Foster dreams of the
day that he afford a forklift and a truck to move colonies.
But he’d rather sweat than borrow money.
Nevada’s honey producers sweat a bit more than their
peers in other parts of the nation to produce a profit.
The estimated 10,000 bee colonies in the state
produced an average of 52 pounds of honey each last
year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. That’s a bit
less than the national average of 58.5 pounds of honey
per colony.
And the average price paid for Nevada honey in 2009
— $129 a pound — lagged the national average of
$144.50 a pound.
The costs for Nevada producers, however, are the same
as those across the country: About $300 for a wooden
hive box, $150 or so for four pounds of bees delivered by
U.S. mail, another $20 or $25 for a queen bee. Producers
usually pay in honey, rather than cash, to landowners
whose property hosts hives.
But honey producers willing to take on the hassle of
retail distribution rather than selling their product on
wholesale markets can widen their margins.
Hidden Valley Honey, for instance, distributes through
Scolari’s and Whole Foods Market locations. Foster
and his wife also spend plenty of time in the car to
make deliveries to other retailers such as Great Basin
Community Food Co-op., Great Harvest Bread, Trimmer
Outpost in Genoa, Hungry Mother Organics in Minden,
Nothing To It! Culinary Center in Reno and New Moon
Natural Foods in Truckee.
Consumers, Foster says, are willing to pay a premium
for local honey rather than mass-market brands.
In some instances, Sindlinger says, consumers believe
that local honey can help them overcome allergies.
Some who suffer from allergies to rabbitbrush pollen, for
instance, swear to the powers of rabbitbrush honey.
To keep those buyers happy, Sindlinger lately has been
placing more his hives in creek drainages rather than
farm fields where pesticides might be used.
On the other hand, the retail honey business brings
its own hard work — development of labels, bottling
operations and a constant round of visits to ensure that
store shelves remain stocked.
Foster and his family, meanwhile, spend many of
their summer nights and weekends at farmers markets,
talking about an observation hive that
draws customers to their
stand and selling
honey and other
products.
Another key
revenue
stream
for
northern Nevada honey producers comes from rental
of their colonies to the California almond farmers who
require at least colonies per acre to ensure their crop is
fertilizer.
That rental, Sindlinger says, can account for as much
as a third of the revenue generated by a single colony
during a year — revenue that more than makes up for
the work of hauling hives across the Sierra.
For all the details of watching costs, making sure bees
are well-fed and disease free and finding markets for
honey, Foster says the most-challenging part of honey
production remains unchanged, even for people who
have been in the business for decades.
“The hard part,” he says, “is managing bees.”
Economy
forces Tahoe
Creamery to
shut down
By Scott Neuffer
Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange
The merciless economy may have
claimed its sweetest victim yet.
Tahoe Creamery of Minden has
shut down operations. Empty
crates lay stacked in front of
the manufacturing
suite in the Meridian
Business Park. Inside,
the company’s
famous filler
machine, once used
to fill large quantities
of paper pints, stood
defunct, motionless, half covered
in wrapping.
Two Tahoe Creamery pickup trucks
remained parked outside, but no
employees were in sight. A phone call
to the head office ended in a recorded
message saying, “Tahoe Creamery is
no longer producing ice cream due to
the stressful economic climate.”
The news came as a shock to fans
who have enjoyed the company’s 150
homemade recipes in restaurants and
stores all over the region, from the most
popular flavor, blueberry, to Batters Up,
once the official ice cream of the Reno Aces.
The news was especially shocking given
the optimistic report from owner Greg Hoch
in February. At the time, Hoch said business
had quadrupled in the preceding year and that
production had increased from 12,000 pints of
ice cream to 26,000 pints a month. The product,
company executives maintained, was reaching
about 50 chain stores throughout Nevada and
California.
“We’ve been blessed,” Hoch said in a previous
interview. “We’ve been growing kind of fast. We don’t
even have time to sit down and analyze the numbers.
They’re coming in fast and furious.”
Hoch grew up on Shady Glen Dairy Farm in
Manchester, Conn. In 2000, he moved with his family
to Nevada and opened the Sierra Glen restaurant in
Carson City. In 2004, after starting Tahoe Creamery
in the back room of the restaurant, Hoch closed the
Sierra Glen and opened the production facility off
Airport Road.
The company first sold 2.5-gallon boxes of ice cream
to restaurants and hotels before developing the pint-
sized product known today.
Photo by Scott Neuffer
A defunct filler machine inside Tahoe Creamery in Minden.
16 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange Winter 2010
Cattlemen’s Update begins tour in January
By Steve Ranson
Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange
The annual Cattlemen’s Update, an annual program
that informs ranchers on the latest information related to
the industry, kicks off Jan. 3 with an interactive video feed
from Washoe County’s extension office and an evening
meeting in Fallon.
Photo by Steve Ranson
Ron Torrell spoke at last year’s update in Fallon.
Nevada Cattlemen’s Association:
Cabin Fever Reliever
California Grass Tour
By Nevada Cattlemen’s Association
Three days away from the ranch for two
would serve anyone well as a “cabin fever
reliever.”
The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association in
cooperation with Allied Industry Support
is conducting a “Cabin Fever Reliever”
California grass road trip March 14-
16, 2011. Interested people are invited
to participate in this three-day, two-
night social, educational and industry
supportive event. Attendees will have
the opportunity to interact with fellow
cattlepersons as participants travel by bus
to one of the most pristine winter grass
areas of the West. Participants will have
the opportunity to make new marketing
contacts, learn about industry issues as
well as products and services offered by
beef producers and Allied Industries.
Fifty seats are available on the bus so
make your reservations early. The bus will
leave Elko from the NCA office on March
14 at 7 a.m. heading down I-80 west. NCA
will pick up passengers as the bus travels
toward Cottonwood, Calif., that evening.
Western Video Market will host a tri-tip
meal and social event the first evening
while Merial Animal Health will host
the second evening meal and social
event. Both events will be complete with
potential California buyers of your cattle.
The entire trip will be laced with
educational opportunities relative
to agriculture resources in Northern
California with visits to Rogue River
Ranch, possibly Rich Rice, Sparrowk and
Duane Martin ranches. Collectively these
ranches annually purchase more than
15,000 stocker cattle, many from Northern
Nevada ranches.
The tour will make a short stop in
Carson City to make a “cowboy hat”
The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension This year’s program includes a welcome and update on
sponsors the program for beef cattle producers. According the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural
to the UNCE, the subject matter is determined on a needs Resources by Dean Ron Pardini. The college was hurt in
assessment from cattle producers and current trends. 2010 with emergency budget cuts at the university level
The Washoe County program begins at 10:30 a.m. with to consolidate some programs and eliminate others.
registration beginning one hour prior. The conference Dr. Bryan Stegelmeier of the Poisonous Plant Research
will also be offered to attendees at the extension offices Lab in Logan, Utah, will give a presentation on poisonous
in Eureka, Caliente, Tonopah, Lovelock, Logandale and plants and forage kochia.
Burns, Ore. Another discussion will center on the fall grazing of
Registration for the Fallon event begins at 6 p.m., cheatgrass, presented by Dr. Barry Perryman of the
followed by the presentation at 6:30 p.m. CABNR. (See related article in this edition of the Ranch
The week-long Cattlemen’s Update then heads to the and Farm).
Wellington Community Center on Jan. 4; the White Pine Dr. David Thain, the state extension veterinarian,
Convention Center on Jan. 5; the Stockman’s Hotel and traveled with the tour last year. This year’s topic will focus
Casino in Elko on Jan. 6; and the Winnemcca extension on current trends in beef quality assurance.
office on Jan. 7. Dr. Tom Harris from CABNR will offer insight into the
UNCE Dean Karen Hinton said it is important to receive attitudes found on a trichomoniasis survey.
feedback from local producers because of the tight
economy. She said the last
Legislature cut 17 percent
from the UNCE budget in 2011 When: Tuesday, January 4th
Registration 5 p.m.
2009.
Cattlemen’s Update Dinner 5:30 p.m.
“There have been a lot of
changes in the industry, Program 6:30 p.m.
When: Monday, January 3rd Where: White Pine County Convention
she said. Registration 10 a.m. Center, Ely, NV
For example, Hinton said Program 10:30 a.m.
UNCE is bringing the most Where: Washoe County Extension Office When: Thursday, January 6th
up-to-date research to the Interactive video sites: Registration 12:30 p.m.
industry. Eureka, Caliente, Tonopah, Program 1:00 p.m.
Lovelock, Logandale, NV Where: Stockman’s Hotel and Casino,
and Burns, Ore. Elko, NV
When: Monday, January 3rd When: Friday, January 7th
Registration 6 p.m. Registration 10:30 a.m.
Program 6:30 p.m. Program 11:00 a.m.
Where: Fallon, NV (Multi-purpose Lunch 12:00 p.m.
building at the Churchill County
Fairgrounds)
Where: UNCE Extension Office,
Winnemucca, NV
presence during the 2011 legislative
FALLON
session and view the Hope on the Range
display, take in a Nevada Beef Council
retail promotion display, visit with the
California Cattlemen’s Association office
staff relative to common issues and see a
California winery and other agriculture
enterprises unique to northern California.
Additional information will be presented Sale Every 11:00am
on the bus by sponsoring Allied Industry
companies. Tuesday
The bus is scheduled to return to
Elko on March16. Cost of the event
is $250 per seat which includes all
meals and transportation. Motel costs
for two nights are not included in
registration. Producers and spouses, Livestock Exchange, Inc.
Allied Industry representatives, both
NCA and potential NCA members from
Nevada and surrounding states are all
welcome to participate. Several Allied
industries pitched in to sponsor the cost
of transportation and meals making
Selling all classes of
the proceeds of your $250 donation 100
percent in support of NCA’s mission
which is promoting a dynamic and
Sheep • Goats • Pigs • Cattle • Horses
profitable Nevada beef industry which
represents the interest of its producers
and consistently meets consumer needs
Where we work for you, the consignor…
while increasing Nevada’s market share.
Sponsors of this first NCA Cabin Fever
Reliever fund raising event include
American AgCredit, Animal Profiling
Monte Bruck • Manager
International, Boehringer Ingelheim,
Destron Fearing, Intermountain Farmers
Tel: 775.867.2020
Association, Merial, Nevada Beef
Council, Novartis Animal Health, Pinenut
Fax: 775.867.2021 • Cel: 775.426.8279
Livestock, Schering Plough Animal
Health, Simplot Land & Livestock, Sterling
Solutions, Superior Livestock Auction and
Western Video Market.
Sign up today by contacting the Nevada See you and your friends ringside
Cattlemen’s Association office at
(775) 738-9214 or e-mailing every Tuesday at 11:00 a.m.
nca@nevadabeef.org.
Winter 2010 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange 17

Officials optimistic about 2011 water outlook

By Steve Puterski April and throughout the fall season increased the total to “However, some of our biggest years have been La Nina
Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange 76,900 acre/feet in early December. years. It’s something, because of the way we started out, I
This winter season has been a solid start for water. A big With that storage brings carryover water for the spring have high hopes that this is going to be a really big year.”
storm over Thanksgiving and continual rain and snow irrigation season and eases the burden for TCID and The Humboldt District has been strained for years,
throughout Northern Nevada has brought optimism to farmers alike. according to Dan Greenlee of the Natural Resources
farmers for the most part. Conservation Service. Drought has hit the region hard and
“We have, what we hope to be, a full supply,” Jardine said.
In the Lahontan and Carson valleys, flows are up and “It is looking very promising on the Carson side. We had a storage at Rye Patch has whittled down to almost nothing,
storage at Lahontan Reservoir has increased as well. solid carryover and are looking at (reaching) our target.” he said.
Storage at Lahontan was better than expected to begin the Storage and drought problems have forced area farmers
winter season Truckee-Carson Irrigation District office Over in the Carson Valley, Chad Blanchard, chief deputy
water master, said flows have increased dramatically in the to select the best fields for irrigation. They have also been
manager Kate Rutan said. limited to what areas and how much water they can use
past year. Carson River flow at East Fork at Gardnerville
TCID Project Manager Rusty Jardine echoed Rutan’s is up from 95 cubic feet per second in 2009 to 364 cfs this for irrigation.
comments and said he thinks the winter will bring a year. At West Fork, flows increased from 19 cfs to 110 cfs. This year, though, Greenlee said has been good to the
promising precipitation season. Those flows were as of mid-December. Humboldt and Ruby Mountains, where the district collects
According to Rutan snowpack has been estimated at 200 The problem for the Carson Valley is a lack of storage its runoff. Greenlee added he thinks the region may see
percent for early December, though she noted a lot can as the valley only has a few, small private reservoirs. average to above average runoff, but said the NRCS would
happen in the upcoming months. Blanchard said the valley has to rely more on nature with have to wait until its official forecast is released in early
strong snowpack and rain storms for its water supply. January.
“It really doesn’t matter because a lot can happen
between now and when we irrigate,” Rutan said. What has been helping so far, though, is the consistent “We’re sitting a lot better in the Sierras than in central
drizzles keeping the ground saturated which has kept the Nevada,” Greenlee said. “They get most of their snow off
Levels were expected to hover around 64,000 acre/feet of river flows at a high level. the Ruby’s (Mountains). I think the forecast numbers
storage at Lahontan; however, the strong storms back in should be about average to above average (for the
Also, the weather system
La Nina has helped create Humboldt).”
some much needed Ben Hodges, secretary manager of the Pershing County
weather. La Nina is wet Water Conservation District, said the Humboldt system is
weather to the north and off to a good start. Snowpack is at 161 percent of average
dry to the south. as of Dec. 15, but Hodges said the district can’t forecast
Blanchard said the because they lack carryover storage.
problem with La Nina isn’t A major issue for the Humboldt has been Rye Patch
the system but the latitude Reservoir. The reservoir can hold up to 200,000 acre/feet
of the area that needs of water storage but is currently holding just 12,000
the water. The Carson, acre/feet. Also, the water allotment the past two years has
Lahontan valleys even up been 30 percent of a full allotment with three acre/feet per
to Winnemucca is located allotment. Last season, the allotment was 1.01 acre/feet.
in an area that is stuck in However, Hodges said this season is looking strong with
the middle. rain saturating the ground and good snow cover.
“We can be wet, dry or “The conditions are what is favorable,” Hodges said.
average,” Blanchard said.
Photo by Steve Ranson
Water flow is up drastically in the Carson River as noted by the chief deputy water master. Home of:
New wildlife license plate to
help fund wildlife programs
Nevada Department of Wildlife NDOW’s Preserving Our Wildlife
An effort that started by collecting 1,400 Legacy (PrOWL) Volunteer Program was
wildlife enthusiast signatures over five formed in 2000 to serve as a mechanism
for citizen-volunteers to become more Safe, Fun, Educational Horsemanship
years ago, achieved a major milestone
on Oct. 13 when Nevada’s Commission involved with wildlife projects, such as
restoration programs, sage brush seed Wild Willy’s Horse Camp
on Special License Plates approved the * Year-round Programs
Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) collection, and sage grouse surveys.
* Week long & Weekend Camps; Day Programs
license plate for production. Each year, 600-700 PrOWL volunteers * Kids ages 6 and up, including teens
The plate’s design must still be finalized donate time working on projects worth * Girl Scout & Boy Scout Troops, Special Events
to meet Nevada Department of Motor a half million dollars annually. Their
Vehicles and Public Safety technical contributions benefit wildlife directly, and KinderPonyPlay
specifications, but it is hoped the plate are also applied as match to federal grants * Children ages 4, 5, & 6 learn beginning
will be available for sale sometime in early in lieu of state funding for a variety of horsemanship skills with parent/guardian
2011. wildlife projects.
KinderRanch
Proceeds from the sale of the “Conserve “Ever since the beginning of the Nevada * Kids ages 4, 5 and 6 learn about life on a ranch
Wildlife” plate, designed by Nevada Department of Wildlife, volunteers have * Goats, Chickens, Sheep, Pigs and Cows
wildlife artist Jani Ahlvers, will provide provided incredibly valuable services for
the citizens and wildlife of the state,” said Group and Private Lessons for Kids, Teens,
sorely needed funding for NDOW’s wildlife
Kim Toulouse, volunteer coordinator for and Adults; Clinics; Special Interest Groups
education and volunteer programs.
NDOW. “This new license plate will help Chappell Morgan Horses
“The approval of the first ever NDOW keep these vital programs up and running.”
license plate is the result of years of team * Breeding & Sales - Foundation Lines
effort by NDOW staff, volunteers, and The Wildlife Education program supports * Standing Chappell’s Blue Blood Boy
the 1,400 public petitioners that initiated NDOW’s Trout in the Classroom program,
this process”, said Ken Mayer, director for and interpretive education programs Contact: Kim Chappell 775-265-6483
NDOW. “The timing could not be better. in Reno, Verdi, Las Vegas and Elko. An www.chappellranchllc.com • kkc827@aol.com
With severe cutbacks to our wildlife estimated 18,000 school-aged children
enjoy these programs each year. 531 Centerville Lane • Gardnerville, NV
education and volunteer programs,
sales of the Conserve Wildlife plate will “Nevada’s wildlife belongs to its citizens,”
go directly to NDOW to support these said Mayer. “This plate provides an
important programs. This funding will opportunity for everyone in Nevada to
provide critically needed state dollars to contribute financially to wildlife education
augment our very limited federal funding and assist in maintaining the opportunities
that is available for the education and provided our citizens through our
volunteer programs.” volunteer program.”
18 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange Winter 2010

Study: livestock will eat dry cheatgrass

Associated Press
ELKO – Federal land managers in Nevada are embracing
new research that shows livestock will eat cheatgrass
when the invasive plant dries out in the fall, not just
when it’s green during the spring grazing season.
the four-year study.”
The two conducted the experiment from 2006 to 2008
at the Gund Ranch near Eureka about 200 miles east of
Reno.

The study by researchers at the University of Nevada,
Reno debunks the belief by some ranchers that dry
cheatgrass has little or no nutritional value for cattle
grazing on federal lands, officials for the U.S. Bureau of
Management said.
It also suggests fall grazing on the invasive weeds could
“The protein content and energy of
cheatgrass in the fall is at least good,
if not better, than perennial grasses.
Schirete Zick, spokeswoman for the BLM’s Battle
Mountain district, said UNR financed the study itself but
agency officials “are excited about the findings and are
helping publicize the results.”
“The results clearly demonstrate that cheatgrass can be
significantly reduced with the aid of fall grazing,” she said.
Cheatgrass is believed to arrived in the United States in
the late 19th and early 20th centuries in contaminated
ship ballast and railroad packing materials from Europe
and Asia.
It spread quickly, displacing native plants, and is now
the dominant species on more than 100 million acres in
the West, according to the BLM. BEFORE

And the results were consistent
through the four-year study.”
~ Barry Perryman , Associate Professor
help make a dent on cheatgrass-covered hillsides that fuel
late summer wildfires across northern Nevada, the Great
Basin and other parts of the interior West.
“The notion that animals don’t eat dry cheatgrass
is incorrect,” said Barry Perryman, an associate
professor of rangeland ecology and member of the
BLM’s Northeastern Resource Advisory Council. “Our
experiment showed that once the seeds fell off the plants,
the cheatgrass became palatable,” he said.
Ben Bruce, a Nevada associate professor of rangeland
animal nutrition who co-authored the study, said it
provides ranchers with “another source of forage that
previously was not considered nutritious.”
“The protein content and energy of cheatgrass in the fall
is at least as good, if not better, than perennial grasses,”
Perryman said. “And the results were consistent through
Jerry Smith, district manager for the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management’s Battle Mountain District, said cheatgrass
was considered a contributing factor in 85 percent of the
wildfires that burned nearly 4 million acres of Nevada
rangeland over the past four years.
In addition to the fire hazard, cheatgrass grows earlier
in the season than most perennial grasses, stealing water
and nutrients they need to provide forage for wildlife, he
said.
And to top it off, Smith said, cheatgrass is of the first
plants to invade newly burned areas. He said BLM
estimates cheatgrass invades 4,000 acres a day in
the West.
“A single stalk of cheatgrass can produce 1,000 seeds,
and a single acre may contain hundreds of thousands of
these plants,” Smith said.
Meghan Brown, executive director of the Nevada AFTER
Catttlemen’s Association, and Dan Gralian, general The experiment controlled cheatgrass with the use of fall
manager of Newmont Mining Corp.’s Elko Land and grazing. Though the photos are from different angles, both
Livestock, said they welcome the news. are from the Gund Ranch, where the study took place. The
experiment lasted four years, with significant results generated
“It would be bonus feed,” Gralian said. “It’s going to help after the first year.
reduce cheatgrass and fires.”

Increased funding approved for sage-grouse initiative

U.S. Department of Agriculture According to White, Nevada will receive $6.5 million grouse conservation was made including:
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service for the SGI this fiscal year. NRCS will also provide • Producers marked or removed 180 miles of
Chief Dave White today announced increased funding funding in the 10 other states where sage-grouse are wire fencing near leks, areas where sage-grouse
to protect sage-grouse populations and habitat in found – California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North carry out display and courtship behavior. This
Nevada and 10 other western states. Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington prevented between 800-1,000 sage-grouse
and Wyoming. Agricultural producers in these states collisions, which is equal to all male sage-grouse
“USDA will continue to provide significant resources can apply for financial assistance to improve sage-
to enhance and preserve sage-grouse habitat and counted on leks annually in California, North
grouse habitat or to reduce threats, such as habitat Dakota, South Dakota and Washington in the U.S.
sustain working ranches and farms in the western fragmentation, to the birds.
United States,” said White. “The sage-grouse Initiative and Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada.
(SGI) supports both sustainable ranching and healthy “This is a significant program that meets a dual
sage-grouse populations by focusing on improving purpose: conservation of an iconic species and • Producers managed 640,000 acres of grazing
rangeland conditions.” improved management of grazing lands.” said Bruce lands to improve sage-grouse hiding cover during
Petersen, NRCS Nevada state conservationist. “We nesting season. This additional grass cover is
are finding that practices expected to increase sage-grouse populations
implemented to improve between 8 – 10 percent.
Turn to a local resource for your Herd & Equine Health needs.
sage-grouse habitat
For more than 10 years, we’ve been here supplying livestock are the same practices • Producers removed 40,000 acres of encroaching
pharmaceutical products throughout Nevada and Northern California. required to maintain conifer from otherwise suitable sage-grouse
healthy grazing land for habitat in key breeding, brood-rearing and
A lifetime in agricultural and ranching enables us to livestock.” wintering sites.
understand the needs of livestock owners and to work
Sign-ups for the Additionally, NRCS worked successfully with the
hand-in-hand to reduce the costs and increase production.
initiative are continuous Department of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service to
Our product lines include names such as: and producers can provide certainty to landowners who enroll in NRCS
• Merial • Boehringer- • L&H Branding Irons And more,
apply at any time. An programs to benefit sage-grouse. This action protects
• Intervet Ingelheim • Jorgensen including special application cut-off date landowners from increased regulation should the bird be
• Schering-Plough • Ft. Dodge • Vita-Flex orders for this fiscal year has not listed under the Endangered Species Act in the future.
• Pfizer • Colorado Serum Co. yet been determined.
• Allflex Sage-grouse is a ground-dwelling bird native to the
NRCS launched SGI sagebrush steppe ecosystem of the American West.
“Ol’ Fashioned Service in a True Western Spirit” in 2010 making $18.5 The birds, found at elevations ranging from 4,000
million in financial to more than 9,000 feet, depend on sagebrush for
assistance available cover and food. For several decades, sage-grouse
PINENUT LIVESTOCK SUPPLY to over 225 program populations and habitat have been declining. For
1416 Industrial Way, Suite A • Gardnerville, NV, 89410 • (775) 782-5337 participants in sage- application assistance or more information about the
grouse population SGI, contact your local USDA Service Center. Nevada
800-513-4963 centers. Significant
progress toward sage-
Service Center offices can be found online at http://
www.nv.nrcs.usda.gov.
Winter 2010 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange 19
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20 Nevada Ranch & Farm Exchange Winter 2010
Western governors debate water laws
By Cristina Silva
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Should thirsty California be allowed
to drink from Wyoming’s plentiful water bowl?
If so, how big of a sip should the Golden State get? And
who decides how much needs to be set aside for future
Wyomingites?
Governors from across the West sparred over water
and how to make sure everyone is getting their fair share
Tuesday during a policy conference designed to drive
consensus.
Federal experts urged state leaders to weigh water needs
over water wants, while state leaders pleaded for less
federal oversight and new flexibility on water agreements
that detail how much water states get from a limited pool
of resources.
“Clearly for those of us in the West, water is a very
significant issue,” said Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert, a
Republican. “It’s an emotional topic and sometimes so
emotional that reasonable thought goes out the window.”
The discussion opened the Western Governors
Association’s two-day conference in Las Vegas. Governors
from 19 states, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern
Mariana Islands were invited.
Water conservation and efficiency remained favorite
solutions among government leaders eager to lap up the
most use from fresh water sources. Democratic Gov. Bill
Ritter said Colorado is exploring agreements that allow
farmers to lease excess water to governments.
“A little bit of conservation goes a really long way,” he
said. James Horne, Australia’s deputy secretary for water,
offered solutions from his homeland, where he said
facilities in major cities help convert rain into usable
Throughout the West, a flood
of attacks on water rights
Editor’s note – The Pacific Legal Foundation is a legal
watchdog based in Sacramento. This opinion column,
which was sent to the RNF for publication, focuses on
similar water problems which also affect Nevada.
Commentary by Brandon Middleton and Damien Schiff
“Water, water, everywhere ...,” begins a famous line by
Coleridge.
Today, in the American West, assaults on water rights
can be seen practically everywhere. Government
regulators and environmental activists lead the attacks,
and farmers and ranchers are the immediate targets. But
the negative impact threatens to ripple throughout the
economy.
After all, economic development in the West has always
depended on respect for water rights. Water is scarce in
much of the region, so certainty in water rights is a vital
incentive to use this precious commodity productively,
for the greatest good.
More and more, however, government officials are
sowing uncertainty by reneging on long standing
promises or taking a slippery approach to laws or
contracts that water users have relied on for generations.
For example, is the Obama Administration suddenly
downgrading how farms, ranches, and urban
communities are treated by federal reclamation projects?
Water agencies throughout the West are worried, after
the Bureau of Reclamation told an irrigation district in
Grant County, Washington, that its water fees will no
longer purchase any rights in the facilities that those fees
help finance.
Historically, local water agencies that contract with
federal projects (such as the Central Valley Project in
California) have received ownership interest, over time,
in the reservoirs, canals and other infrastructure built on
their dime. By backing away from this principle, federal
officials send a disturbing message: Water contractors
will be relegated to the role of tenants instead of partners
in reclamation programs. It’s the feds who will call the
shots – unilaterally and arbitrarily – on who gets water
and how much.
water and farming communities thrive around efficient
irrigation systems.
“People have to stop thinking of it as a free good,” Horne
said. “We must recognize it as a scarce commodity and
price it accordingly.” But Anne Castle, assistant secretary
for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of the
Interior, said protecting the world’s water supply from
unnecessary growth could yield better results than simply
urging people to turn off the sink. For example, she said
government should weigh the projected water cost of any
proposed development before approving construction.
“You know that when you are in a hole and you want to
get out, the first thing you have to do is stop digging,” she
said.
In the West, few issues are as important as taming
natural water sources, which has allowed cities to flourish
in dry, landlocked places.
Despite the common goals, the policy conference at
times exposed tensions between federal water officials
and state leaders.
“I look forward to your assistance, but not too much
of it,” Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a Democrat,
deadpanned to Castle at one point.
Herbert said Utah is working toward reducing its water
use by 20 percent by 2020 despite a growing population.
But he said conservation won’t help in dry years if the
federal government does not allow states to build new
dams and reservoirs to control water.
Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter complained that plans to
protect his state’s prized Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer
by creating wells or other infrastructure to keep the water
from leaking toward the Pacific Ocean requires wrestling
for permits with federal land managers.
The danger in giving
unchecked control to
federal bureaucrats can
be seen in California’s San
Joaquin Valley in recent
years. In a controversial
strategy to rescue a tiny
fish – the Delta smelt –
that is on the Endangered
Species Act protected list,
water for farms and cities
was cut dramatically,
fallowing hundreds of
thousands of acres in one
of the nation’s agricultural Derby Diversion Dam is part of the network of water storage, diversion, and conveyance
heartlands. structures that provides water for irrigating about 73,000 acres of farmland in an area that
receives less than 4.5 inches of annual precipitation.
These cutbacks, by
federal officials, started
even before the new threat to water contractors’
property interests. But they show how water flows could
be turned on or off, unpredictably, if local agencies
are squeezed out of any ownership role in federal
reclamation projects.
State officials in California are also doing their part
to dilute the rights of water users. Twisting the Fish
and Game Code in a radical new way, the California
Department of Fish and Game has begun to require a
cumbersome permit process for people who seek to use
their water rights in traditional ways. Civil and criminal
penalties are threatened for farmers and ranchers if they
don’t start asking the state’s leave before using water
– even when they are drawing from rivers or streams that
have been irrigating their acreage for a century or more
in some cases.
Meanwhile, a legal campaign by environmentalist
lawyers could end up sinking some ranches and farms,
financially, by curtailing use of groundwater. The aim is
to regulate groundwater under an archaic theory called
public trust.
The effect would be to rob water users of their rights
– declaring a public trust over their water – without
compensation. This is a breathtaking stretch, legally,
“We’ve got Lake Erie, only Lake Erie is actually the
Eastern Snake River Aquifer,” the Republican governor
said, referring to estimates that the aquifer contains as
much water as the great lake. “Yet in order to maintain
a healthy level of that, we have got to get across a lot of
government ground. ... The question is, have we created a
monster here?”
Some states also expressed frustration with each other.
Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons said changing consumers’
perception of water availability has helped moved policy
in the right direction.
“There is nothing more difficult in any state, in any
political arena, than talking about something that people
feel is there constitutional right, and that’s water, that’s
clean water,” he said. “They just think they turn the faucet
on and they get more water.”
But Gibbons said water efficiency means little if
water agreements between smaller governments and
powerful interests such as Mexico, California and the
federal government are not updated to reflect modern
consumption needs. He highlighted the Colorado River,
which provides water to California, Arizona, Colorado,
Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah, with the
fastest growing states demanding more than their sparely
populated neighbors. “It seems we are nibbling away just
at the edge of the antiquated laws that we created along
the river that we always have to struggle around because
we are so afraid to deal with the politics of the river,” said
Gibbons, a Republican. “Why is it if we can change the
culture of the people in how they use water, we cannot
change the culture of how we think about the rational
basis of how we allocate water? For example, if Wyoming
doesn’t use all of its allocation ... can we not utilize that
by wheeling it down the river for some other better use of
that water?”
Photo by Department of Interior
because the public trust concept has always been
associated with coastal waters and beaches, not inland
areas and certainly not groundwater.
In a practical sense, it amounts to a scorched earth
campaign against many agricultural operations.
Siskiyou County rancher Tom Menne predicts that
the public trust crusade could “devastate” his ranch’s
profitability, throwing its 25 employees out of work.
All three of these threats to water rights – from the
Bureau of Reclamation, the State of California, and
overzealous environmentalists – are being challenged in
court. We’re proud to say that our organization – Pacific
Legal Foundation, a watchdog for property rights and
limited government – is in the thick of all the litigation to
defend water rights.
The cause should interest everyone concerned about
returning our region, and our country, to economic
health. The attack on the productive, job-creating use of
water calls to mind the second half of Coleridge’s famous
line: “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.”
Brandon Middleton and Damien Schiff are attorneys with
Pacific Legal Foundation. Headquartered in Sacramento, PLF
is a legal watchdog organization that litigates nationwide for
limited government, property rights and a balanced approach to
environmental regulation.