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Impact Report

For plan Brush and Weed Control Education Program (San Juan County)
Date October 22, 2010, 9:13 pm
For Objective Short-term Show short-term objectives
Impact Report Participants (43 people, mostly small farmers and backyard market gardeners) of the 2nd Annual Four Corners Organic Weed Symposium indicated on the evaluation instrument an average of 40% increase in knowledge of the topics presented during the course of the day. The agenda covered the areas of: Introduction to Western SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education), Cover Crops, Transitioning to Organic Production, Insect Bio-Control Agents, Using Grasses in Revegetation, Organic Weed Management, and Crop Rotations Methods. The agent was responsible for developing the agenda in conjunction with the Colorado State University Extension Agents involved. The agent hosted this event in San Juan County and was responsible for securing facilities, coordinating and collecting registration, soliciting sponsors, contracting a caterer, contacting speakers, and served as the moderator on the day of the event. Participants (81 people) of the 18th Annual Four Corners Weed Symposium indicated on the evaluation instrument an average of 20% increase in knowledge of the topics presented during the course of the day. This program reaches a wide array people including: federal, state, and tribal land management personnel, farmers, ranchers, weed management companies, environmental consultants, and oil industry personnel. The agenda covered the areas of: Applicator Safety, Chinese Leaf Beetle and Salt Cedar Update, Cautions When Using Herbicides In Conjunction with Grass Revegetation, Principles of Weed Management, and Update From the San Juan Basin Cooperative Weed Management Area. The agent was responsible for developing the agenda in conjunction with the Colorado State University Extension Agents involved. The agent hosted this event in San Juan County and was responsible for securing facilities, coordinating and collecting registration, soliciting sponsors, contracting a caterer, contacting speakers, and served as the moderator on the day of the event. In order to increase awareness of weed and brush management the agent responded to 2 invitations to present. The first was a presentation given at the NMSU Pesticide Applicators Training held in Farmington. The audience consisted of approximately 25 people aspiring to become Certified Applicators. The second was a presentation made at the Shiprock Soil and Water Conservation District Annual Meeting. Approximately 40 farmers, ranchers and NRCS/BIA agency staff were in attendance. On both occasions the participants learned about the biology and lifecycle of invasive species and how to identify common invasive plants in San Juan County. As a partner of the San Juan Basin Cooperative Weed Management Area the agent takes on most of the responsibility of community education, research, and inventory if grants require those components. Our CWMA secured a grant of $28,100 from NM State Forestry to be conducted in 2010 and 2011 for the prevention and control of invasive weeds in and around the Animas Watershed in San Juan County. The bulk of the grant ($15,000) will be spent on a cost-share program to purchase herbicide for land owners with infestations of our target weeds Russian knapweed, Musk Thistle, and Hoary Cress, among others. This grant did allow some additional funds ($7,800) to be spent on educational programs, demonstration plots, and an invasive species inventory project. While this grant is still underway significant strides have been made at accomplishing the goals set forth in the grant. Fund expenditures to date are $13,644.70. A weed inventory mapping project, coordinated by the agent, of the entire area (30,340 acres) has been completed. Grant expenditures for the project including labor and fuel totaled $5,350. The agent is currently working with the San Juan County GIS department to make maps of the weed inventory data to be distributed to the public. A Demonstration plot was set up to determine the best herbicide and rate of application to recommend to participants of the cost share program and others. A booth was set up as a joint project of San Juan CWMA and San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District at the San Juan County Fair. Approximately 2,000 “San Juan Basin Invasive Weeds” brochures and other information were distributed and the weed coordinator, district coordinator, county extension agent, and Soil and Water Supervisors were available to answer questions and help with weed identification.