The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON--There are some timely reminders coming from the WSU Dayton Extension Office regarding noxious weed control, 4-H and local crop tours.

The county's Noxious Weed Control Coordinator, Rachel Hutchens, said the Weed Control Board is funded by county assessment, and there is some cost sharing available, for chemical costs, application costs, or both, to control of some of the county's worst noxious weeds. They include yellow star thistle, Japanese and Bohemian knotweed, leafy spurge and Mediterranean sage.

Hutchens said yellow star thistle is a widespread hazard. "It is toxic to horses, causing a chewing disease which is fatal," She said

"Knotweed looks like bamboo. It is usually found at the river's edge," Hutchens said. "It has an invasive root system which crowds out native plants, and it is easily propagated by beavers."

Leafy Spurge is a creeping perennial which is also difficult to control, and it is toxic to livestock. Mediterranean Sage crowds out rangeland and is hard to kill.

"Those are the ones the weed board has decided to focus on as priority needs," she said.

Hutchens said controlling annual and biennial weeds is more easily done in the spring, and most perennial weeds are better controlled in the fall.

While there are several education and outreach efforts made the by weed control board throughout the year, a landowner doesn't need to wait for those. They can bring a plant to the Extension Office at 137 E Main St. for positive identification.

The Weed Control Regulatory Board, which manages five geographic areas in the county, meets on the last Wednesday of each month at the Extension Office, at 7 p. m., and the meetings are open to the public, said Hutchens.

Since she was hired in February, Lorna Barth has been getting organized as the new 4-H Program Coordinator in Columbia County, replacing Donna Hangar who has retired.

Barth comes to the Extension Office from a teaching background. She is a retired science and language arts teacher, from Duvall, Wash., who said she believes in the 4-H philosophy. "It's a great program for kids," said Barth.

Barth said 4-H is in the process of developing online registration for its programs. The 2018 Bi-County 4-H Camp, sponsored by Columbia County and Garfield County, already has its registration online, she added.

Other programs, such as Quilt Camp, still require registration by mail or in person at the extension office. The Quilt Camp Orientation meeting is on Monday at the Columbia County Fairgrounds Youth Building at 6:30 p.m.

Quilt Camp is for youth from 4th to 12th grades and runs from July 9 to 13 in the Youth Building.

County Extension Agent Paul Carter will lead a cereal/legumes tour on June 22, at 8 a.m. The 2018 crop tours will provide opportunities to see field trials and interact with cereal breeders, plant pathologists, extension agronomists, and other scientists about cereal varieties and crop management practices.

For more information about the local crop tour contact Carter by phone at: (509) 382-4741.

The complete 2018 Pacific Northwest Crop Tour Schedule, with maps, is online at: http://www.smallgrains.wsu.edu/variety.