10/03/06 Apply now for undercutter project

Farm and Ranch October 3, 2006 Applications and criteria for that PNW Undercutter Project are now available for eligible producers interested in the program. The Washington Association of Wheat Growers was the recipient of a NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant for a three year project to demonstrate the undercutter for summer fallow farming in the inland Northwest. Project Administrator Gretchen Borck says participating growers will get help purchasing an undercutter. Borck: "It is an outright purchase and we are looking at approximately purchasing a 34 foot undercutter. These are round about numbers, that cost 30-thousand dollars and the grant would pay for half of that, 15-thousand dollars and the farmer comes up with the other 15-thousand dollars. So they are getting the under cutter for not quite half-price depending upon what size they get." The project covers counties in two states, Oregon and Washington. They are Gilliam, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla and Wasco in Oregon. In Washington the counties are Adams, Benton, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Klickitat, Lincoln, Walla Walla, and Yakima. Applications are available at the Washington Association of Wheat Growers website at www.wawg.org or call 1-800-598-6890 extension 11. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.