Buk and other experts are looking at a variety of alternative crops in an effort to give farming in rural Nevada, which suffers when hay prices drop, options for long-term economic survival. You ve got problems, said Jay Davison, a research specialist with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. We are trying to find some other crops we can grow. A conference of farmers and crop researchers to discuss the state s agriculture problems and possible solutions is scheduled for Jan. 16-17 in Fallon. They are looking at ways to make agriculture more profitable, said Jocelyn Waite, the conference coordinator who works for Reno-based Public Resource Associates.
Crop diversification is an issue.
That s what we re looking at. Along with talking about seeds and sagebrush, the cooperative extension, which assists the state s farmers and ranchers, is experimenting with trees in conjunction with UNR s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources. Hybrid poplar trees, a fast-growing variety, have been successfully tested in at the Fallon research farm, where 300 were planted in June, 1999. A similar experiment failed in Eureka when the trees died last winter to due to irrigation problems. The trees in Fallon, which were planted as nine-inch cuttings, reached heights of more than 20 feet in 18 months.