February 2005

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How To Keep Rabbits From Dining On Trees And Shrubs By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Cottontails and jackrabbits are common all around Oregon. These long-eared herbivores can be a nuisance if they are dining on your prized perennials. In cold weather, cottontails and jackrabbits tend to feed on woody plants if there is little fresh greenery, explained Dan Edge, wildlife biologist at Oregon State University. Their winter meals commonly include the sugar-rich inner bark of tender woody perennials including young fruit trees or sumac. They also eat seeds dropped from bird feeders or plant seed pods. Edge offers the following methods to protect younger woody landscape plants from hungry cottontails and jackrabbits: Surround the base of each trunk with hardware cloth to a height of two feet; Plant clovers, grasses and other tender plants, rabbit favorites, away from prized shrubs; Keep rabbits out of the vegetable garden by building a fence of 1 1/2-inch grid chicken wire that is at least two feet tall and buried six inches deep. Farm supply stores sell 6-foot wire mesh fencing with smaller grids along the lower two feet of wire. "There are some commercial repellents available which are effective for short periods of time, but usually they need to be applied on a frequent basis," said Edge. "A fence is the best insurance for valuable trees." The Role Of Alfalfa In Horse Feeding By Marlene Fritz, University of Idaho Alfalfa is a high quality, highly digestible feed for horses, but so many myths surround its use that many of the nation's horse owners either underutilize or misuse it. A concise, scientifically based, user-friendly publication by the National Alfalfa Alliance clarifies to owners of one or many horses how to match the characteristics of alfalfa hay to the age, class and activity level of their equines. "Alfalfa: The High-quality Hay for Horses" was written by University of Idaho Extension forage specialist Glenn Shewmaker, University of Wisconsin forage agronomist Dan Undersander, and University of Kentucky equine nutritionist Laurie Lawrence and Extension forage specialist Garry Lacefield. Single copies of the 12-page publication can be downloaded from the NAA's Web site at www.alfalfa.org, and multiple copies can be purchased in lots of 25 for $50, plus shipping and handling. "There's a lot of information out there about feeding alfalfa hay to horses but it's almost entirely anecdotal," says Shewmaker. "We use science, rather than myth, to guide the use of alfalfa products for varying needs of horses." Lacefield calls the publication an attempt to bring the "best scientific information on feeding alfalfa to horses into one aesthetically pleasing publication that is applicable from Florida to New York to California." It includes easy-to-use tables of example diets for recreational horses, lactating mares, weanlings, yearlings and horses that perform moderate or intense work. "People generally believe that all hay is the same," says Lawrence. "They donít realize that different horses have different requirements for different kinds of hay." In Wisconsin, Undersander notes that appropriate use of alfalfa will "save costs for owners as well as provide good nutrition and horse health." The publication describes the horse's digestive system and the specific nutritional needs of mature horses used for recreational activities, broodmares, growing horses and performance horses. It explains how growth stages of alfalfa affect forage quality, discusses how alfalfa hay is classified, defines terms used to describe alfalfa characteristics and quality, and reviews several types of forage products. In addition, it addresses preservatives and blister beetles as well as buying, transporting and storing alfalfa hay. According to Shewmaker, the publicationís target audience includes equestrians, small ranch owners, hay producers and hay marketers. Even owners of large horse operations should find it useful in finetuning their feed economics. The publication is co-sponsored by Purina Mills, LLC, and Croplan Genetics. Make 2005 A Very Berry Year From University of Idaho's HomeWise They're sweet little somethings that are low in calories and high in nutrition, so have a Very Berry New Year, says Martha Raidl, University of Idaho Extension nutrition specialist. Rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and health-promoting antioxidants, berries belong in your diet every day of 2005, Raidl says. It's easy to spoon a serving&emdash;or half-cup&emdash;of colorful, flavorful berries onto your breakfast cereal. But when they're out of season or too pricey to purchase, buy your berries frozen, add sweetener and a half to a full cup of milk, and make a fruit smoothie in your blender. One color of berry isn't necessarily preferable to another, says Raidl. "They're all good and it's important to eat a variety because they all have different health benefits." Laboratory tests with animals suggest that purple berries such as cranberries prevent urinary tract infection, red berries may help prevent high blood pressure and early clogging of arteries, blue berries may prevent Alzheimer's disease and black berries may prevent colon cancer. Beverly Healy, UI Extension educator in Ada County, recommends this multi-berry SportsMix courtesy of the National Cancer Institute: Mix 1/4 cup each of raisins, dried cranberries, dried tart cherries, chopped dried apricots and roughly chopped toasted almonds with 3/4 cup whole-grain crunchy cereal. Place in four small zip-top baggies for healthful energy when you need it. Now, if only your other New Year's resolutions were as simple&emdash;and simply delicious&emdash;to keep! How To Keep Butterfly Bush From Spreading Noxiously By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Butterfly bush, also known as summer lilac, Buddleia or Buddleja, is a very popular garden plant in the Pacific Northwest and other temperate regions of the world. Photos of its beautiful blossoms grace the pages of slick gardening magazines and catalogs, television programs and garden center displays. Garden writers laud the butterfly bush as a fast-growing, robust, easy-to-grow shrub that attracts a wide variety of butterflies. But there's a dark side to this popular plant. Butterfly bush can be a very aggressive, or invasive non-native shrub that, in certain situations, can overtake native vegetation, according to horticulturists with the Oregon State University Extension Service and weed biologists with Oregon's Department of Agriculture (ODA). In Oregon, the ODA officially classified it as a class "B" noxious weed in 2004. Its strategic plan includes efforts to eradicate butterfly bush in the wild, but not from people's yards. James Altland, nursery crops researcher at OSU's North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora, and his student Julie Ream, are studying the relative invasiveness of cultivated species of butterfly bush in Oregon. Butterfly bush is extremely invasive in natural areas. There are serious infestations on the North Fork of the Willamette River near Oakridge and along the Coquille River near the coast. It has spread to most of the counties in western Oregon and Washington. It has been a huge problem in England, where it is one of the top 20 weeds, having overtaken large tracts of disturbed land 50 years after it was introduced from China. It is a terrible problem in New Zealand as well, especially in areas prone to frequent flooding. "We want to know if there are types of Buddleia that can be grown safely without escaping and threatening the natural environment," said Altland. In reviewing the scientific literature about the invasiveness of butterfly bush in the United Kingdom, the OSU researchers found that seed there requires a long time to develop and release from the plant. British researchers have discovered that flower heads from a previous summer do not release seed until dry weather occurs the following spring, said Altland. Practically applied, this means that if nurseries and home gardeners prune all the spent blossoms off their butterfly bushes in the fall, it is a way of controlling the release of seed from the plant. Altland and Ream are conducting trials on five cultivars of butterfly bush commonly produced in Oregon to see exactly when seeds are released in the Willamette Valley, as seed releases may be slightly different from England. They also conducted research on the soils, and habitat of butterfly bush-infested sites to determine and describe what factors favor these infestations in Oregon. So far, they have found butterfly bush infestations in a wide variety of sites, from floodplains to mountain slopes, said Altland. They found the densest infestations in burned sites in reforestation areas and in frequently disturbed floodplains and riparian areas. They found few escaped seedlings from nurseries, as production nurseries often cut back plants at the end of the year to encourage branching. Both OSU and ODA scientists are encouraging home gardeners to pay close attention to choosing butterfly bushes that are cultivated varieties, not the straight wild species Buddleia davidii. Only this species Buddleia davidii, not specially bred cultivars are subject to Oregon's noxious weed listing. It is most commonly seen growing wild along roadsides, in riparian areas and in forest openings. Some cultivars have been found to produce much less seed than others. For example, a study at Longwood Gardens in southern Pennsylvania found large differences in the amount of viable seed produced by B. davidii varieties. For example, cultivars 'Summer Rose' and 'Orchid Beauty' produced 20 times fewer viable seeds than 'Potter's Purple' and 'Border Beauty'. The study also found that a single flower cluster of 'Potter's Purple' was found to produce more than 40,000 seeds. In the Longwood study, some Buddleia species and hybrids produced fewer viable seeds than B. davidii and likely have lower potential for escaping gardens and colonizing natural areas. Altland would like to conduct similar studies in Oregon. If you already have butterfly bush on your property or are planning on planting some soon, there are ways to keep it in control. Don't let Buddleia go to seed. Deadhead, or clip off all flower heads in the fall. Do not wait until spring. Do not leave the clippings on the ground, as they can easily take root and create a new plant. Dispose of plants by sending away in your yard debris pickup service, where it will be ground up and composted. Or burn the branches. Whatever you do, don't dump the clippings along a roadside or along a creek or river, as these are preferred habitats for escaped butterfly bush. Watch your property for new seedlings. Dig up and get rid of any volunteer bushes. Don't give them away to friends. Buddleia or Buddleja are both considered correct spellings of the Latin name of the genus of the butterfly bush, according to the gardeners' encyclopedia of ornamental plants called Flora: A Gardeners Encyclopedia, published by Timber Press. The genus has about 100 species in the wild. Most grown in our region are native to Asia. Others originate from South Africa. And some are from South America. Only a few species in the genus are domesticated and garden-grown in our region. In addition to ODA's "B" noxious weed listing, Buddleja davidii appears on the "Most Invasive" species list of the Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council and the Native Plant Societies of Oregon and Washington. The OSU Extension Service Master Gardener Program no longer recommends it for butterfly gardens because of its invasiveness. Publications Help Choose Best Small Fruits For Oregon By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Are you baffled by the sheer number of varieties of small fruits offered at local nurseries and in mail-order catalogs? Which varieties of raspberries, blueberries and grapes grow well in Oregon? What qualities does each have? Bernadine Strik, berry crops specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, has developed nine publications to help Oregon home gardeners select and plant the best blueberry, raspberry and grape varieties. Winter is a great time to catalog shop for bare root plants. "Blueberry Cultivars for Oregon," "Grape Cultivars for Your Home Garden" and "Red Raspberry Cultivars for Oregon" offer information about growth form, timing of fruiting, fruit quality, disease resistance, keeping quality, climate preferences, flavor and heritage for specific cultivars of blueberry, grape and raspberry cultivars (varieties) suitable for Oregon. Most varieties recommended in these publications have been tested by Oregon growers and researchers and have been found to be successful in the region. The other publications with "Growing..." in their title provide basic "how-to" information on growing and caring for these small fruits and berries at home. Use these publications to select the varieties you prefer and then take advantage of the low prices in late winter and early spring of "bare root" small fruit plants. Bare root plants are usually less expensive and easier to handle than their container grown counterparts. But remember - bare root plants need to be planted as soon as possible before new spring growth begins. The OSU Extension Service publications on selecting and growing small fruits are: "Growing Blackberries in Your Home Garden," (EC 1303), $1 "Growing Blueberries in Your Home Garden," (EC 1304), $1.50 "Growing Grapes in Your Home Garden," (EC 1305), $2 "Growing Raspberries in Your Home Garden," (EC 1306), $2 "Growing Strawberries in Your Home Garden," (EC 1307), $1.50 "Blueberry Cultivars for Oregon," (EC 1308), 75 cents "Grape Cultivars for Your Home Garden," (EC 1309), 75 cents "Red Raspberry Cultivars for Oregon," (EC 1310), $1 "Growing Currants and Gooseberries in Your Home Garden," (EC 1361), $1 All of these publications are available for no charge on the Web at: http://eesc.oregonstate.edu/agcomwebfile/EdMat/pubresults.lasso?sortnum=0608 To order printed versions of any of the above publications, send a request and check or money order payable to OSU, including shipping and handling to: Publications Orders, Extension and Experiment Station Communications, OSU, 422 Kerr Administration Bldg., Corvallis, OR 97331-2119. Shipping and handling is $3 for orders of $10 or less; $4 for orders between $10.01 and $20. How To Help Robins Through The Winter By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Most people take the American robin, Turdus migratorius, for granted as it is one of the most well known birds in Oregon. But according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, the robin has declined in Oregon over the past few decades, at a rate of about 1.5 percent per year. The reasons for this decline are unknown, according to "The Birds of Oregon," published by Oregon State University Press. Robins seen in the winter months in Oregon may either be year-round residents or migrants, coming down from the north to spend the winter here. Though robins seem ubiquitous, they are most abundant in northwestern Oregon. OSU Extension Service 4-H wildlife stewards and OSU wildlife students are encouraging Oregonians to learn more about these underappreciated native birds. Students in the OSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife have developed the following information to help Oregonians foster robins in their yards and gardens. Home gardeners can plant some of their favorite food sources. Trees and shrubs that provide fruits such as Indian plum, thimbleberry, bitter cherry, huckleberry, and Oregon grape are good choices. Planting trees and shrubs that provide cover is important. Some good choices are vine maple, currant, ocean spray, and California wax myrtle. If you'd like to attract robins at bird feeders, feed them chopped apples, berries and mealworms. They don't eat birdseed. They prefer to forage for their food in lawns and open areas. Providing water is important for robins because they like to drink and bathe regularly. A shallow pond with a muddy area is ideal since robins use mud for nest building. Birdbaths with misters and drippers will also appeal to these birds. Nest platforms offer robins a place to build a nest. Plans for platforms can be found in books or on the Internet. A good example can be found at http://www.learner.org/jnorth/images/graphics/n-r/robin_nestbox.gif Robins have many predators. Domestic and feral (wild) cats kill many robins each year. Young robins are especially vulnerable when they are learning to fly because they are on the ground. Crows, jays, owls, and hawks prey on baby robins. Most robins spend much time in bushes and trees where they hide from predators, rest, raise their young, and find protection from the weather. They use dense evergreen trees and shrubs, dead trees or snags, and nesting boxes. Suburban areas with a mixture of lawns, flowerbeds, gardens, shrubs, and trees make excellent robin habitat. Pesticides, or chemicals put on the land, can kill or harm robins. Pesticides also may kill worms and insects, a major food source for robins. The robins are affected when they eat the poisoned worms or berries. We can help keep robins safe by keeping cats indoors, setting out nest platforms, and by not using chemicals on our lawns and plants. Robins help control insect populations. They also are very important for spreading seeds and for the growth of new trees and bushes in new areas. The fruit they eat contains seeds, which robins may drop in other places. The breeding season for robins is from April through July. When the female finds a partner, she begins to build a nest with the male's help. The nest is cup-shaped and made from grasses or small twigs mixed with small amounts of mud. She works the mud into place with her feet and bill, molds it with her body, and lines the nest with fine grass. Nests usually are located 10 to 20 feet high in a tree or occasionally may be found in bushes or on the ground. The female also may use a level human-made structure such as a window ledge or platform as her nest site. One of the first birds to begin laying eggs in the spring, robins lay their first clutch or group of eggs around late April or early May. The female generally lays four light blue eggs, which she incubates (sits on) until they are ready to hatch after about 12 to 14 days. The young are born without feathers and with their eyes closed. Their parents feed them insects until they are ready to fledge or leave the nest when they are 14 to 16 days old. Baby robins cannot fly for the first few days after they leave the nest. Their parents lead them to low shrubs and trees where they first learn to climb and jump. Within a day or two, their wings grow stronger and they begin to take short flights. Their parents continue to feed them, and within a week or two, they are ready to be on their own. When the young are strong enough, the robins may roost in big groups. Nesting up to three times each year, male robins may watch over the fledging young, while the female incubates the next clutch of eggs. For more information, consult OSU Extension's 4-H publication "American Robin," (EC 1568), on the WWW at: http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/edmat/EC1568.pdf

Dormant Sprays Can Help Reduce Pests/Disease By Peg Herring, Oregon State University Prevention is the first step in controlling diseases and insect pests in home orchards. Many problems can be avoided by choosing resistant fruit tree varieties and providing them with proper care. That care includes removing all dropped fruit and leaves that might be harboring pests. But even the most vigilant gardeners may need to spray their trees during the dormant season to reduce over-wintering pest and disease organisms. Spraying fruit trees during the cool seasons, November through March, can help control pests that take up residence in the cracks and crevices, according to Ross Penhallegon, horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. Such dormant spraying is more effective than waiting until the weather warms and pests become active. Below are some least toxic sprays and treatments for fruit trees. These products are widely available at garden centers. Always follow label directions. Dormant Oil: Apply when trees are dormant, November through March, after all the leaves have fallen. Mix with water as directed and spray to all surfaces of the trunk, branches and twigs. Apply when the temperature is expected to rise during the day; temperatures below 35 degrees can damage the bark. Dormant oil controls aphids, scale, spider mites, and many other insects by desiccating or smothering eggs and larvae. Lime-Sulfur: Spray to control fungal and bacterial diseases such as peach leaf curl, fire blight, scab and anthracnose. Do NOT apply sulfur sprays to apricots. Fixed Copper: Spray on apples, pears, cherries, peaches, and plums to control canker. Allow two weeks between applications of copper and any sprays containing sulfur. Add a spreader-sticker product to help copper adhere to the tree surface. Latex paint: Coat the trunks of young trees with white latex paint mixed half-and-half with water. The paint reflects strong sunlight that, once the leaves fall, can cause cracking, a favorite place for pests to overwinter and can cause substantial winter damage. Here are some tips for specific fruit trees: Apples: Spray copper before fall rains; dormant oil once or twice from January through March; lime-sulfur in January or February (just before buds open) and wettable sulfur just after petal fall. Apricots: Spray copper before the fall rains and dormant oil in February. Cherries: Use wettable sulfur or lime-sulfur applied weekly during blooming for brown rot. Information on synthetic sprays to control cherry fruit fly is available at your local county office of the OSU Extension Service. Pears: Spray copper before the fall rains; spray lime-sulfur two to three times beginning in fall, again during winter, and finally in March just before buds open; spray dormant oil in early spring before buds open and wettable sulfur just after petal fall. Peaches: Spray copper or a good dormant fungicide three to four times between December and bud break. Spray copper or lime-sulfur before fall rains and in spring just before bud break; apply sulfur weekly during blooming and again after all petals have fallen. Transplant Trees And Shrubs While They're Still Dormant Early spring, after soils have thawed and before landscape plants break dormancy, is the best time to move trees and shrubs, says Yvonne Barkley, University of Idaho associate Extension forester. You can expect better transplanting success with a younger, smaller plant than with an older, larger one, Barkley says. Healthy plants also make better candidates than unhealthy ones. But no matter which plant you're trying to move, take these steps to maximize the probability of success: • Kill and remove sod or weeds from the new spot you've selected for your plant. • Wrap the plant's branches with rope or burlap to protect it from moving-day damage. • Determine the size of the rootball you'll be moving by measuring 1 foot from the trunk for every inch of trunk diameter. (For a 1-inch trunk, the rootball will be 2 feet wide.) If the trunk is wider than 3 inches, stop measuring and call in a professional. • Dig all the way around the tree or shrub, cutting roots as necessary to free the rootball from the surrounding soil. • Carefully tip up the rootball and roll a tarp or burlap under its edge. Repeat until the tarp or burlap completely surround the rootball. Wrap the tarp around the rootball and secure it with rope or twine. • Lift the plant by the rootball&emdash;NEVER by the trunk or branches. Remember to bend and lift with your knees: it will be heavy. • Keep the rootball moist and cool while you dig the new planting hole. • Dig the new hole to the same depth but twice as wide as the rootball. To improve root penetration and drainage, loosen several inches of soil at the bottom of the hole. • Place the plant in the hole and remove the tarp. The plant should be in the hole at the same depth it was in at its previous location. • Refill the hole and press the soil firmly around the rootball. Do not overcompact the soil by stomping it in with your boot. Barkley says horticulturists call this the "death stomp" for a reason. • Water well, keeping the soil evenly moist throughout the first season after transplanting. Hints For Planting Roses And Keeping Them Healthy By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University In the winter, garden stores, catalogues and nurseries offer seductive catalogs full of photos of beautiful blooming perennials. Often, these plants are offered as "bare root" plants. To save money and extra trouble, you might want to try planting your roses from bare root plants in late winter or early spring in the milder regions of the state. It is good to wait until later in the spring, just after the ground has thawed in the colder regions of Oregon. Bare root roses are simply dormant rose plants, dug from soft planting medium and sold with the soil removed. They are less expensive and easier to handle than balled-and-burlapped or container-grown plants. Most bare root plants are best planted during the cool dormant times of the year. In western Oregon, a good time to plant is between November and early April. In the colder parts of eastern and central Oregon, there are two planting seasons &endash; early fall and again in the spring. But keep in mind that bare root plants are not available in the fall. For the healthiest start for your new rose plants, the Oregon State University Extension Service recommends starting with well-drained, fertile soil when planting bare root roses. If your soil is heavy, add organic matter to the entire bed to improve drainage. Dig a hole deep enough to contain the entire root system. The planting hole should be at least twice as wide as the existing roots. Build a small cone of soil at the bottom of the planting hole and spread the roots out over it. When the plant is set on the cone, the bud union should be slightly above ground level. Back fill the hole with soil and water well. Mulch rose beds for best results. Mulch reduces soil compaction and moisture loss from the soil. It also prevents soil-borne diseases from splashing onto the plants. Use bark dust, well-rotted sawdust or compost for mulch. Renew mulch every spring. Roses are susceptible to a number of fungal diseases and may need treatment for these disease-causing agents. Some gardeners dust or spray rosebushes with a fungicide to help prevent black spot fungus and powdery mildew. Other ways of preventing fungal infections on roses include: raking up and destroying all leaves from infected roses, pruning out infected wood during the winter and early spring dormant season, and providing good air circulation through judicious pruning of over-crowded branches. To look their best, roses need to be monitored for pests such as aphids. If the new, tiny leaves twist and crumple, aphids may be the culprits. If there aren't too many aphids, they can be rubbed off with your fingers. Otherwise, spray them off with a sharp spray of water or use an insecticidal soap every few days while the infestation is present. Roses may need fertilizer several times during the growing season, especially in spring and at bud set. Apply fertilizer when spring growth is well established and all danger of frost is past. In the longer growing seasons of western Oregon, fertilizer can be applied again a couple of months before the first frost. Rose fertilizer can be organic, like compost or manure, or a commercial rose or all-purpose fertilizer. They need nitrogen to stimulate the growth of leaves and stems, phosphorus for healthy stems and roots and phosphorus and potassium to encourage blooming. Apply fertilizer according to package directions. Then lightly work it into the soil and water it well afterwards. Then wait at least a month to fertilize again. Do not fertilize with nitrogen within a month or two of the first autumn frost, as new growth may be damaged by early freezes. Want to learn more about rose care? Since bare root planting season is just around the corner for many Oregonians, winter is a good time to study up on how to plant and care for roses. The OSU Extension Service offers "Controlling Diseases and Aphids on Your Roses," (EC 1520), a six-page circular packed with information on the most common rose afflictions: black spot, rust, powdery mildew and aphids. It identifies conditions that favor infection and suggests practices to help effectively control these problems. It is available on the web or by U.S. mail. Rather than discussing controls for each specific problem, the publication treats the rose as a whole organism. It offers a year-round integrated approach to pest and disease control. To order a printed copy of "Controlling Diseases and Aphids on Your Roses," send a request and a check or money order payable to OSU for $1 per copy plus $3 shipping and handling to: Publications Orders, Extension and Station Communications, 422 Kerr Administration Bldg., Corvallis, OR 97331-2119. Give Your Credit Score A Boost This Year From University of Idaho's HomeWise In our grandparents' era, Americans who wanted to borrow money paid a visit to their banker. "Often, their banker was already familiar with the family's financial history and money-management practices&emdash;what they owned, what they owed and whether they paid their bills on time," says Barbara Petty, University of Idaho Extension educator in Bonneville County. "From that knowledge, the banker would decide to either make or deny the loan." Today, most lenders don't know their customers personally. Instead, they rely on a credit score determined by a mathematical formula to decide who is a good credit risk and who is not. Typically, they'll use a FICO score, developed by the Fair Isaac Corporation in the 1980s. It's based on your payment history (35 percent), the amount you owe (30 percent), the length of your credit history (15 percent), recent requests for credit (10 percent) and the types of credit you use (10 percent). Most people have FICO scores in the 600s and 700s, Petty says. If your score is in the 400s and 500s, you'll be charged a higher interest rate than someone with a higher credit score. You may also be offered less favorable terms. If you're planning to buy a home or make a large purchase on credit this year, Petty recommends that you learn your FICO score now. You can get it from Experian (888-397-3742 or www.experian.com), Equifax (800-685-1111 or www.equifax.com) or TransUnion (800-888-4213 or www.transunion.com). Although all consumers are entitled to one free copy of their credit report annually, you'll need to pay a small fee for your FICO score. Since your credit score is based on your actions, your actions can change it. If it's low, plan to give it a boost by starting to pay all of your bills on time or early, limiting how often you apply for credit, paying down your debt, increasing your income and avoiding frequent job-changes or household moves, Petty says. Debt Reduction Demands A Plan From University of Idaho's HomeWise Getting out of debt is like any other New Year's resolution, says Marilyn Bischoff, University of Idaho Extension family economics specialist: It demands a plan if it's going to succeed. "Just saying it's 2005 and I'm going to get out of debt isn't likely to make it happen," says Bischoff. "You need to set short-term goals and figure out a way to reach them." Bischoff suggests breaking the task down into four key steps: 1. Stop using credit. "Go on a no-credit diet for a period of time," she says. "Paying off debt is hard enough, so stop accumulating more. Leave your credit cards at home." 2. Determine how much you owe each of your creditors. Make a list that includes each creditor's name, contact information, account number, annual percentage rate (APR), minimum monthly payment, number of payments remaining, balance remaining, payment due date, amount last paid, date last paid, total amount paid and whether the debt is "secured" by such property as your home, vehicle, land, furniture or appliances. 3. Examine your monthly income and expenses and determine if there's a way to increase the former and decrease the latter. Decide how much money is, or can be, available for debt repayment each month. 4. Develop a debt repayment plan. Make your secured debts your first priority so you don't lose the property you depend on to keep your family safe. "Until you can pay more, you may just choose to make minimum payments on all of your unsecured debts and credit cards," Bischoff says. After you've developed a plan to keep up the payments on your secured debts, prioritize your other debts either by the interest rate you're paying or the amount of money you still owe on each one. If you choose the interest rate method, pay off the highest-rate debt first and make minimum payments on your other unsecured debts until the highest-rate debt is paid off. Then work on the second-highest-rate debt. If you choose the low-balance method, pay off the debt with the lowest remaining balance first, and so on. "The low-balance method is a good motivator for some people," Bischoff says. "They can really see that they're accomplishing something and getting ahead." Another approach is debt consolidation&emdash;obtaining a single loan to pay off all of your other debts. "It's not my preferred method because people generally end up paying higher interest rates and spreading out their debt over a longer period of time," Bischoff says. "But, for some people, knowing that they only have one debt instead of many can help them get through the debt cycle." For more information, read a series of 10 free fact sheets entitled Credit Cents: Making Sense of Credit and Debt developed by Bischoff and colleagues Marsha Lockard and Barbara Petty. You can download the fact sheets from http://info.ag.uidaho.edu; click first on Catalog, next on CALS Publishing Catalog and then on New Releases in 2004. Too Many Horses Can Endanger Animals, Pastures By Evelyn Boswell, Montana State University News Service Montanans love horses so much that they sometimes buy more horses than their pasture can handle, according to Bok Sowell, associate professor of animal and range sciences at Montana State University. He's seen parents buy a horse for one child, for example. Then they buy another horse for a second child. Before long, the family has five or six horses on a pasture that can only handle three. The outcome isn't good for the horses or the vegetation, Sowell said. Overgrazing can lead to increased parasite loads and a pasture overcome by weeds. If horses start eating sandy soil, they may suffer impaction which can lead to colic. If the family runs out of pasture, they spend money on feed. Placing too many horses on a pasture is common, agreed Jennifer Mohler who teaches a pasture management class for horse owners in Gallatin County. The course is sponsored by the Gallatin Conservation District. Another big problem is horse owners who don't let their grass grow. They keep horses on a pasture too long or return them to a pasture too early. "People need to consider themselves grass farmers. This is the crop you are trying to grow," Mohler said. "If you focus on grass, how to grow and harvest it, you can have a sustainable pasture." To prevent overgrazing and related problems, Sowell spoke at MSU's 2004 equine conference. Many of his suggestions for grazing small pastures came from "Living on the Land," a CD developed by Extension Service experts and others in eight western states. The portion to which Sowell referred was written by Wendy Williams of the Montana Natural Resources Conservation Service in Bozeman and Holly George with the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of California. Sowell gave specific numbers and amounts in his talk, but said figures can vary with conditions and animals. These were some general guidelines, however, for grazing small pastures: • Don't let horses have non-stop access to forage areas. Two or three hours per day is enough. • Create more pastures by subdividing grazing areas. Separate the areas with permanent or temporary fences, then rotate the horses among pastures. • Monitor grass height. Horses should be moved when crested wheatgrass or Kentucky bluegrass are down to about two inches. The minimum recommended height for orchard grass, brome grass or Timothy grass is about four inches. • Figure out how many animals a pasture can accommodate without overgrazing. Know how much your animals eat. As a general rule, a 1,000-pound horse will eat about 25 pounds of hay and grain a day or five tons a year when no pasture is available. • Know how much hay your land will produce. Irrigated land is more productive than non-irrigated. One acre of irrigated land might produce one ton of hay under poor conditions, two tons under fair conditions and three tons under good conditions. One acre of non-irrigated land might produce about half that. If a pasture produces 17.5 tons of hay and forage, it will support about three horses year-round. • Improve waste management so waste doesn't destroy or damage grass. Cleaning up manure may increase the amount of available forage. • When no pasture is available, keep horses in a dry lot and feed them there. • Control weeds and undesirable plants in pastures and nearby areas to prevent horses from getting sick. Houndstongue, for example, may be toxic to horses. If you don't know your weeds, contact your local county Extension agent. Mowing will control excessive growth of grasses. • Whenever possible, let horses be horses. That means they should have space to wander and graze. "A lot of time when you put animals in a real small space and don't allow them to graze, they develop nervous habits," Sowell said.

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