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Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 6:14 AM

Burning Ditches and Fields Safe and Customary

Burning Ditches and Fields Safe and Customary
TCID crews burning canals along Sheckler Road to clean weeds and debris before start of irrigation season. (The Fallon Post/Rachel Dahl)

This is the time of year people notice fields and ditches on fire, and those new community members often wonder “what the heck is going on and why is no one noticing.”


Agricultural burning is a generally accepted farming practice used by farmers and wetlands managers to reduce crop residue, stimulate yield, control diseases, reduce unwanted plant species, and otherwise maintain the productivity of lands.


The practice of burning is applied to canals and ditches (open channels) to reduce or eliminate the presence of unwanted plant species that draw from the water supply and choke water flow intended for all beneficial uses –including agriculture.  


Important to all water users is the concept of “head pressure.” Impediments to water flow, such as weeds in a channel, reduce water velocity and its associated pressure at a delivery gate -making irrigation slow and inefficient. The build-up of weeds and debris in open channels causes overtopping as well as mad neighbors. 


Moreover, no one wants channels serving as delivery conduits for the seeds of unwanted plants that will end up growing on roadsides or fields.  Burning serves to cleanse delivery structures and creates the beautiful fields that we all appreciate in the “Oasis of Nevada.” 
 

 


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Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I knew Sam as a member of our church growing up. He always had a warm smile, a kind word, and a great sense of humor! He will be great missed!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:57 AMComment source: Obituary -- Samuel Bruce WickizerComment author: Mike HinzComment text: Great teacher, great coach, but even a better person!!! Rest in peace Mr. BeachComment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:53 AMComment source: Obituary -- Jack Victor Beach, Jr.Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I had Mrs Hedges for First Grade at Northside Elementary in 1969. I still, to this day, remember her as a wonderful teacher…one of my favorites!!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:29 AMComment source: Obituary - Nancy Marie Hedges C Comment author: Carl C. HagenComment text: What are MFNs and PBMs ?? ............................ From the editor: This is a very good question and we apologize for not catching that wasn't in there. We reached out to the writer/submitter and got this info back...hope it's helpful. PBM: Pharmacy Benefit Managers are pharmacies that are owned by insurance companies. (CVS is one.) They negotiate with drug makers to get reduced pricing for medications, but they historically have not passed along those savings to patients. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf MFN: Most Favored Nation pricing is a policy that means a country agrees to offer the same trade concessions (like tariffs or price reductions) to all member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). When applied to pharmaceuticals, it could disrupt global access, deter innovation, and obscure the deeper systemic issues in American health care. https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2025/05/22/the-global-risks-of-americas-most-favored-nation-drug-pricing-policy/Comment publication date: 6/23/25, 7:47 AMComment source: L E T T E R TO THE EDITOR
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