Newsletter Volume 11-1 Page 4

Waterways protect the soil as they provide a conduit for water runoff in cropland. They can also serve as a place to load during harvest. This well maintained waterway on the Watson Brothers Farm in Leonard also produces high quality Bermuda grass hay. Traffic on a waterway during wet soil conditions can damage the waterway and should be avoided. Maintenance on a waterway includes weed and brush control, smoothing and re-vegetating washouts, and managing siltation to maintain the desired water flow.

Jerry Rives presents a hard bound copy of the Soil Survey of Fannin County, Texas to Carroll Jones, district board chairman. Pictured (L-R) are Leon Bowman, Harvey Milton, Rives, Jones, Billy Partridge and David Keene. Only two copies of the book were hardbound, with one copy going to the author, Bob Goerdel of Llano, Texas. Several years elapsed between the completion of the survey and the printing of the softbound copy. The survey is available as a CD. The survey is an invaluable tool for farmers & ranchers, real estate brokers and developers and others interested in the soils of this county. Local librarians can obtain a free copy of each format by contacting NRCS at 903.583.9513 or the district secretary at 903.583.5612.