| Liskey Farm Displays Diversity, Stewardship |
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Tracey Liskey gives greenhouse tour to Ellen Hammond of ODA
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Written by Ellen Hammond, Eric Nusbaum, and Stephanie Page of the Oregon Department of Agriculture
It’s not a stretch to call Tracey, Vickie, and Rocky Liskey’s Klamath Falls area farm an oasis. In the middle of Oregon’s high desert, hanging baskets of brightly colored annual flowers fill the Liskey siblings’ greenhouses and cattle graze on lush green irrigated pastures. Underlying the beautiful setting are the Liskeys’ ongoing efforts to diversify and a strong commitment to natural resources stewardship.
The Liskey family has farmed and ranched on their land in the Lower Klamath Lake area since the 1930s. They produce grass and alfalfa hay on some of their fields and graze 300 cow-calf pairs. They have also diversified their operation to include nursery plants, and also lease out part of the property for fish and row crop production.
“Our operation is definitely diverse,” Tracey Liskey says. “The importance of diversity is a key lesson that we re-learned during the 2001 water crisis.”
The Liskeys responded to the water crisis by implementing several water conservation and water quality improvement measures on their grazing and hay lands. Many of their fields used to have irrigation ditches running through them. The ditches were up to 40 feet wide and livestock had unlimited access to the ditches. “Out of 400 acres, I’d estimate that 60 acres were lost in these ditches,” Tracey Liskey says. “There were also potential water quality concerns from the animal access.”
The Liskeys worked with the Klamath Soil and Water Conservation District and UDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to fill in the ditches, fence off some of the laterals, and convert from a flood-irrigation system to a center pivot sprinklers. Pastures are cross-fenced into three paddocks and cows are rotated through with two weeks on each paddock followed by 4 weeks of rest.
“We have increased our electricity use by converting to pivot irrigation,” Liskey says, “But slightly more acreage is now usable for grazing because of the filled in ditches and the sprinkler system is much more convenient.” Liskey, who serves on the Local Advisory Committee for the Lost River Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Plan and Rules, is also proud of the public and natural resource benefits of his more efficient irrigation system, having little to no run off from the pasture land.
Another example of efficiency on the Liskeys’ farm comes from the nursery and fisheries sector of the business. Thanks to their property’s unique geology with geothermal wells with temperatures of 195 to 199 degrees. The Liskeys have used geothermal energy to heat the nursery greenhouses and use the tail water to heat ponds for tropical fish and keep water open for the cattle in the winter.
The Liskeys’ nursery business began in the 1970s when they began growing forestry seedlings. Fifteen years ago, they decided to try selling retail flowers.
“To our shock, we sold out in three weeks,” Liskey remembers. The nursery business has grown steadily every year, with sales now ten times they were when they began. The Liskeys have moved their sales center from their home place to an outlet in Klamath Falls, and also deliver plants to major customers. The business continues to be strictly retail, with sales to businesses, individuals, and the City of Klamath Falls.
Despite the business’ success, Tracey emphasizes that both the nursery and cattle industries are volatile. The family continues to pursue diversity in their operation, and is currently working on renting land and water for a biofuel and vegetable facility. “Having several businesses spreads out our risk in any one year,” he says. “We hope that at least one sector will be profitable.”
One sure thing is that the Liskeys’ stewardship will continue providing natural resource benefits, year after year.
More SWCD success stories
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