Extension Service FAQ

Contact North Central Public Health District by phone at (541) 506-2600 or (541) 296-5454 after hours, by email at PublicHealth@co.wasco.or.us, or by visiting their office or mailing your complaint to North Central Public Health District, 419 E. 7th Street, The Dalles, OR 97058.

Learn about Agriculture Licensing and Certification requirements for farming, dairy production, baking, butchering, and more.

Yes, contact the Oregon State University Extension Service in Moro to be added to its newsletter mailing list.  Archives are available online, at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sherman/crops-sherman-county-extension-service-oregon-state-university. OSU also offers a research magazine through its Agricultural Experiment Station; subscribe for free. Use its Ask the Expert tool for further questions.

Contact Jacob Powell at Wasco County Extension Office for the current list of agricultural classes offered in the Mid-Columbia; he can be reached at  (541) 565-5494 or jacob.powell@oregonstate.edu. The core manual is sold at Wasco County Extension, 400 E. Scenic Drive, Suite 2, in The Dalles.  The Oregon Department of Agriculture Pesticide Exam is available for private applicators on-line at http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/programs/Pesticides/Licensing/Pages/ExamsStudyMaterials.aspx.  Computer-based testing is available through Metro Institute online at https://www.metrosignup.com.

Sawyers True Value in The Dalles does soil testing for $25 per sample.  The Sherman County Extension Office has the details for taking your soil sample.  Soil is tested for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, pH, humus, and soil texture.

Contact a Master Gardener in the Oregon State University Sherman County Extension Office, such as Master Gardener Cindy Brown. Cindy can be reached at (541) 565-3230 or Cindy.Brown@oregonstate.edu. Or contact Michelle Sager of the Master Gardener Program in Wasco County, (541) 565-5494 or Michelle.Sager@oregonstate.edu, and ask about the plant clinic and available resources. Get further details on the Oregon State University Extension website at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening.

Cindy Brown or Sue Mabe in the Sherman County Extension Office can inspect and test your pressure canner. Just bring the lid (or the whole unit) anytime the office is open, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, to the OSU Extension Office/Burnet Building, 66365 Lonerock Road, Moro.

Cindy Brown in the Sherman County Extension Office is a Master Food Preserver; reach her at (541) 565-3230 or cindy.brown@oregonstate.edu.  For additional information or to learn about food preservation classes offered in the Mid-Columbia, check out the Wasco County Extension website at   http://extension.oregonstate.edu/wasco/family-community-development. Oregon State University’s information on food preservation and the summer “hotlines” for questions can be found at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/fch/food-preservation.

Bottles for taking well-water samples are available at North Central Public Health Department in The Dalles.  After you collect your sample, deliver it to the Wicks Water Treatment Plant outside of The Dalles.  Cost is $30 to test for bacteria (T coliforms and E coli) and nitrates.  Results are private and only released to whomever is paying for the tests.  Also, Ferguson Plumbing in The Dalles has a mail-in test kit you can purchase. You can use Sherman Transit to get to and from The Dalles.

Kyle Bender is the Sherman Farm Station Manager for the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center. He can be reached at (541) 565-3522 or kyle.bender@oregonstate.edu.

Sherman County does not have its own dryland-grains agricultural extension agent.  Instead, contact Jacob Powell at Wasco County Extension Office (541) 565-5494 or jacob.powell@oregonstate.edu, or Jordan Maley at Gilliam County Extension Office (541) 384-2271 or jordan.maley@oregonstate.edu.

Rainfall records are available at https://www.co.sherman.or.us/departments/sherman-county-extension-office/

Thanks for asking! Sherman County is building a Prevention team that will look into strategies to promote healthy life choices. There also are a variety of youth programs you can volunteer for; you can join the Parent Teacher Organization/Boosters, become a Scholar reader, mentor a youth, train to be a Court-Appointed Special Advocate, and become a foster parent. There are so many opportunities that we’d love to share with you. Please call (541) 565-3461 to discuss your options.

Here are three ways to help protect yourself and others from wildfires:

• Call 9-1-1 right away if the fire cannot be put out.
• Compost rather than burn and do not use a burn barrel or campfire during the dry summer and early-fall months.
• Study up on the Sherman County Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

Challenge yourself to world-class windsurfing on the Columbia, bass fishing on the John Day River, whitewater rafting on the Deschutes, and upland game hunting in our wide-open spaces! Listen to the sound of rushing waters, the rustling of ripe winter wheat, the squeal of 4-H project pigs at the Sherman County Fair, and cheering fans at school events! Round up some history at the Courthouse and the Museum! Check out our schools, shops, and services! We’re definitely open for business! Let’s talk! Explore your recreation options now.

February 15 is the last day to enroll in 4-H within Sherman County for this year. Contact Cindy Brown at Oregon State University to begin that process: (541) 565-3230 or cindy.brown@oregonstate.edu.

The 4-H year officially begins in October and runs through September.  Sherman County 4-H enrollments are done in January of each year.  Cost is $28 per child, with discounts for multiple sibling families.  Youth must be 9 years old by September 1 to enroll in 4-H, and no older than 19 (and still in high school).  4-H clubs generally meet monthly March through August.  More information is at  http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sherman/4h-youth.

The 4-H Leader forms are at  http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sherman/leader-forms.  A background check is required.  The Sherman 4-H Association (formerly 4-H Leaders Assn) meets monthly at the OSU Extension Office at 515 Columbia Street in Wasco.

Sherman County 4-H camp is held the third week of June at the Camp Morrow lakeside facility outside of Wamic.  Youth in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade may attend, and attendees do not need to be 4-H members.  Cost in 2017 was $100 for 3 days/2 nights.  The registration form is at  http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sherman/4h-youth.

Currently, Sherman County 4-H clubs help area youth nurture their skills with cows, goats, sheep, pigs, poultry, rabbits and guinea pigs, horses, robotics, sewing, cooking, outdoor cooking and food preservation, shooting sports, and leadership (7th-12th graders).  Sherman County 4-H also would like to offer more clubs, such as photography, as volunteers are available. (See the current Sherman County Club Projects list at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sherman/4h-youth.)

Stop by the Sherman County Extension office, at 66365 Lonerock Road in Moro, and visit with us; we’re excited to have you be part of 4-H!  Let us know what projects you are interested in, and we’ll get you the office hours.  The Sherman 4-H Association (formerly 4-H Leaders Association) then meets monthly at the Extension Office. You can find required volunteer forms online at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sherman/click-each-open-record. The 4-H Leader forms are at  http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sherman/leader-forms.  A background check is required.

Yes, Sherman County 4-H has a newsletter that comes out six to eight times per year. If you’d like to be added to the mailing list call the OSU Extension Office at (541) 565-3230, or simply view the newsletters from our online 4-H newsletter archives.

Sherman County 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) entries are usually due by the third week of July.  See http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sherman/4h-youth.

The Sherman County Fair is generally held the third week of August. Check the fair website for details, shermancountyfairfun.com. Fairbooks are available in the Extension office and post offices in the county during the summer.

Donations can be mailed to the Sherman County Youth Livestock Auction Association, PO Box 94, Moro OR 97039.

Read about 4-H’s Oregon-born history at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/release/2017/10/national-4-h-week-celebrates-country%E2%80%99s-largest-youth-organization.

Our “Available Real Estate” page has a handy map link for exploring and posting for-sale residential, agricultural, or commercial properties.

Consult with the Sherman County Planner to discuss your plans for any non-farm dwellings.

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) publishes forecasts and real-time conditions from its Sherman County LTE Station.