Hansford Farm Service Agency
Farm & Ranch News
March 2009
Hansford County FSA
909 W. 9th Ave. Suite B
Spearman, TX 79081
Phone: 806-659-3036
FAX: 806-659-2590
Web:www/fsa/usda/gov/tx/tx195
Office Hours: 8-4:30 M-F
COUNTY COMMITTEE
Rick Barkley – Chairman
James Connelly – Vice Chairman
Carl Kunselman- Member
Lynna Renner – Advisor
Regular Meeting: 1st Tues. @
9:00 A.M.
STAFF
Rick Hargrove - CED
Linda Counts - PT
Cathy Gafford – PT
FSA WEB SITES
Farm Service Agency: http:/www.fsa.usda.gov
Price Support: http:/www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/psd
FARM PROGRAM MEETING
DATE: Tuesday, March 24
TIME: 9:00 a.m.
PLACE: First Bapitst Church Family Life Center Spearman
SUBJECT: 2009 Farm Program & EQIP
DCP SIGNUP CONTINUES
Signup for the 2009 Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment (DCP) Program continues until June 1, 2009. The June 1, 2009 deadline is mandatory for all participants. FSA will not accept any late-filed applications.
FSA computes DCP Program payments using base acres and payment yields established for each farm. Eligible producers receive direct payments at rates established by statute regardless of market prices. For 2009, you may request to receive advance direct payments based on 22 percent of the direct payment for each commodity associated with the farm. FSA will issue advance direct payments later this month. Counter-cyclical payment rates vary depending on market prices and are issued only when the effective price for a commodity is statutorily set below its target price.
The electronic DCP (or eDCP) service will save you time, reduce paperwork and speed up contract processing at FSA offices. It is available to anyone eligible to participate in the DCP Program. To access this on-line service, you must have an active USDA eAuthentication Level 2 account, which requires filling out an online registration form at http://www.eauth.egov.usda.gov followed by a visit to the local USDA Service Center for identity verification.
Producers eligible for the DCP Program are also able to enroll in the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program or the Counter-cyclical Program. The enrollment period for the ACRE Program will begin in the spring. You may first enroll in the DCP Program, receive advance direct payments and then later modify your enrollment to the ACRE program or you may wait and elect to enroll in DCP and ACRE at the same time in spring 2009.
PAYMENT LIMITATION COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced that the comment period for the regulation governing payment eligibility and payment limitations has been extended for an additional 60 days, FSA is seeking a diverse range of comments from different areas of the United States and farming communities.
With this extension, the public may continue to submit comments until April 6, 2009. The extension document is available at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/federalNotices?are=home&subject=lare&topic=frd-ii.
The regulation, published Dec. 29, 2008, invited comments on the interim rule for implementation of key eligibility requirements for many FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs. The regulations were revised as mandated by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) to make changes in payment eligibility, payment attribution, maximum income limits and maximum dollar benefit amounts for participants in CCC-funded programs. In addition, certain discretionary changes also were incorporated.
One key provision requires that individuals and entities must be "actively engaged in farming" with respect to a farming operation in order to be eligible for specified payments and benefits. To be "actively engaged in farming," the individual or entity must make significant contributions to the farming operation of (1) capital, equipment, land, or a combination; and (2) active personal labor or active personal management, or a combination.
Under rules in effect since 1988, not every member of an entity is required to contribute active personal labor or management. The interim rule requires each partner, stockholder, or member with an ownership interest to make a contribution of active personal labor or active personal management. The contribution must be regular, substantial, and documentable as well as separate and distinct from any other member's contribution. The rule limits the ability of passive stockholders to continue to realize benefits from an entity.
The substantive change rules make the requirement for adding new persons to a farming operation more restrictive. Substantive changes to an operation include changing ownership of land or equipment, bringing family members into an operation or increasing the scope of an operation. Under previous rules, substantive change could be met for an operation by increasing cropland acres by 20%, new provisions require such a change to be a 20% increase in base acres.
NAP APPLICATION DEADLINE
The deadline to signup for Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage is March 16, 2009. Insurance coverage or NAP is required on crops in order to remain eligible for the agency’s Disaster Assistance Programs such as SURE, LFP, TAP, and ELAP. Producers must purchase at least catastrophic (CAT) level of insurance for all insurable crops.
NAP is a federally funded program that provides coverage to producers for non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory or prevented planting occurs due to natural disasters. Crops eligible for NAP coverage are those for which crop insurance is not available, including fruits and vegetables, aquaculture, pecans, turf grass and forage crops just to name a few.
Producers must apply for coverage before a disaster strikes. NAP applications for coverage must be filed using Form CCC-471 and pay the applicable service fees by the closing date. Application closing dates vary by crop. Hansford County producers can contact the FSA Office for specific crop application sales closing dates at: 806-659-3036 Ext. 2.
More information about NAP may be found on the FSA web site located at http://www.fsa.usda.gov
FSA PAYMENT RECORD (1099-G)
During the last week of January, producers who received payments in 2008 from FSA should have received a CCC-1099-G from the Kansas City office. A CCC-1099-G is a report to the Internal Revenue Service about FSA payments made to you during the previous calendar year. The CCC-1099-G is a service to help participating producers report taxable income. It is not intended to replace the program participant’s responsibility to report income to the IRS.
If you received a CCC-1099-G, we recommend that you check the amounts shown with those in your records to see that the amounts are correct. Refunds will no longer be reported on the 1099-G, but will be available online from the FSA Financial Inquiries (FSA-FI) web-based database. Program participants with eAuthentication user ID’s and passwords can access their refund information at FSA-FI and select “Inquiry Type 1099/Refund Reports”. Refund amounts are displayed on the Producer’s Year-to-Date Activity web page.
If you have a question concerning the 1099-G refund information, you may contact your local FSA office for assistance locating the correct payment data. If you choose to visit the office, bring your CCC-1099-G with you.
ACREAGE REPORTING
Acreage reporting time will soon be here. Filing an accurate acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and prevented planting acreage, can prevent the loss of benefits for a variety of programs.
Failed acreage must be reported within 15 days of the disaster event and before disposition of the crop. Prevented planting must be reported no later than 15 days after the final planting date.
Acreage reports are required for many Farm Service Agency programs. For crops other than NAP (Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program) crops, acreage reports are to be certified by the May 15 deadline on small grains and a July 15 deadline on all other crops.
Acreage reports on crops for which NAP assistance may be paid are due in the county office by the earlier of May 15 for small grains and July 15 for all other crops, or 15 calendar days before the onset of harvest or grazing of the specific crop acreage being reported.
Timely File Notice of Loss
The CCC-576, Notice of Loss, is used to report failed acreage and prevented planting and may be completed by any producer with an interest in the crop. Timely filing a Notice of Loss is required on ALL CROPS INCLUDING GRASSES. For losses on crops covered by the Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and crop insurance, you must file a CCC-576 (notice of loss) in the FSA County Office within 15 days of the occurrence of the disaster or when losses become apparent.
If filing for prevented planting, an acreage report and CCC-576 must be filed within 15 calendar days of the final planting date for the crop.
Sodbuster, Swampbuster
Most Farm Service Agency programs require compliance with sodbuster and swampbuster provisions. These provisions require producers to follow an approved conservation system on all highly erodible land planted to an annual crop as determined by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Be sure to have determinations made on any new land you plan to plant to annual crops.
Swampbuster provisions state that converting a wetland to make possible the planting of a crop will result in the loss of all USDA benefits. To avoid this possibility it is strongly recommended that producers check with NRCS before starting to work in the fields.
Farm Reconstitutions
In program terminology, farms are constituted to group all tracts having the same owner and the same operator under one farm serial number. When changes in ownership or operation take place, a farm reconstitution is necessary. The reconstitution — or recon — is the process of combining or dividing farms or tracts of land based on the farming operation.
The following are the different methods used when doing a farm recon.
• Estate Method — the division of bases, allotments and quotas for a parent farm among heirs in settling an estate;
• Designation of Landowner Method — may be used when (1) part of a farm is sold or ownership is transferred; (2) an entire farm is sold to two or more persons; (3) farm ownership is transferred to two or more persons; (4) part of a tract is sold or ownership is transferred; (5) a tract is sold to two or more persons; or (6) tract ownership is transferred to two or more persons. In order to use this method the land sold must have been owned for at least three years, or a waiver granted, and the buyer and seller must sign a Memorandum of Understanding;
• DCP Cropland Method — the division of bases in the same proportion that the DCP cropland for each resulting tract relates to the DCP cropland on the parent tract;
• Default Method — the division of bases for a parent farm with each tract maintaining the bases attributed to the tract level when the reconstitution is initiated in the system.
If payments have already been issued on a particular farm, the reconstitution will be effective for the next year, unless the payments are refunded. Request for recons should be filed by June 1
Important Dates
NAP Sales Closing Dates
March 15 NI Corn, NI Cotton, Haygrazer, Sorghum Forage
NAP Acreage Reporting Dates
15 days Prior to date your turning cattle onto Wheat
July 15 NI Corn, NI Cotton, Haygrazer, Sorghum Forage
APRIL1 final grazing date for wheat for harvest
June 1, 2009---------Final Date to Sign-up in Farm Program
Final Crop Reporting Dates
May 15 Fall seeded small grains-Wheat, Barley, Triticale
July 15 Spring Seeded Crops-Corn, Sorghum, Soybeans, Silage crops, Sunflowers, Cotton
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USDA Announces 2009 DCP Sign-Up Begins
Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program Sign Up to Begin in the Spring
Rick Hargrove, Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Hansford County announced that enrollment for the 2009 Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment (DCP) Program for farms with base acres began Monday, December 22, 2008, both online and at local USDA service centers, and continues until June 1, 2009.
"I encourage all producers to make use of the eDCP automated website to sign up for this important program," said Hargrove. "This service makes DCP more accessible to the public, and I encourage producers with Internet access to use the system." However, producers can visit any USDA Service Center or their administratively assigned center, to complete their 2009 DCP contract.
The June 1, 2009 deadline is mandatory for all participants. USDA will not accept late-filed applications.
The electronic DCP (or eDCP) service saves producers time, reduces paperwork and speeds up contract processing at USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. It is available to all producers who are eligible to participate in the DCP Program and can be accessed at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/dcp. To access the service, producers must have an active USDA eAuthentication Level 2 account, which requires filling out an online registration form at http://www.eauth.egov.usda.gov followed by a visit to the local USDA Service Center for identity verification.
USDA computes DCP Program payments using base acres and payment yields established for each farm. Eligible producers receive direct payments at rates established by statute regardless of market prices. For 2009, eligible producers may request to receive advance direct payments based on 22 percent of the direct payment for each commodity associated with the farm. USDA will issue advance direct payments beginning Dec. 2008. Counter-cyclical payment rates vary depending on market prices. Counter-cyclical payments are issued only when the effective price for a commodity is statutorily set below its target price. The effective price is the higher of the national average market price received during the 12-marketing year for each covered commodity and the national average rate for a marketing assistance loan for the covered commodity.
Producers who are eligible for the DCP Program will also be eligible to enroll in the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program. The enrollment period for the ACRE Program will begin in the spring. Producers may first enroll in the DCP Program, elect to receive advance direct payments and then later modify their enrollment to include the ACRE
program or they may wait and elect to enroll in DCP and ACRE at the same time in Spring 2009.
The optional ACRE Program provides a safety net based on State revenue losses and acts in place of the price-based safety net of counter-cyclical payments under DCP. A farm’s payment is based on a revenue guarantee calculated using a 5-year average state yield and the most recent 2-year State price for each eligible commodity. For the 2009 crop, the 2-year price average will be based on the 2007 and 2008 crop years.
An ACRE payment is issued when both the State and the farm have incurred a revenue loss. The payment is based on 83.3 percent (85 percent in 2012) of the farm’s planted acres times the difference between the State ACRE guarantee and the State revenue times the ratio of the farm's yield divided by the State expected yield. The total number of planted acres for which a producer may receive ACRE payments may not exceed the total base on the farm. In exchange for participating in ACRE, in addition to not receiving counter-cyclical payments, a farm’s direct payment is reduced by 20 percent, and marketing assistance loan rates are reduced by 30 percent.
The decision to enroll in the ACRE Program is irrevocable. The owner of the farm and all producers on the farm must agree to enroll in ACRE. Once enrolled, the farm shall be enrolled for that initial crop year and will remain in ACRE through the 2012 crop year.
Direct payment rates and maximum counter-cyclical rates for 2009:
Bull Test 84 Day Results
The 98 head of beef bulls on performance test at the Oklahoma Panhandle State Central Testing Station have completed 84 days of the 112 day testing period. At this point in the test, the bulls have an average daily gain (ADG) of 4.93 pounds and a weight-per-day-of-age (WDA) of 3.39 pounds. Forty two percent of the bulls have gained over five pounds per day. The bulls were also scanned for carcass traits, ribeye area, marbling score and fat thickness. They will be weighed off test January 31, 2009 and the top 70 head will sell in the 57th Annual Performance Tested Bull Sale, Monday, February 23, 2009.
Phil Light’s Angus bull 21-1, a son of Morgans Direction 111 9901, leads the junior age bulls with an ADG of 6.14 lbs. An Angus consigned by B&M Angus, Edmond, OK is second with an ADG of 5.76 lbs. The bull is sired by Rito 2 878 of 2536 BVND 878. In third place with an ADG of 5.75 lbs. is Gary McPherson’s 23-1 Angus bull sired by TC Precision 308.
In the junior pen division, Phil Light’s pen of four Angus is in the top spot with an ADG of 5.25 lbs. Three of these bulls are sons of the GAR Retail Product sire and the other is a son of GAR 1407 New Design 5022. Another Phil Light pen of four Angus is second with an ADG of 5.15 lbs. Sires represented are Morgans Direction 111 9901, Mytty in Focus and GAR 1407 New Design 5022. The third place junior pen at 5.10 lbs ADG is a pen of three Angus consigned by B&M Angus. Two of the bulls are sons of Rito 2 878 of 2536 BVND 878 and the other is sired by SAV 8180 Traveler 004.
Al Rutledge, Stillwater, OK has the top gaining senior-age bull with an ADG of 7.19 lbs. on an Angus sired by GAR Retail Product. Larry Weinkauf, Orlando, OK has the second and third ranked senior bulls with ADG’s of 6.93 and 6.42 lbs., repectively. Both Angus bulls were sired by GAR H141 Precision 7893.
Larry Weinkauf also leads the senior age pen division on four Angus with an ADG of 5.86 lbs. All are sons of GAR Precision 7893. M&S Cattle, Dover, OK and Gary McPherson, Watonga, OK are tied for second place with ADG’s of 5.63 lbs., respectively. In M&S’s pen of three Angus are two sons of SA Neutron 377 and a son of Rito 616 of 4B20 6807. In Gary McPherson’s pen of three Angus are two sons of TC Foreman 016 and a son of B/R New Frontier 095.
The 57th Annual Performance Tested Bull Sale is set for Monday, February 23, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. (CST) in the England Activity Building, University Farm, Goodwell, OK. Those interested in the performance reports and a sale catalog can contact Gwen Martin, animal Science, Department, OPSU (580) 349-1500, e-mail gwen@opsu.edu or fax (580)349-1501.
Not All GSEs Are the Same
By Tim McDonald
When speaking of GSEs (government sponsored enterprises), one might make the assumption that since they were all created by the U.S. Congress to reduce the cost of capital for certain borrowing sectors of the economy that they can also be compared in areas of regulatory supervision, structure and soundness. However, this basket of apples cannot be compared so easily. With all the negative headlines surrounding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Farm Credit System stands as an example of everything that is right and working with GSEs.
As the nation’s first GSE, Congress chartered the Farm Credit System in the early 1900s to ensure a permanent source of reliable and competitive credit to the agriculture industry and rural America. Over the years, Farm Credit has accomplished that mission and continues to play an important role in the economic viability of agriculture and rural communities throughout the country.
Why is Farm Credit different? Several reasons:
• Farm Credit’s mission is to support agriculture, not the nation’s housing industry.
• Fannie and Freddie have been hurt so greatly because their capital has been eroded due to delinquencies on mortgage loans. Farm Credit is still well positioned at about 13% capital.
• Farm Credit lenders are cooperatives. Our stockholders are the people who borrow money from us; so unlike the housing GSEs that are publicly traded, our earnings are either retained for additional lending to agriculture or are paid out as patronage to our borrowers.
• Farm Credit lenders are retail entities. We deal directly with individual borrowers and have extensive experience and knowledge in agriculture and rural lending. Fannie and Freddie are wholesale institutions and are far removed from the consumers whose mortgages they buy from commercial banks throughout the country.
• Unlike Fannie and Freddie, Farm Credit has not experienced accounting irregularities and misstatements, and we have an independent federal agency with strong and broad enforcement authorities.
• Farm Credit has established its own insurance fund that is administered by the government, similar to the FDIC for commercial banks, to serve as a first line of defense in the event of financial difficulty. The housing GSEs don’t have such an insurance fund, but rely on a line of credit with the U.S. Treasury. However, because of their large size, their line of credit is virtually insignificant ($2.5 billion on a trillion-dollar debt). The point is this: Farm Credit doesn’t rely on the American taxpayer as its backup plan.
The Farm Credit System serves as a shining example of how government-sponsored enterprises can and should work. Unfortunately, not all GSEs are alike; but, with today’s economic distress, they all tend to get painted with the same broad brush. However, unlike the housing GSEs, Farm Credit is sound, thriving and successfully fulfilling its mission.
Potential wheat disease outbreak requires immediate action by producersRecent rains have set the High Plains up for a potential disaster if wheat producers do not take time to destroy volunteer wheat before the drilled wheat begins to come up, said Texas A&M AgriLife experts.
Dr. Charlie Rush, Texas AgriLife Research plant pathologist, said the wheat curl mite, which transmits wheat streak mosaic and other viruses, over-summers on the volunteer wheat. Populations can build up to extremely high levels and that can serve as a point source for infestation of the new wheat that is being planted this month and into September.
“When this happens, you end up getting an early fall infection of wheat streak, which is devastating to the wheat crop,” Rush said. “Neither the mite nor the disease can be treated, so the producer can’t fix the situation once it occurs.”
This infection can be minimized or even avoided if producers will go out in a timely manner and get rid of any volunteer wheat, he said. It will also help to plant as late as possible.
“So many people did not do that last year, and that was one of the things that set up the disastrous wheat year last year,” Rush said.
He said he has data to show that in spite of the drought, dryland fields planted later that were not infected by wheat streak did well.
“Everybody had drought, but the fields infected by wheat streak were much, much worse at harvest time,” he said. “Even some irrigated producers had significant losses because of it and the combination of other diseases.”
“We know there is not much you can do about CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) grasses, but there is something to do about the volunteer wheat,” he said. “If you have a strip of volunteer wheat in the ditch around your field, I would get rid of it there too.”
Rush said it was so dry for so long, from harvest up until July, and many acres of wheat were abandoned. Then the rains came and a lot of that grain that didn’t get harvested will start coming up.
Also, he said, the concern is that dryland farmers will start planting as soon as possible to take advantage of the moisture. So there will be no disconnect between the volunteer wheat (wheat seed sprouting from previous years) and the new emerging crop, and that sets up the infection situation.
Dr. Brent Bean, Texas AgriLife Extension Service agronomist, said although there are a few varieties with some resistance to wheat streak mosaic that producers could plant, none of the varieties are immune from the disease. It is critical producers do what they can to reduce those populations of that over-summering host, Bean said.
“Once you are infected in the early fall and the virus gets a chance to get established, the virus is not going to go away and will likely only get worse,” Rush said.
Bean said the weather conditions later on will play a large role of how severe the infection is and how widespread it becomes in a given field.
“Any inputs to fall-infected wheat need to be carefully considered once you know you have an infection,” he said.
Rush said a producer irrigating wheat at 50 percent to 100 percent of the evapotranspiration rate could lose up $350 to $450 per acre (including inputs) if the crop ends up becoming infected early with wheat streak.
Dr. Ron French, AgriLife Extension plant pathologist in Amarillo, and Bean have given numerous talks at wheat field days, grower meetings, AgriLife Extension agent trainings, agricultural industry talks and other speaking events about this subject.
“You can’t remind producers too many times how important this simple wheat disease management practice can be to their bottom line,” French said.
“Although volunteer wheat is the most favorable host for the wheat curl mite, we cannot rule out barley, corn, triticale, rye and other grasses or grassy weeds,” he said. “These crops also can potentially serve as a ‘green bridge’ for the wheat curl mite to survive from one season to another.”
Volunteer wheat and grass weeds should be taken care of at least 21 days prior to planting by using tillage, a burn-down herbicide, minimum tillage or mowing, French said.
“Current insecticide treatments do not effectively manage the mites,” he said. “Therefore, destroying the host plants for the wheat curl mite is the action to take until plant breeders can come up with good resistant varieties against these viruses.”
The other options are to delay plantings, especially if wheat fields are close to Conservation Reserve Program fields, or plant after the first frost, French said.
The much-needed moisture received provides the setup for a really good wheat season, Rush said.
“It would be a shame to let this good start turn into a disaster because farmers failed to take care of something they could easily control,” he said.
New virus threatens High Plains wheat crop
Early identification could save producers millions
Triticum mosaic virus poses a new threat to Texas wheat, according to Texas AgriLife Research scientists in Amarillo.
The disease was discovered in 2006 by Dr. Dallas Seifers, a Kansas State University researcher, said Jacob Price, AgriLife Research associate researcher.
Price is working with Dr. Charlie Rush, AgriLife Research plant pathologist, and Dr. Ron French, Texas AgriLife Extension Service plant pathologist, on a variety of studies to determine how big of a role it plays in the disease pressure put on area wheat.
The virus is difficult to detect and contain because it is carried by the same mite and exhibits many of the same symptoms as several other diseases already attacking wheat, Price said. It is in the same family of diseases as wheat streak mosaic.
Triticum mosaic virus is carried by the wheat curl mite, he said, which is the same vector that spreads/transmits wheat streak mosaic virus and High Plains virus.
Symptoms of each of the diseases are generally yellowing and stunted plants, Price said. While they all look the same, he said he is studying yield reduction, root development and water uptake to see if they vary between the diseases.
“Right now, there’s not much you can do about the vector, so it is all a matter of management,” he said. That includes both prevention and reduction of inputs once a field is infected.
Destroying volunteer wheat and reducing natural prairie grasses around wheat fields are the key control methods at this time, Price said. This is especially important for dryland producers who plant early, because the grasses act as a “green bridge” to the wheat.
“The wheat curl mite is found on volunteer wheat and many different grasses, and is blown in the air by winds,” he said.
Also, because the symptoms of all these viruses are indistinguishable in the field, producers will need to get any sick wheat tested, Price said.
“Bring it to us or mail it to us,” he said. If a sample is mailed, it needs to be packed with a cold pack. Sample submission forms can be found at http://amarillo.tamu.edu/programs/plantpathtce .
Price said it is hard to know how much yield loss has been caused by the triticum mosaic virus alone, because no one knew it existed and therefor did not test for it until last year’s crop.
From March 14-June 6, Price received 309 wheat samples. Of the samples, he said, 72 percent tested positive for wheat streak mosaic, 51 percent for triticum mosaic virus, 34 percent for High Plains virus and 14 percent for barley yellow dwarf virus.
“Very rarely did you find triticum without wheat streak mosaic,” Price said.
Of the samples containing triticum mosaic virus, he said 47 percent also had wheat streak mosaic and 4 percent also had High Plains virus, but the other 49 percent had all three viruses.
Price worked to find out how widespread the triticum virus was and found it throughout the entire west side of the Texas Panhandle.
“I really need to survey everywhere I can this year,” he said. He wants to try to determine where the diseases cross, transmissibility by vectors, host ranges such as native grasses and conservation reserve program grasses, yield loss due to single and dual infections and distribution for multiple viruses.
In a previous study, Price has determined wheat streak mosaic virus reduces water uptake. With early diagnosis of the problem and thus irrigation reduction, a producer with a 540-acre center pivot can eliminate two irrigations totaling 4 inches, at $11 per thousand cubic feet, and save approximately $24,000, he said.
“In calculating the counties with wheat acreage infected in the northern Panhandle, early diagnosis could save as much as $9 million for producers by eliminating wasted irrigations,” he said. “We weren’t testing for triticum at that time, so it is also a factor to be investigated.”
Price said they are using satellite imagery early in the season to identify suspect fields and then will go out and test the field.
“We have the potential to save producers billions of dollars in wasted irrigation and fertilizer costs,” he said.
While some detection of the disease can be made during warm falls and in early planted wheat, the typical time it will start showing up is during February and March when things start greening up and coming out of dormancy, Price said.
“The main time people irrigate in this area is in the late spring and summer during grain fill and heading,” he said. “We want to catch it before then, if not in the fall.”
Texas AgriLife Extension offers online post-flood information
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service offers online information in Spanish and English on recovering from floods.
Some of the materials include: “Controlling Mold Growth after the Storm,” “Caring for Important Papers after a Flood,” “Decontaminating Flooded Wells” and “Mosquito Problems After a Storm.”
For information, search http://agrilifebookstore.org . Most publications can be downloaded free from that site.
For more information and Web links on recovering after a flood visit http://texashelp.tamu.edu/004-natural/floods.php .
For more assistance, please contact Mike Jackson, AgriLife Extension communications specialist, at 972-952-9232 or mcjackson@ag.tamu.edu .
AgriLife Extension to Offer Beef Quality Update Amarillo Aug. 25
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will conduct a Texas Beef Quality Producer program in Amarillo on Aug. 25 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd.
The program starts at 8:30 a.m. and will end at 2 p.m., following a catered lunch provided by the Texas Beef Council.
Program sponsors along with AgriLife Extension are the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and Texas Beef Council. Four beef quality credits will be available.
“The Texas Beef Quality Producer Program offers a standardized way for beef producers to document and be recognized for the quality and management they’ve put into their cattle,” said Dr. Ted McCollum, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist at Amarillo.
“Beef enjoys a well-deserved reputation as a tasty and wholesome product. Nonetheless, quality and food safety remain big issues with consumers, and are driving forces in the industry here and abroad,” McCollum said.
“By participating in a Beef Quality Assurance program, growers not only help keep consumer confidence strong, but also position themselves to capture some of the premium dollars which the program will undoubtedly generate along the way,” he said.
The program is free, but pre-registration is requested by Aug. 22 for an accurate meal count.
For more information and to pre-register, contact Stacy Fox at the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association at 817-332-7155 or sfox@texascattleraisers.org .
Also, information can be found by contacting Ronda Fisher at the Amarillo center at 806-677-5600 or by going to www.texasbeefquality.com .
Increased Costs Make Management Key When Fertilizing Wheat
The increasing costs of nitrogen and phosphorous during the last year have made it more important than ever to use fertilizer as efficiently as possible, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialist.
Dr. Brent Bean, AgriLife Extension agronomist, said a good soil test is essential to determine the most efficient nitrogen use and proper rates of other nutrients.
“It is important to remember that yields are limited by the most limiting nutrient, whether that is nitrogen, phosphorous or other nutrients,” Bean said. “Applications of nitrogen when phosphorous or other nutrients are deficient, is wasting money.”
He said where possible, the collection of deep soil samples is best and could potentially save producers a significant amount of money in fertilizer costs. “It is not unusual to find 30 pounds or more of nitrogen in the soil at depths below 1 foot,” Bean said, adding wheat can easily use nitrogen from a soil depth of 3 feet.
Wheat needs 1.5 pounds of nitrogen for every bushel, regardless of the nitrogen source, said Dr. Gaylon Morgan, AgriLife Extension small grains specialist. It also needs approximately 0.75 pounds of phosphate for every bushel of yield.
“If phosphorous is needed, it is best to apply it in the fall,” Morgan said.
Phosphorous must be incorporated or injected into the soil because it is not mobile in the soil like nitrogen, he said. The highest efficiency rates are received when phosphorous is applied in band.
“Phosphorous can be applied with wheat seed, but make sure any nitrogen or potassium applied with it does not exceed 18 pounds, or seed germination may be hampered,” Morgan said.
Nitrogen can be applied either all in the fall, as a split application between fall and spring, or all in the spring to maximize nitrogen use efficiency, Dr. Todd Baughman, AgriLife Extension agronomist said.
“Unless the nitrogen level is very low in the soil, dryland wheat producers should consider applying all of their nitrogen in the spring when they will have a better estimate of their yield potential,” Baughman said.
Nitrogen should be applied as a top-dress application at least two weeks prior to jointing, Bean said. This will promote tillering and wheat head size. If the wheat will be grazed, he said, then at least one-third of the nitrogen needs should be applied in fall.
“If manure or compost is available, producers should compare cost with inorganic fertilizer needs,” Bean said. “In many cases, manure or compost may be the most economical form of fertilizer.”
But he also suggested producers have the manure or compost tested for nutrients, as only about half of the nitrogen content will be available the first year.
Wheat Variety Trials Show Promise
2008 may have been a bad year for wheat, but it was a good year to test different varieties for drought tolerance and disease resistance, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialist.
To identify the best-performing varieties for this region, AgriLife Extension annually conducts variety trials throughout the High Plains, said Dr. Brent Bean, agronomist. Partial funding for these trials is provided by the Texas Wheat Producers Board through grower check-off funds.
Two varieties stood out in the performance trials, Bean said. TAM 112 and Hatcher had the highest yields when averaged across six irrigated locations. They averaged 59 and 57 bushels per acre, respectively, and were consistent performers, ranking in the top 25 percent in five of the six locations.
Irrigated variety trials were located at Perryton, Bushland, Etter, and in Dallam County, Castro County and Gaines County.
TAM 112 is greenbug tolerant and has some tolerance to wheat streak mosaic, he said. Hatcher was released by Colorado State in 2005 and has moderate resistance to stripe rust and good drought tolerance.
Endurance finished in the top 25 percent in four of the six locations, and when averaged across trials yielded 55 bushels per acre, Bean said. Other varieties of note that finished in the top 25 percent in three of the six locations were Jagalene, TAM 304, TAM 203, TAM 110, Keota and Jackpot.
TAM 111, which has performed very well in the previous three years, held its own, averaging 54 bushels per acre across locations and finishing in the top 25 percent in two of six locations. Dumas has been a main irrigated wheat variety for several years but yielded 3 bushels per acre less than the average across all locations.
The Texas A&M System experimental line TX02A252 yielded in the top 25 percent in four of the locations and should be watched in the future, Bean said. Danby, a white wheat, also yielded well in all trials.
“We were unable to report several of our dryland locations due to extremely poor yields and high variability within a test,” he said.
Of the three trials reported, exceptional yields were obtained at Canadian, Bean said. This location is next to the Oklahoma border where timely rains were received. The Bushland and Claude sites reported low yields, averaging 12.5 and 9 bushels per acre, respectively.
The conditions made drawing any conclusions suspect, he said. However, TAM 304, TAM 112, Fuller, TAM 110, Bullet, Duster, TAM 111, Endurance, T81 and Jackpot were the top yielding and most consistent varieties across locations.
Bean made some variety recommendations based on those that have consistently performed well over at least a three-year period. Those varieties that perform well under full irrigation also tend be the same varieties that yield well under dryland.
“In our environment, even those varieties grown under full irrigation are going to be subject to heat stress and likely some periods of drought,” he said.
“Although TAM 111 did not stand head and shoulders above the competition like it has in previous years, it should still be considered on most farms in the Panhandle,” Bean said. “It has been a consistent high performer.”
Other recommendations by Bean include:
-- TAM 112 is an excellent choice for limited irrigated or dryland.
-- TAM 304 was released in 2007 by the Texas A&M System and is being marketed by Scott Seed Co. of Hereford. It has good leaf and stripe rust resistance.
-- Hatcher has now been tested for three years in AgriLife Extension trials. In those three years it has finished in the top 25 percent in eight of 19 irrigated trials and eight of 12 dryland trials.
-- Fuller has now finished in the top 25 percent in 10 of 12 dryland trials making it the most consistent dryland variety over the last three years.
-- Endurance is a good irrigated choice for the producer who also wants to graze his wheat.
-- T81 seems to do best in those very dry years.
-- Dumas still makes the list under full irrigation. It has very good straw strength and relatively good resistance to stripe rust and can be a good grazing wheat. Use Dumas where yields are going to be pushed by maximizing both fertilizer and irrigation use.
“As is always the case, I strongly recommend planting more than one variety on any given farm,” Bean said.
Yield data from previous years, variety descriptions, two- and three-year averages by location, and other information can be found at the following Web site under publications: http://amarillo.tamu.edu/programs/agronomy">http://amarillo.tamu.edu/prog < a>.
2008 High Plains Wheat Harvest Yields a Disappointment
Following record wheat yields experienced in the High Plains last year, 2008 was a disappointment, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.
Throughout the Panhandle, many dryland, and even a few of the irrigated fields, were not harvested due to drought and virus infection, said Dr. Brent Bean, AgriLife Extension agronomist.
The year was marked by less than 5.5 inches of precipitation from September through June in some places, Bean said. Additionally, wheat virus infections of both dryland and irrigated fields were worse than they have been in several years.
The best wheat yields were generally found in the northeast portion of the Panhandle where more timely precipitation was received, he said.
Planting date also seemed to make more of a difference than usual, Bean said. Wheat planted just a couple of weeks later than optimum (around Oct. 4) did not yield as well, especially if planted no-till behind corn or cotton.
Some wheat root rot was also observed in the fall and led to poor establishment in some fields, he said. This was likely due to the previous wet spring and summer that increased soil fungi activity.
Although there were some very good irrigated yields reported, overall they were a disappointment, Bean said.
“Although we did not get especially cold during the spring, we did have just enough freezing weather just prior to heading to cause some sterile heads, further contributing to lower yields,” he said.
The four viruses that infected wheat this past year were: barley yellow dwarf, wheat streak mosaic virus, High Plains disease and the recently identified Triticum mosaic virus, Bean said.
Barley yellow dwarf is transmitted by aphids (greenbug, Russian wheat aphid, others) and generally shows up as yellow stunted plants in spots in a field, he said. The virus is left in the infected plants even if the aphids are no longer present, generally causing plants to be stunted and yellow.
The other three viruses are transmitted by the wheat curl mite, Bean said. The symptoms expressed by these three viruses are very similar, making them very hard to distinguish in the field from each other. Many times the same plants will be infected with two and even all three of the viruses. Control of these viruses is similar, primarily controlling volunteer wheat two to three weeks prior to planting, he said. For a discussion on wheat streak http://varietytesting.tamu.edu/wheat/docs/e337wheatstreakmosiacvirus-2.pdf .
Managed Haying & Grazing of CRP Changes Name
The only other major change is that you can now signup, as of June 2, 2008, by signing a CRP-1M Addendum. You will be required to modify your Conservation Plan with NRCS for the CRP Contract acres and have your application approved by the County Committee prior to haying or grazing.
Just like the old program you cannot start haying or grazing until July 2, 2008 and the period ends November 9, 2008. Hay or cattle must be removed by this date. You cannot hay and graze the same acres. You must leave 50%of each field unhayed and 25% of a field ungrazed. Haying and grazing can be leased to another individual.
These are the rules as we understand them today. Call for an appointment, 806-659-3036 Ext 2.
USDA Announces CRP Permitted Use for Livestock Feed Needs
Eligible CRP Acres Allowed to Hay and Graze; $1.2 Billion Forage Made Available
Rick Hargrove, Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Hansford County today announced that USDA has authorized certain acreage enrolled under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to be available for hay and forage after the primary nesting season ends for grass-nesting birds.
"This action will provide much needed feed and forage while maintaining the conservation benefits from the nation's premier conservation program," said Hargrove. "Eligible farmers and ranchers will be able to plan for harvest of forage after the end of the primary nesting season this summer."
Prices for most field crops have advanced to record or near record levels in recent months, reflecting strong demand, tight supplies and competition for acres. The increased demand for commodities and resulting higher prices has impacted the livestock industry in particular.
More than 24 million acres of land enrolled in CRP will be eligible for this critical feed use program. USDA estimates that this program will make available up to 18 million tons of forage worth $1.2 billion.
"In authorizing this critical use of CRP acres for forage, USDA is also taking strong measures to preserve CRP's environmental benefits," said Hargrove.
Eligible land may not be hayed or grazed until after the end of the primary nesting season.
Also, some of the eligible land or forage of the land must be reserved for wildlife and any land that is used under this authority must have a conservation plan. In many instances, the removal of some of the grass cover will increase the diversity of the stand and provide long-term benefits for wildlife. Further, the most environmentally-sensitive land enrolled in CRP will not be eligible. The land will be subject to a site inspection to ensure compliance with the conservation plan. No rental payment reduction will be assessed on contracts being utilized for this critical use. However, a $75 fee will be charged to process the required contract modification.
Signup for interested CRP participants began June 2, 2008, at local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. This modification for critical feed use is only for 2008. All forage use must be completed no later than November 10, 2008.
Under CRP, farmers and ranchers enroll eligible land in 10- to 15-year contracts with USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). FSA administers CRP on behalf of CCC. Participants plant appropriate cover such as grasses and trees in crop fields and along streams. These plantings help prevent soil and nutrients from running into regional waterways and affecting water quality. The long-term vegetative cover also improves wildlife habitat and soil quality.
Additional details including Fact Sheets, Maps and statistics are available at HYPERLINK "http://www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation" http://www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation.
USDA Announces Deadline for Livestck Disaster Program Signup
Rick Hargrove, Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Hansford County today announced that livestock producers have until July 18, 2008, to enroll in the 2005–2007 Livestock Compensation Program (LCP) and Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). Signup began on Sept. 10, 2007, for the two programs that provide aid to livestock producers who suffered eligible livestock or livestock feed losses between Jan. 1, 2005, and Dec. 30, 2007, because of a natural disaster.
The LIP provides payments to eligible livestock owners and contract growers who incurred the death of livestock because of a natural disaster. The LCP provides payments to eligible livestock owners and cash lessees who suffered feed losses or increased feed costs because of a natural disaster.
More information about LCP and LIP is available online at: HYPERLINK http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov. For more information on FSA programs, visit your local USDA Service Center or the agency's Web site, HYPERLINK http://www.fsa.usda.gov http://www.fsa.usda.gov.
Newly Hired Ag Engineer to Boost Panhandle Irrigation Program
Nich Kenny has been on the job for a month finding out just how the water flows in the Texas Panhandle; irrigation water, that is.
Kenny, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service agriculture engineer, joined Leon New in the Amarillo District office in April to learn how the AgriLife Extension system works with county agents and clientele.
“My goal is to become very familiar with all the irrigation systems here so I can provide expertise as farmer’s needs arise,” Kenny said. “Leon is my mentor in the process, with his 40-plus years of experience in this area.”
New is the AgriLife Extension irrigation specialist in the Panhandle, and has coordinated crop-watering programs ranging from row-water irrigation to center pivot and drip irrigation.
“Nich is eager to learn the irrigation systems and crop production practices and get out into the field to work with producers, especially in the area of irrigation power and fuel requirements and pumping costs,” New said. “This is where I think he will excel and be a special resource to farmers during this fuel price crisis.”
Kenny, a native of Yuma, Ariz., earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson, and most recently served as president and owner of NPK Inc., an engineering and agricultural applications consulting company.
In that position, he said he oversaw projects in Arizona concerning effluent reuse facilities, landfill and waste handling operations, wildlife habitats and a variety of irrigation methods, including flood, drip and sprinkler.
“Engineering principles are universal, but the implementation is dependent on the local practices and parameters,” Kenny said.
Soil and weather conditions, crop timing and scale of operations are all different here, as well as water quality and quantity, he said. Another difference is the wide variance between progressive and traditional producers, with the challenge being to meet each operation’s unique needs.
“Nich has an excellent ag engineering background and has some excellent practical knowledge of irrigation systems, so I am excited about him joining the AgriLife team in Amarillo,” said Dr. Galen Chandler, AgriLife Extension district administrator.
Texas AgriLife Extension to Offer Food Manager Certification Training Course
The typical American household spends an average of $2,634 on food away from home each year.
To assist area food establishments in providing food that is safe for their customers, Texas AgriLife Extension Service officials from Sherman and Potter counties are offering a two-day food manager certification training course.
“Food Safety: It’s Our Business” will be offered June 3-4 at First State Bank, 500 E. 1st St., Dumas. The deadline for signing up to attend is May 20.
Food establishments are required by law to have one certified food manager employed, said Sue Church, AgriLife Extension family and consumer science agent in Potter County. If successfully completed, this course meets the state requirement.
Included with the training will be materials and the state food manager certification examination. Cost of the course is $89. For those individuals wanting to test only, the cost is $50.
Food-borne illnesses affecting an establishment are estimated to cost thousands of dollars in lost wages, insurance and medical bills, Church said.
By attending the course, foodservice managers will learn about:
- Identifying potentially hazardous foods and common errors in food handling;
- Preventing contamination and cross-contamination of food;
- Teaching and encouraging personal hygiene for employees;
- Complying with government regulations;
- Maintaining clean utensils, equipment and surroundings; and
- Controlling pests.
For more information about the Food Manager Certification Training course, call Susie Spurlock, AgriLife Extension family and consumer science agent in Sherman County at 806-366-2081 or Church at 806-373-0713.
Don’t Forget the Tag When You Move Dairy Cattle in Texas!
Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) cattle tuberculosis (TB) regulations went into effect April 1, 2008, requiring an approved identification device on dairy cattle being moved within the state.
If a calf, steer, heifer, bull or cow looks like a dairy animal, make sure it has an official identification device before it’s moved within the state, stresses Dr. Bob Hillman, Texas’ state veterinarian and head of the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency.
“Dairy producers, calf raisers, feeders, or beef cattle owners who have a few dairy animals must comply with this cattle tuberculosis regulation that will aid in tracing cattle TB, if it is introduced into Texas,” said Dr. Hillman. In October 2007, the TAHC enhanced cattle TB and ID regulations for dairy animals entering from other states.
“USDA ear tags, which have been used in the Brucellosis and cattle TB programs for years, are available from the TAHC area offices at no charge for dairy cattle,” said Dr. Hillman. Cattle owners who use these tags are to maintain a simple log of the animals tagged. Information is to include the date a tag is applied to the animal, the tag number, and the animal’s breed, sex and age. The record keeping can be as simple as listing the tag number, date and the animal’s description, he said. Tag pliers are not provided, but they are available for purchase at most agricultural supply stores. Once applied, the identification is to remain on the animal. Producers not familiar with their TAHC area office can call the agency headquarters in Austin at 800-550-8242 for information.
Alternatively, cattle owners may purchase and use any of the following approved identification devices for dairy cattle:
• Electronic official AIN tags, differentiated by the first three digits of the fifteen-digit number:
* Manufacturer code "900" series RFID (radio frequency identification devices) tags, available from many feed or supply stores.
* USA prefix RFID tags
* Country code "840" series RFID tags. (To use these, producers need to register their premises in the National Animal Identification System. This can be accomplished easily and at no charge by calling the TAHC at 800-550-8242.)
A commercially produced cattle-style clip, flap or button tag that identifies owner and includes a unique animal number in the herd.
Although dairy animals are no more susceptible to cattle TB than beef cattle, their close confinement and movement between herds presents a greater risk of exposure to the bacterial disease, if an infected animal is introduced into the herd.
Dr. Hillman explained that cattle TB has not been eradicated in the U.S. At least 12 infected beef herds have been detected in Minnesota since 2006, a state where infection had not been found since 1971. On April 9, Minnesota was downgraded to modified accredited status, the third lowest rung on the five-tiered cattle TB ranking system. In February, TB infection was detected in a large California dairy, and in 2007, infection was detected in New Mexico, Colorado and Oklahoma. For years, Michigan has battled the disease both in cattle and free-ranging deer. Texas lost cattle TB-free status in 2002, but regained it in fall 2006 after employing a strategic plan that included TB testing of dairies and purebred beef herds, and enhancing slaughter surveillance.
“Preventing the introduction of cattle TB is crucial,” said Dr. Hillman. “But, we must be prepared to deal with infection, if it does slip through. Identifying dairy and dairy-cross animals will enable us to complete epidemiological investigations more quickly, so infection can be eliminated before it spreads to more herds.”
High Wheat Prices Require Planning on Producer's Part
by Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5600,SKledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
For the first time in many years, things are working for wheat producers – the cost of production is being covered by the expected price with some left over, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialist.
Depending on yields and how conditions hold up for the next month or so, Stan Bevers, AgriLife Extension economist in Vernon, said the breakeven on wheat to cover all costs this year is expected to be around $4.50 a bushel.
“We’re going to be able to do that this year,” he said. “Even if the price fell some more, we’re talking about making some decent money on the wheat crop.”
Speaking at the Rolling Plains Spring Field Day in Chillicothe recently, Bevers said the problem will be with next year’s crop.
“This has been the most expensive wheat crop we have ever produced – until next year,” he said. With higher input prices due to fuel and fertilizer expected this fall, the breakeven for next year will be anywhere from $5.80 a bushel to $7 a bushel, Bevers said. But the strong prices producers are seeing this year are not expected to hold up.
“I’m squeamish about going out there and hedging this far out, but we need to be thinking about what we need to be doing for next year,” he said.
Bevers said this year a “perfect storm” created the $10-a-bushel wheat situation, including: a reduction in national wheat acreage, two back-to-back droughts in major exporting countries, U.S. and world wheat stocks at extreme lows, a reduction in the value of the dollar, other crops competing for acreage; and index funds pushing commodity prices artificially higher.
“The fact that we have a dollar that is so reduced in value right now benefits agriculture, but from an input cost, the coin is flipped,” he said. “Fuel and fertilizer costs from competitors and other countries is more expensive to us.”
Even with $10-a-bushel wheat, other countries are wanting more U.S. wheat because of the weak dollar, Bevers said, which continues to bring domestic supplies down.
“While wheat production is expected to be up about 4 percent – we expect to harvest about 58 million acres of wheat this year – exports are also up because of the value of the dollar,” he said. “They can buy a lot more wheat cheaper.”
Bevers said right now, it is anticipated the U.S. will have 242 million bushels of wheat in reserve prior to harvest – the lowest amount since WWII. Also, domestically, there is still massive competition for wheat acres, he said. Some acreage will go to corn, soybeans and potentially cotton.
The rest of the world will be planting more wheat later this year because they don’t want to pay $10 a bushel for the U.S. crop, Bevers said. Computing the 58 million acres of harvest expected with a 40-bushel-per-acre projected average, he said a little stronger dollar also could result in a reduction of exports.
“That could be the difference between $10 wheat and about $6 next year,” Bevers said.
As for the rest of this year, Bevers said he would repeat what he said last year: “Sell it across the scales and don’t look back.”
While the price moved higher following harvest last year, he said several things are different this year.
“With short U.S. and world wheat stocks, and corn and other crops adding support, we know the two combined should get us into the $10 range up to harvest,” Bevers said.
He said a best-case scenario would see July futures at $11 a bushel and the worst case would be about $8 per bushel, both well above break-even price this year.
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Wind Power to Help West Texas Town Desalinate Groundwater
State Agency Awards $500,000 Grant to City of Seminole for Project
A pilot project utilizing wind power to desalinate brackish groundwater in West Texas will get a jump-start thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA).
Announced today, the grant to the City of Seminole (Gaines County) from ORCA’s Renewable Energy Demonstration Pilot Program will help fund the $1,075,000 project.
The project holds great promise for rural communities in West Texas and the Panhandle needing to develop new sources of drinking water, said Charles S. (Charlie) Stone, ORCA executive director.
“This project could be a roadmap for how our rural communities can use wind power to help meet future water needs,” Stone said.
The project would be the first in the U.S. to use wind power to desalinate drinking water for an inland municipality, as opposed to a town located on a coastline.
Seminole’s proposal to ORCA calls for groundwater to be pumped from the deep, brackish Santa Rosa aquifer.A 50-kilowatt wind turbine will help power a reverse osmosis plant that will make the water drinkable for the town’s residents.
ORCA is partnering with Texas Tech University, which has been working three years with Seminole on the design and economics of wind-driven groundwater desalinization systems.
“This project represents an innovative approach ORCA can take to help rural communities meet basic human needs, such as clean, reliable sources of drinking water,” said. Dr. Wallace Klussmann, chairman of ORCA’s governing board.
Seminole, like many West Texas towns, draws its drinking water from the Ogallala Aquifer, which is rapidly being depleted.The town has no access to surface water supplies.
And the cost of electricity to operate a reverse osmosis plant large enough to meet the town’s water needs was cost prohibitive, said Jamie Chapman of Texas Tech’s Wind Science and Engineering Research Center.
“Seminole can make this project affordable by tapping into the strong wind power resources in West Texas,” Chapman said. “With this ORCA grant, we can get this pilot project underway.”
The wind turbine will provide the electricity for a reverse osmosis plant that, depending on the aquifer characteristics, will produce up to 30,000 gallons per day of drinking water for the city.
If the project is successful, Chapman said Seminole eventually plans to install three megawatts of wind turbines to power a reverse osmosis plant large enough treat a future peak demand of three million gallons of water per day.Seminole currently uses about two million gallons per day on average from the Ogallala aquifer.
In addition to the ORCA grant, the project calls for Seminole to contribute $400,000 in cash, land and in-kind services.Texas Tech will contribute $25,000 in data collection and analysis and Entegrity Wind Systems will donate for two years a wind turbine valued at $150,000. After two years, Entegrity likely would lease the turbine to Seminole, Chapman said.
“We are grateful to ORCA for its leadership on addressing the critical water needs of Seminole and the region,” said Seminole Mayor Mike Carter.
Seminole also has submitted to the Texas Water Development Board a request for additional funds for this project.
The ORCA funds for the two-year project recently were approved by ORCA’s state review committee, a group of 12 local elected officials who are appointed by the Governor to approve grants awarded from community development block grant funds.
Stone said many rural communities have benefitted economically in terms of jobs, tax revenues and landowner royalties from the large wind farms in West Texas and the Panhandle that now produce about 4,500 megawatts of electricity, or about three percent of the state’s electricity.
“The potential now exists for towns such as Seminole and even rural school districts to cut their energy costs by putting up their own wind power projects,” Stone said.
ORCA’s governing body in 2007 approved allocating $500,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds for a Renewable Energy Demonstration Pilot Program.Another $500,000 for the program has been allocated for fiscal 2009.
As the state agency dedicated solely to rural Texas, ORCA makes the broad resources of state government more accessible to rural communities. ORCA was created by the 77th Legislature to ensure a continuing focus on rural issues, monitor governmental actions affecting rural Texas, research problems and recommend solutions, and administer rural-focused state and federal resources. ORCA is the door to Texas government for rural citizens. For more information, visit ORCA online at www.orca.state.tx.us.
Clear Wind and Chermac Energy Partner on 320 MW of Wind Farms in Texas and Oklahoma
Clear Wind Renewable Power, Inc. announced today the execution of a purchase agreement to acquire four wind energy projects with a total planned capacity of 320 MW from Chermac Energy Corporation. The four wind projects are at various stages of development.
"We are extremely pleased to have closed on this transaction with the team from Chermac Energy.We have been looking to acquire wind projects for a considerable period of time now," said Matt McCabe of Clear Wind. "When we began discussions with Chermac on these projects last year, we were confident we had found a good set of projects and the right team with which to partner on completion of development. In addition, unlike many other structures that we have reviewed, the acquisition structure employed here aligns our interests and Chermac’s over the long term."
"At Chermac, we are pleased that Clear Wind offered capital and, more importantly, the opportunity to become a long term partner in the projects," said Jaime McAlpine, President of Chermac Energy Corporation.
Chermac Energy Corporation is an Oklahoma-based independent energy company that has successfully developed over 214 MW of wind farms through 2007 and is in the development process of an additional 3,000 MW to be constructed primarily in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas by the end of 2014.
Chermac was advised by NorthWinds Advisors of Harrison, N.Y. on the transaction.
Clear Wind Renewable Power, Inc. is an affiliate of Whitebox Advisors, LLC, a Minneapolis-based investment adviser registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The District is required by the state of Texas to set the DFC for the entire District, which will guide measures to be taken to manage the aquifer and attempt to conserve the groundwater resources of the aquifer into the future.The District must also work with three other Groundwater Conservation Districts in the Panhandle in the development of the DFC for the aquifer. Public input is being sought to ensure that the wishes of the people of the District are taken into consideration in the development of the management plan and the DFC.
The Board of Directors is currently considering setting two different DFC’s for the District, one for the western four counties and one for the eastern four counties, due to the differences in both the amount of groundwater available and differences in the amount of groundwater being pumped.The proposed DFC for the Eastern four counties of Ochiltree, Lipscomb, Hutchinson & Hansford Counties would be to have 60% of the currently available groundwater still available in fifty years.Those counties have a greater saturated thickness of the Ogallala, as well as much less pumping of groundwater for agricultural irrigation.The proposed DFC for the Western four counties of Dallam, Hartley, Sherman and Moore Counties is to have 40% of the currently available groundwater still available in fifty years. These counties currently have less saturated thicknessand are experiencing a much higher rate of groundwater withdrawal for agriculture.Comments received at the stakeholder meetings indicated that some were in favor of the separate management areas idea, and some felt that the DFC should be the same across the District.Also being considered is whether the current allowable annual production rate of 2 acre-feet of water per acre of land surface should be lowered to prolong the useable life of the aquifer.
The District’s Board of Directors is seeking input and ideas from the public about how much water they would like to see left in fifty years and possible measure that could be taken to achieve those goals.
The three public meetings are the first in a series of meetings to be held, with more meetings being tentatively scheduled for August.At that time, the groundwater production information and water well level measurements will have been compiled for 2007, giving an even more accurate picture of the groundwater usage and depletion that are occurring within the District.
Anyone wishing to make comment on the process of deciding the DFC can contact the District’s General Manager, Steve Walthour, at 806-935-6401 or by e-mailing to swalthour@npwd.org.
Students Are Invited to Apply for Texas State Water Camp
The District invites high school students who are interested in learning more about water and water conservation to the Texas State Water Camp held in Monahans, Texas. Texas Agri-life Extension’s 16th annual Texas State Youth Water Camp is set for July 13-17 in the George and Opal Bentley 4-H Center in Monahans. The District will pay for the $150 registration fee and travel expenses for students who live within the District that are accepted to attend the camp.
Derek Scasta, Extension agent in Ward County and the camp's coordinator, said the five-day camp helps older Texas youth learn about water issues. "We strive to build an appreciation among the campers of the implications water management has on agriculture, industry, municipalities and homes," Scasta said. "The camp is an excellent opportunity for high school boys and girls from across the state to learn more about our water resources."
The camp will be conducted by Extension agents and specialists, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service personnel and other water resource experts.
Applications are currently being accepted for the camp. Information about the camp can be found at http://ward-tx.tamu.edu/ or by calling the Extension office in Ward County at (432) 943-2682 or 943-4112. Students who are accepted to the camp should contact Rhonda Artho at North Plains Groundwater Conservation District at 806-935-6401 or by e-mailing to artho@npwd.org to arrange to have their travel and registration paid.
Students Invited to Participate in Annual Water Conservation Artwork Competition
Fourth, Fifth and Sixth grade students who live within the District are invited to enter the annual Water Conservation Artwork Contest. The District will feature the winning artwork in its annual calendar which is free to the public. The first place winner will receive a $50 cash prize, a certificate of recognition and will have their artwork featured on the cover of the calendar. Twelve second place winners will each receive a $25 cash prize, a certificate of recognition, and will have their artwork featured on one month inside the calendar. Children can draw, paint or use any other medium to depict water conservation. The deadline for submission of artwork to the District for the 2009 calendar is May 23, 2008. Artwork should be sent to District with the entry form, which can be downloaded from the District’s website at www.npwd.org/art_contest.htm.
Free Newsletter Keeps Citizens Informed on Groundwater in the Panhandle
With concerns about the future of our groundwater supplies in the public eye right now, there is a way for citizens to stay informed on the activities and services of the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District.
The North Plains Water News is published quarterly, and contains information on District events and programs, current research in groundwater and water conservation, as well as helpful tips to conserve water for home owners and businesses.In addition, information on water legislation at the state level is covered.The newsletter is one program of the District intended to provide timely and useful groundwater information to the citizens of the District.
The newsletter is free to the public, and all interested persons are urged to contact Rhonda Artho at 806-935-6401 or artho@npwd.org to be placed on the mailing list.
Report: Corn Prices Not the Primary Driver of Higher Food Costs
Many are quick to blame high-priced corn for escalating food prices, but the primary catalysts are $100-plus crude and higher overall production costs. Put it all together and it’s hurting the Texas agricultural economy, according to a report by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University.
Economists with the center, part of Texas AgriLife Research and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, found the underlying force driving change throughout the agricultural industry is more directly related to high energy and production costs – though corn does play a role in some higher food costs.
“Though crop farmers are receiving historically high prices, it’s negative territory for the Texas livestock industry when you factor in how much is being spent by producers to feed those animals and production costs associated with fuel, fertilizer and other inputs,” said Dr. David Anderson, AgriLife Extension economist in College Station.
Farm acreage is receiving pressure as a result of high-energy costs, Anderson said.
“Corn and other commodity prices would have to increase (to offset rising energy costs),” he said.
Substantial increases in fertilizer prices led to a 3 million-acre reduction in U.S. planted corn acres for the 2006-2007 crop year, according to the report, “The Effects of Ethanol on Texas Food and Feed.”
“Higher production costs will continue to pressure acres as producers are faced with expensive fertilizer and diesel prices to plant crops,” Anderson said. “This research also supports the hypothesis that corn prices have had little to do with rising food costs. Higher corn prices do have a small effect on some food items.”
Important food items such as bread, eggs and milk have high prices that are affected by higher corn prices, but “fundamental supply/demand relationships in the world have had a larger effect,” Anderson said.
Speculative fund activities in the futures markets have led to more money in the markets and more volatility, he said.
“That increase in price volatility has encouraged wider daily price move limits,” he said. “The end result has been the loss of the ability to use futures markets for price risk management due to the inability to finance margin requirements.”
The potential exists for even higher corn prices based on historical changes in overall yields, Anderson said.
“Fewer corn acres planted in 2008 leaves production susceptible to weather risks,” he said. “Small yield reductions will result in even higher prices.”
The livestock industry has borne most of the costs of high corn prices, according to the report. The structure of the industry has made it unable to pass costs on, either up or down the supply chain.
“The livestock industry is in the middle of this transition, and prices don’t yet reflect the impact of higher costs,” Anderson said.
- While corn and grain sorghum producers benefit from high prices, the livestock industry faces increasing costs. Because the livestock industry is bigger than the crop industry, the net balance is negative when factoring in feed purchases to produce animals for consumption.
- “Relaxing” the Renewable Fuel Standards would not result in significantly lower corn prices, according to economists with the Agricultural and Food Policy Center. This is due to the ethanol infrastructure already in place and the generally positive economics for the industry. The ethanol industry has grown in excess of the Renewable Fuel Standards, indicating that relaxing the standard would not cause a large contraction in the industry.
Source: Agricultural and Food Policy Center, Texas A&M University, Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
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'Surviving High Fertilizer and Fuel Costs' Conference Set April 18 at Overton
High Nitrogen Costs Hammering Forage Producers
The escalating price of nitrogen fertilizer doesn't just have farmers worried; scientists with Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension Service are also deeply concerned.
So concerned, that they are scheduling an April 18 workshop, "Surviving High Fertilizer and Fuel Costs" in Overton, said Dr. Gerald Evers, AgriLife Research forage management expert.
Nitrogen fertilizer prices have "gone through the roof," because of high natural gas prices, a decrease in the number of fertilizer plants, and increased demand worldwide, he said.
Small grain farmers have seen the price they receive for their crop rise along with fertilizer costs, but cattle producers, who need fertilizer for their pastures and forage crops, have not seen an increase in the price they receive for their product, Evers said.
In East Texas, the cornerstone of beef operations has been improved European varieties such as Coastal Bermudagrass, and more recently, Tifton 85. With proper fertility and soils management, these grasses are capable of supporting more animals per acre and vastly increased hay production compared to native grasses, he said.
But with nitrogen selling for 55 cents a pound last year, and now 70 cents a pound, beef producers are going to have to adjust their pasture fertility programs, Evers said.
"The objective of the conference, which will be held at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton, is to provide information to the producers to help them reduce fertilizer costs," Evers said. "With the increasing fertilizer costs and energy costs we are having to make adjustments in our livestock and pasture management."
What kind of adjustments?
"The main thing, we are going to have to find where our fertilizer dollar will bring back the largest return," he said. "We will be talking about soil fertility and soil fertilizer recommendations as well as soil pH, which is very critical to get good use of our fertilizer.
Producers should be prepared to live with lower forage production and reduced stocking rates, Evers said. But the alternative, to continue to do business as usual, is likely to be a money-losing proposition.
The conference will be held at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton.
Dr. Vince Haby, AgriLife Research soil scientist, will talk about fertilization and liming. Dr. Ray Smith, AgriLife Research legume breeder, will discuss how clovers and other legumes can reduce the amount of commercial nitrogen fertilizer. Dr. Jason Banta, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, will review nutrient supplements needed by a cow herd when forage is of poor quality because of low soil fertility. Dr. Evers will explain how to lengthen the grazing season, thereby shortening the winter feeding period.
Dr. Monte Rouquette will talk about adjusting stocking rates and nutrient recycling.
"Over 90 percent of the nitrogen, phosphorus and potash that’s in the forage – that a cow eats – is actually excreted back on the soil in urine and feces," Evers said. "We need to make most of that and recycle those nutrients.
There are two ways the grazing season can be lengthened: by stockpiling and overseeding, he said.
"One, we can overseed with annual ryegrass and clovers in the fall and begin grazing five to six weeks earlier," he said.
Stockpiling entails growing a fall bermudagrass hay crop but not harvesting it.
"When we would begin to feed hay, instead we graze the standing hay crop," Evers said. Evers noted that AgriLife Researchers and AgriLife Extension specialists have researched all these techniques for years at the center, under actual East Texas conditions.
"All this information presented will be from research conducted here at the center in northeast Texas on our soils and in our climate," he said.
Registration for the conference will be $20 and will include a lunch meal. For more information contact Dr. Charles Long at 903-834-6191 or c-long@tamu.edu.
The Overton center is located one mile from downtown Overton on State Highway 3053.
Maps and more detailed driving instructions can be found on the Internet at http://overton.tamu.edu/maps.htm.
Railroad Commission: Use Portable Gas Appliances Safely
AUSTIN-As outdoor recreation season hits high gear, the Texas Railroad Commission, today issued safety tips for drivers of recreational vehicles (RVs) equipped with full-service propane gas kitchens and for campers who will soon be firing up propane-fueled heaters, lanterns and stoves. The Railroad Commission has been in charge of propane safety in Texas for more than 60 years.
“Safety starts with approved appliances,” said Commission Chairman Michael L. Williams. “Look for a label from a testing laboratory before you buy a gas appliance, and follow all of the manufacturer’s directions carefully during use. Check your propane camping appliances from time to time to make sure they are working properly. And always make sure your shelter or campsite is adequately ventilated. Never turn in for the night with a gas heater, stove or lamp still burning.”
Commissioner Victor G. Carrillo reminded campers who travel by RV that now is a good time to take their vehicles to a qualified propane gas dealer or licensed RV service facility for a pre-season appliance checkup. “Make sure a qualified technician checks the whole propane system for leaks and proper regulator settings,” Carrillo said. “That includes inspecting all the valves and fittings and checking the propane containers for rust and dents.”
“Most propane cylinders should always be stored, moved and used in an upright position,” said Commissioner Elizabeth A. Jones. “The exceptions are certain RV cylinders that are designed and clearly marked for horizontal use. Proper orientation allows the cylinder’s pressure relief valve to do its job, if needed. The relief valve on a typical 20-pound cylinder won’t work properly unless the cylinder is upright.”
RV drivers can find fuel at nearly 1,000 Texas propane outlets online by visiting www.texaspropane.org. For more information on how to travel and camp safely this summer, call the Railroad Commission’s Alternative Fuels Division at (800) 64-CLEAR.
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RAILROAD COMMISSION OFFERS FREE PROPANE SAFETY TRAINING TO TEXAS FIRE DEPARTMENTS
AUSTIN-For the last three years the Texas Railroad Commission has been training both volunteer and full-time firefighters around the state on how to respond to emergencies involving propane. The Railroad Commission- Texas’ chief energy agency-has been in charge of propane safety in the state for more than 50 years and offers free propane training to urban as well as rural fire departments.
Since March 2005 the Commission’s Alternative Fuels Division has held 90 classes from El Paso to Beaumont and Bovina to Harlingen. More than 2,000 firefighters from 300 departments have completed the training. Besides hazard identification and response techniques, each class covers propane safety topics ranging from barbecue cylinders to residential tanks and commercial bulk installations.
The instructor, Thomas Petru, is a nationally recognized expert with 35 years’ experience in propane safety at the Railroad Commission.
Chairman Michael L. Williams said, “The Commission offers these free propane classes for local fire departments statewide. The classes familiarize firefighters with propane’s physical and chemical properties and explain the safety features of propane tanks and equipment. This is specialized training that is often not readily available elsewhere.”
Commissioner Victor G. Carrillo noted that every class is co-sponsored by one or more local propane marketers. “The 93 propane companies that have worked with us so far play a key role in the training,” Carrillo said. “They bring their bobtails and show the firefighters features such as a remote shutoff device that can stop the flow of fuel and shut down a truck’s engine from 150 feet away.”
“Good things happen when agency experts, industry professionals and emergency responders meet to share information,” said Commissioner Elizabeth Jones. “Participating fire departments and propane marketers deserve special recognition for their efforts to learn more about how to handle propane safely.”
No matter if your fire department is in a big city or rural, full-time or volunteer, just call (800) 64-CLEAR to request free propane training.
Superintendents Learn About Clean School Buses
Austin, Texas - When Texas school superintendents open their emails after spring break, they’ll have a message from Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Williams. This continues an effort by Williams to get cleaner school buses on the road.
“Texas has over 1,200 school districts which have a combined total of tens of thousands of buses,” said Williams. “By using alternative fuel school buses, such as propane and natural gas or by retrofitting older buses with technologies that reduce emissions Texas children can get to school and back safely, cleanly while using less foreign oil.”
There are 36,800 school buses in Texas, of which about 1,500 (4 percent) are propane-powered. About 35 Texas districts currently operate propane school buses. There are an additional 40 plus CNG (compressed natural gas) school buses in the state, operated by three districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“Incentives are available at the federal, state and local levels that make propane and natural gas buses a common-sense option for school districts,” Williams added.
The federal 50-cents per gallon rebate on propane motor fuel brings in about $1,500 per year per school bus. A typical grant from the Railroad Commission for replacing a 15-year-old diesel bus is around $12,000 per bus. A federal tax credit of up to $30,000 per installation is available for propane refueling infrastructure. And the TCEQ’s Texas Clean School Bus Program provides reimbursements of up to $7,500 per device for filtration systems on existing diesel buses.
Williams has been a consistent advocate for cleaner burning alternative fuel school buses. In 2001, Williams specially recognized Northside ISD in San Antonio for the district’s commitment to air quality through its propane school bus fleet. He gave the keynote address at the 2004 National Clean Cities Conference. In 2006, Williams joined other clean air proponents in securing $895,000 to develop and certify an original equipment manufactured low-emissions propane school bus and proudly hosted the 2007 unveiling of Blue Bird’s Propane “Vision” school bus, the first propane school bus offered by a major manufacturer in the U.S. since 2002.
RAILROAD COMMISSION: PROTECT PROPANE TANKS FROM WILDFIRES
AUSTIN-At this time of year, wildfires fanned by dry winds threaten propane storage tanks in many areas of Texas. The Railroad Commission-the state agency in charge of propane safety-wants Texans whose homes or businesses are fueled by propane gas to know what to do in the event of one of these fast-moving fires.
“Wildfires have burned more than half a million acres in central and west Texas so far this year,” said Railroad Commission Chairman Michael L. Williams. “If you have a propane tank, you need to be prepared to protect your family and property.”
“That means knowing what to do before, during and after a wildfire event,” said Commissioner Victor G. Carrillo. “There are several simple, but important steps that need to be taken to be ready for wildfires.”
“After a fire, if the service valve on your tank was closed, please contact your propane supplier before turning the tank back on,” said Commissioner Elizabeth Jones. “For safety’s sake, suppliers are required by law to inspect and leak-test your propane system before restoring service after any interruption of service, including an emergency.”
Before A Wildfire: Make sure any small propane cylinders are stored outdoors, and check the area around your main propane fuel tank. Clean and clear out vegetation or other items that can burn around the tank. Mow close to the ground, and cut back all growth around tank supports. Trim overhanging trees or shrubs.
Your propane supplier can help by showing you where your service line is buried and how to operate your propane system’s safety features. Have your supplier show you and your family how to turn off the gas at the tank.
Your propane supplier can also put a reflective Railroad Commission tank locator decal on or next to your electric meter or service box. The bright orange decal helps emergency responders find your tank, even if it’s underground or dark outside.
Finally, post emergency phone numbers in an agreed location and make sure all family members know your community's warning signals and how to\ tune into your area’s Emergency Broadcast Network.
During a Wildfire: If it is safe to do so, disconnect small propane cylinders from grills or other appliances and move them away from any structures. Shut the cylinders’ service valves by turning them all the way clockwise. In the event of an evacuation, follow emergency workers’ instructions.
After a Wildfire: Propane storage containers exposed to fire need to be inspected and, if necessary, tested and repaired after an emergency. Contact a licensed propane supplier to inspect the container and system and ensure it is safe for use. Always use caution when re-entering buildings following an evacuation. If you smell gas, do not operate electrical switches, appliances or telephones. These actions could ignite propane vapor. Exit the building quickly and carefully. Go to a neighbor’s phone or use a cell phone outside to call emergency personnel or your propane supplier for help.
For more tips to safeguard your propane-fueled home visit www.propane.tx.gov or call the Railroad Commission’s Alternative Fuels Division at (800) 64-CLEAR.
Texans Have Lowest Residential Gas Rates Among Southern States
AUSTIN- Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Michael L. Williams today said recent data from the U.S. Department of Energy indicates that Texans have the lowest average residential natural gas rates among Southern States, which also includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
DOE’s listing of average residential natural gas rates per mcf (thousand cubic feet) includes both the cost of the natural gas commodity and the average cost of service charge, both of which comprise a typical residential gas bill. Gas use for homes averages about 6 mcf each month.
“Affordable energy is important to Texans. Since 2000, the average residential bill in Texas has consistently been below the national average rate,” Williams said. “The latest data available from 2006 shows Texans pay on average about $13.11 per mcf, compared to an average of $15.97 per mcf paid by residents in other Southern states. Texas’ average cost per mcf is less than Alabama’s by over $5 and less than Florida’s by over $8,” Williams said.
Williams noted that under Texas law, utilities are only allowed to pass on what they pay for natural gas-no more and no less. And, typically, the cost of the commodity makes up about 70 percent of a residential gas bill. Even with the cost of the commodity factored in, Texas continues to have one of the lowest average residential gas rates per mcf in the nation.
“We owe some thanks to the state’s healthy natural gas industry. One reason Texas has such reasonable gas rates is that we produce natural gas here at home and export more than we use,” Williams said. “The industry produces about 6.3 tcf of natural gas each year and exports about half of that production to other states and Mexico,” Williams said.
To view detailed information about average residential gas rates go to www.rrc.state.tx.us and view “Comparison of U.S. Residential Gas Rates (PDF)” under “What’s New.”
Feds Follow RRC Pipeline Safety Actions
AUSTIN - This week the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a series of pipeline recommendations following the lead in public safety set by the Railroad Commission of Texas involving pipeline fittings called compression couplings.
On Tuesday, DOT issued an advisory bulletin to the nation’s gas distribution operators to identify issues with compression couplings, which are fittings that join two pipes together. The federal advisory bulletin comes on the heels of pipeline directives issued last month by the RRC as well as a release of a detailed study of compression couplings in the state.
Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Williams said, “The Railroad Commission is a national leader in pipeline safety, and we appreciate this recognition of our efforts to maintain a vigilant pipeline safety program. We are pleased that other states’ regulatory bodies and utilities will be following our lead.”
Following two incidents that involved compression couplings in very different circumstances, the RRC requested natural gas utilities supply information on installed compression couplings. In the meantime, as a precautionary measure, the RRC adopted a mandatory replacement program for compression couplings in specific circumstances. The RRC issued a report on its findings from an intensive analysis of both historical data and data provided by the utilities on the use of compression couplings statewide.
The DOT advisory addresses failures related to certain mechanical compression couplings and steps that operators can take to resolve the issues. The advisory notes that it is difficult to cite common criteria affecting all failures but urges operators to review their procedures for using mechanical couplings and ensure coupling design, procedures, leak surveys and personnel qualifications meet federal requirements.
Williams noted, “The leading cause of pipeline incidents in Texas is still third-party hits. The RRC and the DOT can direct pipeline operators on general and specific actions, as we’ve done with compression couplings, to improve the safety of pipelines, but the real power for improving pipeline safety is in the hands of homeowners and contractors when they call 811 before they dig.”
RRC PRODUCTION STATISTICS AND ALLOWABLES FOR MARCH 2008
AUSTIN -- The Texas average rig count as of Feb. 15 was 867, representing about 51 percent of all active land rigs in the United States. In the last 12 months, total Texas reported production was 337 million barrels of oil and 6.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Texas natural gas production represents approximately 29 percent of total U.S. natural gas demand.
The Commission’s estimated final production for December 2007 is 28,656,929 barrels of crude oil and 492,006,845 Mcf (thousand cubic feet) of gas well gas.
The Commission derives final production numbers by multiplying the preliminary December 2007 production totals of 27,436,026 barrels of crude oil and 425,795,625 Mcf of gas well gas by a production adjustment factor of 1.0445 for crude oil and 1.1555 for gas well gas. (These production totals do not include casinghead gas or condensate.)
Texas natural gas storage reported by the Commission for January 2008 is 295,721,290 Mcf compared to 308,049,741 Mcf in January 2007. The February 2008 gas storage estimate is 273,062,864 Mcf.
The Texas Railroad Commission’s Oil and Gas Division set initial March 2008 natural gas production allowables for prorated fields in the state to meet market demand of 16,284,379 Mcf (thousand cubic feet). In setting the initial March 2008 allowables, the Commission used historical production figures from previous months, producers’ demand forecasts for the coming month, and adjusted the figures based on well capability. These initial allowables will be adjusted after actual production for March 2008 is reported.
Texas Leads Nation in Pipeline Safety Initiatives Enacted and Proposed
AUSTIN- With directives issued last fall and additional safety initiatives proposed today, the regulatory agency in charge of pipeline safety-the Texas Railroad Commission-continues to lead the nation in pipeline safety.
Accidents involving non-restraint compression couplings, one type of pipeline fitting that joins two pipes together, have occurred around the nation. In Texas, three accidents involving this type of fitting have occurred since October 2006. After the two of these Texas accidents, in March 2007, the Railroad Commission launched an investigation into the use of these components statewide to determine if they may pose a systematic problem. The study’s results were released today.
Of 4,336 accidents since 1971, 84 or 1.9 percent involved compression couplings. The primary causes of these 84 incidents may have been related to third-party damage or other causes not directly attributable to material failures. However, these incidents were included in this tally because a compression coupling was involved. The primary cause of 77 percent of Texas pipeline accidents occurs when someone digs into a pipeline. This is known as third-party damage and happens about 200 times a week. Corrosion and rust account for another 12 percent of pipeline accidents in Texas.
Today’s Commission’s study results do not indicate a systematic safety problem with compression couplings. However, proposals were issued today for the Commissioners’ consideration to add onto previous directives issued last fall involving these fittings and general pipeline safety actions. Along with a November directive to remove known, non-restraint compression couplings at service risers, today’s recommendations include:
· On plastic pipe, remove the compression coupling if it is not a Category 1 coupling (resistant to pull out).
· On steel pipe, non-restraint compression couplings installed prior to 1980 must be phased out and replaced.
· To capture additional data on compression couplings and their performance, leak repair reports filed with the Commission must include the compression coupling manufacturer and model number.
· Have the Commission conduct annual meetings with industry to determine trends or concerns regarding the safety of pipeline systems.
The Commission will review today’s proposals and act on them at the Commission’s Feb. 26 conference.
“No other state regulatory agency and no federal regulatory agency has made the determination that compression couplings are unsafe,” said Chairman Michael L. Williams. “However, as one accident is too many, the Railroad Commission has taken a national lead in safety once again. In an abundance of caution, we have initiated directives that address not only the use of compression couplings in our state, but also, other known pipeline safety concerns. In November, we required the removal of known compression couplings at service risers. At the same time, we began rulemaking that will require more frequent pipeline leak detection and shorter leak repair time frames. Today’s proposals intend to enhance those measures”
| TEXAS MONTHLY OIL AND GAS STATISTICS
JANUARY PERMITS TO DRILL
The Commission issued a total of 1,760 original drilling permits in January 2008 compared to 1,360 in January 2007. The January total included 1,544 permits to drill new oil and gas wells, 58 to re-enter existing well bores, and 158 for re-completions. Permits issued in January 2008 included 392 oil, 367 gas, 951 oil and gas, 45 injection, zero service and 5 other permits.
DECEMBER CRUDE OIL PRODUCTION
Texas preliminary December 2007 crude oil production averaged 885,033 barrels daily, up from the 864,217 barrels daily average of December 2006.
The preliminary Texas crude oil production figure for December 2007 is 27,436,026 barrels, a decrease from 26,790,739 barrels reported during December 2006.
JANUARY OIL AND GAS COMPLETIONS
In January 2008, operators reported 536 oil, 876 gas, 57 injection and 19 other completions compared to 639 oil, 753 gas, 53 injection and six other completions during January 2007.
Total well completions for 2007 year to date are 1,488 up from 1,451 recorded during the same period in 2007.
Operators reported 704 holes plugged and five dry holes in January 2008 compared to 691 holes plugged and two dry holes in January 2007.
DECEMBER NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION
Texas oil and gas wells produced 484,734,347 Mcf (thousand cubic feet) of gas based upon preliminary production figures for December 2007, up from the December 2006 preliminary gas production total of 483,211,215 Mcf.
Texas production in December 2007 came from 133,157 oil and 76,436 gas wells.
JANUARY TEXAS OIL AND GAS DRILLING PERMITS AND COMPLETIONS BY DISTRICT
RRC District: (1)SAN ANTONIO AREA
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 73
Oil Completions: 18
Gas Completions: 15
RRC District: (2) REFUGIO AREA
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 58
Oil Completions: 10
Gas Completions: 61
RRC District: (3) SOUTHEAST TEXAS
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 90
Oil Completions: 20
Gas Completions: 31
RRC District: (4) DEEP SOUTH TEXAS
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 131
Oil Completions: 13
Gas Completions: 83
RRC District: (5) EAST CENTRAL TEXAS
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 60
Oil Completions: 14
Gas Completions: 49
RRC District: (6) EAST TEXAS
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 187
Oil Completions: 2
Gas Completions: 206
RRC District: (7B) WEST CENTRAL TEXAS
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 97
Oil Completions: 27
Gas Completions: 15
RRC District: (7C) SAN ANGELO AREA
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 199
Oil Completions: 65
Gas Completions: 111
RRC District: (8) MIDLAND
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 272
Oil Completions: 278
Gas Completions: 9
RRC District: (8A) LUBBOCK AREA
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 86
Oil Completions: 27
Gas Completions: 0
RRC District: (9) NORTH TEXAS
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 352
Oil Completions: 45
Gas Completions: 241
RRC District: (10) PANHANDLE
Permits To Drill Oil/Gas Holes: 155
Oil Completions: 17
Gas Completions: 55
DECEMBER TEXAS TOP TEN OIL PRODUCING COUNTIES RANKED BY PRELIMINARY PRODUCTION
COUNTY - CRUDE OIL (BBLS)
1. GAINES - 2,209,426
2. YOAKUM - 2,043,159
3. ANDREWS - 2,021,916
4. HOCKLEY - 1,533,144
5. ECTOR - 1,504,388
6. SCURRY - 1,165,068
7. UPTON - 1,036,176
8. PECOS - 1,013,030
9. MIDLAND - 912,460
10. CRANE - 773,108
* * * * * *
DECEMBER TEXAS TOP TEN GAS PRODUCING COUNTIES RANKED BY PRELIMINARY PRODUCTION
COUNTY - TOTAL GAS (MCF)
1. PANOLA - 22,177,349
2. ZAPATA - 21,267,418
3. FREESTONE - 20,331,573
4. HIDALGO - 20,002,581
5. PECOS - 19,146,996
6. JOHNSON - 16,762,534
7. TARRANT - 15,748,897
8. WEBB - 14,966,431
9. ROBERTSON- 14,941,077
10. WISE - 13,752,095
For a faxed copy of this news release, contact the RRC Public Information Office at (512) 463-6710.To be removed from this e-mail distribution list, simply reply to this message requesting removal.
RRC news releases are also available on the Commission website: www.rrc.state.tx.us
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Better Predator Control Comes with Integrated Pest Management Approach
Writer: Kay Ledbetter, (806) 6775608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.
Area producers and landowners need not worry about these three wild
animals, but feral hogs, coyotes and bobcats are predators in need of
management, a Texas Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist says.
A Predator Awareness Workshop, hosted by Extension, is scheduled from
8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. April 8,2008 at the Gray County Extension annex at 12125
E. Frederic Ave. in Pampa.
Ken Cearley, Extension wildlife specialist, will start the session by
talking about "appreciating predators," as well as interpreting physical
evidence of predation. Cearley also will discuss controlling predators
while managing wildlife.
The meetings are designed to help people realize when they have a
predator problem and when they don't, Cearley said.
"We'll stress the need to use an integrated pest management approach to
any predatorrelated problems that may arise," he said. "That includes
identifying their presence, monitoring population trends and choosing from
an array of tools to address damage problems that may occur."
Feral hogs are of particular interest because their range is expanding
and producers in new areas are requesting information on how to manage
them, Cearley said.
"Also, we'll talk about the role of predators in the ecosystem, the
positive impacts they have, as well as the negative effects in some
situations," Cearley said.
Audience members will preview a DVD on feral hogs and a video on
bobcats. Rick Gilliland, Panhandle district supervisor for Extension's
Wildlife Services, will address the coyote issue.
In the afternoon session, Wildlife Services personnel will demonstrate
control alternatives, including nonlethal approaches, foothold traps and
snares, M44s (a sodium cyanide ejection device) and livestock protection
collars, and aerial gunning and calling.
Dr. James Alexander, regional zoonosis veterinarian with the Texas
Department of Health, will talk about predators as vectors of disease.
Cearley will wrap up the workshop with a review of the "Code of Ethics"
for predator management and show a video entitled "Preventing Illicit Use
of Pesticides in Predator Control Programs."
Each participant can earn up to six continuing education units toward
their pesticide applicator license recertification, including three
general, one laws and regulations, and two integrated pest management.
To register or for more information, contact Brandon McGinty,Texas AgriLife
Extension Agent in Gray County, at (806) 6698033.
| USDA SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT ON CHANGES TO CRP MANAGED HAYING AND GRAZING
COLLEGE
STATION, TX - The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that
it will hold public meetings in Texas on April 8-9, 2008 on proposed
changes to managed haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program
(CRP) land.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will hold a meeting
on April 8, 2008 at 9:00 AM at the Regency Inn Suites Hotel in Abilene,
TX. The second meeting will be on April 9, 2008 held at the Fifth
Season Inn in Amarillo, TX beginning at 1:00 PM.
FSA is
proposing rule changes to the frequency that managed haying and grazing
is allowed on land that is enrolled in CRP. Public comments will be
accepted at the meeting and the public may also comment on changes to
primary nesting season dates, during which managed haying and grazing
are not permitted.
FSA will consider public comments when it
prepares state-specific environmental assessments that will evaluate
the effects of the proposed changes. The environmental assessments will
aid USDA decision-makers and the public with an analysis of the
benefits and potential impacts of the proposed changes to managed
haying and grazing on CRP land.
Public comments can be
submitted both electronically and by regular mail. They must be
received by the close of business on May 9, 2008. Direct comments to:
MHG EAs, Geo-Marine Incorporated, 2713 Magruder Blvd., Suite D,
Hampton, Va. 23666-1572 or send them to the Web site:
http://public.geo-marine.com.
These meetings are two (2) of
fourteen (14) public meetings that will be held in 13 states where USDA
is proposing rule changes to the managed haying and grazing program.
More information on meeting dates and locations is available on the
project Web site: http://public.geo-marine.com.
Here are specific details about the public meetings for Texas:
What: CRP Public Meeting What: CRP Public Meeting
When: April 8, 2008 (9:00 AM) When: April 9, 2008 (1:00 PM)
Where: Regency Inn Suites Hotel Where: Fifth Season Inn
3450 S Clack Street 6801 I-40 East
Abilene, TX 79606 Amarillo, TX 79106
Contact: Micky Woodard (979)680-5208 Contact: Micky Woodard (979)680-5208
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High Commodity Prices Boost U.S. Ag Exports Forecast to Record $101 Billion
by Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259,b-fannin@tamu.edu
U.S. agricultural exports are projected to surpass $101 billion in 2008, with more than two-thirds of the total value attributed to high commodity prices, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist.
The projected amount is a significant increase over 2007 when U.S. exports came in at a record $82 billion, said Dr. Parr Rosson.
“That’s a very substantial increase, almost about 25 percent,” he said. “About one-third of that predicted amount for 2008 is also coming from (higher) tonnage to go along with the high commodity prices.”
Corn tonnage is predicted to be up 8 million tons due to increasing ethanol demand, while wheat is projected to increase 2.3 million tons and rice more than half a million tons, he said.
“Corn accounts for 72 percent of that increased tonnage,” Rosson said.
Canada and Mexico are the top export markets for U.S. agricultural products, Rosson said, followed by Japan and the European Union.
“What I think is significant is the stronger growth out of the Asian markets,” he said. “The last several years, there has been growth in exports to China, and that growth is expected to continue at double-digit levels for this current year, then projected to level off at about 8 percent a year over the next three years.”
The substantial increase in U.S. agricultural exports won’t be all profit for farmers, Rosson said. Rising fuel, fertilizer and other input costs will lower profit potential.
“But it certainly helps to have these projections (record exports) during times of high input costs,” he said. “What we hope to see is some leveling off of high fuel costs once we get through the winter period and see natural gas prices level off, to mitigate the rise in fertilizer costs. Even so, natural gas prices are forecast to increase about 3 percent in 2009.
“With regards to fuel, we will have to get through this spring and even then, we won’t see a huge reduction. We’ll likely see a 5 percent to 7 percent decline moving into the summer and fall period.”
Diesel prices are forecast to fall 4 percent in 2009.
Another positive is the depreciation and value of the dollar, Rosson said, which is the lowest since 1973. The cost of products to foreign consumers is not as high as it would be, he said.
“As long as the U.S. dollar remains at a relatively low value, we’ll see exports strong because that low-valued dollar will offset rising commodity prices,” Rosson said. “Particularly if we have a short crop in the Midwest, that will put upward pressure on corn and soybean prices. If the dollar continues to stay where it is or declines further, it will mitigate the effects of higher prices.”
Asia’s demand for U.S. agricultural exports has been a positive for the economy, Rosson said. Japan was the top market until a few years ago when Canada and Mexico surpassed it.
“Japan is still the No. 3 market and still a very good market for commodity exports,” he said. “We hope the beef exports will continue to recover, but they are not nearly back to the levels of the BSE (mad cow disease) outbreak in 2003. We hope to begin to see that recovery in the near term.”
China has emerged as an important market for cotton, Rosson noted.
“We’re very dependent on the Chinese for the cotton market,” he said. “The volume of cotton that moves out of that part of the world as well as the price support for increased demand for our products have been strong factors.”
Japan, China and South Korea also provide capital for the U.S. market, Rosson said.
“If we look at who purchases government securities, stocks and bonds, those three countries play a significant role along with some European countries,” Rosson said. “As a result, we have a symbiotic relationship with Asia in terms of markets for our products, and they supply capital to the U.S. market that keeps our interest rates low, much lower than they otherwise would be.
“That’s important because it provides capital for farmers during times of expansion and other expenditures. So, that relationship is vitally important to our capital-intensive agricultural economy.”
Low-Income Families Should Dig for Bigger Tax Refund
by Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872,ka-phillips@tamu.edu
A check for almost $5,000 could be coming to certain low- income families this tax season, but many eligible people may never realize this opportunity, financial experts say.
“People who didn’t earn enough to owe any taxes may choose not to file,” said Dr. Joyce Cavanagh, Texas AgriLife Extension Service family economics specialist. “But if these people file anyway, they may be eligible for an Earned Income Tax Credit of up to $4,716.”
Likewise, some people just scratch the surface of a tax return when doing their own calculations, not realizing that higher refunds are possible for those who dig deep into the oft-confusing tax code, she said.
The Earned Income Tax Credit was created by Congress in 1975 to help reduce poverty, and currently is available for households with incomes up to $38,000, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
Cavanagh said in Texas last tax year, about $4.8 billion in Earned Income Tax Credit went to more than 2 million families. The total nationwide was more than $40 billion.
“Still, there are about 15 percent of the eligible families who don’t receive this credit because they don’t file a tax return,” she said. “For a lot of them, the tax system is intimidating, and people just don’t know how to figure it out.”
But free help is available in many communities through April 15, the tax filing deadline, according to Nancy Granovsky, AgriLife Extension family economist and financial planner. She noted programs such as VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, and AARP Tax-Aide programs, both of which use trained, certified tax preparers to help people file.
“These free programs can help put significant incomes back into the household,” Granovsky said. “They are worthy efforts that put money back into pockets and help state and national economies.”
In addition to preparing a tax return, volunteers may be able to help most people by filing electronically, a method both Granovsky and Cavanagh recommend.
“People who are expecting a big refund may rush to file because they need the money,” Cavanagh said. “By filing electronically through these volunteer programs, a person with a checking or savings account can have the refund deposited directly into their bank account and have it in less than two weeks.”
Granovsky cautioned that some businesses offering advances on refunds are actually making loans with high interest rates. It may make more sense to simply wait for money to be put into one’s bank account and not be faced with owing interest or paying fees, she explained.
She said splitting one’s refund, spending part and saving the rest, could be a big boost for personal finances.
To locate free tax preparation assistance, call 800-829-1040 to find out about VITA; and 800-829-1040 for Tax Counseling for the Elderly. The AARP Tax-Aide site, with a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/taxaide/">http://www.aarp.org/money/taxaide/. The IRS Web site about free preparation is at http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=107626,00.html
The Internal Revenue Service reminds all who seek free tax-preparation assistance to bring the following items to a meeting with volunteer preparers:
• Proof of identification.
• Social Security cards for you, your spouse and dependents and/or a Social Security number verification letter issued by the Social Security Administration.
• Birth dates for you, your spouse and dependents.
• Current year’s tax package, if you received one.
• Wage and earning statements, forms W-2, W-2G and 1099-R, from all employers.
• Interest and dividend statements from banks (1099).
• A copy of last year’s federal and state returns, if available.
• Bank routing numbers and account numbers for direct deposit.
• Total paid for day care provider and the day care provider’s tax identifying number, the provider's Social Security number or the provider's business Employer Identification Number.
• To file taxes electronically on a married-filing-joint tax return, both spouses must be present to sign the required forms.
New Ochiltree County Agent Named by Texas AgriLife Extension Service
by Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5600,SKledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service has named Katy Williams of Perryton as the new family and consumer sciences agent to serve Ochiltree County, said Dr. Galen Chandler, district AgriLife Extension administrator in Amarillo.
Williams will begin training on Feb. 1 in Hansford County and start in her new position in Ochiltree County on March 1.
“I look forward to working with Katy in her new role as she is excited about her new career as a professional educator with Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Ochiltree County,” said Chandler. She and Scott Strawn, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, will make a great team, he said.
A native of Bryan, Williams said the job is an exciting opportunity for her because many of the things she will teach to the people in the community are things she is interested in also.
“I’m excited to be working with the community of Ochiltree County,” she said. “There are many educational programs in family and consumer sciences that are beneficial to this area, and I look forward to bringing those into homes throughout the county.”
Williams attended Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla. and received her bachelor’s degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Texas Forest Service Windbreak Tree Sales Program In Full Swing
by Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576,s-byrns@tamu.edu
"Mighty oaks from little acorns grow," and to see that they continue to do so, a Tom Green County 4-H club collects drought-hardy seeds whose resulting seedlings are used in windbreaks across Texas.
The project is coordinated by John Begnaud, Texas AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist in Tom Green County.
"The kids have gathered and shipped over 5,000 pounds of oak acorns in the last six years to the Forest Service's Idalou (Texas) nursery," Begnaud said. "The acorn-gather is a fund raising and community service project of the Lone Star 4-H Club here in San Angelo.
"AgriLife Extension programming also assists in providing other drought-hardy windbreak plants like prairie flame-leaf sumac, western soapberry and redbud," he said. "Our genetic source from here in San Angelo represents an area of Texas known for extended drought periods, so the seeds we provide should perform superbly all across Texas."
Every year from January until March, Texas landowners can enjoy the fruits of the 4-H'ers and others' labor by purchasing windbreak trees from the Texas Forest Service's windbreak program.
Cameron Dudley, Texas Forest Service nursery operations coordinator at Idalou, said a variety of seedling oaks, pines and wildlife-friendly varieties are available at prices ranging from $30 to $40 per 30 to 50 seedlings, depending on the plant species.
"We're already sold out of several species, but we still have several evergreen and hardwood species available for the 2008 planting season," Dudley said. "With increased home energy costs and a plethora of new home construction, windbreaks offer a way to reduce a home’s utility bills while adding to its landscape aesthetics," Begnaud said.
To see what is currently available and to order trees go to: http://tfsstore.tamu.edu/wtn/
Bumper Crops Could Lead to Bagged On-Farm Storage
by Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5600,SKledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Jimmy Hayes, a Calhoun County producer, didn’t want to take a chance on having to hold his harvest in the field because the grain elevators were full. He researched on-farm storage in the form of polyethylene bags.
These bags are not the typical seed or feed bag size – they are 200 foot long and can hold the equivalent of about four railcar loads of grain, so they are taking the place of storage buildings, Hayes said.
Because Hayes was working with a new product for storage in Texas, he asked Roy Parker, Texas AgriLife Extension Service entomologist from Corpus Christi, to help him determine if the corn would store sufficiently and if the insects could be controlled.
Pat Porter, AgriLife Extension entomologist in Lubbock, presented some of Parker’s early findings during the Texas High Plains Grain Elevator Workshop held in Amarillo recently.
“It’s an interesting technology that we need to know much more about before we can make recommendations,” Porter said, adding that he wasn’t aware of anyone trying it for grain storage in the High Plains yet.
“With the advent of grains for biofuels, we’ve found that we don’t have enough storage capacity,” he said. “This might give us another option.”
Parker said storage of corn in polyethylene bags started last spring when growers along the coast anticipated that harvest would be delayed as grain elevators exceeded capacity. “We got involved because people were unsure how the grain would store,” he said. “We’ve had corn in them for about five months now and it still looks good. We took samples of the grain as it went into the bags, had it officially tested, and are now monitoring on a monthly basis. We’re taking temperature, moisture readings, bushel weights and counting insects.”
In the last two months, Parker said, he’s only found one weevil in 16 samples each month. Coming out of the field, the corn had weevils in it, but a month later, there were none. The respiration of the grain is supposed to use up the oxygen resulting in eventual death of the insects. Incubated samples he kept, however, ended up with four weevils per quart sample in two of the 16 samples.
There’s been no real problems storing corn in the bags, he said, unless water or rats got in where it wasn’t sealed well. An electric fence was placed around the bags to keep feral hogs and other animals out.
He said corn must go into the bags at a moisture level below about 14.5 percent, the ends must be sealed well and the bags should be set up on hard ground.
While the protection looks good so far, the economists still need to look at the method along with insurance considerations and other costs involved, to determine if it is a viable alternative.
“Some are saying this is cheaper to do it this way,” he said. “It looks promising for short-term storage, at least in this area.”
Hayes believes it is cheaper, and more than just promising.
“This county turned a huge amount of grain this last year, and we knew we had to have some storage,” Hayes said. “We found this alternative.”
In researching the system, most information came from Argentina, Hayes said.
He said he was able to store 7,400-7,500 bushels of corn per 200-foot bag. They have unloaded some of the bags now, and there was no shrink due to loss of moisture. It went into the bag at 14 percent moisture, and it came out at 14 percent moisture, Hayes said.
“It is a dry grain system,” he said. “It doesn’t work for high moisture corn. We recommend around 14 percent for corn, 13.5 percent for grain sorghum and 12.5-13 for soybeans. The drier it is, the longer the shelf life.”
Hayes said he put up eight bags for himself and another eight bags for the local co-op. Several other producers with baggers put up eight bags each. He was the only one who bought an unloader, and he is allowing the other producers to borrow it for now.
When figuring the cost of it compared to a grain tank, he said, a 12-railcar grain tank would have cost $100,000. This system, the bagger and unloader cost $40,000, and one bag that would store the equivalent of 4.4 railcar loads cost $600.
“I’ll do it again regardless of the grain situation, because the system is much cheaper than going to commercial storage or building a tank,” Hayes said. “The alternative was watching it sit in the field. It’s a must for us.”
Stephen Tillery, operations manager for Attebury Grain in Amarillo, said while he doesn’t see his company using the alternative, it might be one for other commercial grain storage companies or even producers.
“It gives some companies another avenue to store grain without letting it go out of condition,” he said. “And, if we keep having good crop years like we did this year, it might be beneficial to the farmer to have some on-farm storage. This would be a viable method for him to keep it for himself for feeding cattle or even (use on) dairies.”
He said this was the first time he’s seen corn and even wheat on the ground in a long time, and it immediately starts to deteriorate with the first rain or first snow. “The most positive thing about them is the fact you have them there if you need them, but you don’t have the high dollar cost of building a building,” Tillery said.
Cashing in On High Crop Prices May Be Limited by Water Availability
by Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5600,SKledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Before they plant fence row to fence row to take advantage of high commodity prices, producers need to develop realistic expectations of their irrigation capacity, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.
Leon New, AgriLife Extension irrigation specialist, told producers at the High Plains Irrigation Conference held recently in Amarillo that there is only a certain amount of water available for commodity crops.
“We may want to plant all the wheat and corn we can and maybe some soybeans and cotton,” New said. “One of the limiting factors may not be money, as in the past, but water.”
There are a number of tools available that will help producers identify how much water they have available and when to apply it to address peak water-use periods, he said.
“You need to know your seasonal irrigation capacity and then you’re going to make a decision on where your water is going,” New said.
The Texas High Plains Evapotranspiration Network of weather stations can help producers determine how much water a crop needs throughout the growing season, as well as how much is being derived from rainfall, he said.
Corn may need 20 inches or more water from June to August. A 5.5 gallons-per-minute-per-acre well can only produce 17.5 inches running full-time during that period, so producers will need some stored water in the 6-inch soil profile, New said.
“We want to do more with less, but just how much can you do?” he asked. “You don’t want to plant corn with only four gallons per minute per acre available from your well. You are better off with sorghum.”
Sorghum requires 12 to 12.5 inches of moisture from mid-July to the end of August, and a four gallon-per-minute-per-acre well can produce somewhere between 9.5-10 inches, New said. That risk can be made up with a full soil-moisture profile.
Also, grain sorghum will do without moisture longer than corn before it starts stressing.
Cotton is another option where water is limited, he said. A three gallon-per-minute-per-acre well can support the production of three to four bales per acre of cotton.
“Every crop-water-use chart indicates we don’t have the water to meet the demand throughout the growing season,” New said. “What we try to meet is the demand during peak parts of the season.
“On most crops, you are betting on some free moisture in the form of rainfall, but you don’t want a wreck.”
Utilizing tools such as soil moisture probes and the weather station network, he advised, wait as long as possible, but be prepared to put on water to fill the 6-inch soil profile for this year’s crop.
“You know as well as I know, every year is different,” New said. “Wait as long as you can. If you can only put on an inch a week, it takes six weeks to fill the soil profile. So keep that in mind when planning water for critical water-use stages.
“If you have to quit watering on one of these stages, it will hurt you at harvest,” he said.
Texas Agricultural Producers Encouraged to Participate in 2007 Census
by Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259,b-fannin@tamu.edu
Texas AgriLife Extension Service officials are encouraging the state’s agricultural producers to participate in the 2007 Census of Agriculture.
“The agricultural census provides very important data that helps tell the agriculture story in Texas and the nation,” said Dr. Roland Smith, associate director. “We strongly encourage producers in every county across Texas to complete their forms by the Feb. 4 deadline in order to have a voice relative to future industry decisions that often are based off the census numbers, such as farm policy, program funding, and other key issues.”
Census data is collected every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The census provides detailed data covering nearly every facet of U.S. agriculture and is the only source of uniform and comprehensive agricultural data for every county in the nation.
Government organizations, lawmakers, city planners and individual farm operations use the information in a variety of ways from farm bill impacts to community development, according to Smith.
Dr. Mark Waller, AgriLife Extension program leader for agricultural economics, said census data serves as a vital decision aid in making many on-farm management decisions each year.
“Farmers and ranchers can use this data to see how their costs and returns compare to those of producers in other parts of the country,” he said. “When taking into consideration the high production costs many producers are facing today, having detailed information certainly helps plan against risk and make one more profitable.”
“The importance of an inclusive and accurate census of U.S. agriculture has never been greater,” said Dr. Mark Welch, AgriLife Extension grain marketing economist.
Welch said producers are responding to shifting demand patterns for food, feed, fuel and fiber “and must cope with ever increasing input costs.
“It’s important to monitor the changing face of American agriculture in order to stay current with what farming and ranching today looks like, to appreciate the productivity and role this industry plays in our economy, and to respond to its needs,” he said.
Producers can return their forms by mail or, for the first time, fill out the census online. For more information about the 2007 Census, visit http://www.agcensus.usda.gov.
Arthritis Common Cause of Stiffness and Swelling in Aging Adults
by Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5600,SKledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Arthritis is one of the most common diseases in this country, affecting millions of adults and half of all people age 65 and older, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialist.
Arthritis literally means “joint inflammation,” said Andrew Crocker, AgriLife Extension program gerontology specialist. However, there are many kinds of arthritis, each with different symptoms and treatments.
Arthritis can attack almost any part of the body, Crocker said. Some forms of arthritis cause changes you can see and feel – swelling, warmth and redness. Other types have fewer symptoms but still slowly cause damage.
The three most common types of arthritis in older adults are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout, he said.
Of the three, osteoarthritis is the most common, Crocker said, and it starts when cartilage, the tissue that cushions bones, begins to wear away. At its worst, all of the cartilage in a joint wears away, leaving bones that rub against each other.
“Symptoms may range from stiffness and mild pain that comes and goes to severe pain that persists when you are at rest,” he said. “Sometimes osteoarthritis causes you to feel stiff when you have not moved in a while, but the stiffness goes away when you move.”
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, meaning the body attacks the lining of a joint just as it would if it were trying to protect itself from an infection, Crocker said. The disease generally leads to inflammation, pain, swelling and stiffness, and can occur in many different joints at the same time.
“If you have rheumatoid arthritis in a joint on one side of the body, the same joint on the other side of the body will probably have it,” he said. “People with rheumatoid arthritis often do not feel well, often being tired or running a fever.”
Gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis, Crocker said. It begins when crystals of uric acid form in the joints, leading to swelling, redness, heat, pain and stiffness in the joint. Eating foods like shellfish, liver, dried beans, peas, anchovies or gravy can bring on gout attacks.
“Gout is most often a problem in the big toe, but it can affect other joints, including your ankle, elbow, knee, wrist, hand or other toes,” he said. “Swelling may cause the skin to pull tightly around the joint and make the area red or purple and very tender.
“If any arthritis symptoms last longer than two weeks, see your health provider,” Crocker advised. “If you have a fever, feel physically ill, suddenly have a swollen joint or have problems using your joint, see him or her sooner.”
Medications may help with the pain and swelling – acetaminophen and some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are sold without a prescription, he said. These are medications like Tylenol, ibuprofen or naproxen. Read the warnings that come with the drug, and talk to a health provider about how to best use them for arthritis pain.
There are some treatments specific for each common type of arthritis, including prescription drugs or steroid injections, Crocker said. A health provider may recommend a treatment after determining which type of arthritis is present.
Along with taking the right medicine and properly resting joints, exercise is a good way to stay fit, keep muscles strong and control arthritis symptoms, he said. Daily exercise helps keep joints moving, lessens pain and makes muscles around the joints stronger.
Three types of exercise work best on arthritis:
• Range-of-motion exercises, like dancing, relieve stiffness, improve flexibility and help keep joints moving.
• Strengthening exercises, such as weight training, strengthen muscles to support and protect joints. Be sure to move in a slow, steady manner – do not bounce. A gentle stretch at the end of each motion is all right, but there should be no pain.
• Aerobic or endurance exercises -- ike bicycle riding -- improve overall health and well-being, and may lessen swelling in some joints.
“You might find comfort by applying heat or cold, soaking in a warm bath or swimming in a heated pool,” Crocker said. “Your health provider may suggest surgery when damage to your joints becomes disabling or when other treatments do not help with pain. Surgeons can repair or replace these joints with artificial ones.”
He suggested that pain and arthritis shouldn’t be accepted as part of growing older.
“You and your health provider can work together to safely lessen pain and stiffness and prevent more serious damage to your joints,” Crocker said.
For more information, go to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Web site at http://www.niams.nih.gov/ .
Cotton Resource DVD is an Encyclopedia of Production Information
by Tim McAlavy, 806-746-6101,t-mcalavy@tamu.edu
The 2005 Cotton Resource CD provided many things Texas producers needed to know about cotton production. The new 2007 Cotton Resource DVD goes even further, serving as a veritable encyclopedia of Texas cotton information, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialist. "At this stage of the game, it’s as close to one-stop shopping for cotton information as we can get," said Dr. Randy Boman, AgriLife Extension agronomist based at Lubbock. "Many of the common challenges producers encounter are addressed by publications on this DVD."
"Information on the DVD is indexed according to key topic areas," said Dr. Robert Lemon, AgriLife Extension agronomist based at College Station. "The publications address general production problems; irrigation management; soil fertility; insects, weeds, nematodes and diseases; harvest concerns, fiber quality and ginning; and production economics. We also included a list of Internet information resources."
The photo gallery illustrates insects, weeds, grasses, diseases and symptoms of herbicide injury. Bark contamination, irrigation, and insect scouting are covered in short videos, Lemon said.
The DVDs are made possible by a grant from the Texas State Support Committee of Cotton Inc. This funding allowed AgriLife Extension and Texas AgriLife Research to produce and target this resource for AgriLife Extension agents, producers and industry personnel.
Those who want a copy of the free 2007 Cotton Resource DVD can contact Lemon at 979-845-0870 or Boman at 806-746-6101. The contents of the DVD can also be found on the Internet at: http://lubbock.tamu.edu/cottondvd . “The DVD will soon be available at cotton gins, because we know they typically have a lot of traffic in and out,” Boman said. “This resource will help answer some of the questions gins receive. We’ve also made it available to agribusiness representatives and crop consultants, as a key training tool for the cotton industry.”
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service is the new name of Texas Cooperative Extension, which provides Texans in all 254 counties with non-biased, research-based education programs and services in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H and youth development, family and consumer sciences, and community economic development. Texas AgriLife Research is the new name for the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, which annually conducts more than $150 million in agriculture and life-sciences research.
Higher Retail Beef Prices Caused by Rising Production, Transportation Costs
Writer: Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259,b-fannin@tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – Rising feed and transportation costs continue to keep retail beef prices edging higher, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist said.
“One of the big stories this year as we start 2008 is we’re seeing higher prices for consumer beef, whether it’s at the grocery store or restaurants,” said Dr. David Anderson, AgriLife Extension Service livestock marketing economist.
The annual average retail beef price for 2007 was $4.16 per pound, which was 5 percent higher than 2006 and exceeded the previous 2005 record of $4.09 per pound, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture-Economic Research Service data. Factoring into the high beef prices is record-priced crude oil, which is increasing transportation costs for many beef suppliers, he said.
“There are higher costs of getting it to the store,” Anderson said. “When we talk about $100 per barrel oil, it ripples through the economy. Everything you get at a restaurant or grocery store, we have to get it from somewhere else.”
Another reason is a leveling of beef production across the U.S., Anderson said. With fewer cows and calves in national inventory, and increased export demand for U.S. beef, “that’s keeping pressure on beef prices,” he said.
At the producer level, calf prices have been forced lowest by rising feed costs which are tied to ethanol production. Lighter-weight calves are getting the most discounts because they require more feed to add weight before slaughter, Anderson said.
Anderson described the current calf market as a “tug of war.” USDA inventory indicates 1 percent fewer beef cows, which will lead to a smaller calf crop, he said.
“From a supply standpoint, that means fewer calves, and fewer calves usually means better prices for calves,” Anderson said. “I like to describe it as a tug of war going on in the calf market this year. You have feed on one side and high prices pressuring calf prices lower, then tight supply of calves on the other side pushing them higher.
“Still for 2008, we should see calf prices where they were in 2007, but a little bit lower due to the high feed costs. Given where we are in inventory, we should expect to see fewer cows in 2009, so tighter supplies keeping upward pressure on calf prices.”
Meanwhile, profit margins have also been tough for stocker producers. Recent USDA data indicated there were fewer calves on wheat pasture.
“That (report) confirmed what we all knew,” Anderson said. “That’s down 30 percent or basically one-third fewer calves. What that means for stocker producers is typically they see the lowest prices for 700-800 pound steers in March. They come off wheat then and go to feedlots.
“There were not a lot of calves on wheat pasture this year, so what is a seasonal low may hold up and we could see some moderation in the springtime that we usually don’t see. Consequently, we could see some heavier calf weight prices over the next couple of months simply because there’s not that much supply.”Editor’s Note: The following information can be used as a breakout graphic.
Factors Affecting the Beef Industry:
- Rising feed and transportation costs are having a ripple effect throughout the beef supply chain.
- Continued decline in U.S. beef cow inventory could drive calf prices upward, but higher feed costs will weigh heavily in pricing outcome.
- Calf prices for 2008 are predicted to be lower due to high feed costs.
Cotton Best Management Practice Workshops Scheduled for Dumas, Lubbock
Harvesting, irrigation and pest management methods will be discussed at two free Best Management Practices training seminars being offered by Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the National Cotton Council.
The meetings will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 1 at Moore County Community Building in Dumas and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 2 at Reece Technology Center in Lubbock, according to Randy Boman, AgriLife Extension cotton agronomist in Lubbock.
“I think this is a good opportunity for producers to hone in on very important subject matter within the realm of cotton production,” Boman said. “The format of these meetings will allow producers and consultants to ask questions of the speakers. Really, it is encouraged.”
Extension and research personnel from various states, as well as crop consultants from across the Cotton Belt, worked together to produce a set of best management practices, said Bill Robertson, Cotton Council manager. This was done with the overall goal of helping cotton growers increase the efficiency and cost effectiveness of their production systems.
Two papers generated as a result of this collaboration – “The First Forty Days” and “Fruiting to Finish” – will be utilized during the workshops to generate in-depth discussions of variety selection, pest management and harvest practices, such as stripper versus picker harvesting.
Presenters will be from AgriLife Extension, Texas AgriLife Research and Texas Tech University.
“We certainly want to encourage producers to attend this, as well as crop consultants,” Boman said. “It won’t be a regular Extension meeting, but more of a discussion-oriented meeting.”
Continuing education units will be offered for certified crop advisors and for those who need credits from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico departments of agriculture, he said.
Seating is limited, Robertson said. Those planning to attend should RSVP to BMP@cotton.org and provide information concerning the meeting they want to attend, along with an e-mail address and phone number.
Lunch will be provided at both workshops, he said. Bayer CropScience sponsored the two papers and will sponsor the workshops.
For more information, contact Boman at 806-746-6101 or r-boman@tamu.edu, or Robertson at BMP@cotton.org.
Parkinson’s Disease More than Just the Shakes
Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5600,SKledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
AMARILLO -- Parkinson's disease affects nerve cells in the part of the brain controlling muscle movement. While that is the most visible sign of the disease, it is not the only one, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialist said.
“The earliest symptom of Parkinson's disease may be an arm that does not swing when you walk, a mild tremor in the fingers of one hand, soft, mumbling speech and/or difficulty swallowing,” said Andrew Crocker, AgriLife Extension gerontology health specialist.
“You may lack energy, feel depressed, have trouble sleeping, (have) slowed motion, rigid muscles, loss of automatic movements and/or dementia.” As many as half the people with Parkinson's develop depression, sometimes occurring months or even years before the disease is diagnosed, Crocker said. While physical limitations resulting from the disease can be frustrating and stressful, depression is not usually a reaction to physical disability, but more likely a result of underlying brain changes.
Parkinson's disease is progressive, meaning the signs and symptoms become worse over time; however, the disease often progresses gradually and most people have many years of productive living after a diagnosis, Crocker said.
Parkinson's disease occurs when certain nerve cells in a particular area of the brain are damaged or destroyed, he said. Normally, these nerve cells release dopamine which causes the muscles to make smooth, controlled movements. Everyone loses some dopamine-producing nerve cells as they grow older; but people with Parkinson's disease may lose half or more of these cells.
Age is one of the main risk factors for Parkinson's, Crocker said. In fact, signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease may be dismissed as the effects of aging.
Other risk factors may include heredity, gender, exposure to pesticides and herbicides and/or reduced estrogen levels, among others, he said.
“See your health provider if you have any of the symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease, not only to diagnose the illness but also to rule out other causes for your problem,” Crocker said.
A diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is based on medical history, observations and a neurological examination, he said. The health provider will want to know about any medications being taken and any family history of Parkinson's.
The initial response to Parkinson’s treatment can be dramatic for some, but over time the benefits of drugs diminish or become less consistent, Crocker said, although symptoms can usually still be fairly well controlled.
Physical therapy may be helpful in improving mobility, range of motion and muscle tone, he said. Although specific exercises cannot stop the progress of the disease, strengthening muscles may improve confidence and capability.
“When lifestyle changes are no longer enough, your health provider may recommend certain medications,” Crocker said. “Medications can help manage problems with walking, movement and tremor by increasing the brain's supply of dopamine.”
With the advent of drug therapies, surgical approaches have been re-evaluated, he said. A brain implant device is now widely used to help control many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The deep brain stimulator consists of a pacemaker-like unit implanted in the chest wall that transmits electric impulses through a wire to tiny electrodes inserted deep within the brain.
“If you have received a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, you will need to work closely with your health provider to find a treatment plan right for you,” Crocker said. “Certain lifestyle changes also may help make living with Parkinson's disease easier, such as eating a healthy diet and getting exercise.”
More information can be found on the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Web site at http://www.ninds.nih.gov .
Pet Surgery Can Be Stressful Time, Vet Says
Finding out that your pet needs surgery can be a scary experience, but being well-prepared before and after surgery can alleviate some anxiety, says Dr. Courtney Baetge, a veterinarian at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
After a pet has been scheduled for surgery, the veterinarian will usually give the pet owner some guidelines for accommodations the pet will need before and after the procedure, but there are a few tips that every pet owner should know before the operation.
The pet owner will need to make sure that the animal is up to date on its vaccinations and the pet’s medical and surgical history is available to the surgeon. If the pet is taking a prescribed medication, pet owners should be sure to tell the operating veterinarian, Baetge believes, and the medication may have to be halted prior to the surgery for the animal’s safety.
Baetge says the animal will have to fast (go without food or water) usually starting the night before surgery. “Make sure that during the time that the pet is fasting, that all available means of attaining food or water have been prevented,” she explains.
“For example, some dogs or cats may try to drink out of the toilet since they do not have another water source. To prevent this, owners should keep the lid to the toilet down,” explains Baetge.
On the day of the surgery, pet owners should anticipate simply dropping off the animal at the clinic or hospital. The surgery may be completed that day or the pet may need to stay overnight to be monitored.
“On the day of the surgery, pet owners should allow themselves enough time to let the pet eliminate before surgery to help avoid ‘accidents’ during anesthesia,” Baetge adds.
Pet owners should also make sure that all of their contact information is correct prior to the animal’s surgery. From time to time, the pet owner will need to be contacted because of an emergency. If the owner cannot be reached, this can greatly complicate the situation, she notes.
After surgery, if the animal usually resides outdoors, it may be a good idea to make a confined area in the home where the pet can lounge after surgery with clean blankets or other comfortable material. This area can also be helpful in allowing the pet owner to keep a close eye on the pet after surgery.
“Some animals will irritate the area of incision causing it to get infected, so pet owners should check the area at least twice a day to ensure that the wound is healthy,” Baetge explains. “If the incision is red, swollen or has fluid leaking from it, the pet owner should call the veterinarian.”
She adds that all medications prescribed for the pet should be given as directed.
“Call your local veterinarian if you have any questions or if your pet continues to appears pained, won’t eat or eliminate normally,” she advises. “Do not give your pet any human medication unless specifically told to do so by your veterinarian. Many of the medications used regularly by humans are highly toxic to pets. Making sure you and your pet are properly prepared before and after a surgical procedure is one important component to a successful outcome.”
Texas Is In A Drought Again, Conditions Could Worsen, Expert Says
Forget those drenching rains of last spring and summer: Texas is in the middle of a drought that has reached the severe stage in several parts of the state, says John Nielsen-Gammon, professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University who also serves as Texas State Climatologist.
The bottom line: More than half of the state is currently experiencing unusual dryness and conditions could actually worsen over the next few months, Nielsen-Gammon says.
“Less than a year after rains finally brought an end to the 2005-2006 drought in Texas, many parts of the state are again suffering drought conditions,” he confirms.
“Only the eastern third of the state and parts of the Texas Panhandle have received normal precipitation over the past few months.”
The hardest-hit area: the Edwards Plateau region.
Nielsen-Gammon says that region experienced the driest December through February on record, totaling an average of only 0.57 inches of rain, breaking the previous record of 0.67 inches set in 1966-67. He notes that broad portions of southwest Texas – within a triangle bounded from Sanderson to Leakey and Laredo – have received zero rainfall for the past 90 days.
The area around Del Rio and Eagle Pass is also experiencing extreme drought conditions, he adds, and areas of central and south Texas and the lower Rio Grande Valley are also in a severe drought.
“This drought started back in early September,” says Nielsen-Gammon, who compiles data from several groups, among them the National Weather Service.
“The central third of the state has been especially hard hit and the extreme dryness has set up ideal wildfire situations.”
Nielsen-Gammon says the drought conditions are partly due to La Nina, during which unusually cold sea surface temperatures are found in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. When a La Nina occurs, winters are usually drier and warmer than normal, and there are frequently strong, drying winds from the southwest and west.
Most water supplies remain at safe levels, he says, because of the previous year of wet weather. “But agriculture is suffering in many areas, and some winter wheat crops have been severely damaged,” Nielsen-Gammon notes.
“If these areas don’t get some decent rains in the next month, an entire spring planting season may be lost in parts of south Texas.”
There may not be good news for the long-term outlook, either, he believes.
“Prospects for rainfall for the next couple of months are not good,” he notes.
“La Nina is expected to remain moderately strong into April, so the general tendency for dry weather is expected to continue. Beyond that time, it’s hard to say what may happen.”
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