issue 29 of the Ag Mag

Michelle Martin

Owner/Editor michelle@theagmag.org (956) 330-8870

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Al Benavides

Graphic Designer

A Letter from the Editor Plans. I believe we are all planners to some extent.

When you were young, you had a plan for what you wanted to do when you grew up. As we got older, we made plans to attend a certain college or to start our “dream job,” to be living in a certain town or city, to have a family or something else.

How many of us, however, can say our plans have worked out exactly as we planned them? I am sure, along the way, we stumbled on speed bumps that either directed us another direction or put a time restraint on the plans we made. A funny example, I am sure most have experienced. How many have planned a vacation and nothing went according to plan? Or, how many plan out their week and suddenly get a call from the school that your child isn’t feeling well and needs to be picked up? Then we have to rearrange our day.

Have you heard the saying, “God laughed at my plans.” I think a lot of the time we get so consumed in mapping out exactly how we want our life to go, that we tend to tell God instead of ask him. Sometimes we get so busy making plans that we let the enjoyment of every day slip us by.

Each day is a gift, and life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.

Sometimes when our plans are not going how we imagined, it is God telling us he has a better route for us. I know when I used to plan out my life, I would be upset when it didn’t go as I planned.

For example, as you all know when I lost my mom, that was not in my plan. My plan was to be able to drop my son off at grandmas and develop that bond between grandchild and grandson. Was I hurt and angry when that plan didn’t work out? YES. My first year of having my son was filled with hundreds, yes hundreds of doctor’s visits. Was that in my plan? NO. Was I angry and upset my plan wasn’t going the way I wanted it to? YES. But in that time I realized when things are going wrong, take a moment to be thankful for the many things that are going right.

I know that is easier said than done, but remember that Gods plan is not intended to hurt us or for us to become bitter and want to give up. His plan is intended to build us up so that we can be where we’re meant to be. I look back now and see maybe it was better my mother was sent to heaven so soon, because she wasn’t happy. She was not in the mental state to be the best grandmother she could be. Now, I can use that experience to help others who are dealing with similar instances. I now can see some of what God was doing. Is there still uncertainty? Sure, I think everyone has uncertainty on why our plans don’t go the way we want.

Maybe you are mapping out plans for yourself or for your children. Know that not everything goes as we intend and things will happen. That is just life. Think about this, do you remember when Captain Sully landed the plane safely in the Hudson River? Do you think that the passengers and pilot said, “Today we are going run into a fleet of Canadian geese and have a plane crash.”

Of course not. But that is the perfect example of how fast the uncertain can happen. I promise God’s plan is far better than the plan we have for ourselves, even if we don’t understand His plan at the time.

God’s may often be different from our plans, but His plans are always perfect. Have patience to wait on His timing instead of forcing our own. When things don’t work out, they are not working for a reason. I challenge you today to reflect and think of something you are forcing right now to conform to your plan. Ask God if it is His will. Remember to enjoy each day as it comes, the planned with the unplanned. Don’t spend all your days planning something that will most likely not go accordingly.

Owner/Creator of AG MAG

In This Issue: pg. 6 Recent Produce Safety Management Re search for Agricultural Irrigation Water pg.10 Thoughts from Dale Murden pg.12 Special Show 2019 Photos pg.16 100 Kids that Give a DARN in the BARN pg.20 Q&A - All You Need To Know About ET pg.22 Production vs.Trade pg.26 Future Leaders In Land Stewardship pg.28 Photography and Videography: Important Tactics for Livestock Marketing Success pg.30 Los Fresnos School District Implements Stormwater Best Management Practices pg.33 Texas Survey Indicates Strong Public Support For Eminent Domain Reform pg.44 God Made A Farmer pg.47 A Letter From The Editor pg.48 RGV Livestock Show Photos pg.52 Soar With The Angels pg.56 Featured Farmer Story: Dedicated Love pg.59 Small, But MIGHTY pg.60 Is A Holistic Approach To Farming Beneficial For Valley Growers? pg.72 All You Need To Know About America’s Favorite: Watermelons pg.76 Beefmaster Heifer Takes Top Honors at Houston Livestock Show

Year 5, Issue 29 May/June 2019. No part of this publication can be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher.

Ag Mag reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse editorial materials and assumes no responsibility for accuracy, errors, omissions or consequence arising from it. All correspondence to the publication become the property of Ag Mag. Ag Mag is published bi-monthly ©2019.

To advertise in Ag Mag, call (956) 330-8870 or email michelle@theagmag.org

Recent produce safety management research for agricultural irrigation water

BY JUAN R. ANCISO, PH.D. AND JUAN ENCISO, PH.D.

F

ood safety concerns related to fresh pro duce have continued due to nationwide

outbreaks related to contaminated produce.

There is an identified need for interven tions to mitigate produce contamination during pre-harvest, such as the treatment of surface water used for agricultural water irrigation purposes. Two promising water treatments were tested for the first time in an intervention trial and were effective under produce growing conditions in a semi-arid area of the southern United States. The two water treatments were ultraviolet radiation (UV) and asulfuric acid-based monourea fertilizer with a 9-0-0-12composition (SA).

Irrigation water is recognized as an important route of produce contamination. The US FDA Food Safety Modernization Act(FSMA) established thresholds for generic E. coli counts in irrigation water and acceptable mitigation options. According to FSMA regulations, measures must be applied to irrigation water if the geometric mean (GM) exceeds the level of 126 Colony Forming Units (CFU) of generic E. coli per 100 ml of irrigation water or if the statistical threshold value (90th percentile) exceeds 410 CFU/100 ml of irrigation water. If these irrigation agricultural water thresh-

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olds are not met, a grower may apply a time interval (in days) between last irrigation and harvest using an assumed microbial die-off rate of 0.5 log/day to achieve a logreduction of the GM of generic E. coli to < 126 CFU/100 ml and the 90th percentile to < 410 CFU/100 ml, or other acceptable approaches if scientifically validated. Alternatively, the grower must immediately discontinue the use of such water for irrigation and take specified follow-up actions, which may include making changes to the system and re-testing water oreven treating the water if with the assumed microbial die-off rate does not fall below the established thresholds.

FSMA requirements affect the use of surface waters for agricultural water irrigation to a greater extent, because they may harbor pathogens as a result of fecal contamina-

tion. Generic E. coli is an indicator for fecal contamination and is the basis for FSMA thresholds for irrigation agricultural waters. Surface waters account for 58% of the total irrigation water source used in the USA. Therefore, there is a need to test the effectiveness of novel strategies for treating surface water to keep generic E. coli levels under the regulatory thresholds. Researchers from Cornell (Dr. Renata Ivanek, Dr. Randy Worobo, Dr. Wendy Beauvais and Ms. Alexandria Belias , Texas A&M (Dr. Juan R. Anciso, Dr. Juan Enciso, Eduardo Serna, Ms. Christina Marconi, and Alfredo Rodriguez) and Texas Tech Universities (Dr. Kendra Nightingale and Ms. April Englishbey)conducted an intervention trial to test two treatments: ultraviolet (UV) radiation and an acidbased fertilizer (SA), both beingnovel treatments for disinfection of agricultural surface water,which were used in spinach and cantaloupe production field trials in this study.

contamination of surface water with inoculated marked generic E. coli (“RifR”), and the microbial reduction was evident both in the tank water just before irrigation and in the irrigation water in the produce field. 85% of UV-treated tank water samples and 76% of SA-treated tank water samples had a count below the detection limit, whereas samples before treatment had a mean count of 3.3 log10 CFU/ml. Using these numbers there was a 3-log reduction or 99.9% reduction in marked generic E. coli.

Both UV and SA treatments were more effective in drip irrigation systems than furrow irrigation systems based on both tank and field samples. The reasons for this are not known but could be explained by sporadic variations in treatment conditions and/or effectiveness that occurred more frequently in furrow irrigation systems than drip.

A low number of Salmonella-positive samples were identified (0.58% out of 3409 samples). Salmonella was detected in 3 of 1079 samples of spinach (0.3%), 0 of 535 samples of cantaloupe (0 %), 0 of 503 soil swabs (0%), 7 of 645 samples of the tank water (1.1%) and 10 of 647 samples of water collected in the field post irrigation (1.5%). Based on relatively low numbers of positive samples, SA treatment appeared to be less effective at eliminating naturally-occurring Salmonella than UV treatment, in the furrow irrigation system only.

Conclusions

Methods Surface water from a retention pond with water sourced from the Rio Grande river, with naturally occurring E. coli and Salmonella was used. The pond water was pumped into holding tanks, inoculated with marked generic E. coli and used for irrigation in both furrow and drip irrigation systems. Microbiological testing of water, soil and produce included: (1)enumeration of marked generic E. coli, naturally-occurring generic E. coli and total coliforms; and (2) detection of Salmonella.

The UV treatment was applied to irrigation water using an experimental UV processor (Headwater Foods/FPE, Rochester, NY). The achieved median fluence level was 42mJ/ cm2 for drip plots and 12mJ/cm2 for furrow plots. The fertilizer treatment involved acid-based monourea (9-0-0-12). Monourea was applied at an intended concentration of 1 gallon/ acre by directly injecting into surface water prior to field irrigation applicationsusing a fertilizer injection pump (DosatronTM).

Findings The results indicated that, compared to the untreated control (UC), both UV and SA treatments were effective in reducing

Two new irrigation water treatment strategies for field application have been tested and confirmed to be effective at reducing the levels of generic E. coli. Acid-based fertilizer appeared to be less effective at eliminating Salmonella in the furrow irrigation system and therefore may not be an effective control in areas with frequent Salmonella contamination problems and/or alkaline soils (because of counteractive effects of the soil to the acidifying properties of the SA-fertilizer).

UV has advantages, such as not producing disinfection by-products and reducing the risk of soil salinization or creating crop toxicities. It is also the most “environmentally friendly” but it is expensive, and its effectiveness depends on water turbidity and chemical characteristics.

SA-fertilizer is commonly used in agriculture, less expensive than UV treatment and possibly a more practical approach. SA-fertilizers with 27-55% sulfuric acid have been commonly used to remove biofilm buildup in irrigation drip pipes and as water amendments in agriculture to reduce pH of high bicarbonate waters. It is exempt from the requirement of a tolerance for residues when used in accordance with its label.

The results are based on a single produce-growing region and have not been published as a scientifically validated method as of this article. Additional studies with different locations and soil properties are warranted before the widespread application and use of the UV and SA-fertilizer treatments is recommended as evaluated in this study.

M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 9

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THOUGHTS from Dale Murden

T

he citrus industry is occasionally asked to

contribute to the AgMag and one of our

challenges is the delay from the time an

article was written, to the time it actually gets read. A current event at the time we wrote it, becomes a past tense by the time you might read it. Eleisha Ensign, our Marketing Manager, usually touches on pest and disease education and outreach activities, or a history lesson, the things that aren’t usually ‘date sensitive’.

But, you’re stuck with me this go ‘round, and I deal with whatever fire needs put out, when it needs to be put out…so here we go.

I promise after you’ve read this you’ll feel like you just drank water from a fire hose and praying that Michelle never asks me to do this again, or that Eleisha takes back over ASAP. As of this writing, its actually the end of March here in the LRGV and the citrus harvest for the 18-19 crop is still in full swing. New bloom and crop set for the 19-20 harvest is ongoing (best time to be a native of the valley-smell that?), and a lot of new pea size fruit is now setting. A Mexican fruit fly quarantine has been triggered.

The state legislative session is just getting warmed up with only 8,693 bills filed this session, as opposed to 10,672 filed during the last session. The newly minted Farm Bill is being deciphered, interpreted and rolled out. Our combined water levels in the lakes are at 64% capacity or down from same time last year, but we had a good overall rain March 31st although unusually cold. Mexican farmers have blocked the bridges and the President is hinting at closing the border.

So! Which fire to address first? And will you have actually remembered any of this was happening by the time you read this?

Or will the current events of the day far out-shadow the events of

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the past?

2018 - a year most might like to forget : I’m going to challenge you to remember back to last year during this time, and the failed acreage in crops like cotton, grain and corn due to severe weather conditions. From snow flurries and ice in January, high temps and no rain from February through May, then excessive rain in June (remember some had 20”), back to zero rain and high heat in July and August, then about 12” of rain during September, etc. etc.

This is what set the tone for our current citrus harvest. The industry has seen an overabundance of really small grapefruit this year that we just could not get to size up. As a result, over 50% of this year’s harvest will have gone to the juice plants rather than the fresh market. To date (March 31) we have shipped approximately 5.6 million cartons of grapefruit and oranges both domestically and abroad. This is down almost 1.7 million cartons overall from last season at this time. By the time you get this edition, our harvest will have been completed and everyone will be looking forward to October when we start all over again.

Border issues also bring pest and disease concerns: Our first quarantine of the year for the Mexican Fruit Fly hit us in March and numbers are rapidly increasing. This particular quarantine area encompassed almost 4,000 acres of commercial citrus, much yet to be harvested.

There are two explosive triggers for this. One has been a record number of fly finds south of the border, as well as record produce

movement from Mexico to the U.S... The Pharr Bridge became the number one port of entry this year surpassing Arizona. Many areas in Mexico are left untreated and pose as big a threat to our industry as anything we face. Cotton faces the same issue in regards to boll weevil numbers.

You probably wondered why I mentioned that the President was considering closing the border in my earlier comments. At this writing, our Customs and Border Patrol Agents are being reassigned away from produce inspections at ports of entry to support border patrol with the care and custody of migrants. CBP was on a record pace to record more than 100,000 apprehensions for the month of March. This obviously is affecting trade, as perishable produce gets left unchecked, but it also leaves the potential for disaster here with unchecked pest or disease issues entering the U.S. The second trigger for the MxFF explosions are quite simply the dooryard citrus trees grown here in the LRGV. A conservative estimate done by USDA, is that over one million citrus trees exist here in peoples’ back yards. Typically, these are almost always left untreated for pests that are of significance to the commercial grower.

This would be the equivalent of almost 7,000 acres of commercial citrus left festering with inoculum to infect the rest of industry.

And aside from being left untreated, an overwhelming number of trees are left with fruit on them almost year round. This is the proverbial heaven on earth scenario if you are a breeding wild fruit fly in the subtropical environment of South Texas.

PAY ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS: PSA So my lone public service announcement today will be to implore folks to get the message out to remove any fruit left hanging on trees before March 1 and destroy them as instructed by industry, extension, TDA and USDA.

State Politics: Texas is blessed in that our politicians are only able to get into trouble every other year. 2019 is that other year, and the 140 days of pandemonium have been off and running since January 8. With any luck at all, the pain will all be over with when you get this issue, as the regular session ends May 27th. I am kidding of course as the men and women in our state legislature put in many hours’ year round to protect the interests of all Texans. Some we agree with and some we don’t, but that is what makes our nation great.

I guess the hemp bill is a big one everyone is asking about.

Dozens of versions have actually been filed but make no mistake, none of them legalize marijuana. I’ll be as interested as anyone to

see the outcome of all the hullabaloo. Farmers are looking for hope of a new crop, and I understand this, as many years of my career spent at Rio Farms with Andy Scott was looking for just that…new crops. But folks please don’t get your hopes up that this is the answer. It’s like anything else we grow, and then ‘overgrow’ ourselves right out of a profitable margin. Every state in the union is voting on some form of a hemp bill since it was placed in the current farm bill.

As usual, there are several water bills being filed. Most we hope never see the light of day. Texas Farm Bureau is waging a courageous battle to protect your property rights through eminent domain reform. And folks let’s all give the TFB some credit, as they fight the fights that most of us commodity groups don’t.

And once again we have filed a pesticide container disposal bill, so that famers can see an old program restored that allows TDA a few dollars to aid in the collection of old containers. This bill was passed during the last session only to be vetoed by the Governor for reasons we never understood.

After the session ends maybe Michelle can get someone to highlight the good, the bad and the really ugly that might have actually passed and gotten signed this session.

Closing thoughts from a lifelong Valley ‘Agovcate’: If I have learned anything about agriculture, it is a simple truth. No two years are ever alike. Just as 2018 was a disaster for most, 2019 might just be the one you’ve been waiting for. I’ve been encouraged to see new and younger faces re-enter at least some of the ag sectors here in the valley. Michelle’s AgMag has brought a sense of importance back to the regions ag folks and I appreciate her efforts and passion. I believe she has a healthy respect of the valleys rich past, (the Lassig Family issue was very dear to me), but she also is keenly aware that the future is obviously in our youth.

So folks keep doing what you do best, and I promise to try to keep helping to make a positive difference for all agriculture. The above rambling was really just a snapshot of a ‘day in the life’ in our worlds. We never know what might get thrown at us next by someone who really has no clue about what we do to feed a rapidly growing and changing world. Everyone needs to STAND FOR SOMETHING…it’s been easy for me to stand for ya’ll in this lifetime.

Oh…if anyone sees Brad Cowan out there anywhere, let him know I need some CEU’S! Nos Vemos, Dale

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2019

Special SHOW

100 Kids that

DARN BARN

GIVE A IN THE

Tell us a little bit about 100 Kids That Give a Darn in the Barn.

Tell us a little about yourself and how long you’ve been involved in Agriculture and what inspires you.

Hi, my name is Lily Ford. I am an active member of both the Borderline 4-H Club and the Weslaco FFA Chapter.

Through these organizations I have had the pleasure to exhibit market and breeding livestock across the Great State of Texas since the 3rd grade. I am inspired to help others and make a difference in my community.

What experiences have you had in community service? Did they prepare you to start 100 Kids that Give a Darn in the Barn?

Throughout 4-H and FFA I have had numerous opportunities to participate in community service projects, such as: The Special Kids Rodeo, Cowboyś Kick´n´

Cancer, canned food drives, clean-up projects, church projects, RGVLS Gala, and the Texas International Fishing Tournament (TIFT).

Being a participant in these projects allowed me to witness strong leadership which has prepared me to lead my own project.

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100 Kids That Give A Darn In The Bard is an organization in which about 100 kids across the Rio Grande Valley each donate 100 dollars to reach a total of 10,000 dollars or more. We then go to the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show Sale of Champions and Toasting Texas Tallent to buy projects from exhibitors that made the sale.

How did you come up with the name ?

My Mom is part of a group called 100 Women That Give A Damn. 100 Women That give a Damn is a group of 100 women that meet quarterly and donate 100 dollars each.

Then, they get multiple nonprofit organizations to present themselves, and they decide on one organization to give the $10,000 to. When I heard of the idea I decided to make a similar group but instead for kids to give back to the hardworking kids that exhibit projects at the RIo Grande Valley Livestock Show. In a tribute to the group that we originally got the idea from we decided on the name, 100 Kids That Give A Darn In The Barn.

Who are THE founders?

I founded the organization, but our steering committee this year consisted of Baeley Helmer, Lorelai Hill, Cooper Ford, as well as myself.

What is the overall goal of 100 Kids that Give a Darn in the Barn?

The overall goal of 100 Kids That Give A Darn In The Barn is to raise as much money to give back to the hard working kids of the RIo Grande Valley. We know that we cannot make a big difference with only a few people, so it is important for all of us to work together to make a big impact.

our goal, but we aspire to surpass this goal in order to touch the lives of more kids. In order to reach this amount it is very important to recruit more kids that are willing to donate. We are also excited to have any adults or business that would like to sponsor our organization or even match the funds donated by our hardworking and generous group of kids!

Why is it important for you to give back?

How many people participated this year and what is your goal for next year?

I believe that it is important to give back to the community because we should return the generosity that was shown to us at one point in our lives.

This year we had 105 participants and we hope to spread the word and have 125 kids commit and contribute to 100 Kids That Give A Darn In The Barn next show season.

How much were you able to give back this year and what is your goal this year?

We very proud of the outcome of our first year of the organization, and we hope to get more kids engaged in the organization. We are also very thankful for all of our adult sponsors this year that went above and beyond to help us reach our goal.

This year we raised and gave back $10,850, and our goal for next year is $20,000. We would be pleased to reach

If there are anyone who is interested in joining our organization or has any questions feel free to contact me at my email lily.ford.rgv@gmail.com.

g our rested in joinin te in is ho w ne free to If there are anyo questions feel y an s ha or n l.com. organizatio ford.rgv@gmai y. lil l ai em y m contact me at

M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 9

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Contact Michelle Martin at the Ag Mag

(956) 330-8870 michelle@theagmag.org

Q&A

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ET with Javier Moreno

Q. Tell me about your operation and how you got started?

Q. What separates you from other operations?

I own and operate a custom artificial insemination and embryo transfer business for cattle called Edge Genetics, I got started about 15 years ago inseminating cattle for friends and neighbors. Then I partnered with a company called Bovagen to venture into the embryo transfer business. When the owner of Bovagen retired, I started working with Ovagenix and now have more recently been working with Repro Solutions.

As far as I know, Edge Genetics is the only “ full service” custom AI and ET business in our area.

Q. Why did you start ET? I started ET to work on improving our own cattle and then continued to provide a service for local breeders in the RGV and surrounding areas.

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Q. Why is what you are doing with cattle different than others?

Although there are other companies North of San Antonio that do similar work, and there are local AI technicians, Edge Genetics is the only local place where someone can drop of a cow or set of cows to be flushed or AIed and just come pick them up when they are ready. We take pride in taking good care of our customers cattle and in our working facilities. We are also very proud of our many repeat customers over the years that have been very pleased

with the conception rates that we have achieved.

Q. What are the benefits?

The benefit to AI is that a breeder can take advantage of very high quality genetics through the purchase of frozen semen on bulls that would never be available to purchase. In addition, small breeder do not have to invest in a herd bull in order to produce calves.

The benefit of Embryo Transfer is that a breeder can flush a very high quality female and produce multiple offspring each year out of that superior cow.

Q. How much do you charge?

Although we charge a daily rate for the maintenance of the cattle, the average total cost for the Artificial Insemination is $140.

This includes everything except the semen being used. For the ET business, the average cost to produce an embryo is $150.

Q. Tell us the process...

The AI process involves a vaginal CIDR insert for 7 days followed by an injection of prostaglandin. Then the cows are observed until standing heat is detected, then they are inseminated 12 hours later.

The ET process involves a CIDR insert, superovulation meds in order for the donor to produce multiple eggs, then prostaglandin, the donor is then inseminated after an observed standing heat. Embryos are collected 7 days later, at which time they can be either transferred or frozen.

Q. If someone is interested how can we contact you?

Javier Moreno, Edge Genetics, 956-607-7408, javierlncc@aol.com M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 9

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Production vs Trade Outcomes Will Drive Summer Corn and Sorghum Prices

BY JOHN MILLER

From the December 2019 corn futures chart below and left, you can see that prices have slowly worked from the $4.00 to $4.05 range in January/February down to the $3.85 to $3.90 range in recent weeks. This narrow range is the result of a speculative trading community that is balancing the potential size of the upcoming US corn and soybean crop with the prospects for a rebound in foreign sales that have been weakened by robust world crops, an ongoing US-China trade dispute, and a widening African Swine Flu epidemic reducing hog numbers across Asia. In the not too distant past, any of these factors alone would have been considered a major issue that would have the potential to create major price swings. But rising world demand for most commodities continues to fuel the big crop – big demand scenario that we have been discussing for several years. Over the past 5 years, December corn futures have spent its majority of time trading between $3.75 and $4.25 per bushel as this same speculative community has bid up prices in early summer on the threat of adverse summer crop development only to sell off in late June once it is realized that the US crop will likely meet trend yields. But out of respect for big demand, speculators refuse to allow prices to get ‘too cheap’ in case surprise adversity appears.

The yield history chart for US corn below shows the amazing advancement of the national average yield since the 1950’s. What is interesting is that this average annual progress of approximately 2 percent per year continues to this

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day. In fact, the past 5-year period saw something rarely seen when yields exceeded trend for this record stretch. It has been this year-on-year above trend corn yield that has kept year-end supplies from falling below approximately 1.7 billion bushels, or a roughly 43 days of supply of corn. For speculators to get concerned about tight supplies, the daily supply would need to fall to roughly 30 days or less. This will happen when we see another year like 2012 when dry/ hot conditions in June and July reduced the national average yield to 123 bushels per acre. Sorghum, while experiencing some increase since the early 1970’s due to technology, has depended more on changing cultural practices and in some cases earlier planting dates. To maintain ample supplies, however, the acreage needs to be there as well.

At this time, the USDA projects that US farmers will plant 92.7 million acres, a number that continues to be disputed given some of the extended rainfall and sporadic flooding being experienced across some of the Southeast and Midwest, particularly Nebraska. If this number sticks, however, all eyes will be on weekly crop ratings and the prospect for another above trend yield.

It is true that a stronger dollar coupled with 3 years of good soybean and corn crops in South America, and worldwide for that matter, has limited US exports to some degree.

While corn exports have been relatively strong this past season as the chart below and left shows, sorghum (chart

on lower right), soybeans and wheat are well behind the normal pace. Fortunately, corn exports this season have been at the upper end of the past 4-year range, but this is largely due to lower futures prices and basis levels that has kept corn exported by vessel at New Orleans some of

To further illustrate the affect of the US-China trade dispute, refer to the sorghum trade charts below. The chart on the left illustrates the deep impact of the US-China trade dispute on our sorghum exports, particularly shipments from the Texas Gulf for which we so much depend. Notice

the cheapest feed supplies in the world. But there is much more at work this time around than world crop conditions or the value of the US Dollar. The ongoing trade dispute between the US and China is front and center this season as speculative commodity traders are reluctant to put too much money at risk while facing so much uncertainty. The Chinese retaliatory tariff of 25 percent on US agricultural commodities has all but taken US commodities out of the Chinese market with a few exceptions when Chinese government agencies have made purchases for national

how well this drop of sorghum shipments originating at the Texas Gulf corresponds with the drop of sales to China.

US sorghum is still highly desirable by Chinese manufacturers of feed and Baijiu, a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;white alcoholâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; liquor that is popular across China. Other countries, such as Spain, Portugal have stepped in to replace some of the lost Chinese demand, but at a discount to corn. Mexico, having switched heavily to corn since the major Chinese purchases began in late 2013, could be a much larger player. But as with other non-Chinese markets they will want to buy sorghum at

security reasons. The inability to develop this once highly anticipated Chinese market, and the ongoing nature of this trade dispute, has led speculators to position themselves in a record short position for this time of year for corn and soybeans. As much as weather, then, the commodity marketplace desperately wants to see progress on the US-China trade deal.

a discount to corn. As we head into summer, the prospect of a large US crop will as always be on our minds, but this time around we must equally consider the potential for a positive/negative outcomes from the US and Chinese trade talks when thinking prices.

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FUTURE LEADERS IN LAND STEWARDSHIP

BY KATHRYN BRADY

D

o you know high school age kids inter-

ested in land conservation, ranch man agement, livestock and wildlife interact ions, plant identification or water and soil

health? Or do they simply have an interest and love for the great outdoors? Then I have a great summer camp for them! It’s called the Youth Range Workshop sponsored by the Texas Section Society for Range Management.

This year’s camp will be held from June 23rd through June 28th at the Texas Tech Center in Junction, Texas. Every year for the past sixty-four years teenagers from throughout the great state of Texas; descend upon the campus of the Texas Tech Center in Junction to embark on a journey and adventure all in the name of land stewardship and ecological sciences. And will acquire skills, make memories and friends that will last a lifetime.

Here is the week at a glance: Sunday: Arrive at camp, get acquainted, make friends, eat a

fantastic meal and then jump right into the nitty gritty of learning the value of rangelands, some fun games; outdoors as well as public speaking.

Then it’s Vespers and lights out’ in preparation for a rigorous, but fun week. Then the next day starts the routine for the rest of the week. Before breakfast the delegates gather in an amphitheater not far from the banks of Llano River under the canopy of sprawling Pecan and Oak Trees to hear the ‘thought of the day’

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Monday: Is spent learning more about the vegetation of

Texas, plant collections, how plants grow, and campers have the opportunity to go swimming.

Tuesday: That’s the day that the kids will remember forever, even if they are starting to get a little tired. It’s the day that they travel to the Half Circle L Ranch owned by Dr. Jake Landers.

Here they get hands on experience learning about vegetation and cattle management. And after a trip back to the Tech Center and some more outdoor games reinforcing what they’ve learned; the delegates are advised to get some much-needed rest because Wednesday is Prescribed Burring Day. Yes, the kids get to learn the safety and concepts behind conducting a prescribed burn and then they get to work side-by -side with the experts to conduct a prescribed burn. It’s a hot, but worthwhile day.

Thursday: is the trip to the Kerr Wildlife Management Area,

where they finish out the week. Plant collections are graded, points are compiled, and the public speaking contest finalists compete. In the field at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area the delegates learn how to be successful in the in the 4-H and FFA range judging contests. They also go on a tour of the Kerr.

Then in the evening we head to Johnson Creek for a little plant Identification contest and then swimming, a cookout, campfire and guitar and fidlle music. The kids are always grateful for this respite and some R&R.

Friday: The camp closes out and then around lunch the par-

ents arrive for the awards ceremony and to take their kids, who

have grown a lot and will never be the same; back home.

So, what happens after camp is over, well the delegates go back to being average teenagers, but with a little more leadership and public speaking skills, some good friends with similar interests, great adult mentors and a whole lot of knowledge about conservation and ecology. All these skills will benefit them far into the future. What many people probably don’t realize is the importance of rangeland to the everyday person; for example, rangeland is a key to providing water to country and city dwellers alike through aquifer re-charge or runoff captured by lakes, creeks and rivers.

While not all of these campers will grow up to run a ranch; they will understand the importance of proper land management and hopefully will be instrumental in influencing land stewardship and conservation practices whether they are the CEO of a corporation, a city council member, a professional athlete, a small business owner or a fireman. Alex Smith, a 2017 delegate to the youth range workshop and was elected president at the 2018 High School Youth Forum as part of the Society for Range Management’s annual meeting, says that he may not go along the range management pathway, but that he know that whatever career choice he makes he will use what he learned at the Youth Range Workshop on a daily basis. He really appreciates the hands-on learning and field work examples.

participant int the running the planning of the camp. Another notable former delegate is state representative Andrew Murr and he comes back every year to help us kick-off the camp.

And country singer, Summer Dean also attended. Jason Loeffler (who attended the year before I did and came back in 2003); comes back every year to help us with vespers.

He says that the reason that he returns every year is “to teach the spiritual component of the camp because the core teachings of rangeland stewardship are deeply rooted in the spirit in the Word”. His dad Mr. Paul Loeffler also continues to plan and help with the camp and usually leads the morning thought for the day.

He is also instrumental in making sure the kids stay healthy and hydrated.

As mentioned earlier this summer’s camp will be the sixty-fifth year of the camp. Quite a legacy! Many of the former attendees still help in the running of the camp (including yours truly) or come and speak for a part of the day. Dr. Jake Lander’s (whose ranch they go to on Tuesday) father founded the camp in 1954.

And as you can tell Dr Landers is still very much an active

The director, Jenny Pluhar has been helping for years as well.

She says that “hands-on learning is the focus of the camp and the central theme is stewardship.

Other that have been helping and leading for years are Dan Caudle, Hoyt Siedensticker, Lee Knox, Marlo Lamb, Keith Blair and many, many more in the Texas Section society for Range Management, AgriLife extension and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

2019 applications are now open and you or someone you know can apply by going to www.tinyurl.com/2019Youth-

RangeWorkshop

We’d love to see you there!

Photos Courtesy of Texas Section Society for Range Management’s youth Range Workshop

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Cattle photographs should be taken against a background that is free of distractions. Crops, open fields of grass or a picture pen with a minimal fence line make for great, non-distracting backgrounds.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY:

IMPORTANT TACTICS FOR LIVESTOCK MARKETING SUCCESS

BY BROOKE PRATHER

When taking photos out in the pasture, be patient and allow the cattle a chance to adjust to you and your equipment. Take the time to move around and frame cattle against a clean background.

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C

a kit with a compact 18-55 mm zoom lens for close-range shots and a 70-300 mm macro zoom lens for long-range shots.

attle producers have one goal in common:

to market and sell cattle for profit. While

market value sets the standard for produc ers, the return on investment received varies

from one producer to the next largely due to marketing strategy and the tactics taken to achieve the highest ROI possible. Throughout my years working in the livestock industry, I have had the opportunity to visit with many ranchers across Texas and the Gulf Coast. No matter where they are located, we often end up discussing their desire for the newest technology to implement into their marketing plan. But what if I told you the tools were right there all along?

As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words” but a video is worth a thousand more. It goes without question to say that videography is just as important to a successful cattle-marketing campaign as a photograph, if not more important. While photos are a great way to showcase your product, videos take this concept to the next level allowing potential buyers to experience the animal on the move. To video cattle, the same photography equipment mentioned above is needed in addition to a sturdy tripod to help keep the camera stable during the video.

It may surprise you but my advice for producers scratching their heads searching for ways to increase profit is not a fancy new tool but rather to take the time to have them photographed and videoed.

Even with the right equipment, preparation is key to success. No matter if you are hiring a professional photographer or planning to take the photos or videos yourself, it is important to take time to prepare the animals and the location for the photo or video shoot.

First, consider the time of day and location for the shoot. It is best to picture and video cattle midday when the sun is at its brightest to avoid harsh shadows being cast on the animal. In addition, you want to find an ideal location to position yourself where the sun is at your back and facing the animal, not your camera. This will ensure that any shadows are cast behind the animal.

Start with the right equipment.

It’s no secret that social media has taken livestock marketing to the next level. At any given time of the day, I can jump online and see a number of my friends posting photos of cattle for sale on Facebook or sharing casual on-farm photos on Instagram. While there are certain times when hiring a professional photographer is preferred for sale catalogs or print advertisements, day-to-day photos for online sharing are just as important and, with the right equipment, can be captured by you, the producer.

Before heading out to the pasture to take photos, you want to make sure you have the right equipment to produce high-resolution images. Because photo resolution plays a key role in whether or not a photo can be used in print or digital advertisements, purchasing a semi-professional camera with high-resolution capabilities is essential. A higher resolution of 300 dots per inch is required for print advertisements whereas a lower resolution of 72 dpi is acceptable for digital advertisements and social media platforms. To put things in perspective, a high-quality DSLR camera with detachable lenses will produce much higher resolution images compared to a cell phone camera, which will result in low resolution images that are not suitable for print advertisements. When in doubt, it is always best to use a digital camera for photographs, rather than a cell phone, to maintain the highest quality images.

When shopping for a digital camera, be sure to look for one with both automatic and manual settings. These types of cameras will give you the most flexibility and will adapt with you as your photography skills grow. Nikon and Canon are arguably the two top camera brands among professional photographers and each brand has a quality starter package for beginners. To achieve the best bang for your buck, consider purchasing a camera and lens kit with multiple zoom lens options. For example, the Nikon D3400 or Canon Rebel T6 are great options for beginner photographers. These semi-professional cameras cost around $500 and often can be purchased

Preparation is key to success.

Next, make sure the animals have been properly groomed and the setting is free of distractions prior to the shoot. If space and resources allow, build a picture-pen in an area that is easily accessible for you and the cattle. The pen should be wide enough to allow a comfortable distance between you and the animal and long enough to allow the animal to move freely. When choosing the location for the pen, be sure to keep the background in mind, as it is important to keep the background free of any objects that could distract the buyer’s focus away from the animal.

Although creating a designated space to picture and video cattle is ideal, it is not required, and many producers prefer to photograph their animals out in the pasture. If this is the case for your operation, make sure to approach the cattle out in the pasture in a manner that is familiar to them to achieve the best results. For instance, if you always check cattle in the ranger but decide to go out and take pictures in your truck, this might startle the herd, as they are unfamiliar with the vehicle. In any situation, patience is key. Give yourself extra time for the shoot to allow the cattle time to adjust to you and your equipment.

At the end of the day, whether you have the means to hire a professional photographer or the time and equipment to take your own photos and videos, photography and videography are some of the most important tactics for a successful marketing campaign.

The more collateral that you have on hand to share with potential buyers, the better set up you will be to leverage a premium price for your product.

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LOS FRESNOS SCHOOL DISTRICT IMPLEMENTS STORMWATER BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

BY KATHY WYTHE

A

group of Los Fresnos teachers

and students are learning

real-world science and environmental stewardship while making an impact on water quality in the Arroyo Colorado.

As part of the Falcon Pond Beautification Project, the Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District (LFCISD) is working with the Arroyo Colorado Partnership, Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and Texas Stream Team (TST) to implement and monitor stormwater best management practices (BMPs) on a wetland adjacent to the Los Fresnos High School campus. The project is funded with grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

When it rains, stormwater from the Los Fresnos High School flows across and under the school’s parking lot and eventually drains into a wetland, Falcon Pond. Falcon Pond is the bed of an abandoned resaca, or ancient distributary channel of the Rio Grande, that was modified to serve as a stormwater retention

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Stacey Haddad from Texas Stream Team explains how to collect water samples during a stream team training.

pond. Having the students design, implement and monitor certain BMPs is part of the school district’s Project Based Learning (PBL) Program. The program plan was developed by Alejandro Guzman, LFCISD science strategist for grades 6-12; Jimmy McDonough, LFCISD executive director for academics; and Jaime Flores, TWRI project manager.

Guzman said teachers have been planning this project since January 2018 to help supplement their curriculum and provide students with real-world science applications.

Guzman said the beautification project is intended to help decrease the amount of pollutants entering the pond from the high school campus and parking lot. The project’s water quality goal is to use native plants to slow down the water entering the Falcon Pond and increase retention time to remove sediment and other contaminants from the stormwater.

“It should help clean out our pond water system, so that we can help restore the wetland and get more native plants, more vegetation and eventually more wildlife in the area,” she said.

“The ultimate project goal is to increase the biodiversity and enhance the pond ecosystem.”

directly from community experts.

Part of the PBL program includes students taking water quality samples from stormwater that directly feeds into Falcon Pond.

in Falcon Pond with Mike Heep, local native plant expert, 2) topographic maps use and function with Flores, 3) nonpoint and point sources of pollution with Guzman and Victor Gutierrez, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service assistant with TWRI, and 4) water sample testing with Miriam Rivera, a high school teacher, assisted by AP biology students.

“The students want to see if they can determine which pollutants are present and which ones are naturally removed from the stormwater that comes off the storm drains and eventually feeds into Falcon Pond,” she said.

The students rotated through four stations: 1) flora identification

Students worked with topographic maps of the area and identified the flora species hosted near the pond. They took water samples across six different areas and tested the water for pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen and nitrate concentrations.

After the field trip, the middle school students had three weeks to research the key elements from the four stations on the field trip and create a portfolio, brochure or presentation on the different components of the Falcon Pond Beautification project.

Los Fresnos teachers and students learned water sampling techniques to determine which pollutants are present from stormwater that directly feeds into Falcon Pond.

The project kicked off in January 2018 when the TST held the first of two Citizen Water Quality Monitoring trainings at the high school. At the first training, high school teachers and biology and environmental science students were taught to use the basic Stream Team kits. Another training in November 2018 also included three middle school teachers as well as three high school teachers. The high school teachers who attended both trainings are now eligible for taking one more training to be certified TST trainers.

The students’ final project will include a graphical representation of the water quality results, a design for interpretive signage to be installed of the native plant species, a 3D or virtual map of the pond area where stormwater BMPs are to be installed, and information on potential careers related to the project.

Based on these materials, the students will provide recommendations for the design of the stormwater BMPs and for the selection and placement of native trees. The project team, directed by Heep, will review the student recommendations and determine which native plants to use and create a landscaping map for the beautification event.

A group of students and teachers from Los Fresnos High School use water sampling kits to test the water samples they collected.

In March 2019, seventh and eighth grade middle school students enrolled in the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Energy and Environment class took a field trip to Los Fresnos High School to learn about different types of water pollution. They received hands-on learning, field experience and first-hand information

LFCISD will invite students, parents and community members who want to volunteer their time to help plant the native shrubs and trees. Prior to the event, Heep and his staff will transport the trees to the high school and place colored flags in the tree planting locations. Each flag color will correspond to a specific tree to ensure the trees are planted in the correct location.

“This is a pilot,” Guzman said. “We would like to provide this learning experience to all seventh grade students in Los Fresnos. We decided that before we made that endeavor, we would pilot it only with Energy and Environment PLTW students.”

An aerial view of Falcon Pond and the surrounding area shows the students.

After the project is over, the project team will determine if the PBL was successful and discuss any needed changes to improve the PBL program. Students will continue to collect water samples during storm events and plot the results to establish a baseline of what is in the water and try to spot any trends over time.

M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 9

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MORE THAN JUST INSURANCE! H We award $8,500 scholarships a year

to graduating seniors that are Cameron County Farm Bureau members.

H

We spent over $11,000 at the Livestock Show on animal bids

H We donated $7,500 to the Cameron

H Texas Farm Bureau has a mobile learning barn.

H We donate to Sunny Glen Children’s Home in San Benito.

H Your Farm Bureau membership provides a

County Fair & Livestock Show to build a new barn.

Anyone can become a member and take advantage of all these services for only

$49.00 a year

lot of services to youth and community

Why you should join your Cameron County Farm Bureau Membership Discounts:

Farm Bureau promotes today’s farmers and ranchers!

Support us today!

Cameron Co. Farm Bureau

335 N. Oscar Williams Rd. San Benito, TX 78586 (956) 399-8183

ADT Home Monitoring System Hotel Discounts Grainger Industrial Supply Discounts CAT and John Deere Amusement Park Tickets Insurance Services Defensive Driving Course Discounts on Polaris, ATV and UTV $500 Discount on new 2016,2017,2018 Ford Vehicles Case IH Discounts

National voice of agriculture, working through our grassroots organizations to enhance and strengthen the lives of rural Americans and to build strong, prosperous agricultural communities.

Meeting your needs as they grow

www.te xa s f ar m bur eau .c o m J A N U A RY / F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 9

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17767 PRIMERA RD HARLINGEN, TX 78552 956-778-4295

2315 W. Expressway 83 #102, San Benito, Texas 78586 www.cropguardinsurance.com

956-688-8485 Thanks for 11 Years!

LOOK!

MADE YOU

BY PAUL SCHATTENBERG

VITICULTURE

The Messina Hof Hill Country Winery.

AgriLife Extension experts help Texas wine industry meet grape expectations Texas wine industry ranks as fifth-largest in U.S. To support the growing Texas wine industry, now the fifth-largest in the U.S., the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service employs a cadre of viticulture and enology experts providing educational outreach, technical assistance and applied research to prospective and experienced winegrowers throughout the state.

The Texas wine industry has an estimated overall economic impact of $13.1 billion to the state.

“AgriLife Extension maintains eight viticulture and enology positions across the state,” said Dr. Larry Stein, AgriLife Extension horticulturist, Uvalde, and associate head of the Texas A&M University horticulture department. “Our Viticulture and Enology Program offers a range of educational events from informal tailgate meetings to advanced short courses, workshops and webinars. We also recently established an Enology Certificate Program for Texas A&M students.”

For more on the Texas A&M Enology Certificate, go to http://tinyurl. com/EnologyCertificate. Stein said the team helps vineyard owners and managers with a wide range of challenges, including site selection, rootstock and cultivar choice, vineyard management practices and plant disease, including Pierce’s Disease -- the largest threat to the state’s wine industry. They also cooperate and collaborate with the Texas Department of Agriculture and industry organizations such as the Texas Wine Grape Growers Association.

“The contributions by the AgriLife Extension viticulture specialists and enologist have been significant,” said Paul Bonarrigo, TWGGA president and owner of Messina Hof Vineyards.

“Without their support we would not have been able to accomplish the type of growth and expansion the wine industry has seen statewide.”

He said AgriLife Extension efforts in such varied areas as controlling and managing Pierce’s Disease, helping new and experienced growers with variety and root stock selection, addressing insect and disease issues, and advocating for wine-grape producers on issues related to herbicide drift have helped the Texas wine industry flourish. “Thanks also to their efforts in surveying vineyards and wineries throughout the state, we also have much more accurate picture as to how many acres in the state being devoted to wine-grape and wine production,” he added.

Bonarrigo said extending AgriLife and industry information and resources and finding a way to better control Pierce’s Disease, which is present in about half of the potential wine-producing acreage in Texas, the industry could see a virtual statewide explosion. One of the most visited wine regions in the U.S. is the Texas Hill Country, bringing in more than 30 million visitors annually. Brianna Hoge is the AgriLife Extension viticulture program specialist serving that region.

“The Hill Country is generally more favorable than other wine-producing areas of the state, but we still have numerous foliar and fruit pathogens, as well as Pierce’s Disease and cotton root rot that can affect quality and yield,” Hoge said. “We help producers identify these pathogens and recommend what we feel would be the most effective treatment for them.”

Fredericksburg, in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, is home to AgriLife Extension fruit and viticulture specialist Jim Kamas and Texas A&M

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AgriLife Extension Viticulture and Fruit Lab program coordinator and laboratory manager Jacy Lewis.

“I’ve been helping the industry identify and address issues affecting their profitability and sustainability for more than 20 years,” Kamas said.

“While we’ve made excellent progress in dealing with Pierce’s Disease, there are other viral and fungal diseases that threaten producer viability and profitability. My goal is to help them identify more disease-resistant grape varieties and provide whatever assistance I can to help them remain sustainable.”

Lewis is responsible for maintaining and operating the laboratory, greenhouses and vineyard, and for proposing and managing applied research projects at the lab. Collaborating with other AgriLife Extension viticulturists, she helped complete a trial of grape rootstocks and their performance under various Texas soil and climatic conditions. She also participated in studies relating to the prevention of cotton root rot in grapes, as well as numerous variety trials of Pierce’s Disease-resistant grape varieties. Along with the Texas Hill Country, North Texas has the state’s highest concentration of wineries in the state. Michael Cook, AgriLife Extension viticulture specialist for that region, provides industry support through workshops, hands-on demonstrations, research-based educational materials and in-person vineyard site visits.

“I also collaborate on applied research trials that provide solutions to real-world challenges, which currently include frost mitigation technology effectiveness, vineyard floor management chemical options, and varietal/rootstock adaptability and performance,” Cook said.

Texas is currently the fifth-largest wine-producing state in the U.S. (Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Adam Russell)

Danny Hillin, recently appointed AgriLife Extension viticulture program specialist for the South Plains region, and viticulture specialist Dr. Pierre Helwi, both based in Lubbock, sever the state’s largest grape-growing area. Hillin is primarily involved in educational outreach, while Helwi focuses most of his efforts on applied research. The state’s High Plains and South Plains, including Terry County, which has been proclaimed the “Grape Capital of Texas,” are responsible for 80-85 percent of the state’s wine-grape production.

“These western and northwestern parts of the state have a hot, dry cli-

mate and sandy soil conducive to growing high-quality vinifera grapes,” Helwi explained. “We don’t have much disease pressure, but we do have spring frosts, hailstorms and other weather challenges. Currently, I’m researching the use of protective hail netting to see if the shade it casts may impact fruit yield or quality. I’m also researching the use of a mechanical harvester to reduce grape crop load and how that possibly affects yield or quality.”

Pontasch and Lewis. Another if Scheiner’s educational efforts involves Mason Independent School District.

“Thanks to Justin providing most of the materials and information needed, we were able to develop a viticulture curriculum for students as Mason High School,” said Lance Rasch, the school’s agricultural science instructor. “Since the students are minors, we focus on soil and soil preparation, grape variety selection, vine maintenance and grape harvesting.” Rasch, himself a former AgriLife Extension agent, said the innovative high school viticulture course, which was approved by the Texas Education Agency, has been offered for the past four years.

Cluster of grapes from Texas wine-grape vineyard.

(Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)

Fran Pontasch, AgriLife Extension viticulture program specialist for the Gulf Coast, serves a close-knit community of grape growers on smaller farms specializing in Pierce’s Disease-tolerant, hot-climate grape varieties suited to the climate and soil conditions of Southeast Texas.

“Our viticulture programming follows the growing season of the grapevine into dormant-season tasks for the winegrower,” Pontasch said.

“And our long-term support strategy involves accumulating data and best vineyard practices of heat- and disease-tolerant varieties throughout the region so we may potentially benefit the worldwide wine industry.” Serving the industry from the Texas A&M campus in College Station are AgriLife Extension viticulture program specialist Dr. Justin Scheiner and AgriLife Extension enology specialist Dr. Andreea Botezatu. Scheiner oversees an applied research program focusing on best management practices for areas of Texas affected by Pierce’s Disease. “That includes projects ranging from cultivar and rootstock testing to frost protection to factors affecting grape and wine quality,” Scheiner said. “I also have a teaching appointment and am on the graduate

faculty, so many of

these research projects

involve grad students.

I also help develop

educational programs

for the Texas wine

industry and TAMU

students.”

Scheiner also coordi nated last fall’s Grape Jacy Lewis examines sample

Camp attended by more to determine the origin of grape leaf damage.

than 250 wine grape

growers, winemakers, vineyard owners and managers and others. Attendees ranged from prospective grape growers to seasoned growers from around the state “The Grape Camp is the probably largest grape grower program in the state,” he said. “TWGGA presents the event and Texas A&M AgriLife plays an important, supporting role in its implementation.”

Among the topics at the event were choosing the right grape varieties and rootstocks, a grapevine biology primer, weeds and vineyard floor management, pest management, vineyard tasks, vine training and understanding sustainable agriculture. Along with Scheiner, AgriLife Extension presenters at the camp included Helwi, Cook, Hoge, Adams,

Dr. Andreea Botezatu (front right, sitting), Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service enologist, with a group of students seeking their enology certification. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

“Though we avoid the wine-producing aspect, we do let the students know about possible career opportunities in the industry and help prepare them should they become interested in pursuing such a job the future.” As part of the AgriLife team, Botezatu serves the Texas winemaking industry through applied research and developing educational opportunities for current and prospective winemakers.

Some of the agency’s viticulture and enology experts (l to r): Brianna Hoge, Jim Kamas, Dr. Andreea Botezatu, Dr. Justin Scheiner, Fran Pontasch. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)

Dr. Larry Stein, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist and associate head of horticulture department.

(Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

“Enology is a complementary field to viticulture and my work has to do mainly with how the grapes are processed and the chemistry and microbiology affecting the sensory properties of wine,” Botezatu said.

“I work with vineyards on aspects of wine such as tannins, pH level and color stability. I’m currently doing applied research in collaboration with two Texas wineries, along with conducting workshops and providing YouTube webinars featuring national and international enology experts (http://tinyurl.com/EnoWeb).” She also noted there are 26 Texas A&M students currently enrolled for enology certification.

Stein said while the entire team is helping the industry meet existing challenges, their efforts are also focused on the future. “We are constantly learning from both our successes and failures and sharing that information with others,” Stein said. “Our goal is to support the industry through the newest technologies, best management methods and cutting-edge and forward-reaching research and education. In addition, we are also educating young people interested in viticulture and enology in the hopes they will participate in and contribute to the Texas wine industry in the coming years.”

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Thank You S.T.A.R. Thank you for letting Swing City Auction Company be your Auction Company of choice for the past six years during the STAR Show and Sale. I would like to personally thank all involved, the STAR BOD for your stewardship to see that this show is always growing your leadership is appreciated. The Schools, Ag Teachers, and Parents for leading by example and showing your students and children a better way through the FFA. The students who work so hard to be able to show and to walk through the auction ring thank you for the respect you have shown to your community and thank you for letting me be the one to sell your livestock, you are the future. Thank you to the sponsors and buyers without your help and dedication a big part of this would not be possible, I appreciate each one of you. To those who house and feed me and make sure my stay is the best, to all the friends and family I have made I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell you how truly grateful I am. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; THANK YOU

Que Dios bendiga a cada uno de ustedes y su familia,

Phillip Pierceall

GOD MADE A FARMER

And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, “I need a caretaker.” So God made a farmer. God said, “I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board.” So God made a farmer. – Paul Harvey speech during an FFA Conference

BY HENRY MILLER

The man stood before Dave & Daphne, all 6-foot-4-inches of him. They could see he was emotional; his lip quivered, bringing a bit of uneasiness from this ox of a man, clearly a life-long farmer — those types of muscles don’t come from a gym — and that look came from hours in the field and under the constant beating of the sun. The man personified Paul Harvey’s farmer.

This man was the gentlest of giants, however, appreciative of what he just heard – Dave Salyer’s “God Made a Farmer.”

It’s a song that Dave wrote and it’s gaining traction as more and more people once again realize the importance of the American farmer, from the dairy farms of Upstate New York to the citrus

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farms of Florida and Texas and the wheat farms of the midwest (along with all the others).

“That man looked at us and said ‘you just sang my life,’” said Daphne Anderson who, along with Salyer were named Entertainers of the Year and Favorite Musical Duet by the Valley Star Awards. It’s been a true blessing to honor the farmers.”

The Paul Harvey speech was originally delivered in 1978 during the middle of the President Jimmy Carter era, a well-documented peanut farmer. With its catchy inflection and intonation and focus on God, it stood out when decade later it was condensed and delivered as the audio backdrop for a Rams Trucks ad during the

second half of a Super Bowl.

The words starting flowing through Salyer’s head and he would scribble them down on paper. He found the full recitation and studied it. “The lyrics just started coming,” said Dave, who played lead guitar for 10 years with Barbara Mandrell (who is quick to claim Dave as one of the greatest guitarists in the world). “We realized we were onto something with the reaction we would get over the first verse and chorus.”

(Chorus)

God made a farmer to take care of the land, Everything he got, he earned with two hard-working hands and when a hungry world is crying out for a night in shining armor – well they’ve got one – ‘cause God made a farmer.

Neither Dave nor Daphne grew up on farms, but they spent time on them, worked on them and Daphne’s dad taught her the importance of what the farmer does. “I never lived on one but grandaddy worked in the cotton gin and daddy was raised in the cotton fields of Georgia,” Daphne said. “I remember going to the cotton gins and mama saying picking cotton is not what it used to be and daddy used to say ‘no farmer, no food.’”

“I think about that in years past and to today it’s still true.”

While Harvey’s speech talks about the creation – and overwhelming commitment it takes to be a farmer, Dave’s song continues with the awesome responsibility and the handing “down from generations, the son of a farmer son,” that continues to this day, Despite technology, despite every tradition that generations have lost, the handing down of a farmer to his son may be the greatest tradition that remains, for the families involved and, for those involved indirectly – the end consumer.

“Handed down from generations, the son of a farmer son.

Without any hesitation, he said dad I can get it done. So with faith in the good Lord, and his family by his side, He fired up that John Deere tractor and took a life long ride.”

One of the first people the song was performed for was Daphne’s mom and dad. Their reaction was the beginning of similar reactions whenever it is played, even though Dave just plays a short part of it; but the farmers and their families see it as part of their lives even with that short version.

“My mama and daddy just cried,” she said. “They lived that life.”

That’s the underlying theme that makes it so special. In the writing and recording of the song, farmers from here and there see their lives, their grandparents’ lives and their grandchildren’s lives. It’s a joyful, but humbling ride that digs down to the depths of their souls.

The song is trending so quickly that they put it to music, diving into their Nashville studio and recording a commercial for John Deere, featuring two distinct and award winning musicians.

Bluegrass Vocalist of the Year, and Mission native sings “So with faith in the good Lord and his family by his side, he fired up that John Deere tractor, and took a life long ride. God made a farmer.”

Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer Kenny Hess then recites “For over 100 years, John Deere and the farmer have worked hand-in-hand, John Deere made the tractors- - - -God made the farmer.

“One of the most important things we want our farmers to know from us is that we firmly believe that they are the hardest working, most underpaid workers in the land, Dave said. “We appreciate and applaud them for a job well done!

It takes more than the sun and rain to make a field grow, It takes a special man, who’ll give his heart and soul.

So when the harvest is over and the season’s done He feels a tug on his flannel shirt and he looks down at his son.

“Every time I play it,” Dave said, “is like the first time, every time.

Yeah, it has been pretty special.”

He says “dad I wanna be like you,” Now son – that would be an honor – cause I can see in you...

That God made a farmer.

“I think it speaks to this generation, to those who are still raised by daddy and granddaddy,” Dave said. “It speaks to multiple generations because of the handing down of the responsibilities from one to the next. It resonates with so many people.”

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A Letter from the Editor Proverbs 18:24

24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

We all have friends. Friends are people we can call and talk to, people on who we rely and trust; some we even call family. Some of us have best friends, some have friends who are simply acquaintances.

One definition of friendship is when someone knows you better than yourself and takes a position in your best interest in a crisis. Friendship goes beyond just sharing time together, and it is long lasting. Friendship can mean different things to different people.

That last line in the definition listed above, was an eye opener to me. I will be the first to admit I always think everyone is my friend. I love meeting people, getting to know them and helping them. That can be a downfall.

At times I tend to open up too quickly and trust too easily. How many of us are like me? I tend to think that everyone has my best interest at heart like I do theirs. Knowing this is not true all the time has been a difficult, hurtful and challenging for me at times. I have met several people throughout my 33 and in the past I would have said they all are friends. For example. On your Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat or whatever you may use, how many friends on your friends list are really your friends? Do they know you inside and out?

How many on that friends list would drop everything to come help you out when you are in need?

Friends are blessings from God. For me, my close friends are my family considering I don’t have any real blood family left; or maybe just a handful if even that. So I tend to treat my friends as family. There have been times in my life where my friends have let me down, and times where I have invested myself into a friendship that didn’t work out. Sometimes this outcome can be disheartening.

Has someone you found special, disappointed you or is no longer in your life? I like to use this example: Life is like a bus full of people. Naturally, a bus make stops and lets people in and lets people out. So, if we were to put this in a life perspective, when our bus stops and people get off those people were not meant to be in your life for the long haul. They were temporary. They taught us a lesson, had an impact on our life, or were simply toxic. God designs certain people to enter our lives because each individual serves his or her purpose in our journey. Now, there are some people on our bus who will remain with us the whole ride, through all the speed bumps. Tthey ride with us through the horrible weather, they hold our hand during the sunshine, and they don’t get up at the stops. Those are the friends you hang on to.

People are people, and no one is perfect. We will have friends who disappoint us and friends who simply have a completely different definition of what friendship is. That’s OK. God’s friendship is always constant and He blesses us with real friends. Now, that is something to be grateful for.

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RIO GRANDE VALLEY

RGVLS

LIVESTOCK SHOW

RIO GRANDE VALLEY

RGVLS

LIVESTOCK SHOW

A

soar with the On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 Bennard Strauss Rowland II, of La Sara, Texas went on to be with his parents Bennard and Verna Mae Rowland and his sister Billie and brother Otis “Dump” Rowland…

Ben was born on May 20, 1941 in Natchez, Mississippi and moved to LaSara, where his father started Rowland Dusters in 1946… He was a loving father and had many passions in his life; including horses, cars, cats and most of all, flying. He “officially” began flying in 1962 at age 20, but everyone knows that he began “practicing” at more like 13 or 14... In a career that lasted for over 50 years, and 30,000 flight hours, there isn’t much he didn’t or couldn’t do in an airplane… From fighting fires in Mexico, flying fisherman to beachside resorts or flying his beloved Air Tractor 502, he was truly at home in an airplane… He took his fathers company from the days of dusting to a modern fleet of turbine powered GPS equipped ag-planes… He was one of the few pilots that had started in the dust era that was still flying today, and he took great pride in that fact… Ben was also a long time farmer in both Willacy and Hidalgo counties, growing row crops and some of the best and sweetest watermelons. He was a long time member of the Texas Agricultural Aviation Association and in 1989 was recognized as its Operator of the Year… He served on committees and boards throughout his life, including the Engleman Irrigation District, where he served as a director for many years…

Though he is gone, he leaves behind a legacy of hard work and determination, and a family tradition that loves both the land and the air as much as he did…

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Angels

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Ag Mag Featured Farmer

Dedicated Love D

arrell Whiteley looked at his

wife Jan. He had something

important, something life alter

ing, to tell her. He had recently gotten sick and both of them knew open heart surgery was on the list of “to-do” things in their near future.

While nothing was guaranteed, Darrell was thinking of his family and his farm – this wasn’t about him, but about those he loved.

A farmer whose dad and grandfather both farmed, Darrell was passionate about farming (“he loved it so much,”) Jan said.

His request was simple in saying, but carried volumes that Jan didn’t want at first to deal with; something nobody wants to deal with.

“He told me he wanted me to farm it if something happened to him. But that was never the plan,” Jan said. “I was going to finish out the year, sell everything and move on.”

“I want you to farm it,” he said again. “You’ve done it with me all the years.” Yes, she had worked the farming operation for many years. Not much of it was in the field. She was on the back end, taking care of the books.

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The Whiteley’s have farmed dryland for years (“we rely on the Lord, it’s in His hands,”) Jan said. Darrell helped his dad while he was in high school, went off to college for a year and came back home.

“He went to work for what was Sun Refinery and now Koch Refinery,” Jan said. “He worked for them full time, then farmed on the side, along with helping his dad and started accumulating land on his own while he worked.

“He retired after 32 years from Flint Hills, all the time accumulating more land and kept farming full time while working full time.”

Darrell died in 2010 “I never did that end,” Jan repeated. “I didn’t know that end.” What she did know, however, was that her husband’s wish was going to be filled – and if you don’t know anything about farmers, when they set their mind on something, there’s no turning back.

“We had four men at that time that had worked full time with us. Two of the hands were born on the farm and it was all they knew,” Jan said. “We had another gentleman who has been with us close to 30 years – he quit some time back but then came back and has been with us the entire time.”

After Darrell died, Jan called a meeting on a Sunday to meet with her farm hands (whom she fondly refers to as Her Boy’s) and Bob Tumlinson, their former entomologist, Jan had called Bob and said I need your help.

“What do you want?” he asked.

Proudly, maybe almost defiantly she shared the plan with him. “I need you to be here in the morning,” she said.

“We are going to farm.”

She added that she needed Bob to be at the farm for a year, helping her through the whole process. This wasn’t a question she posed, this was a “here’s what you’re gonna do speech.” There was no denying her now, even if he or anyone else wanted to.

“You go it,” he said, not even giving it a moment’s thought. The process had begun.

ders. That’s when she realized why Darrell made that final request.

“They thought they weren’t going to have a job anymore – men who needed livelihoods,” Jan said.

“Darrell knew that. It didn’t have anything to do with just getting a crop in the ground.

“I’m sure I drove the boys nuts that first year.”

Jan would be in the field more than anyone. She’d have her hand in the dirt during the day and in the books during the night. She wanted to know all the ins and outs.

“We’d be planting and I’d be out there in the middle of it, helping with seed loading or whatever was needed and they would tell me ‘we can do this,” Jan said.

“I told them ‘I know you can but I need to know.’ I’d never been in the field when we were planting or when we were loading seed.

“I needed to know – so I did.”

After that year (“it was quite an experience), the family’s banker and close friend came around and told her she could quit now.

“You did fantastic – you did what he asked you to do, now get out of it – I hate to see you under this much stress,” he told her.

“I’m not stressed – I’m ready to go another year,” she replied (obviously he didn’t know that rule about farmers mentioned above).

“I was 57 years old and I asked him if he would give me a job at the bank because I still have to work. I told him if he could pay me what I made farming, I would close down and go work for him.”

This year, Jan will have completed their 10th year farming – and it doesn’t look like you’ll see Jan anytime soon behind a bank window.

When the boys showed up, she told them the plan.

She could feel the weight being taken off their shoul-

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Small, but

MIGHTY

S

Sometimes, a program or organization needs a special member.

Sometimes a person, a child especially, needs a special organization.

The combination can be explosive beyond words, helping both become richer, fuller and go beyond dreams and goals.

Such is the case with Addison and her 4-H group. It is a pairing of love. Addison is a sixth-grader at Cathey Middle School in McAllen.

She loves what many children her age — the beach, dancing and cheerleading. Just from that list, it’s obvious there’s a lot of energy in that sixth-grader.

“We call Addison our sunshine girl,” said her mom. “because her beautiful light shines brightly upon us all. I am constantly amazed how Addison not only fills our families’ lives with love, but how she has a genuine way of connecting with everyone who crosses her path.”

While “just” a sixth-grader, Addison already has a world of dreams she’s ready to conquer – go to college, be a world changer and a public speaker to make the world fully inclusive.

Even bigger, she wants to on her own bakery one day named “Everything Chocolate.” Maybe she could run for president – her podium might be the best ever.

She teaches us what’s important in life, the little things, the laughter, special relationships and Jesus’ pure and undeniable love.

This year, Addison joined some 4-H programs with her primary focus being public speaking. She earned first place in the Hidalgo County 4-H public speaking competition and was invited to speak in the District 12 4-H Round Up, which she was the overall top winner for the District.

“Addison is a born leader and 4-H is giving her the platform needed for personal growth and development as well as the leadership skills needed to propel her towards her dreams,” her mom said.

“She wants to make the world inclusive to all individuals with and

without disabilities.

While many would say Addison has the disability known as Down’s Syndrome, she lives a life completely opposite of that, a life of nothing but abilities and capabilities.

Addison has a deep love and compassion for animals. She has plans to get more involved with agriculture in the years to come as well as stay involved in public speaking.

“I am sure Addison would love to get more involved in FFA in the future.”

Being involved in 4-H has empowered Addison to go for her dreams. Being the top winner in public speaking has proven that nothing can hold this girl back.

“With passion, determination, and confidence anything is possible.”

Keep an eye out for “Everything Chocolate” and other great things from Addison.

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Is a holistic approach to farming beneficial for Valley growers?

BY DEBRA ATLAS

T

he profit margins farmers work with continue to shrink. “(Growers) want to improve the land and their operations for the next generation,” said Jim Isermann, a Field Manager for the Missouri-based Soil Health Partnership, “but they also need to pay the bills.” Some of the challenges that increasingly effect growers’ bottom line include:

• erosion • salinization • soil compaction • low organic matter in the soil

Soils in the Valley have good fertility, but not a lot of organic matter, says Dr. Thiago Marconi, Assistant Research Scientist, Vegetable Initiative – Cropping System at Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center. “And the pH is very alkaline. This reduces plants’ ability to extract minerals from the soil,” he said.

“Biology helps increase organic matter,” Garcia says.

Increasing organic matter in soil by diversifying its biology through compost or soil inoculants, bacteria are better able to decompose the existing raw organic matter and create a more healthy environment for plants. And more importantly, says Garcia, “it’s a better way to minimize the infection of soil-borne diseases to the plants.”

There are no quick fixes to these issues but shifting towards holistic, sustainable growing could be beneficial.

“It’s fertility versus disease control,” says Jed Murray, a Cameron County grower. His other business, 9 Kids Compost, sells primarily to local entities.

According to Holistic Management International, holistic farming takes the focus away from yield maximization and puts it towards input optimization. Focusing on soil health and the amount of organic matter in the soil are key elements of holistic, sustainable farming.

“When we have balanced nutrition – nitrogen, trace elements, copper, boron, etc. - the plants are healthier, more resistant to disease and insects,” said Garcia.

“Forty to fifty years ago we had three to four percent organic matter in the soil,” said Noel Garcia, a Certified Crop Advisor and Senior Consultant with the Texas Plant and Soil Lab. Now we’re less than 1 percent.

Increasing the soil’s nutrition feeds the nutrition of crops. The fertilizing industry is introducing a lot of humic acid and humates. These neutralize acid and alkaline soils, regulate soil pH, improve and optimize the uptake of nutrients

“That’s the foundation of the overall soil fertility, plant nutrition and plant health,” Garcia said. The more organic matter soil contains, the higher its fertility and quality. And this increases the nutritional value in crops.

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and water in plants. These food sources for native microbes are, says Garcia, “carbon sources that are readily available to the soil and the microbial biomass to help rebuild soil health.”

crops, etc. they start to be more sustainable. “When they start using this more holistic approach, they start seeing a reduction in their input costs. Now they can control a lot of this with Nature.”

The use of humic acid, humate, compost and sulfur help make tied-up nutrients more bio-available, Garcia said.

“With high value crops like potatoes and watermelon,” Garcia says “we can save them over $200 an acre in input costs by working with Nature and being more sustainable.”

Soil productivity depends to a great extent on soil fertility. But productivity and yield aren’t necessarily increased by the amount of fertilizer and pesticides applied. Increasing soil’s biology, however, can make a difference.

Lack of calcium and lack of organic matter, for example, can create compaction. Compaction also occurs from overuse of tillage and salty water being applied. “Salinity makes soil very tight,” says Garcia.

Introducing more soluble calcium to soil helps alleviate compaction.

Focusing on soil biology and microbiology are additional remedies to compaction.“Microbes provide “biological tillage,” said Garcia. “They effectively till the soil more naturally down six to eight feet. As long as they have a food source and aerobic conditions, you start working from the top; then they start working down.”

There are financial pros and cons to sustainable, holistic farming.

Marconi says every input, even chemicals and fertilizers, are a big cost.

“Fertilizer is the second biggest cost after labor,” he said. And switching to using compost is a big expense too.

For a lot of commercial farmers, especially those growing commodity crops, utilizing compost isn’t in the budget. “When you’re talking $20 to $30 a ton, it’s not cost effective to apply six to eight tons,” said Garcia.

Only two cities in the Valley sell compost and unfortunately they don’t offer sufficient incentive or price breaks to make it attractive for the majority of growers to try.

“Adding more composters to the area would be more cost effective,” Garcia said. “We need all the Valley cities to look at ways to gather the brush for compost instead of (sending it) to landfills,” and create ways to gather and incorporate food waste into nutrient-rich compost.

But, says Marconi, we still need to prove to growers this approach works.

With adding compost, you have to wait a little bit, he said. “It’s not like you inject nitrogen in your drip tape during irrigation (That’s) like putting steroids onto your plants,” said Marconi. “A lot of the fertilizer you put into the drip goes to waste,” he said. “Maybe half of it leaches into the soil and isn’t available to the plant. Is it profitable? Is that a healthy way to do it?”

“That’s why we need the research, to compare side by side and show growers that it works,” Marconi said. “(We need) the research and an economic risk analysis. We need to (plot out) the actual costs of the fertilizer and compare it to compost,” he said. “ As researchers, we need to show growers that changing will increase their profitability,” said Marconi.

Garcia works with a lot of conventional farmers who are, he says “big into herbicides, insecticides and pesticides.”

Marconi believes sustainable agriculture is the future.

“We need to reduce inputs and make farming more efficient,” he said.

“Instead of going and applying a bunch of insecticides, we need to look at what kind of insects are affecting your fields or what kind of treatment you need to do to your soil.”

“

“You need a kind of prescription,” said Marconi. “Like when we go to the doctor; we treat the symptoms we have specific to it. Not a remedy like a high dose that’s going to fix everything. (That’s) not very efficient,” he said.

When we have balanced nutrition – nitrogen, trace elements, copper, boron, etc. - the plants are healthier, more resistant to disease and insects

“

Marconi believes organic is the ultimate growing path. But he likes the slow-change step approach. He believes that stepping into sustainable agriculture will make it easier, in the future, to become an organic grower.

“With sustainable agriculture, you’re reducing your input – not only the chemicals you apply to cultural pests and diseases, but fertilizers as well,” Marconi says. “That’s the principle of organic.”

Garcia points to another serious problem.

“We’re running out of space, of (good) farming land here in South Texas. We don’t have enough land to rotate anymore. Working with nature, being more sustainable is the only alternative,” he said.

Many times, as they start using more biological products, using cover M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 9

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FARM BUREAU TESTIFIES IN SUPPORT OF EMINENT DOMAIN REFORM

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas private property owners need and deserve fairness and transparency when their land is taken with eminent domain, Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening told a House committee today. He testified in support of SB 421 at a public hearing of the House Committee on Land and Resource Management.

The bill, authored by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst and Rep. DeWayne Burns, aims to help Texans who face losing their private property through forced condemnation.

“We understand the need for eminent domain,” Boening said.

“We just want a fair process and the just compensation guaranteed by the Constitution.” That’s not what current law provides landowners, and it’s one of the many reasons TFB and private property groups are stressing the need for reform.

“When talking about negotiating a deal with a company that has eminent domain, it’s critical to keep in mind that it isn’t a willing buyer, willing seller transaction,” Boening said. “There is no such thing as a ‘voluntary’ transaction when the company has the power to condemn your property.”

Each year, thousands of Texas private property owners are faced with forced condemnation. The only statute in place requires that those private entities with eminent domain authority offer landowners a bona fide offer. It doesn’t, however, ensure the landowner receives a good faith offer. SB 421outlines changes to current law to require offers be based on fair market value and include pensation for damages made to the remaining property. The bill, which was passed by the Senate on April 4 by a vote of 28-3, also

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proposes all easement agreements used for pipelines or electric transmission lines included minimum protections for landowners.

“The law should require standard easement terms to protect landowners—things like specifying that the easement is for a single pipeline, specifying the required depth so we know it’s safe to run equipment over it, knowing how they will access the land and ensuring the repair and maintenance of the surface,” Boening said. “ Easement terms are held as leverage over landowners under current law. If they take me to court, the easement is written exclusively by the company. I don’t have a right to anything I negotiated with them before court.”

The private entities would also be required to meet with landowners before the acquisition process begins. “Landowners should have the opportunity to understand the project, what they are being offered and their rights,” Boening said. “Getting this information may actually decrease the need for attorneys.”

Boening noted during his testimony that TFB and other private property rights groups have met with the private entities to reach a compromise on the proposed legislation.

“I want to stress to the committee that we have spent countless hours negotiating in good faith with stakeholders. I personally spent many hours in the Ramsey Room behind the Senate Chamber trying to reach a deal,” he said. “But any compromise must work for both the companies and the landowners.”

TFB and other agricultural organizations and landowner groups support the legislation, because it seeks a better solution for private property owners, while also ensuring public needs are met.

BY PAUL SCHATTENBERG

TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE JOINS INTERNATIONAL NutriRECS CONSORTIUM

Members collaborate to improve methodology, establish higher standard for dietary guidelines COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M AgriLife has become the fifth and newest member of the NutriRECS international consortium.

resources, will be “highly advantageous to the development of improved nutrition guidelines that will provide new opportunities for agriculture to be more responsive to consumer needs.”

The goal of the consortium is to improve the methodology and rigor by which dietary guidelines are developed, establish a higher standard for providing nutrient and dietary guideline recommendations, and improve public policy and health outcomes.

“To help promote public health, our researchers are creating a rigorous evidence-base that links food and nutrient intakes to disease prevention,” he explained. “And we are employing brand-new technology to study people’s food choices and their consequences in ways that were never before possible.”

Dr. Patrick Stover, director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research and vice chancellor of agriculture and life sciences at Texas A&M University in College Station.

(Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Dr. Patrick Stover, vice chancellor and dean for agriculture and life sciences and Texas A&M AgriLife Research director, said the center at Texas A&M will work with other NutriRECS centers throughout the world to improve the synthesis of scientific evidence for nutrition guidance, policy and practice.

“There is a new mandate to connect nutrition and dietary guidance directly to reducing chronic disease and increasing health care savings,” Stover said. “NutriRECS is developing and using rigorous methodologies for evidence-based nutrition and dietary recommendations that link food directly to health and prevention for the benefit of consumers and the entire agricultural value chain.”

He said Texas A&M AgriLife’s accomplished faculty and researchers, along with the university system’s cutting-edge technology, extensive laboratory facilities and range of 68

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Stover will be joining the NutriRECS leadership team in providing transparent and trustworthy information based on sound science, while accounting for values, attitudes and preferences of the public.

“NutriRECS is an independent group comprised of renowned experts in nutrition, public health, research methodology and evidence-synthesis methods, who work together to develop high-quality nutrition guidelines,” he said. “They operate without institutional constraints and with strict safeguards against conflicts of interest, so members can provide independent, unbiased, factual and reliable recommendations for science-based nutritional guidelines.”

NutriRECS renowned and diverse faculty and institutions, leadership, collaborating members and trainees are located in Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Brazil and the U.S. Dr. Bradley Johnston, director and co-founder of NutriRECS, an associate professor in the community health and epidemiology department at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, said consortium members ascribe to the same set of objectives.

These include:

• Application of best systematic review, meta-analysis and practice guideline methods to investigate the relationship between nutrition, food and health out comes.

• Integration of health-related patient and community values and preferences.

• Strict and transparent management of conflicts of interest.

• Dissemination of guideline recommen dations via recognized, top-tier, openaccess journals and emerging knowl edge implementation strategies.

NutriRECS dietary recommendations will be based on the best available evidence-based nutrition data. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)

Dr. Bradley Johnston, director and co-founder of NutriRECS, is an associate professor in the community health and epidemiology department at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.

(Photo courtesy of NutriRECS)

Johnston, whose focus is on health research methodology or, as he explains it “doing research on research methods,” said in addition to developing novel methods of evidence synthesis and knowledge implementation, the group’s primary aim is to develop trustworthy nutritional recommendations based on internationally accepted standards. These include standards endorsed by the Institute of Medicine, the Guidelines International Network and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation, or GRADE, working group.

NutriRECS has developed their own guideline methods, which can be found at http://tinyurl.com/NutriRECSprotocol.

Additional information can be found at http://nutrirecs.com/ Johnston said nutrition plays a fundamental role in the prevention, treatment and prognosis of both acute and chronic diseases, and nutritional epidemiology has provided a foundation for nutrition research, influencing the practice of dietitians and dietary advice globally.

“NutriRECS operates under a philosophy of evidence-based clinical and public health practice as applied to the field of nutrition,” Johnston said. “Our focus is on improving practice guideline methods in this important field, training the next generation of clinicians in evidence-based nutrition, and getting research trainees involved in nutrition research methodology.”

Johnston said evidence-based nutrition involves using the best available nutrition evidence combined with clinical or public health experience to conscientiously work with the values and preferences of patients and community members to help them prevent, resolve or cope with problems affecting their physical, mental and social health.

“With the generous support and expertise of our Texas A&M colleagues, I believe that together we have the potential to develop and implement rigorous, value-added, high-quality systematic reviews and dietary guideline recommendations on nutrition, food and lifestyle modification,” he said.

“This work will impact nutrition-related decision-making and policy in Canada, the U.S. and beyond.”

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All you need to know about Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite:

Watermelons

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t’s almost that time of year when we get to enjoy one of, this writer’s favorite, summer traditions. Nothing beats a sweet and juicy watermelon slice while relaxing on the back porch, enjoying the warm weather and the pleasant company.

crucial as the young fruits are growing. If, for example, there is a nitrogen deficiency when the fruits are 4 to 6 inches, your crop’s quality and yield will suffer. Nitrogen applications after this stage may not entirely correct the problem.

With watermelon season in full swing, growers across the valley are managing their fields and working towards, what appears to be, a productive year. Besides a short cold snap, the weather in south Texas has been kind to the young watermelon plants. Weather is a significant contributor to the success of watermelon growers. Unfortunately, we haven’t found a way to control Mother nature, but there are other areas where we can improve our crops performance.

Those who make the wise decision to manage the delicate balance of nutrients that a watermelon plant needs, tend to produce larger yields and higher quality fruits, resulting in higher profits. However, to get bigger yields, proper nutrition must be monitored with the use of pre-plant soil testing and in-season plant testing. At the start of the season, growers send soil samples to their local soil lab to make sure that they know what’s in their soil’s bank account.

A wise old farmer once explained it best to me. He said, “the best way to think of this is to see your soil as a bank account except instead of money, this account holds your crop’s food.” Everything we do on our lands either adds to that account or takes away from it. Some of those actions are, of course, out of our control. Heavy rains and extreme temperatures, like those common to South Texas summers, can reduce your ‘bank accounts’ balance.

Also, let’s not forget about harvesting. To give you some numbers, if you have a marketable watermelon harvest of 40 tons per acre, that equals approximately 70lbs of nitrogen per acre removed from your field. Other losses are sometimes more difficult to gauge. We must remember that soil is a dynamic environment where nutrients move in and out as crops are fertilized and then harvested. We must be prepared to monitor that movement if we are to manage our fertilization practices effectively.

After the initial pre-plant soil test, petiole analysis provides you with the information needed to make sure your watermelon plants are receiving the nutrients they need.

Sampling should begin at the 3 -4 leaf stage, sampling the youngest full-size leaf. Once runners begin to form, you will want to test the fourth or fifth leaf from the end of the vine.

As the plant goes from the early vegetative stage to fruiting and then harvest, nutrient requirements change.

Well, you might say, ‘I’ll just put enough fertilizer out there to make sure the plants don’t go hungry.’ While some crops won’t be affected too negatively from over-fertilization, your profits will. Fertilizer prices haven’t gone down, and over-fertilization can result in a good chunk of your profits staying in the soil instead of in your pocket. Besides that, the savings from not having to over-fertilize usually more than pays for the testing fees.

One of the things that I’ve come to learn from working with crops is that we always get a chance to do it better next year.

If you haven’t taken advantage of regular testing of your soil and your plants, next year will give you another chance to try it for yourself. Testing can help you save money and boost your profits. Reap the rewards of your best harvest yet.

Testing every week will let you make the necessary adjustment to your fertilizer applications. Testing is especially

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BEEFMASTER HEIFER TAKES TOP HONORS AT HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW

BY BONNIE RAMIREZ

“I have been truly amazed and blessed by this experience,” says Scherer. “It is an accomplishment I never dreamed of and I want to thank my family and the entire Collier Farms team for making this possible!”

Scherer shared that this honor was the result of years of planned breeding, hard work and believing in Beefmaster cattle. He added, “I hope this win inspires all JBBA and BBU [Beefmaster Breeders United] members in their breeding programs and reminds us all that nothing is impossible.” The Beefmaster female exhibited

by Scherer, CF BeBe 795/7, is 22 months old and sired by CF Riptide. Her dam is Sugar

BOERNE, Texas – On Saturday, March 9 Caeden Scherer, a sixteen-year-old from Brenham, Texas, exhibited his Grand Champion Beefmaster heifer “BeBe” and claimed not only American Division Champion at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Junior Breeding Heifer Show, but won Supreme Reserve Grand Champion Junior Breeding Heifer. The champions were selected from more than 2,000 head of cattle and exhibitors at the 2019 show.

According to Karl Hengst, Managing Director of Livestock Competitions at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, this is the first time a Beefmaster was one of the top two heifers in the junior breeding heifer show.

Scherer is a sophomore at Brenham High School and is a member of the Brenham FFA chapter where he serves as the chapter secretary. He has been an active member of the Junior Beefmaster Breeders Association (JBBA) for seven years and during those years he has been among the Top Ten All-Around Champions at the annual JBBA National Show.

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Ag Mag THEAGMAG.ORG

Shana and she is bred to Red Eagle, expected to calve in May 2019. “BeBe” competed against 219 Beefmaster heifers when she claimed Champion Beefmaster during the Junior Breeding Beef Heifer Show.

Scherer’s mother, Mona, expressed the following after the big accomplishment, “Our ranch-raised kid took his ranch-raised heifer to Houston last week and made Beefmaster history.”

It was an important day for the Beefmaster breed, at one of the most prestigious and esteemed major livestock shows in the nation. Congratulations to Caeden and the Beefmaster breed for making history.

For more information about Beefmaster Breeders United please contact the BBU office at 210-732-3132 or visit www.beefmasters.org. Stay connected to BBU through Facebook, view our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and receive our news updates through joining our mailing list.

According to Mona, they don’t raise “show cattle”, they just focus on raising good-quality, functional Beefmasters and “this one just happened to end up in the spotlight”.

“When academics and respected cattle people from Kansas, New Mexico, and Missouri proclaim to the audience that this heifer, referring to Caeden’s, is the kind of female the entire beef industry needs in order to move forward, the impact is real,” says Scherer’s father, Trey. “They acknowledged that this red-hided, American breed female could compete in any arena and put her ahead of some of the most sought after British and Continental genetics in the world.”

According to Trey, who serves on the Beefmaster Breeders United Board of Directors, it is his hope that with accomplishments like this and those of other high-quality Beefmaster cattle now being produced, that Beefmaster breeders will continue pushing our breed to its utmost potential - making Beefmaster genetics the most desirable in the entire industry.

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