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FARMING 2015 •• ISSUE ISSUE 7, 6, VOLUME VOLUME 11 FARMINGON ONTHE THEHIGH HIGHPLAINS PLAINSOF OFTEXAS TEXAS• •APRIL MAY 2015 HIGHPLAINSAG.COM HIGHPLAINSAG.COM
Growing Quality
HIGH PLAINS GARDENS PEANUT FARMERS & CONSUMERS FIVE REASONS TO GROW SORGHUM OPTIMISUM, UNCERTAINTY COTTON
Winegrapes Hockley County Farmer
Chace Hill
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INSIDE: HIGH PLAINS AG MAGAZINE
WHEN IT COMES TO TRAILERS
Cotton
6
Gardening
8
Page
Page
Peanuts
Texas Tech Excellence
JOHN ROLEY
L OFFERS YOU MORE L
9
Page
Grapes
12
Page
10
Page
Sorghum
14
Page
ABOUT HIGH PLAINS AG MAGAZINE High Plains Ag Magazine, based in Lubbock, Texas, is proud to feature local articles about farming and ranching on the High Plains of Texas. For more information, please contact one of the representatives below:
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Rowdy Bolen - Publisher, 806-687-4814, rowdy@texasautoguide.com Anthony Maye - Sales, 806-687-4814, anthony@highplainsag.com Elaine Witherspoon - Sales, 806-687-4814, elaine@texasautoguide.com High Plains Ag Magazine Po Box 16381 Lubbock, Texas 79490 http://www.HighPlainsAg.com
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COTTON
Photo: Mary Jane Buerkle, Plains Cotton Growers
OPTIMISUM, UNCERTAINTY FACE 2015 COTTON CROP
A new crop year is upon us, complete with mixed feelings of uncertainty and optimism. We all want to be hopeful, but we must be realistic.
The past four years certainly have illustrated the cyclical nature of our business – devastating drought, high prices followed by low prices, rising input costs, new farm policy with less guaranteed support for cotton…it’s enough to make a farmer scratch his or her head and wonder why on earth they continue to do this year in and year out. We know why. It’s in their blood – and ours, too, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make it work. But the pressure on all of us is immense, and 2015 truly could be a make-or-break year for many. Acreage nationwide is projected to be down about 13 percent, but in true Texas fashion, we buck the trend. Our statewide estimated drop of about 8 percent actually brings us back to around what we planted in 2013. We can work with that, if Mother Nature works with us. Across the Texas High Plains, we’re already off to a pretty good start with regard to pre-plant moisture. That’s where that optimism comes in. We haven’t seen pre-plant conditions like this in at least four seasons, which bodes well for a successful start. If we can get a few timely rains in the summer months, even if prices are still low, our yields could help overcome the price and ensure that our producers can stay in business. Cotton is still the highest and best use for the land here on the Texas High Plains, but producers must continue to find the right balance for their operation and effectively manage their risk so we can continue to grow cotton for years to come. Never has there been a time when it is more crucial for everyone
Page 6 \ May 2015 \ www.HighPlainsAg.com
in the cotton industry – across the entire cotton chain – to work together, and it certainly could be argued that a fundamental link is between the producer and the merchant. Plains Cotton Growers has consistently supported sanctity of contract: agreements that are clearly understandable and honored by both sides. In the past, when more of our cotton remained within our nation’s borders, there were less hurdles in the process. Now that more than 80 percent of our cotton is exported, the producer community depends heavily on a seamless and efficient marketing chain more than ever. Over the last several years, Cotton Council International programs have allowed us incredible access to buyers and manufacturers from around the world. They want to come here and meet the people involved in growing and selling the quality cotton they’ve come to expect from the United States, and Texas in particular. We benefit from telling them about the quality and reliability of our cotton, and knowing that we can back up those claims. Even more importantly, we benefit from listening to them, our customers, and responding to their needs. As a cotton producer myself, I am cautiously optimistic about 2015 and what cotton’s future holds. An 8 percent drop in acreage means that Texas producers certainly aren’t throwing in the (100% cotton) towel. It takes perseverance and determination, and our growers have that. We all can look to the new crop year with cautious optimism, knowing that with hard work and a little luck, this year could be the beginning of our turnaround. _________________________________________________ Steve Verett, Executive Vice President Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. Lubbock, Texas
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2014 / Page 7
GARDENING
effort to fight weeds as well. Pullen grows a large variety of fruits and vegetables; peaches, oranges, squashes, spinach and other greens, watermelon, and pumpkins to name a few. The land where the fruits and vegetables are grown features a seven-acre garden, where fruits and vegetables are grown and an orchard, where peaches and oranges are grown. Scott Stephenson, a Shallowater, Texas gardener, has a backyard garden and a small greenhouse on his property. Similarly to Pullen, Stephenson prefers organic pest control. “I try hard not to use chemicals,” Stephenson said. Stephenson grows tomatoes, okra, corn, beans, and many other fruits and vegetables. “There’s not much we won’t grow here,” Stephenson said.
GARDENING ON THE HIGH PLAINS
Lubbock gardeners Sherry Pullen and Scott Stephenson are both doing everything they can to provide healthy foods in efficient ways for citizens on the High Plains.
Pullen’s gardening start was a humble one. With a borrowed hoe and shovel, she bought some land. Today, Pullen and her husband run a successful food stand on West Nineteenth Street in Lubbock. Pullen said the products she sells at her food stand usually sell out very quickly every day. The food stand is open all day, as long as products last. All of the food available for sale is picked either the same day, or the evening before. Pullen’s customers get to meet the people working, that harvest their food. Customers include people who prefer to buy locally grown food, people who prefer to eat organic, people who prefer to eat foods that are free of chemicals, as well as people who are health conscious. I just don’t believe in spraying,” Pullen said. “It goes into the soil, which goes into the weeds, which goes into the plants, which goes into the food you eat.” Spraying doesn’t occur in Pullen’s operation. She finds bugs such as ladybugs, yellow jackets, and silver laced wings to be beneficial to her operation. The organic operation’s weeds are either pulled by hand or hoed by hired help. The need for this hired help increases the cost of labor in the Pullens’ operation. Ground up seashells are used as mulch on top of the soil, in an
Page 8 \ May 2015 \ www.HighPlainsAg.com
Thus far, Stephenson’s operation has been from his garden and small greenhouse. He is in the process of building a much larger greenhouse. He has been experimenting with different crops and performing trials in the small greenhouse in order to find out what will be most efficient to grow in the big greenhouse, upon its completion. Stephenson sells his products at a food stand and at the Downtown Farmer’s Market in Lubbock. He also eats his products and gives a good amount of products away to friends and family. Pullen and Stephenson both use multiple ways of growing their fruits and vegetables. Pullen explained that she utilizes both seed and pot planting. She said planting in a container is much faster, but most of what is planted in containers is seed. Stephenson said depending on the seed he starts some in biodegradable pots and some in the ground. Stephenson uses some creative methods for weed control. He gets cotton burs from local gins. After letting the cotton burs sit for about a year, they are then mixed in with manure. Six inches of cotton bur/manure mix is laid on top of the soil and six inches of non-traditional wood chips are laid on top of the manure. The layers of cotton bur/manure mixture and wood chips take away the opportunity for weeds to get sunlight to grow. Any hardy weeds that do make it through the surface are pulled out by hand. “We’re trying to emulate,” said Stephenson, “what nature would do.” ________________________________________________ ______________________________ Peyton Waldrip, Agricultural Communications Student Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
PEANUTS
through full color print and online ads, as well as recipe contests with Texas Co-op Power Magazine. Grayson Wilmeth, a peanut farmer from Dilley and member of the board, loves this campaign for the peanut farmers and supports it each and every year. “A lot of people, especially people around my area near San Antonio, see this magazine and it gets a lot of exposure for peanuts and farmers,” Wilmeth says. “It’s a great way to get our name out there.” These ads promote the nutritional benefits of eating peanuts such as the high protein in each nut and the numerous vitamins and nutrients present in the nut - promoting a peanut-enriched diet. The ads also boast the favorability of the peanut in the consumer market. Over the six years TPPB has been a part of this campaign, the checkoff has had the opportunity to reach over 12.5 million consumers. In fact, just in 2014 TPPB was able to reach 2.5 million readers through the magazine alone. “My wife and friends of mine love to see peanuts in the magazine,” Wilmeth says. “Also, people in general get to see the peanut board in the magazine which is great.”
PEANUT FARMERS CONNECTING WITH CONSUMERS
Peanut farmers focus their days on planting, growing and harvesting a bountiful crop. The least of their concerns should be ensuring they have a strong market to sell their product. That’s where the state commodity board steps in – working to ensure consumers and the community are aware of the many benefits of a peanut-infused diet. The Texas Peanut Producers Board and National Peanut Board have joined together to form a campaign aimed at that specific task. TPPB is aimed at peanut research, market development, education, and promotion of Texas peanuts. The board uses checkoff funds to further develop the marketplace on behalf of farmers. One aspect of this is ensuring consumers are aware of the health and nutrition benefits of the product peanut farmers work so hard to produce. The checkoff board and NPB have a running campaign aimed at suburbanites, country families, and large landowners
Texas Co-op Power is not the only avenue in which TPPB reaches out to consumers. Through its presence on social media the board is able to connect interactively with consumers and farmers online. Also, TPPB has an informational website with industry facts and prices for farmers, and recipes and kid activities for the general public. As the average American is more and more removed from the farm, it is more important than ever for the agricultural industry to open a conversation with consumers. Consumers often do not know the facts about the agricultural industry and how farmers work hard to provide quality, affordable food for every American. These ads are an effort to help inform the consumers and promote the benefits of peanuts at the same time – ultimately increasing the market for peanut farmers. Find out more about the checkoff program and its activities on the TPPB website, www.TexasPeanutBoard.com. __________________________________________________________
Jessica Corder, Communications Clerk Texas Peanut Producers Board, Lubbock, Texas
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1681 FM 403 Brownfield, TX 806-637-0568 www.HighPlainsAg.com / May 2015 / Page 9
Photos by: Belinda Maye & Chace Hill
Growing Quality Winegrapes Hockley County farmer Chace Hill About five miles west of Levelland, Texas, a sudden patch of green peeks out from around the surrounding West Texas clay sand and a large white barn marks the spot of Krick-Hill Vineyards. Chace Hill, the sixth generation on the land, grew up in the industry and while Hill was in college at Texas Tech University, Neal Newsom convinced Hill’s father it was a good area for a vineyard. Hill said he decided he would rather work for himself than anyone else so he began working the vineyard after his dad started it. After he graduated with a degree in horticulture from Tech, Hill continued to work the vineyard and they began to expand. West Texas is characterized by its hot summer days and colder nights. Hot days are essential in assisting the process of ripening and the cold nights allow the juice of each grape to cool down, a process which allows the grape to be physiologically mature over the growing season. Page 10 \ May 2015 \ www.HighPlainsAg.com
More advantages of West Texas vineyards are the sandy soil and the wind. The sandy soil allows for better drainage and the wind helps prevent things like mildew. Some disadvantages of growing in the area can be chemical drifts from local farms using Roundup and other chemicals like 2,4-D. Hill said his vineyard has had a few incidences in the past where they had issues with chemical drift affecting their production. Other disadvantages are late spring frosts and hail storms. The number one problem for his vineyard is late frost, but he said they are learning to adapt to the weather and now have frost machines that protect the vines when it gets cold. In 2013, a deep freeze swept across the area, pushing back production for Hill’s vineyard around two-to-three years. He said they had to take reciprocating saws and cut all of the plants down to the ground. For a year they let them grow before they tied up new trunks and
headed them because it takes time to retrain vines. He said it has been a good growing year so far, but they are still recovering from the freeze and are only at 85% production. This year they will only pick close to 275 tons, but by next year the vineyard should be back to full production and will pick around 300 tons. To ensure soil nutrients are at peak condition for growth, Hill does
soil samples once a year. He also does petiole samples of the flower at berry set to receive a good measure of which nutrients the vine needs. If it comes back and they find the vine needs several different nutrients, they put them through a drip. If they find they only need minor fixes they will put them out with a foliar feed. Anthony Maye, among other local growers, believe Hill is among the best in the area. “Chace is definitely one of the best young wine grape growers on the high plains. He is specifically knowledgeable about different varietals and the nutrients and care that they each need. His micro-nutrient and extended release nitrogen crop plan allows him to produce maximum tonnage without giving up quality.” Maye said.
Hill currently grows: Ruby Cabernet, Zinfandel, Muscat Canelli, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. He hopes to grow Tempranillo, Malvasia Bianca, maybe some more Merlot and Malbec because wineries are making specific requests for those particular wine grapes. Hill currently sells to Compass Rose, Times Ten Cellars, Becker Vineyards, Lost Oak, Homestead Winery, Llano Estacado, and he is in the process of signing with Hilmy Cellars. Hill said he would like to stay under 300 acres. They over expanded once and it set them back because they did not have the equipment to manage it. However, he is currently stacking up on equipment because he would like to get up to at least
150 acres. “It’s a balancing act between spending time with my kids, the family, and getting what I need to have done,” Hill said. Hill, married with four kids, hopes to continue on the legacy of their land. His family has been there for 103 years now and he hopes one of his two boys will be interested in the vineyard in the future, but he is proud of them and he said maybe when his kids are out of the house he will expand even larger.
_____________________________ Hayley Magness Agricultural Communications Student Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
www.HighPlainsAg.com / May 2015 / Page 11
WINE GRAPES
BolenVineyards in Smyer, Texas
IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE AN AMAZING YEAR!! I’ve walked through many vineyards in the High Plains AVA this spring and I’ve got to say, it’s turning out to be one of the best grape growing years EVER! There are so many flowers on the plants right now that some growers are actually mentioning “fruit thinning,” a word we haven’t used in many years!
The fact is, we’ve been lucky enough to dodge the late spring freezes this year. Thank God for his protection this year! The late spring freeze does more damage to our crop than anything else, except for a tornado of course. So, most of us had budbreak in the first or second week of April. Those first buds that come our are called your primary buds and produce the maximum quantity crop load. If a spring freeze comes in after bud break and freezes back our primaries, we are reduced to secondary buds. Secondaries will produce an average crop load of about 30-40 percent of your primary buds. That means that your entire year is cut back with one spring freeze, which is a devastating blow to your year! The majority of the vineyards this year bought frost protection machines from companies like Southwest Ag Specialties and Texas Ag Plus. Some turned to forced heat with the Agrofrost FrostBuster and FrostGuard machines which blow 200 degree air or to the OrchardRite wind turbines which blow the rising warm air back down to the vineyard floor. Either way, vineyard owners planned to reduce the damage caused by late spring freezes in an effort to produce a consistent harvest this year and beyond. We’ve also been lucky enough to have so much moisture over the winter which carried into the spring. Heading in to winter, we’d received over 26 inches of rain from June 1st - November 1st and the moisture continued to roll in. When the first snow hit, I
southwest a g
stopped keeping track but moisture was good which helped fill the soil profile for the growing season. What are vineyard farmers doing in May? 1. Desuckering. Plants every year grow suckers from the bottom of the trunk. These suckers are great for growing replacement plants but rob the mother plant of valuable nutrients and resources. 2. Weed control. Most of us have already tilled and sprayed preemergent to control weeds this summer. No we are removing the cover crop down the centers and eliminating weeds under the wire which fight for nutrients with the plant. 3. Replacing plant support posts. Wheter bamboo or steel rods, growers are replacing support posts for these plants to keep them growing straight and eliminating any sag in the cordon wire. 4. Injecting and spraying fertilizer. We’ll make sure the plant has the right nutrients to be healthy and set fruit properly. 5. Hanging catch wires. At the end of May, we will be moving our catch wires up to hold on to the vertical upward growing shoots. This prevents any damage wind could cause and helps the plant grow upwards. __________________________________________________ Rowdy Bolen is Publisher of High Plains Ag magazine and grows wine grapes in Smyer. He is also on the board of the High Plains Winegrowers association. Visit www.highplainswinegrowers.org to learn more about growing wine grapes
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2014 / Page 13
SORGHUM
FIVE REASONS TO PLANT GRAIN SORGHUM THIS YEAR Strong demand from both domestic and international markets is sending strong signals to growers, indicating it is prime time to increase grain sorghum acres. This strong demand established by a number of market factors creates positive opportunities for sorghum growers across the U.S, leading to increased profitability. Here are the top five reasons producers should consider growing grain sorghum this year
1.) Highest new crop bids in history
For the first time, new crop bids for grain sorghum are highly competitive with comparable grains. Producers are experiencing more options when it comes to marketing their grain sorghum, resulting in more incentive to increase acres with these current competitive prices. “Producers are seeing very good basis,” said Stewart Weaver, past Sorghum Checkoff chairman. “This is the first time we have seen prices above corn. Grain sorghum acres are increasing and interest is on the rise. A lot of producers are starting to add grain sorghum in rotation now.”
2.) Strong demand for grains globally
The recent skyrocketing demand for grain sorghum internationally is no secret. China entered the export market for grain sorghum in 2013 and since then, exports have been on the rise. Domestically, we are seeing grain sorghum expanding and growing in sectors like human food, ethanol and livestock feed. “What we are seeing in the sorghum industry that is so unique and exciting is an explosion of demand for sorghum that we have never seen before,” said Matt Rush, a grower from Portales, New Mexico. “We have China coming on board, we have local demand, and we are seeing new areas using sorghum that is leading to more opportunity for producers.”
3.) Highest potential profit
During this challenging time for producers with drought in some regions, considering production costs is imperative. Currently sorghum seed prices are marking in at a lower cost than comparable crops, creating a larger profit margin for producers. “Sorghum potentially could have as much or more profit than competitive
Page 14 \ May 2015 \ www.HighPlainsAg.com Untitled-4 1
grains because the inputs are simply less,” said Larry Dahlsten, National Sorghum Producers board director. “It is a crop that needs to be looked at more seriously every year.”
4.) Risk aversion
Grain sorghum is drought and heat-tolerant, so it has elevated potential to be a high profitability crop in many areas. Across the high plains where water shortages are a challenge for producers, grain sorghum can still produce high yields and make profit, especially with the increase in demand for grain sorghum in a wide array of markets. “With low rainfall, we have still been able to produce a sorghum crop,” said Blake Tregellas, Texas sorghum board director,. “We still always have something to take to the elevator to make profit.”
5.) Strong yield potential
High yields in grain sorghum are becoming more prevalent. A combination of grain sorghum’s ability to withstand inclement weather and high basis have made grain sorghum the smart choice for producers across the sorghum belt and other regions. “I think the future is bright,” said Chad Hayes, sorghum geneticist at USDA. “Some of the disease traits and drought traits that are coming down the pipeline are giving a farmer the tools to grow sorghum and have really good yields.” When making planting decisions for 2015, these are some important factors to take into consideration regarding grain sorghum. The future is bright for the sorghum industry and the producers involved. “It is important for producers to get involved in the industry right now because we are at a truly golden age for sorghum,” Rush said. “With all the growth we are seeing with demand and the technologies that are coming into the industry, it’s the perfect time to get in on the ground floor of a budding industry.” ________________________________________________ Faith Jurek, National Sorghum Producers United Sorghum Checkoff Program, Lubbock, Texas
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