Lifescapes Spring 2005 by Texas A&M AgriLife

Lifescapes

life sciences

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agriculture

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natural resources

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communities

Repairing Damaged Rangeland Cattle Raising Workshop for Novices Finding a New Source of Water

Vol. 5 No. 1 Spring 2005

The Texas A&M University System College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Texas Cooperative Extension

Looking Over the Horizon

Ag Program Welcomes New Vice Chancellor The Agriculture Program began 2005 on a high note by welcoming Dr. Elsa Murano as our vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences. Dr. Murano, who also serves as dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, assumed the Agriculture Program’s top leadership role on January 3. Elsa Murano brings a wealth of academic and leadership experience to the Agriculture Program. She served most recently as the USDA’s undersecretary for food safety and before that as a researcher and faculty member at Texas A&M and at Iowa State University. We are pleased to further introduce you to Dr. Murano on page 8 of this issue. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the four Texas A&M University System agricultural agencies have distinct missions, but they are linked together through the vice chancellor’s leadership of the Agriculture Program. This administrative structure ensures coordination and collaboration among members and our partners at the other Texas A&M System universities. The power of collaboration among agencies to solve “real-world” problems is underscored by two stories in this issue. One recounts how a team of Experiment Station researchers and Texas Cooperative Extension specialists and agents have helped producers revitalize the waning Texas spinach industry and position it for a positive, competitive future. The other features a rangeland restoration project, where research and Extension personnel are working with the Directorate of Public Works at Fort Hood to restore training areas for the benefit of both the environment and military preparedness. Other stories highlight our distinct college and agency missions. You can read, for example, about an outstanding teacher in the Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Department, Experiment Station research to develop a mild habanero pepper, and 4-H animal projects that are making a difference in the lives of foster children in Erath County. With a new year and new administrative leadership, we look forward to even greater accomplishments both in fulfilling our teaching, research and extension missions and in strengthening collaborative efforts through the Agriculture Program.

Edward G. Smith Interim Director, Texas Cooperative Extension Associate Vice Chancellor for Agriculture and Life Sciences

Lifescapes (ISSN 1539-1817) is published three times a year by The Texas A&M University System Agriculture Program. Elsa A. Murano Vice Chancellor for Agriculture and Life Sciences Prairie View A&M University Tarleton State University Texas A&M University Texas A&M University–Commerce Texas A&M University–Kingsville West Texas A&M University Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Texas Cooperative Extension Texas Forest Service Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory Published by

Agricultural Communications Ellen Ritter, Head Dave Mayes, Associate Head Helen White, Editor Ann Shurgin, Editor Jon Mondrik, Art Director Send comments, questions or subscription requests to Lifescapes Editor, Agricultural Communications, Texas A&M University, 2112 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2112. Or call (979) 845-2211, fax (979) 845-2414 or e-mail agprogram@tamu.edu. Visit our Web site at http://agprogram.tamu.edu for more information about our academic, research, extension and service programs. All programs and related activities of The Texas A&M University System Agriculture Program are open to all persons, regardless of race, color, age, sex, handicap, religion or national origin. Copyright 2005 by The Texas A&M University System Agriculture Program. Written material may be reprinted provided no endorsement of a commercial product is stated or implied. Please credit Lifescapes, The Texas A&M University System Agriculture Program.

ON THE COVER A recently repaired landscape on the Shoal Creek bombing range, Fort Hood Military Reservation. Photo by Jerrold Summerlin

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Lifescapes

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C O N T E N T S Vo l . 5 N o . 1 , Spring 2005 FEATURES Rangeland Repair 2 Using agricultural practices to preserve Fort Hood’s training grounds

Habanero Lite 6 Consumer demand drives development of mild pepper

Focusing on the Heart 8 of A&M’s Mission 8 New vice chancellor, Dr. Elsa Murano, defines fresh goals for the Agriculture Program

Turning Over 8 a New Leaf 14

Robert Burns

An East Texas workshop gets novices up and running in the cattle business

10 DEPARTMENTS

Growers join forces with experts to revive Texas’ spinach industry

Trailblazers 9

Fish Tales 18

State Gems 21

Dr. Kirk O. Winemiller hooks students with aquatic anecdotes

Urban or Rural 22 Frontiers of Discovery 25 V. G. Young Institute of County Government helps elected officials to better serve Texans

In Memoriam 31

Animals to the Rescue 26 Giving Matters 36 Foster’s Home children gain valuable life experiences through 4-H projects

Tapping a New Source 29 Desalination could help meet Texas’ future water needs

Enhancing Enterprise 32 Texans and Extension partner to boost rural economies

Proud Aggies 34 Texas A&M honored to be part of Hlavinka family tradition

Jim Lyle

Jerrold Summerlin

Absolute Beginners 10

Rangeland Repair Using agricultural practices to preserve Fort Hood’s training grounds by Edith Chenault

“It’s not the same thing as a traditional rangeland, even though it is technically a rangeland system.” Fort Hood provides valuable military training. “The amount of training is necessary to teach [soldiers] to fight and to survive battles,” says Jerry Paruzinski. He is a programs manager for one of two Fort Hood agencies responsible for providing soldiers with excellent training facilities while sustaining the land, water and native wildlife.

Jerrold Summerlin

Dennis Hoffman

irds chirp in the chilly autumn morning as the sun warms the top of the hill. Rustling in the wind, the showy red and orange leaves of the red oak trees kindle the deep greens of the cedars. The sky is a brilliant blue, with a few wispy clouds far in the distance. It seems like just another peaceful morning in the Texas Hill Country. To the east, however, the guns of Abrams battle tanks rumble like distant thunder. Gunfire from the smaller Bradley armored fighting vehicles drums rapidly and steadily. Down the hill, the treads of 60-ton tanks have left their marks from years of maneuvers. The hill overlooks the Shoal Creek bombing range at Fort Hood Military Reservation in central Texas. Home to two U.S. Army divisions—the 1st Cavalry and the 4th Infantry—Fort Hood covers more than 214,000 acres. Tanks on training maneuvers have been rolling over great expanses of low, brushy hills and rolling prairie for more than 60 years. But the land’s topography is fragile in some areas. The military exercises have packed the soil as hard as a tabletop. Trees and grass have been damaged, which increases the potential for soil erosion. In some areas, the shallow clay soils have completely eroded, leaving areas of exposed rock. Erosion and armored vehicles together have left large ruts and gullies in the land. “It’s hard to fully assess the military training impacts on the environment,” says Dr. Bill Fox of College Station, senior research scientist for the Texas Water Resources Institute, a unit of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.

OPPOSITE: With Manning Mountain as a backdrop, this view of a repaired Fort Hood landscape shows the use of “gully plugs” built across eroding water channels, as well as compost-treated areas with new vegetation growth. ABOVE: Armored vehicles like this Abrams M1 tank used in critical training maneuvers can leave ruts that cause soil erosion and damage the landscape.

Spring 2005

Fort Hood teamed up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in the 1990s to work on solving the unique environmental challenges faced by the installation. Ten years ago, two other partners—the Experiment Station and Texas Cooperative Extension—were added to help evaluate the earlier efforts and build on them.

Dennis Hoffman

Fort Hood officials are not trying to restore the land to its original condition. Instead, they are constantly repairing the impacts of training and maintaining the land in a usable condition. “It’s an ongoing process,” says June Wolfe, Experiment Station assistant research scientist. “If the land is eroded with gullies everywhere, the soldiers can’t carry out their maneuvers, and it’s bad for the environment. So the repair efforts are important.”

“Experiment Station researchers are providing the resources and research to develop new management practices. Fort Hood provides the practical application of these practices.” —Dr. Bill Fox, Texas Water Resources Institute research scientist Dr. Dennis Hoffman, a research scientist with The Texas A&M University System’s Blackland Research and Extension Center in Temple, is studying the effects on water quality of the land management practices put into place by the NRCS. The first practice is the use of “gully plugs,” or small rock dams built across eroding water channels. These allow water to pond, slowing runoff and encouraging sediment to settle, Hoffman explains. Eventually, the gullies will fill in and grass will grow again. An additional benefit is that the dams provide crossing points for military traffic so gullies are not further deepened. The second practice is contour ripping, or deep plowing of

the soil profile. This allows water to soak into the soil and reduces runoff. It also increases soil moisture and promotes vegetation growth. In 1997, Hoffman and technicians at the Blackland center began a water quality evaluation program in the Shoal Creek watershed, which carries runoff from Fort Hood. Gauging stations were installed to measure rainfall, and after each storm, runoff was sampled and measured for sediment concentration. “We’ve been able to use water quality data as a tool to measure the effectiveness of the gully plugs and the contour ripping,” Hoffman says. The amount of water runoff has been decreased to less than 10 percent, and sediment loss has been reduced to less than the amount lost before the gully plugs and contour ripping were put into place, Hoffman says. In 2003, the Experiment Station began evaluating another management practice to reduce soil erosion. One way to stop erosion, says Fox, is to have adequate vegetational cover. “And the way to grow plants is to add nutrients,” he explains. So Experiment Station researchers began studying the effects of adding dairy compost to the soil and reseeding with native grasses. “We saw an opportunity to test to see if we could find uses for the nutrients [from the compost] in the North Bosque River watershed,” says Fox. So far, 10,000 tons of compost has been applied at different rates to 870 acres to study its effectiveness. According to Cecilia Gerngross of College Station, Extension program specialist in water quality and dairy waste composting, the Bosque and Leon River watersheds are home to about ABOVE, FROM LEFT: Erosion is a result of tank traffic in this area selected for restoration. Research scientist Bill Fox collects soil samples. Tons of compost is loaded into spreaders to be applied to the restoration areas. Treatment with dairy compost is helping to restore native vegetation. June Wolfe (left) and Jason McAlister calibrate a rainfall simulator for water quality studies.

Lifescapes

155 dairies and more than 95,000 cows. Deteriorating water quality on the North Bosque River, which receives runoff from lands occupied by a number of these dairies, has been a state concern since 1998. Last year, the City of Waco filed suit against 14 dairy owners, blaming them for an odor and taste problem in the drinking water that comes from Lake Waco. Several of these suits have since been dropped or settled. “Although it’s viewed as a potential pollution source, dairy manure can be successfully converted to compost products that are valuable sources of nutrients and organic matter,” she says. Gerngross has worked with central Texas compost producers to educate the public about the benefits of compost and to install educational demonstrations such as the one at Fort Hood. Fox says the compost is tested to ensure that it is free of pathogens and weed seeds. The added compost stimulates plant and root growth, holds the soil, and prevents sediment loss. “The important thing is the nutrients,” Fox says. “It’s similar to a bag of fertilizer.” Water quality in creeks on and near the military base is continually monitored for excess nutrients, and so far the compost materials are not washing into streams, Fox says. It will take additional years of testing, however, to see the results of the various application rates and the improvement in vegetation, he says. U.S. Representative Chet Edwards of Waco secured the initial funding for the composting project. “The funding will help Fort Hood avoid environmental problems that could impose restrictions on training that is important to saving lives in [combat] theaters,” says Edwards. “Through this innovative program, Fort Hood is once again demonstrating its commitment to environmental stewardship, and, by doing so, to the training that keeps our soldiers ready.”

Spring 2005

Dr. Bill Dugas, resident director of the Blackland center, calls the compost project a “win-win” situation. Hauling compost removes nutrients from watersheds where they are excessive, he says, and transfers them to a landscape where they are needed. It also rehabilitates the land so the military can train more effectively and minimize soil erosion losses.

“We don’t claim to be experts. That’s why we’ve come to A&M.” —Jerry Paruzinski, programs manager, Fort Hood Experiment Station researchers are also using computer modeling to assess past and current erosion rates, as well as to evaluate the impacts of different land management practices on the installation, Fox says. Paruzinski says the involvement of Texas A&M’s agricultural agencies is good because “it keeps us in the loop on innovations. We are actually getting data to help make decisions about the military training land. “We don’t claim to be experts,” he adds. “That’s why we’ve come to A&M.” “Experiment Station researchers are providing the resources and research to develop new management practices,” Fox says. “Fort Hood provides the practical application of these practices.” “A lot of these agricultural practices are old ideas,” Hoffman says. “We’re applying them in new and nontraditional ways.” Web site: www.brc.tamus.edu/blackland/

Habanero chili peppers, named for Havana, Cuba, can have up to 35,000 parts per million of capsaicin, the compound that gives chilies their heat. But the new TAM Mild Habanero has only 150 parts per million of capsaicin, comparable to the heat of Anaheim peppers or Greek salad peppers. They make the perfect base from which to add capsaicin and precisely adjust the heat of habanero salsas.

Habanero Lite

Consumer demand drives development of mild pepper

Jerrold Summerlin

by Rod Santa Ana III

exas A&M pepper breeders have done it again: They’ve created a mild version of a pepper infamous for its heat. First came the mild jalapeño; now comes a mild version of the habanero, considered by many to be the hottest pepper in the world. The TAM Mild Habanero, a result of a five-year breeding program in South Texas, is now available to growers and by this spring should find its way to kitchens, salad bars and salsas everywhere. Like the TAM Mild Jalapeño, the new mild habanero is expected to entice the palates of consumers who may have shunned its culinary attributes for fear of its mouth-scorching, tear-jerking heat. This new version is much more user-friendly, according to its creator. “It’s a beautiful pepper with all the aroma and flavor of the traditional habanero, but with just a fraction of the pungency,” says Dr. Kevin Crosby, a pepper breeder at the Texas Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, part of The Texas A&M University System. The same South Texas research center also released the world’s first mild jalapeño pepper in 1981. Crosby says the release of the TAM Mild Habanero has generated national attention, including a recent feature article in The New York Times and numerous inquiries by commercial growers, home gardeners, seed companies and major salsa producers. “We are currently in communication with several entities who want to work with us in promoting and marketing the TAM Mild Habanero,” Crosby says. He is especially encouraged by one major salsa producer that has shown interest in using the pepper as a base for its habanero salsas. By adding precise amounts of capsaicin (the compound in peppers that gives them their heat) to the mild habanero mash, producers could better control the heat in their products, providing consumers with consistently mild, medium or hot habanero salsas. The TAM Mild Habanero can trace its roots to 1999, when Crosby began crossing peppers in hopes of developing a new product for growers in South Texas. Biting into pepper after pepper, Crosby and his technicians discarded thousands of breeding lines for being too hot or too bland. Others were discarded for not exhibiting plant characteristics important to growers, including early maturity, high yields, properly shaped and sized pods, and resistance to insects and diseases. But eventually, progeny from a cross between a hot Yucatan habanero and a heatless habanero from Bolivia began to show

OPPOSITE: DR. Kevin Crosby inspects Habanero pepper plants for pod yield and size in research plots at the Weslaco center’s annex farm.

Spring 2005

promise. Several generations and a few backcrosses later, the TAM Mild Habanero emerged. “It’s got only 150 parts per million capsaicin, compared to the 12,700 parts per million in the original Yucatan habanero,” Crosby says. “It’s comparable to the very low heat you’d find in Anaheim peppers or Greek salad peppers.” Depending on growing conditions, habaneros can have up to 35,000 parts per million of capsaicin, among the highest levels found in edible peppers and far too hot for most connoisseurs to enjoy, Crosby says. Crosby is also excited about the mild habanero’s agronomic characteristics. “Yields have been outstanding, and it’s got a high degree of insect and disease resistance,” he says. “This trait not only helps reduce the amount of pesticides and other control products used; it could also serve as a source for genes that could be transferred to other, more susceptible, peppers, like the jalapeño.” With a slightly more yellow skin than its hotter, darkerorange cousin, the mild habanero should do well among growers and consumers, Crosby says. “Demand for habaneros, for use in salsas and as a fresh market product, has been increasing in the past five to 10 years, more so than the demand for other hot peppers,” he says. “And they’ve maintained their high value. Fresh-market jalapeños sell for less than $1 per pound; habaneros sell for between $3 and $4 a pound.” Like most peppers, Crosby says, the mild habanero is loaded with phytonutrients, naturally occurring compounds that are beneficial for human health. These include carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds and Vitamin C. “We’re hoping to provide pepper extracts to Texas A&M’s Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center in College Station for testing to determine their effects on chronic human diseases,” Crosby says. The TAM Mild Habanero was approved for release to the public by Texas A&M’s Plant Release Committee, and a patent is pending from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Plant Variety Protection division. How soon the new pepper will be available to consumers depends on how quickly commercial seed companies buy the rights to increase seed for sale to growers. But with the interest generated thus far, Crosby suspects consumers will be enjoying mild habaneros this spring. Two years ago Crosby’s pepper-breeding program released the TAM Mild Jalapeño, a better-yielding pepper than the original mild jalapeño. And other new peppers are in the works, including a virus-resistant habanero and a bell pepper with enhanced amounts of antioxidants and other healthful compounds.

Focusing on the Heart of A&M’s Mission New vice chancellor, Dr. Elsa Murano, defines fresh goals for the Agriculture Program by Dave Mayes

r. Elsa Murano had been on the job for a month, but the bookshelves and walls of her office were still bare. Soon, she says, she will have a free weekend to move some of her things in and fix the place up, but not just yet. She’s been working on a few other priorities. Murano, The Texas A&M University System’s new vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences, took a few minutes in early February to talk about some of those other priorities—her immediate plans and goals for the Agriculture Program. One of her top priorities, she says, is to bring focus to the research, teaching and Extension efforts that are at the heart of Texas A&M’s mission as a land-grant university. “We cannot do everything, because we then dilute our efforts,” she says. “Resources, human and otherwise, are limited, so we have to use them wisely if we wish to stay relevant. “We are in the process of developing goals and objectives for research, teaching and Extension. You can’t focus if you don’t know what those are.” Murano knows something about running a big outfit. She returns to Texas A&M after having served as U.S. undersecretary of agriculture for food safety during President Bush’s first term. There she managed a $905 million budget and 10,000

employees. She went to Washington in 2001, after having served for six years as a professor specializing in food microbiology in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M. The focusing effort is farthest along in research, Murano says, where three major goals have been articulated: improving human health and well-being, enhancing competitiveness of agricultural products, and conserving natural resources. Objectives in support of these research goals were in the draft stages in early February, with faculty review and comments encouraged. Murano says, “We’re on a very short timeline with these because I intend to use them as soon as possible,” in funding discussions with members of the Texas Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Besides prioritizing programs and winning funding for them, Murano lists three other major management goals: • Use resources efficiently. Murano says that several measures have been taken over the last few years to improve efficiency in certain areas, such as human resources and financial matters. However, she wants to take the next step and review program areas and units to see whether efficiencies can be found there as well. She is focusing first on reviewing on-campus centers and institutes.

Lifescapes

Spring 2005

Jim Lyle

Nicholas Anthis, a Texas A&M University graduate student majoring in biochemistry, became the first Texas A&M student to be named a Rhodes Scholar in the past 25 years when he was given the honor in November 2004. A Fort Worth native, Anthis was named a Goldwater Scholar in 2003 and conducted research with the College of Medicine and an Australian biotechnology company while attending A&M. His first career goal was to become a physician, but he is now focusing on medical research. He will join his 31 fellow Rhodes scholars from 18 other nations at Oxford University in England in October. He intends to pursue a doctorate in biochemistry, concentrating on structural biology. Only four other Texas A&M students have been chosen Rhodes Scholars. The two- to three-year scholarship was created in 1902 by British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes to recognize high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership potential and physical vigor. Anthis says he also hopes to run for political office in the future.

Trailblazers

“These exist primarily to bring opportunities to faculty that would not otherwise be obtained,” she says, “but they are not necessarily meant to be permanent fixtures. We may find some that need to be sunsetted, while others may need more resources. We may also find that we need some that don’t exist right now. For example, there is great interest in a center for obesity research and policy—that issue is so important; we are in an obesity epidemic right now.” • Communicate well with stakeholders—people in industry but also faculty and students. Murano is having external advisory committees reviewed to determine how they might be used most effectively. She has also launched the “Vice Chancellor’s Forum,” a Web site that encourages faculty and others to respond to specific questions and issues. The first series of questions concerned what the research priorities should be for the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. “We also plan to engage in a very aggressive marketing campaign to show people around the state who we are and what we are doing,” she says. • Collaborate better with sister institutions. “We do pretty well in working with our Texas A&M System counterparts that have agriculture programs, but we could do better,” Murano says. “I’d like us to look at the not-so-obvious ways we can work together through joint research, degrees and teaching opportunities. For example, we ought to take a look at team teaching more courses that involve faculty from these other institutions. Our students could greatly benefit from learning from experts at another campus, and vice versa.” Murano has also been busy forging her management team, which includes Dr. Bob Whitson, deputy director of the Experiment Station, and Dr. Ed Smith, interim director of Texas Cooperative Extension. She has brought in Dr. Gene Nelson, head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, as interim executive associate dean, and has added Dr. Russell Cross, a former top executive in the meats industry and in USDA, to serve as deputy vice chancellor. “I’ve found that the key to success in my career,” Murano says, “is that you get people around you who are better than you, provide them with the support they need, and they will do great things. “This is a great pivotal time, a time for our program to really soar,” she says. “One thing I learned in Washington was that there is often a gap between the science community and policy makers. The result is that policy makers don’t get the scientific advice needed to make good decisions. Those two worlds are separate worlds, and I think a land-grant university like Texas A&M could be the bridge between them. We should be the primary entity that policy makers turn to when they need help on agricultural issues. Why? Because we can provide them with relevant answers. And we don’t wait to be asked, because we’ve anticipated their needs and seen the issues on the horizon. That’s my dream. “I am very excited to come back home to Texas,” Murano adds. “My colleagues at USDA, who had never worked at a land-grant school like Texas A&M, had trouble understanding my enthusiasm. “There is a real passion for this school because of the people here—their commitment and dedication to doing their jobs to the best of their ability in serving the citizens of Texas. Aggieland truly is like nowhere else.”

Dr. Bhimu Patil has assumed his duties as new director of Texas A&M University’s Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center in College Station. Acclaimed for his research at A&M’s Kingsville Citrus Center linking citrus phytonutrients with the prevention of certain cancers and heart disease, Patil replaces Dr. Leonard Pike, who created the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center in 1992. Pike has retired as director but continues his work as a part-time researcher. Patil lost his father to cancer and his brother to heart disease and says his passion is to develop scientific proof that will convince people to eat more fruits and vegetables to help prevent, if not cure, these and other chronic diseases. Dr. Edward A. Hiler is the inaugural holder of the Ellen and Jim Ellison Chair in International Floriculture in Texas A&M University’s Department of Horticultural Sciences. Hiler officially retired as Texas A&M University System vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences in August 2004 but stayed on in that capacity until Dr. Elsa Murano took the helm (see related story on page 8). Hiler’s academic home is in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. In his new role, he holds a joint appointment in horticultural sciences. Hiler says the chance to take a position far from the norm and the challenge to shape the new effort enticed him to accept the chair. Dr. M. O. “Mo” Way, entomologist at The Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Beaumont, received the 2004 Rice Industry Award at the Rice Outlook Conference in New Orleans. The award is sponsored by Syngenta Crop Protection, the USA Rice Federation and Rice Farming magazine. Way is involved in developing integrated pest management programs for rice and soybeans, and his innovative work helped prolong the use of the chemical carbofuran for rice water weevil control. He is passionate about his work, and, through his Extension duties, has become well known for his frequent visits to farmers’ fields. He is currently researching rice stem borer control and pest pressure on rice grown under conservation tillage.

Absolute Beginners

An East Texas workshop gets novices up and running in the cattle business by Robert Burns

“I

Spring 2005

Jerry Atkinson—Mineola He was ready for a quieter life . . . and an East Texas farm seemed to fit the bill. After 35 years as a CPA and teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jerry Atkinson was ready for a quieter life. When he visited an old grade-school buddy in East Texas, a Mineola farm seemed to fit the bill. “I was looking for a change—primarily something agricultural,” he says. Atkinson was aware of Extension, so his first visit was with Jerry Jackson, then an agricultural and natural resources agent in Wood County. Jackson helped Atkinson locate some property, going so far as to walk the land with him. He also helped him find a good deal on cattle.

Robert Burns

recently inherited 100 acres and I want to raise cattle. Where do I start?” After years of urban living, she inherits the family ranch. Or, drawn to the seemingly idyllic life of ranching, they buy a few hundred acres upon retirement. They know they’re absolute beginners, and they know they want to get started in the cattle business. But until they’re faced with miles of fence line, acres of grass and a poorly performing herd, they may not realize just how much they don’t know about raising cattle in the 21st century. For specialists and county-based agents with Texas Cooperative Extension, “Where do I start?” is becoming a more commonly heard question—and one that presents a problem. Most Extension programs are not geared to starting people at square one. Instead, they target helping established producers improve their efficiency and land stewardship. Yet, more newcomers to agriculture are popping up all the time. Such urban-to-rural migrations are not isolated to a few counties or a single region of Texas. A recent survey by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University shows that prior to 1994, farmers and ranchers dominated the market for rural land, buying 40 percent to more than 55 percent of all that was available. The remaining pieces of the rural real estate market were consumed almost equally by consumers and investors. In 1994, consumer purchases equaled farmer/rancher purchases. By 1999, consumers were purchasing 60 percent of rural land. Faculty at The Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Overton have met this emerging need head-on with some creative, innovative programming. In 2001, the faculty began offering the Pasture & Livestock Management Workshop for Novices. “Unlike other Extension ranching programs, the focus of this program was not so much how to fine-tune an operation, but how to get started in ranching and pasture management the right way with research-based information,” says Dr. Larry Redmon, Extension forage specialist, who serves as project coordinator for the workshop. “We started the program with the assumption that our audience knew next to nothing about ranching, except that they wanted to do it.” Redmon emphasizes that the workshop is a team effort, representing faculty from both the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension. “There is no way one person, one department, or even one agency could pull this off,” he says. ”It takes a truly interdisciplinary, interagency team that focuses solely on helping these new ranchers.” The Overton faculty were concerned that the first class, in spring 2001, wouldn’t be filled, particularly at the cost of $125 per participant. Attendance in the three-day conference was limited to 50, which enabled the instructors to interact one-onone with the participants. But that first class—and the ones that followed—filled quickly. To meet the increasing demand, the Overton faculty began holding two classes a year. Although expansion of the course subject matter has increased the fee to $300, the most common comment from the more than 200 landowners who have taken the class is that it was money well spent. Following are three of the many success stories and praises from workshop alumni.

Jerry Atkinson and his wife, Ginger, enjoy the quiet life and a prosperous cow-calf business at their East Texas ranch, thanks to the Pasture & Livestock Management Workshop for Novices, where Jerry learned about forage and soil testing.

Atkinson, now the owner of 530 acres and a cow-calf herd, soon realized the balance sheet—as far as knowledge of the cattle business went—was in the red. “There’s zero, and I probably started out below zero,” he says. Jackson was there to help, of course, but, with his other clients, there were only so many hours in a day. “He just didn’t have enough time to babysit me all the time.”

So when Jackson recommended the Workshop for Novices, Atkinson signed up for it. “Within the first 30 minutes, I knew I had made the right decision,” Atkinson says. Which part of the course was most valuable? All of it, Atkinson says. The course taught him there were such things as “warm season” and “cool season” grasses, for example. Atkinson had previously thought of grass as “well, just grass,” he says. The idea that one type grows well in summer and another can be used for winter pasture was something of an epiphany for him. But the advantage of winter forage was immediately apparent. “As an accountant, I had quickly assessed the cost of feeding hay to cows in the winter as a major hurdle,” he confesses. Atkinson was no stranger to the value of having a formal business plan spelled out in detail on paper, and the course helped him customize one for a cow-calf operation, right down to the specifics. But the most immediate benefits came from learning about soil testing. Correcting his woefully low soil pH was expensive but probably saved him from wasting $3,000 by applying phosphorus that wouldn’t have been available to his pasture grasses without first correcting the soil pH. “I knew Extension agents had value,” he says. “But I didn’t know the extent of the resources they could provide. They’re absolutely invaluable to someone like me.”

Linda Galayda—Elkhart Her path was as clear as an East Texas summer sky. . . . When her father became so frail he could no longer run the family ranch, Linda Galayda’s path was as clear as an East Texas summer sky. Although still years away from retirement, she would resign from her position as vice president of marketing at the corporate headquarters of Foley’s department stores to be with him and manage the Seven-Seven Ranch in Anderson County. Her father died in 2001, and she was going to return to Foley’s, which had let her take a leave of absence in lieu of resigning. But one thing led to another—ranch managers quit, the 500-head herd needed care, and then Foley’s offered her retirement. Linda found herself settling in as permanent manager of the Seven-Seven.

Robert Burns

“I knew Extension agents had value. But I didn’t know the extent of the resources they could provide. They’re absolutely invaluable to someone like me.”

ABOVE: Linda Galayda has saved money and improved the quality of winter calves with the information she gained in the Workshop for Novices. OPPOSITE: Oscar Alvarez, M.D. (left) and his ranch foreman, Pablo Aguilar, are pleased with the increased grass production and water savings made possible by a newly installed center pivot irrigation system. Alvarez learned about the technology at the Workshop for Novices.

And though her father had brought Linda and her sister up to be tough and cattle savvy, she soon realized she had a lot to learn. “My dad did it from his gut,” she says. “He did an excellent job with the cattle, but it was hard for him to explain the theory.” Her first stop was the Texas Cooperative Extension office in Anderson County, where she talked to Truman Lamb. “On his deathbed, my father told me, ‘There’s a handful of people here you can trust,’ and Truman was on that list,” she says. Lamb turned out to be the doorway to a sort of educational odyssey for Linda, one that led to her enrolling in a Workshop for Novices in the spring of 2003. Galayda, who describes herself as an “A-plus-plus” type personality, found the course made to order. “I wanted to understand the ‘why’ of doing things,” she says. “I must have driven everyone nuts; I had so many questions.” Some of the information was a bit hard to take at first,

Lifescapes

because it wasn’t the way her dad had been doing things. She had never heard of planting a small-grain crop for winter pasture, for example, and she was surprised when an economic analysis showed her she would be better off buying hay than putting up her own.

“My dad did it from his gut. He did an excellent job with the cattle, but it was hard for him to explain the theory.” The course has paid for itself many times over, she says. The most evident example is the appearance of the calves raised on the winter small-grains forage. “They are the best set of calves we have ever raised on the ranch,” she says.

Oscar Alvarez—McAllen He owned a successful ranch in South America . . . but everything was different in South Texas. Dr. Oscar Alvarez was no stranger to ranching before he attended the Workshop for Novices. Born in Colombia, he grew up working cattle and still owns an operation there, with 800 head of Brahman cattle and 400 acres of bananas. But everything is different ranching near McAllen, Texas, where— a naturalized U.S. citizen—Alvarez has a private practice as a gastroenterologist. Less than two years ago, he bought 130 acres of pastureland near McAllen in a joint venture with three of his medical colleagues. They own their adjoining parcels individually but pool equipment, knowledge and labor. Right away, Alvarez realized he was in another world where ranching was concerned. “Everything was different,” he says. “In Colombia we didn’t need fertilizer or irrigation.” Alvarez knew he had a lot to learn, and when he read an article in Cattleman magazine about an upcoming Workshop for Novices, he signed up immediately. It was one of the best decisions he’s ever made, he says. “I’ve been around for a while, but the attitude these guys at Texas A&M had was just excellent. They would sit down, listen and help you. They train you 360 degrees around.”

“As soon as I came back, I took soil samples and fertilized accordingly. Everyone was shocked when they saw the response to the fertilizer. It was just amazing.”

Jerrold Summerlin

The knowledge he gained allowed him to recoup the cost of the course almost immediately. “As soon as I came back, I took soil samples and fertilized accordingly,” he says. “Let me tell you, everyone was shocked when they saw the response to the fertilizer. It was just amazing.” Alvarez says the success of the fertilizer program encouraged him to try something new for the area: center pivot irrigation of pastureland. He plans to irrigate his entire 130 acres. Irrigation is expensive, particularly with a center pivot system, which can cost $40,000 or more. But with help from Juan Enciso, Extension irrigation engineer, Alvarez says he thinks he can make the system pay for itself with less loss of water through evaporation and increased stocking rates. “What I want to show is that you don’t have to have extensive land to get your money back ranching,” Alvarez says. Web site: http://forages.tamu.edu/ (Click on “Novice Workshop.”)

Spring 2005

Turning Over a New Leaf Growers join forces with experts to revive Texasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; spinach industry by Paul Schattenberg

In the 1950s, Texas led the United States in spinach production, harvesting between 30,000 and 40,000 acres of fresh-market and processing spinach, accounting for about 40 percent of the annual total. But a string of problems beginning in the late 1970s sent the Texas spinach industry reeling and allowed California to take over as number one in processing and fresh spinach production. Now that Texas has the largest and most successful spinach research and education program in the nation, things are turning around.

magine the cartoon character Popeye being pummeled by his archrival, Bluto. As usual, the little sailor with big forearms reaches for his can of spinach. He squeezes it. The lid pops open. But this time, the can is empty. This empty can of spinach may well have been the fate of the Texas spinach industry if not for a dedicated group of growers working in partnership with experts from Texas Cooperative Extension and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. In the late 1970s, the booming Texas spinach industry took its first big hit from a tiny fungus. “During the last half of that decade we had a problem with downy mildew, which is better known among producers as blue mold,” says Dr. Mark Black, Extension plant pathologist at The Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Uvalde. “Then in the ’80s, an even bigger problem emerged with white rust.” White rust, a reproducing water mold that may have adapted from a similar pathogen normally found on pigweed, sweet potato, wild mustard and other plants, remains the number one spinach disease, says Black. Disease had a significant impact on reducing spinach production in Texas, but the industry also had problems with insects, crop yield, finding viable herbicides, and with antiquated postharvest methods. “In the beginning, Extension was able to help with a few of these problems,” says Dr. Frank Dainello, an Extension horticulturist at Texas A&M, “but a lack of state and federal funding and a lack of a comprehensive plan made any real improvements to the spinach industry difficult.”

A Plan Unfolds To help Texas spinach producers address these challenges, a “dream team” of researchers, plant pathologists, horticulturists and Extension agents for agriculture was brought together over time. A core group of these individuals, including Texas A&M University faculty, personnel from the Uvalde center and the Extension office in Uvalde County, and faculty from the University of Arkansas initiated a joint spinach improvement program. Arkansas is another top spinach producer, and its industry faces many of the same challenges as Texas’. The University of Arkansas has conducted spinach research for decades.

Jerrold Summerlin

“Whatever future the Texas spinach industry has, it owes to Extension, the Spinach Improvement Team and the researchers who have been devoted to it for many years.” —Ed Ritchie III, President, Wintergarden Spinach Producers Board The group developed a plan to help revitalize the fresh-market crop and find ways to maintain the quality and profitability of both fresh and processing spinach. “We put together the Spinach Improvement Team to do more

OPPOSITE: Center pivot irrigation limits evaporation and makes it possible to produce lush green fields of spinach in the dry Uvalde region. ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Dr. Daniel Leskovar compares leaf maturity in a research plot used to test planting densities. Growers use a modified cutter to more efficiently harvest a quality spinach crop.

Spring 2005

research to develop better spinach varieties, improve fertilization, increase disease resistance and address other issues,” says Dainello. “But we needed funding for the improvement program.” A steady source of funding came with the establishment of the Wintergarden Spinach Producers Board in 1995. Extension professionals from the improvement team were at the forefront of the board’s development. The board now represents more than 50 producers from the Winter Garden region, which comprises seven counties in Southwest Texas. Winter Garden growers account for most of the state’s spinach production. “Once we established the board, the growers, the Texas Vegetable Association and the Spinach Improvement Team got to work on a commodity referendum for spinach,” says board president, Ed Ritchie III. “The referendum passed, and the board got authority to collect checkoff funds from growers to pay for research and marketing programs to improve the industry.” Since its inception, the board has identified and funded more than 30 projects for spinach industry improvement. The fund also helps support an international spinach conference sponsored by The Texas A&M University System and the University of Arkansas and coordinated by the spinach team. The conference is held every four years, bringing together spinach growers, shippers, processors and breeders from the United States, Canada and Europe.

The Plan in Action

One of the Spinach Improvement Team’s farthest-reaching efforts was to develop and implement a spinach disease control program. This program involved decades of testing numerous spinach varieties to determine their level of resistance and

identify those with the greatest immunity to disease. “Thanks in large part to Dr. Teddy Morelock of the University of Arkansas, we were able to introduce more resistant varieties of spinach like Ozarka, Green Valley and Fall Green in the ’80s,” says Dr. Larry Stein, Extension horticulturist at the Uvalde center and member of the Spinach Improvement Team. “And he’s still breeding new varieties like Wintergreen and others with even greater promise for disease and pest resistance and production potential.” Much of the variety selection experimentation takes place at the Del Monte Corporation Research Farm in Crystal City, Texas, which is known as the Spinach Capital of the World. Del Monte uses an estimated 70 to 75 percent of the processing spinach produced in the Winter Garden area. The Uvalde center supplements research done at the Del Monte site with its own. “We’re constantly working on spinach quality and variety,” says Dr. Daniel Leskovar, an Experiment Station researcher specializing in vegetable physiology. For the past four years, the center has been involved in a large-scale project to determine spinach yield and quality under limited water use. “Growers are already being asked to reduce their water use and will continue to have to produce crops using less irrigation,” he says. “We’re helping them find solutions through new irrigation strategies and technology and by developing quality cultivars that provide high yields with less water.” The Spinach Improvement Team also came up with an innovative “save” when spinach producers were no longer able to use the industry’s workhorse herbicide, Antor. The team tested a new herbicide, Dual, including collecting the “residue data” required by the Texas Department of Agriculture and the EPA to ensure product safety. “We estimate that getting emergency-use labeling for Dual

ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: A “buggy” moves alongside a cutter and harvester, receiving a row of freshly cut spinach. Dr. Mark Black, Uvalde center plant pathologist, checks for spinach curly-top virus. Early morning dew blankets the arrowhead-shaped leaves of a mature spinach crop. A conveyor fills a buggy, which in turn is used to fill a waiting truck that will carry the fresh crop to be packaged or processed.

Lifescapes

herbicide saved the industry at least a half-million dollars in one growing season alone,” says Stein. “Dual is now the standard herbicide for the spinach industry.” In addition, Extension has been helping the industry increase spinach yields by experimenting with maximum planting densities and wide-bed planting for fresh-market spinach. “A few years ago, almost all fresh-market spinach harvesting in Texas was done by hand, and now almost all of it is done by machine,” Stein explains. “We’ve tested increasing furrow width from 40 inches to 80 inches to allow for easier machine harvesting of fresh spinach and have gotten positive results.” Wide-bed production will increase yields and improve the quality of the fresh-market product because of the consistency of machine harvesting, he says. Although most of Extension’s work in spinach industry improvement is centered on enhancing product quality and quantity, its efforts do not end there, says Kenneth White, Extension agent for agriculture in Uvalde County and a member of the spinach team. For example, a few years ago, team members helped convince fresh-market producers and shippers to switch to reusable plastic crates. “These crates allow for more economical shipping and a fresher product at the time of delivery,” White explains. “Until recently, only a few of the more progressive growers were using them. Now everyone uses them.” Team members are also active in promoting better packaging methods to extend product freshness at the point of sale. “Modern packaging techniques already allow you to ensure about a 15-day shelf life,” Dainello says. “That can make a big difference when competing with other fresh-spinach producers.”

Down but Not Out

Like Popeye after he eats his spinach, the industry is stronger and poised for a comeback. Although 2004 U.S. Department of Agriculture reports show total spinach production in Texas has dropped to less than 7,000 acres, producers are optimistic about the industry’s future. “The Texas spinach industry is holding its own and has been re-energized,” Ritchie says. “It was on the verge of going under. But now it’s in much better competitive shape, and we have started to regain market shares.” In recent years, the industry has also seen processingspinach yields increase by up to 50 percent above the average yearly output and fresh-market yields increase by up to 40 percent above average, according to Ritchie. “There’s been a 12 to 15 percent growth each year for leaf spinach due to Americans being more health-conscious,” Ritchie says. “We’re in a positive competitive position to take advantage of that growing market.” Ritchie says that buyers for both processing and fresh spinach are pleased with the quality of the past year’s Texas spinach harvests, saying the product is the best they’ve seen in several years. “The industry has really turned around, and things are looking good,” he says. Whatever future the Texas spinach industry has, it owes to Extension, the Spinach Improvement Team and the researchers who have been devoted to it for many years.”

Jerrold Summerlin

Spring 2005

Fish Tales

Dr. Kirk O. Winemiller hooks students with aquatic anecdotes by Kathleen Phillips

Jim Lyle and Kirk Winemiller

e was a graduate student on a research vessel in the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, an Ohio native taking in the tropical sun and soaking up every minute of study under the biology professor from whom he had longed to learn. In hopes of catching specimens, the two had rigged a cheap trap from 5-gallon buckets, cinder blocks and chicken wire. With the trap cast into the sea and the coordinates noted, the teaching vessel moved on through the vast expanses of the Gulf, where other students on board would conduct their trials. Five days later, the ship returned to the trap’s location. All on deck scanned the tossing waves for hours, searching for it. Through binoculars they watched each tumbling water surge without a glimpse of the device. Then, just as the captain made ready to leave, the trap surfaced. “I swear to you. I swear to you—whoosh! right up next to the boat came the trap, and it had these crazy, huge, pink isopods in there that looked like Darth Vader!” remembers the former graduate student, Kirk O. Winemiller, now a professor of wildlife and fisheries sciences at Texas A&M. The students in his Dynamics of Populations class have scooted to the edges of their seats for this recounting, and Winemiller adds, “My point is that down there where my trap was, in a world without light, is a food web that little is known about.” Stories from his worldwide research are Winemiller’s version of “distance education.” For 12 years at Texas A&M, he has injected real-life experiences into textbook discussions and dotted lectures with sketches or definitions spelled out on a classroom whiteboard. One gets the sense that the energy in his classroom is not from high-tech wireless air waves bounced off distant satel-

OPPOSITE: Dr. Kirk O. Winemiller uses sketches to reinforce a lecture about the food web while teaching his Dynamics of Populations class. ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Graduate student Jenny Birnbaum (left) leads a survey of fishes in a central Texas stream with undergraduates Monty Mitchell and Rosana López. Jars of specimens from the Brazos River line the shelves of Winemiller’s lab. A Warmouth sunfish is part of a survey study in fish populations.

Spring 2005

lites, but from brain waves clamoring to gather more knowledge as he teaches. “You will not see a lot of high tech in my classroom,” Winemiller says. “I like to give my students personal accounts of field study to make the factual stuff relevant. If I show a picture in class, I took it myself; I was there. I try to evoke a sense of personal passion. If they don’t think I care, why should they?”

“You have to be able to present the information at a level that will challenge but not confuse. There is a delicate balance, and that is the single most important thing. You cannot frustrate the students, because they have to believe they can learn the subject.” —Dr. Kirk O. Winemiller As an expert in fish populations and communities in temperate and tropical regions, Winemiller maintains labs in College Station and at Laguna Larga on the Cinaruco River in Venezuela. He has conducted research in Texas, Venezuela, Brazil, Costa Rica, African nations and elsewhere. His teaching philosophy carries over from graduate to undergraduate classes, and Winemiller says he recalls memorable teachers as role models from his college days at Miami University in Ohio and at the University of Texas, where he earned his doctorate. “We scientists haven’t been trained in educational methods,” he explains. “We learn by imitation. We are tossed into the fire

and have to think back to the professors we had over the years and ask ourselves why they were effective.” Winemiller believes knowing the subject well and being comfortable in discussing all aspects of it are keys to being effective. “You have to be able to present the information at a level that will challenge but not confuse,” he says. “There is a delicate balance, and that is the single most important thing. You cannot frustrate the students, because they have to believe they can learn the subject.” His approach has earned him teaching awards for both graduate and undergraduate instruction. “He is the kind of teacher who challenges his students to start something that may seem daunting at first; quietly offers guidance at key moments; and gives his students the freedom to take it where they want it, while constantly ensuring that no potential is left unmet,” says Jeremy Waither, an environmental scientist for Ecological Communications Corp. in Austin and one of Winemiller’s former undergraduate students. For his part, Winemiller says he is “paid to teach,” and to him that means being available in person to students. “I try to motivate students to attend class,” he says. “I want them to be in class with me. Yet, they can come to my office if they have to miss class and I will photocopy the notes for them.” The respect is mutual, judging from letters written by current and former students who endorsed his selection for the Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for Undergraduate Teaching in 2003. Clint Robertson, who began his master’s program under Winemiller in January, says he learned more in 10 months of working in his lab than in three years of college classes. ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Preserved aquatic creatures like these crawfish allow students to study many species. Danielle Peretti, exchange graduate student from Brazil, takes a closer look at a fish specimen. Winemiller and graduate student Steven Zeug inspect samples from a recent survey.

“He has been very enthusiastic about my [undergraduate] research project,” Robertson notes. “He is very approachable and easy to speak with, and he has offered to help in any way that he could.” Robertson says he doesn’t believe he would have been adequately prepared for a job in fisheries without Winemiller’s teaching, and he acknowledges that it was Winemiller who encouraged him to pursue a graduate degree. So taken by his professor was graduate student Hernán López-Fernández that he named a new fish he identified after him—the Geophagus winemilleri. “He’s a really important researcher internationally in this area, and he has organized most of the expeditions where specimens of this species were collected,” says LópezFernández. He explains that a previous Winemiller expedition to Venezuela had collected the fish without realizing the rare find because several similar fish were kept in a common specimen jar. Winemiller admits that he often looks at the young people seated in his classrooms and envisions them as the professional biologists they long to become. During a recent graduate class, Winemiller is writing on the board as students chat and settle into their desks expectantly. When Winemiller finishes writing and faces them, the students become quiet as if awaiting a grand revelation. “I want to explain this because one of you asked me about it after last class, so I felt that perhaps others might not have understood,” he begins. A student closes the classroom door to hush the hallway noise. Every student is attentive as Winemiller explains. Some pose questions and others offer possible answers. It’s an informal discussion—not one of raising hands and being called on—and any observer could see in the students’ eyes that learning is taking place. Their raised eyebrows and confident half smiles of understanding suggest that some eventually will stand in front of a whiteboard before a classroom of students and remember: “This is how Winemiller taught.”

Lifescapes

Staples Inducted into A&M Honor Registry

New Bulls May Revive Texas’ Bison Herd Three young bison bulls from the New Mexico herd owned by media tycoon Ted Turner will soon be bred with cows in the Texas Bison Herd at Caprock Canyons State Park, southeast of Amarillo. The Texas herd originated in the late 1800s with five bison calves captured by famed cattleman Charles Goodnight. The herd was donated to the state in 1997 and was moved to the park. In spite of careful management, however, calf production has fallen off during the past six years, and the 40-animal herd is aging. Dr. James Derr, associate professor of veterinary pathobiology with the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, was called in to help, along with postdoctoral research associate Dr. Natalie Halbert. They found that the herd had significantly less genetic variation than most other herds in the nation and concluded that the Texas bison were suffering from inbreeding depression. No new genes had been brought into the confined herd in 120 years, and it was predicted to die out over the next half century if genetic diversity were not introduced. However, to keep the herd as close as possible to its genetic origins as the last of the Southern Plains bison, researchers had to find a herd that had a historical link to Texas bison, had no cattle-bison hybrids that could introduce disease, and had lots of genetic variation. Turner’s herd fit the bill. “We picked the three handsomest, orneriest, teenage bulls that were in there,” said Derr.

Spring 2005

Texas Senator Todd Staples (R-Palestine), a 1984 honor graduate, has been inducted into the Tyrus R. Timm Honor Registry of Former Students in Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M. He was elected to the Texas Senate in 2000 after serving five years in the Texas House of Representatives. A real estate entrepreneur and owner of Pioneer Properties, Staples began his career in public service in 1989 as a member of the Palestine City Council and director of the East Texas Council of Governments. He also served as mayor pro tem of Palestine. “I use my agricultural economics background in all aspects of my life,” says Staples. “Lessons learned at A&M, both in and out of the classroom, have been vital to my own professional development in agribusiness. The department also influences public policy on the statewide level in natural resources and assists our communities with economic development initiatives.”

Cross Named to Key Post A former U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service administrator has been named associate director for the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and deputy vice chancellor of agriculture for The Texas A&M University System. Dr. Russell Cross, who holds a doctorate in meat science from Texas A&M and is a well-known beef cattle and food safety expert, was named to the position by the Board of Regents on January 27, on the recommendation of Dr. Elsa Murano, vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences. Cross will

coordinate Agriculture Program support activities, such as information resources, communications, financial and human resources, and stakeholder and government relations. “Coordination of these activities is key in achieving excellence in teaching, research and extension,” says Murano. “I have no doubt that Dr. Cross will greatly enhance our ability to ensure the success of these programs.” Cross was a professor and head of the A&M Department of Animal Science from 1983 to 1992, when he was appointed to the USDA position. He held the E. M. Rosenthal Chair in Meat, Animal and Food Sciences and directed the Institute of Food Science and Engineering while at A&M. His most recent position was as executive vice president for food safety and government and industry affairs for National Beef Packing Co. in Kansas City, Mo., the world’s fourth-largest beef packer.

State Gems

The success of this mission will take a few years to determine, but researchers believe the genetic technology can be applied to preserve, conserve and reconstruct declining wildlife species.

Livestock Judging Team Wins Nationals The Texas A&M livestock judging team won the national championship for the 10th time and the third year in a row when it claimed the title at the 2004 North American International Livestock Judging Contest on Nov. 15, 2004, in Louisville, Kentucky. The A&M students scored 4,673 points, 13 more than the second-place winner, Oklahoma State University. Team members are Moriah Jennings of Fredonia, Cade Wilson of San Antonio, Brandon Callis of Needville, Aaron Cooper of Post, Brandon Garrett of Ashmore, Brandon Gunn of Seguin, Ashlei Mason of Plains, and Dustin Warren of Dumas. Dr. Chris Skaggs, associate professor in the Department of Animal Science, directs the team. Ryan Rathmann, graduate student and the team’s coach, was named Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. He says of the team: “They have placed themselves in an elite group of A&M judging teams and will have proud memories to last them a lifetime.” Graduate students Jake Franke and Kelton Mason are assistant coaches.

Urban or

Rural

V. G. Young Institute of County Government helps elected officials to better serve Texans by Helen White

he discussion gets loud and lively as the group gathered in a Bellville church fellowship hall brainstorms about Austin County’s health care, roads and bridges, social services and population growth. Austin County Judge Carolyn Bilski looks across the room and recognizes many of the faces. She knows names, families, and stories, and she knows all too well the challenges and priorities the county must negotiate to provide its 23,000 citizens the quality of life they need. Serving her third term, Bilski is a dedicated champion of what she calls “grassroots local government” and of making sure “county government is the best investment taxpayers have.” About 60 miles away, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels represents the 3.6 million people of the third-most-populous county in the United States. Besides Houston, there are 33 other municipalities within the county and more than 1 million people living in unincorporated areas. A lifelong Houstonian, Eckels has tackled the high-growth issues stemming from the addition of 600,000 Harris County residents during his decade as county judge. Though the skyscrapers of Houston and the Austin County courthouse square may seem worlds apart, the two counties face many of the same difficulties. “The problems are very much the same across the state; it’s just the scale of the problems,” Eckels says. “All of us have tremendous financial pressures. There is more that we would like to do and have to do than we have the money to do, so we have to find ways to make things work more efficiently.” Eckels points out that new challenges such as homeland security response, the need for accessible databases to handle justice information, and coordinated purchasing make it crucial for rural and urban counties to synchronize efforts. “There is much more that unites us than divides us in county government,” says Eckels. “There are many opportunities to work together because, in the end, we’re all trying to do essentially the same thing.” More than ever, county judges need continuing education and networking with their colleagues to make the informed decisions the office requires, says Rick Avery, director of the V. G. Young Institute of County Government in College Station, an educational program of Texas Cooperative Extension. “Extension has been providing training to judges and commissioners for almost half a century—since 1956,” says Avery. Formalized as an institute in 1969 by the Texas Legislature to provide education to county officials, the V. G. Young Institute provides continuing education, research, publications and consultation support services to county judges and commissioners, county and district clerks, county treasurers, and county tax assessor-collectors and their professional associations, training 2,000 officials each year. Avery says one of the institute’s greatest challenges is providing training relevant to officials representing diverse areas of the state. The institute designs its statewide conference with general sessions on topics of interest to everyone, along with

many breakout sessions and workshops that address the needs of different-size counties. In addition, regional-level continuing education focuses on local issues. While they must be well informed in the law, county judges are not required to have a formal legal education. But they must have 30 hours of judicial education their first year in office and 16 hours every year after that. The institute provides four hours of that training each year at its statewide conference. It also serves as the educational sponsor for many of the state and regional professional association conferences, each of which offer four more hours of training.

Jim Lyle

“Extension has been providing training to judges and commissioners for almost half a century—since 1956.”

OPPOSITE: Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and Austin County Judge Carolyn Bilski find many of the challenges their counties face are interrelated rather than unique.

Spring 2005

—Rick Avery, director, V. G. Young Institute of County Government Bilski remembers the continuing education she received during her first year in office as “a blast,” covering a diverse range of topics—the V. G. Young Institute’s County Judges and Commissioners Conference, plus emergency management school, flood plain management school, and on-site sewage facility training—to help her get a grasp of all her duties as gatekeeper for many county administrative and regulatory functions. She was impressed by the energy and enthusiasm the V. G. Young faculty brought to the program and became involved in teaching some of the educational modules herself. “The whole idea is to bring county officials further along in topics such as management, leadership, technology and emerging issues,” says Avery. “They also learn the duties and responsibilities of not only their position, but of all the offices in the courthouse. Judge Bilski has taught the course on county judge for us several times. She and a number of other judges are tapped as excellent teachers and expert county judges.” The V. G. Young Institute will offer its first class this year in its Commissioners Court Leadership Academy, where over the course of two years, in a smaller group setting, officials will get in-depth leadership training on such topics as effective communication skills, working with the media, and intergovernmental relations. The group will receive training with the state legislature in Austin and spend a week in Washington, D.C., working with the National Association of Counties. Beyond continuing education, Eckels emphasizes the importance of every county’s involvement in regional judges and commissioners conferences and in state association meetings. “You get the interaction with your colleagues, learn what’s happening around the state, learn from each other the best practices and how we can band together for common interests.” Eckels points out that the same dynamic works at the national level. His leadership in the National Association of Counties and in the development of a coordinated emergency management office for Harris County (a national best-practice model for homeland security and emergency management) led to his involvement in national-level homeland security task forces.

As a county’s chief executive officer, county judges must juggle many responsibilities, often with little recognition for what they do. And the challenges they face often affect neighboring cities and counties. For example, the demands that go along with the burgeoning growth of the Houston area make it hard to manage county resources. “Subdivision planning creates stress on our infrastructure— parks, libraries, roads and bridges in those areas outside of the city where we’re the primary provider of municipal services,” says Eckels. Urban growth issues also affect rural budgets. “We have people who commute to Houston for their jobs, and we have a lot of absentee landowners,” says Bilski. “The toughest part is working with those property owners who could care less about the quality of life we provide. They come out here on the weekend but don’t think about what the ambulance does and what Meals on Wheels does for our people, what our public libraries do for our citizens.” Services taken for granted in larger cities, such as a local animal shelter, are still on the waiting list for Austin County. “Is that a quality of life issue? A humane thing we should be trying to do? Absolutely,” says Bilski. “But it’s not going to be high on the priority list if you have to fund patrolmen, district attorney’s offices to prosecute criminals, and staff to file deeds and issue septic permits.” Conversely, urban areas often shoulder responsibility for services unavailable in rural counties. The largest expenditure in the Harris County budget is health care. “People who have chronic mental or physical health problems tend to move to an urban environment where they can get services,” says Eckels. “So we have a much higher population of folks who have mental health or acute or chronic physical needs who have no insurance or any way to pay for it.” Because so many rural and urban challenges are interrelated, and because new issues continue to emerge, the V. G. Young Institute works closely with county officials to keep training informative and to anticipate issues on the horizon. Both Bilski and Eckels say that, while the duties are often daunting, their role in serving their communities is rewarding. “Some days it’s discouraging when you can’t fix everything that needs to be fixed, but I’m going to be here,” says Bilski. “Wanting to do it right means a lot. Hopefully the people see that and respect that. I think you can honestly say Austin County’s government is run efficiently and that people get a value for their tax dollar.” “There is tremendous talent and dedication among county officials to the people they serve and the jobs they do,” says Eckels. “People understand the mayor, congressman or state representative. And while in many parts of the state they [county judges] are the judge, they’re also much more. People don’t understand the ‘much more’ part of that job.” Web sites: V. G. Young Institute of County Government http://vgyi.tamu.edu Commissioners Court Leadership Academy http://vgyi.tamu.edu/ccla.htm

County Government 101: What Does a County Judge Do?

Serves as presiding officer of the commissioners court. In counties with a population less than 225,000, the judge serves as budget officer of the commissioners court. Commissioners courts are responsible for • setting the county budget; • supervising and controlling the county courthouse, buildings and facilities; • determining county tax rates; • filling vacancies in elected and appointed positions; • building and maintaining county roads and bridges; • letting contracts in the name of the county; • administering and making key decisions regarding libraries, county hospitals, welfare programs, parks and playgrounds.

Considers criminal, civil, probate, juvenile and mental competency matters. Conducts hearings for beer and wine applications. Calls elections, posts election notices and canvasses election returns. Serves as the county’s emergency management director. Represents the county at ceremonial occasions and on various boards and committees, such as regional councils of governments.

Lifescapes

Cotton farmers on the Texas Rolling Plains may soon be able to make better use of available rainfall and stabilize dryland cotton yields by “banking” rainfall in the soil. Researchers at The Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Vernon are conducting a three-year study in which they plant a cotton crop using conventional tillage and then seed winter wheat into the cotton stalks after harvest, without tilling. Both crops are treated to eradicate thirsty weeds, and the wheat crop requires less fertilizer because it makes use of residual nitrogen from the cotton crop. The researchers’ first cotton crop yielded about 50 pounds more lint per acre, compared with normal yields. The wheat also yielded several more bushels per acre, according to Dr. John Sij (above), agronomist at the Vernon center. During a 10-month fallow period, the wheat stubble will catch sparse rainfall and help conserve moisture for the summer cotton crop. This “banked” moisture and summer rains may help the new crop yield more than dryland cotton— with fewer input costs.

Irrigators Network Makes Watering Precise Gone are the days when farmers simply planted their crops and guessed at how much to water them. Increasing water shortages in Texas have made it necessary to hone irrigation to an exact science. To that end, growers, researchers and Texas Cooperative Extension personnel have joined forces to create the new

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Scientists Prove Cedars Intercept Rainfall Scientists at the Uvalde center have proved that thick stands of mature juniper, or cedar, trees can intercept up to 40 percent of natural rainfall, especially in areas where rainfall is light. Dr. Keith Owens and Dr. Robert Lyons, range specialists, spent three years studying the way the canopies of cedars intercept rainfall across the Edwards Aquifer recharge and drainage area, allowing it to evaporate back into the atmosphere before ever reaching the ground. They found that rainfall from storms of 0.3 inch or less falls into this category, which is troubling because most rains over the area are 0.5 inch or less. The study showed that 35 percent of all precipitation falling on cedars hits the canopy and evaporates, 5 percent is intercepted by the litter beneath the trees,

and 60 percent actually reaches the ground surface. Of that 60 percent, much is used by the tree for growth, leaving little or no water to recharge the aquifer in areas with thick cedar stands.

Citrus Compounds Show Promise against Cancers Texas Agricultural Experiment Station research has shown that limonoids, plant compounds found only in citrus fruits, targeted and stopped cancerous neuroblastoma cells in the lab. They now hope to learn the reasons for the stopaction behavior and test the compounds in humans. Neuroblastomas account for about 10 percent of all cancers in children, appearing as a tumor in the neck, chest, spinal cord or adrenal gland. Limonoids are promising for their potential to arrest cancer and for their lack of side effects, according to Dr. Ed Harris, Experiment Station biochemist, who collaborated on the study with Dr. Bhimu Patil, formerly a plant physiologist at the Texas A&M University–Kingsville Citrus Center in Weslaco and now director of the university’s Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center in College Station. Patil calls citrus fruit “a vast reservoir of anticarcinogens.” Extracted limonoids in the amounts contained in a glass of orange or grapefruit juice were found to kill neuroblastoma cells in 48 hours or less. Limonoids were also shown to quench cancer-causing oxygen radicals and move through several phases to destroy the DNA of cancer cells, but not healthy cells. Breast cancer and other types of cancer cells were also shown to be vulnerable to limonoids. Researchers have found that limonoids with the greatest potency differ from other compounds in that they have a closed ring in their chemical structure. Limonoids with a sugar attached, called limonoid glucosides, had the most dramatic effect on cancer cell death and could possibly be developed as a food additive. Harris says that physicians may ultimately be able to “give patients an oral cocktail of limonoids in such concentration as to stop their cancer.”

Frontiers of Discovery

Farmers May ‘Bank’ Soil Moisture for Cotton

Precision Irrigators Network (PIN), which is expected to save millions of gallons of water annually and reduce irrigation water use by as much as 20 percent over the next several years. The network now consists of more than 50 members and is growing rapidly, according to Dr. Giovanni Piccinni, an assistant professor at The Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Uvalde and the program’s manager. Scientists gather water data by taking water weight and evaporation measurements from lysimeters, large containers with 30,000 pounds of undisturbed soil set on a scale and buried underground (left). Rainfall data is collected from weather stations at Uvalde and in other areas. The PIN database also includes information on water use by a growing list of crops during various stages of development. Cooperation by growers has been excellent, and data is being collected from participants’ fields to help create an irrigation “model” for each grower.

TOP ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: October with her Boer goat, Wyatt Earp; Savannah with her Southdown lamb, Twinkletoes; Andrew with his Yorkshire hog, Porky; Ethan with his Suffolk lamb, Arnold. MIDDLE ROW: Sadye with her Southdown lamb, Star; one of the donated Boer goats now a childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s project; barn and pens built with donated materials from local merchants and citizens. BOTTOM ROW: Ricky Caudle with Brittany and her hog, Rebely; Lauren with her Suffolk lamb, Dozer; Nichole with Piglet, who gets a bite to eat; and Jessica with her Suffolk lamb, Sally.

Animals to the Rescue

Foster’s Home children gain valuable life experiences through 4-H projects by Linda Anderson

Jerrold Summerlin

n the outskirts of Stephenville, Texas, is a neighborhood like many others. Comfortable family homes on large, green, tree-lined lots face a park with playground equipment. Neighbors smile and wave at each other as they mow their lawns and wash their cars. You can hear snatches of conversation: “Did you get my report card?” . . . “You have got to be nicer to your sister”. . . “Lunch is ready. Y’all sit down and we’ll say the blessing.” It’s a neighborhood like many others—with some major differences. For one thing, most of the young residents here live with adults who are not their biological parents. For another, behind the row of neat suburban houses and well-kept lawns is a barn. A real working barn housing real farm animals cared for by these small-town children. This is Foster’s Home for Children, a refuge for young people who, for one reason or another, are unable to live with their own families. Foster’s Home was founded in 1960 on property donated for that purpose by Sherwood and Myrtie Foster. The 55-acre, sevenhome campus is home to 45 to 60 children, usually ages 5 to 18, says Glenn Newberry, president and chief executive officer at the home. Some of the young residents are the

children of the cottage parents. Most are not. All of the children placed at Foster’s have faced some kind of family breakdown, including abuse, neglect, drug- or alcohol-addicted parents, or incarcerated parents, Newberry says. Because of the issues they have had to face at very young ages, he says, “most of the kids, when they come here, are angry at the world.” One way to help them through their anger is to involve them in working with animals. That’s where Texas 4-H’s animal project comes in. “There’s been 4-H in Erath County for a long time,” Newberry says. “We’ve had a couple of kids show animals for years. This year we had 22.” He credits the increase in participation to one man, Ricky Caudle, who oversees the physical plant at Foster’s and is a long-time supporter of 4-H. “I grew up in 4-H here in the county,” Caudle says. “My kids grew up in 4-H and FFA clubs. When they finished, I stayed in. I’m on the swine committee. I like to help kids.” His long-time dedication to 4-H was honored last year with a Top 4-H Leader award. Caudle, who also is farm manager for Foster’s, has been a 4-H volunteer for more than 20 years. “We’ve got great kids out here, super

kids who have had to deal with a lot of things,” he says. And the animals help them cope. The young residents at Foster’s start with goats, and from there go to pigs and sometimes sheep. “To see the group, especially as many as we had last year, and how they got along and worked together is just great,” he says. They get along well with their animals too. So well, in fact, that many of the children who participated in last year’s 4-H animal project are also in this year’s.

“It’s teaching me more responsibility. That will be a factor when I’m older and trying to get a job. Goats are like kids— they don’t know much, and you’ve got to teach them.” —“Pat,” age 15

“My pig last year was named Daisy,” says Brittany, 15, who had names—Petunia and Mr. Bodacious—picked out for her animals this year before she got them. When it comes to caring for their animals, the young residents do it all, Caudle says. “If it needs to be done, they do it. If the pig pen needs to be cleaned out, they clean it.” “With bleach, because we had sick pigs [last year],” adds Mary Sue, 17. “We clean up the stalls, scrub them out, get [the animals] food and medicine. In the beginning I brought my homework into the barn and did it there so the animals could get used to me.” Taking care of animals means getting up early—for teenagers, that’s tough—and heading out to the barn, no matter what the weather or day of the week. “Like on Saturday when we have to get up at 7:30 a.m. to go feed the animals and everybody else gets to sleep until 10 a.m.,” Brittany says. “Or when you have to go out and feed an animal in the cold,” adds Nichole, 16. “You get used to going to school each day in a T-shirt and blue jeans, looking like you just rolled out of bed.” After months of care, the children show their animals at the Erath County Livestock Show. If their animals are sold for a profit, the 4-H’ers get to keep the money in their own savings accounts. For many of these young people, this is their first personal experience with financial responsibility. “You want the quality of the animal to be high,” Caudle says. “If you put in the time to work with the animal, [it should be] good enough to make the sale. The kids are what make it worth it.” Julian, 14, showed a goat named Cookie last year. “I like working with goats,” he says. He also made several hundred dollars from the sale of his goat. Justin, 12, chose to work with a pig. “I thought he was scary when I first saw him,” he admits.

The animal project participants, many of them from urban areas, learn some surprising skills when caring for and showing livestock. Mary Sue and Nichole agree that they like clipping goats. “Except you get hair everywhere,” Mary Sue says. The goats have their coats clipped short to show their muscle development during judging. But some tufts of hair remain, including one on the end of the tail. A year or so ago, while doing last-minute preparation the night before show, one young participant accidentally clipped that tail puff off, Caudle says. Sometimes plans change and someone doesn’t get to show an animal that sickened or died, Caudle says. Often that student will help get a friend’s animal ready for show, and if it is sold for a good price, they share the money. “They work so hard and work so well,” he says. “I’d love to take them to the majors, like the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.” Mary Sue was able to visit this year’s Houston show and found herself drafted into helping show the animals. “I was drenching and walking and feeding [them] every two hours,” she recalls. “It was a lot of work, but lots of fun.” Some of the 4-H’ers say that giving their animals up at the show’s sale is tough. “I had a baby goat, and he licked me and gave me kisses and followed me,” Mary Sue says. “When I sold him, a set of our house parents bought him, so now he’s not mine, he’s theirs. “It’s sad to give up an animal, especially when he falls asleep in your lap right before show,” she adds. “You get attached.” “I try not to think about it,” says Tom, whose parents are cottage parents at Foster’s. “I knew mine was going to meat.” The rewards from the animal projects have been surprising, and potentially life changing. Mary Sue had thought she might want to become a lawyer, but her plans have changed. “I’ll probably go to [Texas] A&M,” she says. “I’m thinking my major will change to have something to do with animals.” Nichole wants to be a pediatrician; she has already learned how to give shots, thanks to her work with the goats. Tom has plans to go into the ministry. He says working with animals is teaching him how to teach—and how to have patience. “It’s teaching me more responsibility,” says “Pat,” 15 (whose real name could not be used). “That will be a factor when I’m older and trying to get a job. Goats are like kids—they don’t know much, and you’ve got to teach them.” Working with these animals is teaching these young people to have respect for all animal life, Caudle says. But they are children, and they can be blunt when they need to be. When asked why pigs have the reputation for being smellier than most other animals, Pat snorts and says with a grin: “Because they are.”

Lifescapes

Tapping a New Source

Desalination could help meet Texas’ future water needs by Blair Fannin

y the year 2050 the Texas population is predicted to have doubled, and municipalities are expected to have tapped as much as 70 percent further into available water supplies. The prospect of critically decreasing water supplies has state and local leaders looking hard for alternative water sources. Seawater, brackish (somewhat salty) groundwater, and even brackish surface water in existing reservoirs could all serve as alternative sources. But to make the water usable, it must go through the desalination process, which removes saline concentrations and other impurities.

An Increasingly Popular Technology

Texas has more than 100 desalination plants that treat either brackish surface water or groundwater. Municipal desalination accounts for 23 million gallons of water per day, while industry desalination accounts for 17 million gallons per day. Yet these equal to less than 1 percent of the total water volume produced statewide.

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What has prevented desalination from becoming more widely used? Economics—at least until now. A recent report by the Texas Water Development Board indicates costs now range from $1.50 to $2.75 a gallon to produce usable desalinated water. Cities in Governor Rick Perry’s seawater initiative expect to have municipal water available for about $2.50 to $4.50 per 1,000 gallons. This includes the infrastructure and capital amortization. “It appears to me we’re getting more and more to the point where desalination can be more competitive with building long pipelines or pumping water from deeper aquifers,” says Dr. Allan Jones, director of the Texas Water Resources Institute, a unit of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Texas Cooperative Extension. Jones, along with a team of researchers, is studying desalination as an alternative water source. The process became clearer when Jones traveled to Spain and saw thousands of acres of greenhouses growing cucumbers, squash and other vegetables that will soon be using desalinated seawater. “That’s a huge economic engine that provides most of the vegetables for Western Europe,” Jones says. “It [greenhouse vegetable production] started developing there 15 years ago,” he continues. “It’s become very productive and profitable. The whole industry got started on groundwater, and they have depleted the underground aquifers. The European Union created one large desalina-

Angelo. We went through a period of drought, and it made us acutely aware of identifying additional water sources. Desalination has a lot of benefits.” In Texas, sources for brackish groundwater span from the Panhandle to West and East Texas and on through South Texas and the Coastal Bend regions. Aquifers that have moderately saline groundwater, which contains between 1,000 and 10,000 parts per million of total dissolved solids, have been identified by the Texas Water Development Board. They represent the most economically feasible source of brackish water to treat for public water supply purposes. Dr. Bill Fox, a senior researcher at TWRI, says he believes desalinated water could lighten the load on the amount of freshwater consumed in communities across the state. “If you could substitute desalinated waters that might not meet the quality used for drinking water but would meet the quality for livestock water or water to grow plants in nurseries, this would be a viable option,” he says. “Rangeland restoration efforts, especially for relatively small critical areas, could also use desalinated water.”

Jim Lyle

Desalination in the Oil Patch Dr. David Burnett checks the gauges of A&M’s Global Petroleum Research Institute’s mobile desalination laboratory, which can turn a gallon of brackish water into drinking water in minutes.

tion plant committed to providing water for the greenhouse industry.” TWRI is seeking legislative funding to help communities evaluate desalination and other water supply options. The institute is already looking into a technology called capacitive deionization, which requires less energy than reverse osmosis to remove salts from water and could be used in conjunction with nontraditional sources of energy, such as solar or wind energy. Capacitive deionization is an electrochemical reaction process involving the development of a highly porous material called carbon aerogel that has an electrical charge and removes mass volumes of ions—such as salt—found in water. Reverse osmosis is the process of removing salts from water using a membrane. With reverse osmosis, the water passes through a fine membrane that traps salts. The salt waste (brine) is removed and disposed of.

A Boon for West Texas Texas experienced some of the worst drought conditions ever during the late 1990s; desalinated water could provide an alternative or supplemental water source for many rural drought-stricken communities. “Most people here are positive toward any source of water,” says Michael Dalby, president of the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce. “We don’t have a lot of water out here, and we’ve done some great work in conserving water,” Dalby continues. “We use surface water as a majority of our water here in San

There are millions of gallons of brackish water in the oil patch, according to Dr. David Burnett, a petroleum engineer and director of Texas A&M University’s Global Petroleum Research Institute. He has been touting the use of desalinated oil field brine and has received endorsement from Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, the Texas Water Development Board and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The oil and gas fields in West Texas produce more than 400 million gallons a day of brine. Most is re-injected for pressure control, but a significant number of small leases have to truck the brine from the well site to a disposal well. The transportation costs take a big bite out of oil and gas producers’ revenue each year. “It’s costing the oil producer $15 to $40 per 1,000 gallons to put that water on the truck and haul it to a disposal well,” Burnett says. Burnett has spearheaded the engineering of a mobile trailer to serve as a complete laboratory that can treat brackish water on a well site and turn it into water suitable for drinking. “The trailer can make a gallon to 2 gallons of drinking water a minute from some of the nastiest stuff you’ve ever seen,” he says. “It’s an eye-opener.” The water is treated using membrane technology, similar to reverse osmosis. Burnett says a membrane “looks just like a piece of paper—like a coffee filter.” Water flows at a high rate through the membrane “so the particles don’t plug it,” he says. Brackish water produced from an oil or gas well often contains iron sulfide, as well as several forms of bacteria and algae. The membrane treatment is used to remove the impurities, with water pressures of 30 to 80 pounds per square inch. “The cost depends on the pressure it takes to run the membrane,” says Burnett. “The tighter the membrane, the higher the pressure. The higher the salinity in the water, the higher the pressure. And the fresher the water, the more you’ve got to pass through the membranes, and each of those (passes)

Lifescapes

adds costs. We can take all the suspended solids out, the algae out, for less than $10 per thousand gallons.” Burnett sees oil and gas companies finding a new source of water for the day-to-day activities in the oil field—everything from fracturing (injecting water and acid into a well to increase flow) to drilling and cementing a well. “We’re going to a saltwater disposal site where Key Energy is paid to take saltwater and dispose of it,” Burnett says. “They are taking all of the water they can and have trucks backed up because the disposal well can only handle so much. What I’m looking at is taking the suspended solids and oil out of the water and giving it to Key Energy so they can give it back to companies to use in the oil field.”

Overall, the adoption of this treated water will be slow to gain acceptance. However, those living in the dry portions of the state will have no choice but to give it a look. “I see it as a good old adoption-diffusion model,” Theodori says. “You will have some early adopters who will stick their necks out and try it, and then there will be some who resist it. At some point, if individuals still want to live in West Texas, they are going to have to find alternative water sources.”

Fungi, algae and other impurities are filtered out before brackish water is considered suitable for human consumption, but there are still social hurdles to using desalination to provide clean drinking water. “(Desalination) is not a silver bullet,” Dalby explains. “The whole goal is to have a supplemental source to our water supply. A lot of these underground sources are unproven, and it’s not a small-dollar item to go after them. We have to do it in a manner to have not just one good water source, but multiple sources, because of expense.” Can society accept desalinated water for daily use? “Yes,” says Dr. Gene Theodori, Texas Cooperative Extension specialist for community development. “Because it’s simply going to be a necessity. With the drought over the past decade or so, that puts you into a situation where you are going to need alternative water sources to supplement current water sources.”

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With the ever-increasing population of Texas, it is Dr. Gene Theodori’s job to help educate communities about alternative water sources, such as desalinated oil field brine.

For 14 years, McNeill was the Texas Cooperative Extension beef cattle specialist at The Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Amarillo, where he pioneered the use of computers as decision aids in beef cattle production and management. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal science from Texas A&M in 1968 and 1970 and a doctorate in animal nutrition from the University of Kentucky in 1974. Before joining Extension, he served as a professor of animal science at West Texas A&M University in Canyon. McNeill joined the Department of Animal Science as associate department head in 1990 and was named department head in 2002. He received numerous awards while at Texas A&M, including being named the 2004 Beef Booster of the Year by the Texas Brahman Breeders Association. The 50th Annual Beef Cattle Short Course at Texas A&M was dedicat-

ed to McNeill in 2004. He won Texas A&M Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence in 1994 and posthumously in 2004, Extension’s Superior Service Award in 1993, and the Texas A&M Former Students Association Faculty Distinguished Service Award in Extension in 1992. Dr. Gary R. Acuff, a professor of food microbiology and a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station faculty fellow, has been named interim head of the Department of Animal Science. McNeill is survived by his wife, Judy, of College Station; three children, Mary Jon Huffhines of Kansas City, Mo., Kay McNeill of Modesto, Calif., and Scott McNeill of Pleasanton; and four grandchildren. Memorial donations (payable to the Texas A&M Foundation) can be sent to the John W. McNeill Scholarship Fund, Texas A&M University Department of Animal Science, 2471 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2471.

In Memoriam

Dr. John W. McNeill, head of the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University, died at his home October 24, 2004. He was 58. “We are mourning the passing of a gentleman whose passion and commitment for serving Texas has made an impact on the animal industry for over three decades,” said Dr. Edward A. Hiler, former vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences. “John was an avid champion and leader in animal science statewide and nationally. He was instrumental in developing strong university and departmental relations with the Texas beef cattle industry, and his contributions will continue to have a farreaching impact in the future.” McNeill led Texas Cooperative Extension’s Ranch to Rail program, the nation’s largest feedlot performance and carcass evaluation test for cattle. He also led the Value-Added Calf program, a vaccination and management system that emerged from Ranch to Rail.

Jerrold Summerlin

Passing the Drinking Water Test

Enhancing Enterprise Texans and Extension partner to boost rural economies by Tim McAlavy

common thread emerged when Texas Cooperative Extension asked Texans to voice their concerns in its Texas Community Futures Forums in 1999 and 2004. Texans are concerned about shrinking local economies, especially in rural areas where economic prosperity has been closely tied to industries such as agriculture and oil and natural gas production. When these giants suffer through down times, Main Street Texas suffers as well. So how does an education agency such as Texas Cooperative Extension take a common thread and help weave a solution? The answer lies with Texans themselves—in bringing people together and helping to focus their knowledge, expertise, experience and resources on rebuilding local economies by investing in Texas entrepreneurs and the Texas workforce.

Tim McAlavy

Incubating Fledgling Businesses

ABOVE: Gary Sage (left) of Sage Oil Vac reviews a business plan with David Terry, associate director of the West Texas A&M University Enterprise Network. Sage Oil Vac will be the first “graduate” of the Amarillo Enterprise Center. RIGHT: Governor Rick Perry (left) and State Representative Carl Isett of Lubbock present a $379,621 workforce development grant to Wes Tex Allied Communities.

“We had to find a way to address the need for new economic development,” says Bob Robinson, regional program director for agriculture and natural resources in Extension’s North Region. “I knew Don Taylor at the Office of Business Development at West Texas A&M University would have some expertise to offer.” A meeting with Taylor generated a partnership that helped the West Texas A&M University Enterprise Network and its “rural business incubator” take shape in the Texas Panhandle. The incubator was initially funded in 2001 by a $1.5 million appropriation from the state legislature and $1 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. The network currently operates three business incubator facilities, in Amarillo, Dumas and Borger. The hub of the incubator network is the 31,000-square-foot Amarillo Enterprise Center. “We provide physical facilities and resources that fledgling business owners might not be able to afford on their own,” says David Terry, associate director of the network. “Our fourperson staff helps business owners develop their management and manufacturing skills and build a support network.” Businesses in the incubators lease their own production and office space from the network but share such resources as break rooms, office equipment and supplies. Network staff members help business owners develop short- and long-term business plans, conduct market research, build a client base, and execute marketing, sales and product distribution.

Lifescapes

“Each incubator is owned by a community or its economic development agency,” says Dan Redd, Extension rural development specialist headquartered in Amarillo. “The network provides $50,000 toward the purchase or construction of each satellite incubator facility.” Three other hometown incubators are slated to open—in Childress, Tulia and Pampa—this year. The network hopes to eventually have 20 satellite incubators operating across the Panhandle, Terry says. Gary and Helen Sage brought their business, Sage Oil Vac, into the Amarillo incubator in 2002. Sage Oil Vac will be the incubator’s first “graduate” this spring, when the Sages move their firm into its own new 24,000-square-foot building. The incubator gave the Sages a secure place to grow their fledgling portable oil vacuum business without making a big initial financial investment in a building. Network staff helped them develop and refine their business plan, make cost and sales projections, and determine how much capital to spend on marketing and advertising. “Our sales have increased from around $330,000 in 2002 to $1.6 million in 2004,” Sage says. “We had five employees when we moved in here. Now we are up to 10 full-time employees and seven part-time employees. “We will stay involved with the incubator, even after we graduate,” Sage says. “We can serve as mentors as others have done for us. We plan to give back what the incubator has given to us: a solid chance of business success.” The 18 businesses in the three network incubators run the gamut, from light industrial manufacturers, financial and communications consultants, software developers, and home remodeling suppliers to homeschooling specialists and medical consultants. They have produced 87 jobs and approximately $1.8 million in sales to date.

Fostering Entrepreneurs Texans pulled together in rural Lamb County to develop and fund an “enterprise facilitation” project aimed at fostering entrepreneurship across the county. “We are concerned about the future of our local communities and our economy,” says Joan Chandler, Extension family and consumer science agent in Lamb County. “We started looking at ways to bring new businesses into our county.” Chandler sought the advice of Extension family and consumer sciences specialist Pam Brown, who told her about the Sirolli Institute, a Minnesota-based company that advocates grassroots economic development. The institute helps communities create a local board to identify, guide and support citizens who want to create their own businesses. The board employs a trained enterprise facilitator to work with budding entrepreneurs worldwide. Twenty-five local businesses and agencies raised $4,000 to bring founder Ernesto Sirolli to the Lamb County seat, Littlefield, for a seminar in November 2003. An alliance called Wes Tex Allied Communities grew out of that seminar and set to work raising seed money to fund its own entrepreneurship project. The alliance includes key leaders from throughout Lamb County, as well as in the city of Anton, on the northwestern edge of Hockley County. “We applied for a Sirolli enterprise facilitation grant and can-

Spring 2005

vassed the community until we raised $100,000 in initial funding,” Chandler says. The alliance also sought advice and support from local legislators. On Dec. 1, 2004, Governor Rick Perry presented $2.6 million in federal Wagner-Peyser grants to fund eight workforce development projects statewide. The Lamb County alliance received $379,621 of those funds. WorkSource of the South Plains, a nonprofit agency for economic development, helped the alliance develop its grant proposal and will administer the funds for the Lamb County enterprise facilitation project. “Now we [the alliance] can search for and hire a trained enterprise facilitator,” Chandler says. “Our goal is to identify and foster at least 10 new businesses in the county by recruiting entrepreneurs who want to make their business dream a reality.”

Strengthening Workforce Skills Educators, business and civic leaders, and citizens in Northeast Texas are working together to strengthen local workforce skills through Project 20/20, a task force of the Hunt County Alliance for Economic Development. “The alliance was formed after our Community Futures Forum identified a concern about quality workforce skills,” says Mary Sue Cole, Extension family and consumer sciences agent in Hunt County. “The community wants to strengthen our capacity to provide quality workforce education so local businesses have the workers they need to thrive and expand.” The Project 20/20 task force surveyed area school districts, colleges and businesses last year to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the county’s workforce and generate ideas for improving worker training. Greg Clary, Extension economist based at Overton and director of the Texas Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, developed the survey. Educators surveyed indicated that students need a combination of technical, computer and people skills to succeed in the local workforce. Employers, on the other hand, favored ethical work habits, dependability, consistency and a capacity for onthe-job training. “Educators were focused on providing nursing, office, technology and computer-programming training,” says Clary, who directs and conducts economic development training statewide. “Businesses, however, preferred a background in adult basic education and English as a second language. Both agreed that career days, mentor programs and job fairs provide an important link between school and work. Our objective is to get businesses and educators working together to improve workforce skills.” “Our next step as a community is to develop new workforce training opportunities, based on the input we received from educators and businesses,” Cole says. These efforts to reinvigorate rural Main Street economies are encouraging, says Greg Taylor, Extension’s associate director of community programs. “These are but three examples of what Texans can achieve when we combine resources, experience and expertise to address a common concern,” he says. “Through partnerships we can create new businesses, foster entrepreneurship, and strengthen communities and tax bases statewide.”

Proud Aggies Texas A&M honored to be part of Hlavinka family tradition by Jay Cockrell

hen Joe Hlavinka of East Bernard enrolled at Texas A&M University in 1952, there were no fireworks or fancy floats and banners, but it certainly was the beginning of a paradeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a parade of Hlavinka descendants who would become Texas Aggies. Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father, J. C. Hlavinka, was born in Nechvalin, Moravia (in what is now the Czech Republic), and immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1905. On the advice of a business colleague, J. C. determined that all six of his children would pursue degrees at Texas A&M.

Lifescapes

This included Joe Hlavinka, a 1956 Texas A&M graduate in animal husbandry, a successful farmer and owner of numerous farm equipment businesses in Southeast Texas. Following in that tradition, all five of Joe’s children also graduated as Aggies. In all, 18 of J. C.’s descendants have graduated from Texas A&M, accounting for a total of 87 years at the university. Joe and his wife, Patty, were honored as Aggie Parents of the Year in 1985. “We were really surprised,” says Joe. “We thought it was just another trip to College Station for Parents’ Weekend.” To the Hlavinkas, the most gratifying aspect of this honor is that Aggie parents are nominated by their children. Their oldest child, Michael, has a doctorate in chemical engineering and lives with his family in College Station. Michelle and her husband share a veterinary practice in Dallas. Sarah is an attorney and lives with her husband in Houston. The younger sons, Terry ’85 and Kenneth ’90, are at home in East Bernard, continuing the family tradition in agriculture. Last Christmas, the Hlavinka children surprised their parents by establishing the Patty and Joseph Hlavinka Jr. ’56 President’s Endowed Scholarship at Texas A&M. “I was honored, of course,” Joe says, “but helping out young students is even more gratifying.” Dr. John Siebert, a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, has invited Joe to visit his class as “professor for a day” twice in the past four years. Siebert was most impressed with Joe’s knowledge, enthusiasm and compassion. “Mr. Hlavinka is a superb role model for young Aggies,” Siebert says. “After his talk he spent a considerable amount of time answering questions one-on-one. His interest in the success of each student was most evident.”

Jerrold Summerlin

Jay Cockrell

Roland Orsak

Jay Cockrell

agriculture OPPOSITE: Patty and Joe Hlavinka Jr. ’56, owners of Hlavinka Equipment Company, are the parents of five A&M graduates, who surprised them last year by establishing an endowed scholarship in their names. ABOVE: (left to right) Joe in his East Bernard office. Kenneth Hlavinka ’90 and Brian Hlavinka ’93, a distant cousin, created this A&M “crop formation” after months of planning. Terry Hlavinka ’85 (right) talks with a sales rep during an annual open house at the Hlavinka Equipment Company store in Nome.

Spring 2005

Over the years, Joe has remained an avid supporter of the university. According to Dr. Stephen Searcy, associate head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, he has played a major role in the advancement of the cotton engineering program at Texas A&M. In the late 1990s, a cotton industry support group worked to establish a chair in Cotton Engineering, Ginning and Mechanization. “Joe was actively involved in that effort, generously providing his time, resources and influence,” Searcy says. “Due to his strong encouragement, Case IH made a major contribution to fund the chair. In addition, Joe donated a cotton picker that has been a critical resource in my research.” The cotton picker is used to evaluate and improve cotton yield mapping systems. Most recently, Joe’s Hlavinka Equipment Company donated a Case tractor, with a mower and front loader, to the Parsons Mounted Cavalry, an elite unit of the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets. Members of this group care for the horses and maintain their pastures, so the tractor donation was crucial for their day-to-day operations. In recognition of all his efforts, Joe received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2003. The award honors individuals who support the university and achieve excellence in their business and personal lives. Joe Hlavinka has also been a leader in his hometown of East Bernard. He has served as president of the East Bernard Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce, director of the Wharton County Youth Fair, school board member in the East Bernard Independent School District, and board chairman for the Lissie United Methodist Church. He does all this and sees to the daily operations of the family business as well. With a degree in agricultural economics, Terry Hlavinka spends most of his time at the Hlavinka equipment dealerships. Joe gives Terry credit for expanding the family business endeavors. “In 1986, the year after Terry came home from college, we bought our second equipment dealership, and with our newest store in Tivoli, we now have seven locations,” Joe says. Terry also had ideas for expansion beyond the equipment company. In 1988, he acquired the family’s first piece of land

Giving Matters

for production agriculture. They started out with 250 acres and have grown more than tenfold since then. Kenneth, whose family represents the fifth generation to live in the original Hlavinka home built by his great-grandfather in 1911, manages the farm operations. He has six full-time employees, including his distant cousin and right-hand man, Brian Hlavinka ’93. In addition to his other duties, Brian scouts the cotton, sorghum and corn, while Kenneth keeps a close watch on the rice. According to Terry and Kenneth, their dad is the heart of the business. He is the driving force behind it all—the dealerships, the farming, everything. Of course, Joe would disagree. He insists that his boys work harder and deserve more of the credit for the family’s success. Either way, a success it is. This year the Hlavinkas are planning for 2,000 acres in rice, 1,600 acres in cotton, and 300 acres in soybeans, in addition to several hundred head of cattle.

Gary Bequest Creates Student Endowment, Scholarship Professional engineer Robert J. Gary, Class of 1947, recently established two endowments, with a bequest of $811,000, to provide for recruiting and training top-notch graduate students in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and undergraduate students in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He hopes the endowments will help A&M students become national and international leaders on water issues. “I think water is going to be the biggest thing, down the road,” Gary says, “and I’d like to see Texas A&M become the water supercenter of the world. We hope to help produce the water managers for the industry.” The Robert J. Gary ’47 Graduate Student Assistance Endowment will support the Caroline and William N. Lehrer Distinguished Chair in Water Engineering and will provide student fellowships to cover tuition, fees and travel expenses. The Robert J. Gary ’47 Undergraduate Scholarship Program will support undergraduate study of the economic, engineering, legal, policy and technological aspects of water and environmental issues. Gary has held administrative positions with General Electric, Texas Utilities and TU Electric and has served on many advisory boards. Since 1992, he has concentrated on humanitarian projects involving agriculture and the environ-

Terry says teamwork is the key. Hlavinka Equipment Company has grown over the 66 years since J. C. purchased the family’s first equipment dealership in 1939 for $18,500. It now supports more than 100 employees. “Much of our success is due to the efforts of our employees,” Terry says. “We have been fortunate to find dedicated men and women who have made this work their career, not just their job.” The Hlavinka family has grown as well—Joe and Patty boast 16 grandchildren. Michael’s son Alex is the oldest, now a ninth-grader at Bryan High School. He is already making plans to attend Texas A&M University, so the parade of Hlavinkas continues into the next generation, building on a rock-solid Aggie tradition.

ment, as well as medical, electrical and water issues, especially the increasing scarcity and decreasing quality of water supplies.

COADC Matches Donations Funding Hiler Scholarship Individual contributions totaling $25,000 and a matching $25,000 gift from the College of Agriculture Development Council (COADC)—for a total of $50,000—will be used to establish the COADC–Edward A. Hiler Endowed Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to a student pursuing an undergraduate degree through the Department of Nutrition and Food Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M. Dr. Hiler retired last year as vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences, dean of the college, and director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, a post he had held since 1992. He began his 38-year career at Texas A&M as a professor of agricultural engineering and became deputy chancellor for academic and research programs for The Texas A&M University System in 1989. He is currently the inaugural holder of the Ellen and Jim Ellison Chair in International Floriculture in the Department of Horticultural Sciences (see related story in “Trailblazers,” page 9).

Palms Establish COALS Scholarship Bob and Margaret Palm of Nacogdoches have established the Margaret and Robert N. Palm ’65 Student

Assistance Program with a $25,000 endowment. Income from the endowment will be used to provide student scholarships and financial aid awards for tuition and books to full-time students in good standing pursuing a degree from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Students will be selected on the basis of academic achievement, extracurricular activities and financial need. “We believe the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences does a superb job in mentoring all of its students,” says Bob, a 1965 A&M graduate who is senior vice president and regional manager for Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation. “We hope to provide more students with the opportunity to be a part of this outstanding college within A&M.” Bob expressed his deep gratitude to Texas A&M for providing him with the education and leadership abilities that have helped him become successful in his career. The Palms, named Texas A&M Parents of the Year in 1997, have three children, all Aggies. Susan earned an M.B.A. from A&M in 1997 and Michael a B.S. in 2000. Anna will graduate in May of this year with a B.A. and plans to go to law school. Margaret, a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University with a double major in Spanish and English, is a former high school teacher. Her involvement with A&M has been extensive. “I feel like I’m an Aggie too,” she says. “As my dad says: ‘Aggie by proxy.’”

Lifescapes

Bright

IDEAS. Bright FUTURES. You Make a Difference at A&M! Some of the nation’s top graduate and undergraduate students are studying youth development at Texas A&M, thanks to Dr. Peter A. Witt, a professor in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences and holder of the Elda K. Bradberry Chair for Youth Development, established in 1999 through a gift from The Sequor Foundation. The students gain teaching, research and outreach skills to help them become the next generation of faculty focusing on youth development issues. In the summer of 2004, several students who received funding from the Bradberry endowment contributed chapters to a textbook on recreation and youth development. Endowment funds also allow A&M students to participate in and evaluate community-based after-school programs, which help children from economically disadvantaged families overcome the risks of being without adult supervision after the end of the organized school day. A model program at the Jane Long Middle School in Bryan, Texas, is giving stu-

dents the opportunity to work with local children. “This will be an excellent learning experience for the students and a chance to give back to the community,” says Witt, who recently received the Crawford Youth Prize for his work in other Texas communities. Local schools and programs such as the one at Jane Long Middle School can function as a springboard to new ideas that have a positive impact on young people throughout the state and the nation. For information on One Spirit One Vision giving opportunities in agriculture and life sciences, please contact the Agriculture Program Development Office at (979) 847-9314 or by e-mail at apdo@ag.tamu.edu. Agriculture Program Development Office 2142 TAMU College Station, Texas 77843-2142 http://giving.tamu.edu

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Inside this issue . . . It has been a bountiful harvest for the Texas spinach industry, which is making a comeback thanks to the help of Texas A&Mâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agriculture experts (see our story on page 14). This issue of Lifescapes also reports on progress that our researchers and specialists are making on several other agricultural fronts: the restoration of rangelands damaged by military maneuvers at Fort Hood (page 2), the development of a mild habanero pepper (page 6), and the promise of a new water resource through desalination (page 29).