1.01.11 Issue of Land and Livestock Post

January 1, 2011

DRILLING FOR WATER IN TEXAS PAGE 12 A GOOD YEAR FOR AGRICULTURE

SWINDLED

Todd Staples reямВects on 2010.

Indiana company costs producers millions.

FEDERAL CUTBACKS

BIOLOGICAL CONTROLS

PAGE 3

Farm Bill programs may be reduced.

PAGE 7

PAGE 9

What works best on root-knot nematodes.

PAGE 17

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ January 1, 2011

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All Texans reaped the benefit From the General Manager of a good year for agriculture A

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against any retailers who sell contaminated or tainted fuel to Texas consumers.

Another 2010 initiative aimed at protecting all Texans came in the form of a ramped up fight against a destructive feral hog population that costs urban and rural Texans an estimated $400 million a year.

In October, I issued a statewide challenge to counties called “Hog Out Month — Get the Hog Outta Texas!� to reduce the state’s feral hog population by awarding grants to Texas counties making the biggest strides toward combating this aggressive pest.

• See STAPLES/Page 4

January 1, 2011

The Eagle

seasons and harvests, proving once again that Texas agriculture is a powerhouse of productivity. Wine-grape growers are projecting a record-setting harvest this year at 44 percent higher than last year. Texas citrus came in early and abundantly this year, capturing the attention of international buyers, such as those in Japan, who have historically relied on Florida for their supply.

Here at home, our consumer protection initiatives also reached a new level for the 16 million motorists on Texas roads. The Texas Legislature assigned an unprecedented authority to Texas Department of Agriculture to monitor fuel quality and enforce penalties

find water and we’ll talk to them in this issue. We take a look at water wells and water rights in Texas, and cover some of the issues you may face if you own a well or are planning to drill one.

We also hear from Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples and find out how things ended up in 2010, as well as a look at the challenges facing us in 2011.

All this along with the other stories and features should help kick this paper off to a pretty good start for the new year. ’Til next time,

âœŞ

T

exas soil was fruitful and blessed in 2010, and as a result, all Texans reaped the benefits from our $100 billion agriculture industry that provides us with the safest, most affordable and most abundant food supply in the world.

Texas farmers and ranchers were relieved to receive better-than-average rainfall and no major hurricanes this year. It was a dream year compared to the nightmare of TODD STAPLES 2009, where a Commissioner devastating of Agriculture drought ravaged the Texas agriculture industry.

In 2010, the Texas cotton industry reached a milestone in functionally eradicating a list of Texas regions from the devastating boll weevil pest.

Now with 89 percent of Texas’ cotton acreage weevil-free, all Texans can look forward to the highest quality cotton in the jeans and T-shirts we love so much.

Similarly, both wine-grape and citrus farmers experienced exceptional growing

s I’m writing this, it’s just before Christmas and I have my shirtsleeves rolled up and a fan blowing because it is downright hot. This week is about the third week this “winter� in which I’ve had to run JESSE WRIGHT the A/C and the heater in the same week.

They say in Texas that if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.

Thankfully that is true, and I hope it means we’ll get a change from this dry weather we’ve been having. Even during the driest periods, though, there are some that know how to

The Land & Livestock Post

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ January 1, 2011

Commentary

Staples From 3 Fighting hunger and obesity remained another priority this year. Once again I encouraged mayors across the state to participate in the Mayors Challenge and help us in providing millions of meals to children who rely on schoolyear lunch programs and might otherwise go hungry during the summer. In 2010, we saw a statewide increase of just less than 12 percent in summer program meals served to children in need.

Together with churches, charities and dedicated Texans everywhere, we’re working toward the goal of ending food insecurity in Texas.

Even while Texas ranks among the nation’s leaders for food insecurity, we also rank among the top states for childhood obesity. By continuing to

aggressively promote the 3E’s of Healthy Living — Education, Exercise and Eating Right — we are encouraging schools, children and parents to improve their lives by making better lifestyle choices.

As we look toward 2011, we know there are tough challenges ahead. The legislature is dealing with a budget shortfall, and the upcoming redistricting is expected to reduce the number of legislators from rural Texas, which could affect polices regarding our food and fiber supply. These obstacles and others will challenge us like never before, but with challenge comes opportunity.

We stand ready to take this opportunity to assist the agriculture industry and continue telling the story of how agriculture touches the lives of all Texans each and every day.

• Todd Staples is Texas Commissioner of Agriculture.

Events Calendar January

4

Jan. 8: Live Oak Beefmaster Bull Sale, Three Rivers, Texas.

Jan. 15: AQHA Best of the Remuda Sale, FWSSR, Fort Worth, Texas.

Jan. 21: Best of the West Angus Female Sale, FWSSR, Fort Worth, Texas.

Jan. 22: Stars of Texas Angus Female Sale, FWSSR, Fort Worth, Texas.

Jan 28: Cowtown Cattle Drive Charolais Sale, FWSSR, Fort Worth, Texas.

Jan 28: The Cowtown Classic Limousin Sale, FWSSR, Fort Worth, Texas.

Jan. 29: Farm & Ranch Equipment Auction - Port City Stockyards, Sealy, TX. (979) 865-5468 Jan 29: Fort Worth Red Angus Showcase Sale, FWSSR, Fort Worth, Texas.

Jan 30: 42nd Annual Commercial

Some cattle just don’t like life in a gated community I t’s become a tradition of this column to start the year with a story devoted to the humorous side of raising cattle. Anyone who has been around cattle for very many years has plenty of stories to tell. Our story for 2011 could be called “Don’t forget to lock the gate.”

One morning in July, I was asked by the USDA Research Laboratory on Agronomy Road in College Station to vaccinate 20 steers. After lunch, I headed out to the corral with four fourth-year veterinary students. Twenty Brahman-cross steers weighing 500 pounds each were nervously milling around in the pen. The USDA veterinar-

ian said they came from an isolated ranch in West Texas and had not seen many humans.

I noticed some bird droppings on the work table as we began to set up, so I sent STEVE a student to WIKSE , DVM the truck for paper towels.

She exited and re-entered the working area through a three-foot-wide gate in the corner of a crowd pen which contained eight steers. A student then swung the crowd pen gate around to push the steers into the alley leading

to the squeeze chute. A steer slid forward along the outside wall of the crowd pen and when his shoulder reached the exit gate it bounced open. Open ... to the world! All eight steers instantly streaked through the gate.

Red alert! We quickly circled the escapees and cornered them outside a padlocked pasture gate. We could taste a successful recovery.

That was not to be. No one knew the code for the combination lock. We waited patiently. The steers didn’t.

They broke to freedom again.

• See WIKSE/Page 5

Hereford Sale, FWSSR, Fort Worth, Texas.

Jan 30: Dennis Charolais Beefgene Charolais Bull Sale, Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Jan 30: Fort Worth National “Cowtown Select” Hereford and Polled Hereford Sale, FWSSR, Fort Worth, Texas.

February

Feb. 2-5: 2011 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, Denver, CO. Feb. 5: Double Creek Farms 3rd Annual Angus Bull Sale. Bryan, TX. 254-4352988 Feb. 10: Land & Livestock Post advertising Deadline Feb. 12: Bradley 3 Ranch Angus Bull Sale, Memphis, Texas.

Feb. 23: Thomas Charolais 5th Annual Spring Bull Sale, Raymondville, TX. 956689-5162 Feb. 24: Land & livestock Post advertising Deadline Feb. 26: 44 Farms Prime Cut Spring Bull Sale. Cameron, TX. (254) 697-4401

Do you have a sale or event you’d like listed? Call Jesse Wright at (979) 731-4721 or email jesse.wright@theeagle.com

Wikse From 4

We quickly circled the escapees and cornered them outside a padlocked pasture gate.. W We could taste a successful recovery. ry. That was not to be. No one knew ry the code for the combination lock.. W We waited patiently. The steers didn’t. They broke to freedom again. ly That evening, I recounted the whole episode to my wife as we drove to various locations of our chase. A knowing smile came over her face as she inspected the crowd pen gate used by the escapees. It had a brand new shiny chain and lock around it.

And, remember that steer east of Texas 6 by the Physician’s Centre?

Apparently it joined a new herd or reverted to the wild.

No one ever saw it again.

• Dr. Dr Steve Wikse is a retired tir tired pr professor of large-animal lar clinical sciences in the College of Veterinary terinar Medicine at Texas terinary Te A&M University.

University

By BLAIR FANNIN Texas AgriLife Communications

WACO — Strategies to reduce aflatoxin in corn and feral hog control methods with netting devices will be featured topics at the 49th Blackland Income Growth Conference Feb. 8-9 at the Extraco Events Center in Waco.

Aflatoxin is a fungus that affects corn. High levels of aflatoxin in corn that are fed as grain can be lethal to livestock and wildlife.

“It certainly has been a big problem in certain areas of Texas this year due to extreme temperatures,” said Ron Woolley, conference coordinator and Texas AgriLife Extension Service regional program director. “There will be several presentations

January 1, 2011

The steer then ran into Wolf Pen Creek Car Wash.

My best roper got one more missed loop off of just as the galloping steer flew out into thin air and dropped 15 feet down a steep bank into Wolf Pen Creek.

“He’s broke his leg!” shouted a student. He was stunned in the water, but when we went down after him his legs worked fine. He ran halfway up the bank and backed into a tangle of logs and limbs deposited by the creek.

He was real mad and charged us as we stumbled on the dangerous footing trying to get a halter on him. We finally haltered him and tied him to a tree for the night.

The next morning, we tranquilized him and yarded him up the creek bank into a trailer.

Income growth conference set

✪

Off we went after them. We managed to get four back into another pasture. The four wildest steers ran down Agronomy Road, crossed Wellborn Road and disappeared into 40 acres of dense woods. We scouted the area and found a corral in a corner of the woods.

I phoned the Large Animal Clinic for help. Alert Aggies started arriving and swarmed into the woods like a bunch of angry fire ants. I placed students along the sidewalk every 30 yards to prevent a steer from running onto Wellborn Road. A police car parked along the road with lights flashing to slow traffic. The policeman came over and blurted “Who’s in charge here?” My heart dropped to my big toe when it hit me that I was in charge of the huge mess.

Success was at hand, though, when we cornered the steers at the corral.

Again it slipped away. The four escapees spooked and scattered in four directions.

We captured two steers before dark. One was roped and loaded into a trailer on F.M. 2818 near University Drive. The other was chased all over Bryan and finally trapped in a back yard until our wildlife veterinarian arrived. He tranquilized it with a dart gun and we yarded it into a trailer.

Two steers continued to roam. I received a call from College Station Police at 8:30 p.m. on a sighting near apartments behind Northgate, across from the Texas A&M University campus. My students and I looked in the woods behind the apartments to no avail.

At 1 a.m., the police called from the Physician’s Centre on East University Drive.

They had seen one steer there and the other was seen on the Texas 6 median. I decided to drive along Texas 6 to look for that calf. An officer wanted our dart gun, so we left it with him.

We drove up and down

Texas 6, but saw no sign of a steer. About 3 a.m., we were driving on University Drive toward town when we saw an apparition that jolted my sleepy students and me: In the surreal yellow light of the street lamps, a steer galloped down Texas Avenue, closely followed by a Ford Mustang convertible with its top down.

Two co-eds were in the front of the Mustang and in the back stood a police officer with the dart gun aimed at the steer. “This one’s ours,” I shouted.

We turned south on Texas to follow the show. Boy, calves aren’t supposed to have that much endurance.

The officer shot and missed.

We cornered the steer at College’s Station Central Station and tried to rope it.

Another miss. He streaked to Harvey Road and suddenly stopped. A police car rolled up beside him. The back door opened, a student hopped out, grabbed his ear and triumphantly declared “I’ve got him!” Well ... at least for an instant.

The Land & Livestock Post

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ January 1, 2011 6

News

Second phase of Ecuadoran cattle project complete Beef Cattle Short Course at Texas A&M and met with cattle producers from Texas and other states. They received instruction on animal genetics and breeding, viewed advanced livestock projects and visited cattle production operations.

“The second phase of the project involved providing indepth technical assistance in Ecuador,” said Roman.

“Experts from Texas A&M’s

By PAUL SHATTENBERG Texas AgriLife Communications

QUITO, Ecuador — The second phase of an international project providing technical assistance to improve cattle production and dairy product quality in Ecuador has been completed, according to project coordinators.

Assistance has been provided through the Norman Institute for Borlaug Agriculture International and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

“Activities have been carried out in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service and Ecuador’s Ministry of Agriculture,” said Johanna Roman, Latin American programs coordinator for the Borlaug Institute.

The primary areas of interest to the ministry included disease prevention and treatment, herd production and management systems, meat and dairy product quality, and value chain development, she said.

Project activities include introducing Ecuadorean cattle producers to U.S. cattle production and management systems, providing technical training on livestock and dairy production and management, establishing connections between the agriculture ministry and public and private cattle producers, and identifying and addressing “broken links” in the livestock value chain.

An extensive and comprehensive training program has been developed for the project, said Mike McWhorter, international training coordinator for the Borlaug Institute.

“The main thrust of this training is toward improving the quality and quantity of the food base for Ecuador’s beef cattle and dairy producers,” McWhorter said. “We’re introducing producers and other agricultural experts to new technology, management practices and international quality standards so they can see how these might be adapted to their current production systems.”

The first phase of project activities included bringing a

department of animal science provided hands-on training to Ecuadoran cattle producers and agriculture ministry representatives. They addressed animal health and care, animal disease, livestock production systems, animal slaughter and other topics.”

Roman said the goal of the training was to increase local

• See ECUADOR/Page ECUADOR 19

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Borlaug Institute photo

Participants in an international project to improve the beef and dairy industry in Ecuador view cuts of meat at a Texas A&M University facility. facility Project assistant is being provided by the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. delegation of Ecuadoran producers and agriculture ministry representatives to Texas in August of 2009. Members of

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Producers should expect federal program cuts

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are due mostly to nighttime temperatures than daytime temperatures. In the last 20 years, increased nighttime temperatures changed very dramatically.”

Another area that hasn’t been addressed in examining the effects of climate change has been plant physiology and nighttime temperatures, he said.

“It’s one of the pieces of the puzzle that has been overlooked. We tend to look from a climatic view and not a plant physiological view.”

Higher nighttime temperatures will affect reproductive development “because of the sensitivity of pollen survival to temperature.”

“Increases in nighttime temperatures will have a large impact on both vegetative and reproductive growth,” he said. “Yields will be impacted because of shortened reproductive periods.

Occurrences of higher temperatures will cause faster phonological development.”

Hatfield noted a few indirect impacts of climate change, which include more weed infestations. “Weeds love CO2 (carbon dioxide) even more and they are showing positive response to rising CO2 concentrations,” he said.

Insects and diseases also increase with more favorable environments over the winter and more humid conditions during the growing season.

“Climate change will affe af ct agriculture,” he said. “Agriculture has adapted to climate change in the past and will again in response to longterm trends. These are some major challenges. These aren’t meant to scare you, it’s how we adapt to these scenarios. We need to figure out how to build some resilience in our cropping systems to handle that.”

January 1, 2011

plan for more fluctuations of extreme dry to wet weather patterns in the future.

“We will see an increase variance in precipitation in which we’re going to be experiencing longer periods of dry weather interspersed by longer periods of wet (weather),” he said. “It’s going to be a real challenge for agriculture on how to cope with this as we put together this puzzle.”

Aside from increases in the amount of carbon dioxide JERRY HATFIELD HA released into the atmosphere and temperature changes, Hatfield said there also has been an increase in water vapor.

“We’ve become much more humid and that’s also affe af cted temperatures,” he said.

He said nighttime temperatures have been overlooked when studying the changes in the atmosphere. “These increases in mean temperatures

✪

BRYAN — Agricultural producers should expect to see cuts to many federal farm programs as the next farm bill is debated in Washington, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist.

Joe Outlaw, AgriLife Extension economist and co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University, was quick to the point when addressing attendees at the 2010 Texas Plant Protection Confer- JOE OUTLAW OUTLA ence in Bryan.

“There’s go-ing to be a whole lot of looking to cut money out of what can be cut and agriculture is going to be cut,” Outlaw told attendees.

About one quarter of 1 percent of the federal budget goes to funding agriculture, Outlaw said.

What won’t be cut in a “year like this one” are nutrition programs, which account for about 75 percent of agriculture’s federal budget. Programs likely to be targeted for cuts include crop insurance as well as conservation and commodity programs, he said.

“When you break it all down, the main bull’s-eye is on the $5 billion in direct commodity payments. Nobody wants to cut conservation or crop insurance but they have in the past and will continue to be under budget-cutting pressure.”

Outlaw said it’s too soon to speculate on what will be the next “piece of ag-oriented legislation.”

“You can’t do much in terms of a farm bill next year until they tell us how much they are going to cut out of agriculture,” he said. “No question, we’re going to have less money. The question is with what you have left: Do you want to leave it as it is or do you want a different type of safety net?”

In addition to the threat of budget cuts, there are currently 37 farm bill programs equaling approximately $9.8 billion that do not have any

funding after the 2008 farm bill expires.

“If we are going to have any of these programs, which include the disaster program in the next bill, there will have to be cuts to other programs to provide the funding,” Outlaw said.

Overall, he said “all signs point to less of a safety net, regardless.”

“There’s no way I can put a positive spin on what’s coming out of Washington,” Outlaw said.

The cuts could also pressure lending, he noted.

“You don’t take less money and make everybody better off,” he said. “This is real life — they are going to make cuts. No question about it.”

Meanwhile, Jerry Hatfield, laboratory director and supervisory plant physiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, discussed ongoing research efforts in studying current climate change patterns. He said farmers and ranchers should

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The Land & Livestock Post âœŞ January 1, 2011

News Master Marketer Program begins Jan. 12 Conference

By BLAIR FANNIN Texas AgriLife Communications

WACO — The Master Marketer Program, which helps agricultural producers learn more about risk management strategies and making their operations more profitable, begins in January at the Texas Farm Bureau Conference Center in Waco.

The series begins with an optional one-day leveling session on Jan. 11 followed by the main workshop series beginning Jan. 12. “Volatile commodity prices, high input costs and increased competitive pressures challenge producers to adopt risk management skills to increase the likelihood of survival and profitability,� said Mark Welch, AgriLife Extension Service grains economist and one of the program instructors. “Farm programs are increasingly taking a market-oriented approach, making producer’s ability to manage price and production risk even more important,� Welch said. “One of the most successful programs in teaching risk management

to agricultural producers has been the intensive educational effo ef rt of the national award-winning Master Marketer Program. Producers are trained in advanced risk management and marketing techniques during this intensive 64-hour program,� he said.

Welch said the intensive training focuses on feedgrains, cotton, livestock and wheat. AgriLife Extension, the Texas Corn Producers Board, Texas Farm Bureau, Cotton State Support Committee and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Risk Management Agency sponsor the program.

Welch said several founding principles have made the Master Marketer Program successful. “First, all subject matter is taught at a highly applied rather than theoretical level so producers can see the relevance of what is being taught,� he said. “Second, a combination of teaching techniques are utilized to maximize learning effectiveness. This includes lecture, problem solving, small group work simulation exercises, and game

playing. Finally, the program is taught by the best instructors available. Speakers are selected on the basis of their expertise and communication skills,� Welch said The program consists of: • The optional one-day leveling workshop reviews the basics of futures and options, Jan. 11. • Session I builds the foundation of price risk management covering topics of budgets, marketing strategies, and weather risk, Jan. 12-13. • Session II covers crop fundamentals and insurance strategies, Jan. 2627. • Session III is devoted to technical analysis and livestock fundamentals, Feb. 9-10. • Session IV addresses marketing plans, marketing discipline, and financial and legal issues, Feb. 23-24.

Registration for the program is $250 and is limited to 60 individuals.

Registration closes Jan. 3.

For more information about the program and online registration, go to AgriLifevents.tamu.edu.

From 5 focusing on this issue. I think farmers will come away with several ideas on how to manage against this threat. “We will also have some new methods to control feral hogs, which is a statewide problem.,� he said Registration for the Feb. 8 sessions is $15 per person and includes lunch.

Several sessions will award continuing education units. Producers may download the brochure at stephenville.tamu. edu/blackland_income_growth/conference/index.php to see specific CEU allocations and sessions for both days.

Ron Smith, Southwest Farm Press editor, will be the keynote lunch speaker Feb. 8. Smith has spent more than 30 years reporting on agriculture issues.

The grain session, sponsored by the Texas Sorghum Board and Texas Corn Producers Board, also will feature a producer panel made up of Blackland farmers who will discuss methods to reduce aflatoxin levels in crops.

In conjunction with the conference, the Mid-Tex Farm and Ranch Show will be held both days featuring the latest implements and equipment.

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8

Cattle brokerage company swindles ranchers Eastern Livestock Co. may have cost producers as much as $130 million Broadbent said. “There’s too many rotten people for it still to be dealt with on a handshake. We’ve trusted too much.”

The USDA ordered Eastern to increase its bond from $875,000 to $1.15 million earlier this year, but the company ignored the order and the agency doesn’t have the authority to suspend companies’ operations when they don’t have adequate bonds.

Scott said the government needs greater enforcement power, but others said they didn’t think that was the answer in a fast-moving business like cattle trading.

“It’s just impractical,” Texas rancher John Welch said. “When you’re in busi-

• See SWINDLE/Page 11

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Federal agriculture officials filed a complaint in November against Eastern Livestock Co., accusing the firm of failing to pay for livestock purchases or maintain an adequate bond. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration had documented $81 million in returned checks, written between Nov. 3 and Nov. 9.

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LUBBOCK — The collapse of a Midwest cattle brokerage company that owes hundreds of ranchers as much as $130 million could result in some going under and has others wondering if regulatory changes are needed to prevent similar swindles in the future.

Federal agriculture officials filed a complaint in November against Indianabased Eastern Livestock Co. LLC, accusing it of bouncing checks for livestock purchases and failing to maintain an adequate bond to cover its debts.

The company owes money to about 740 ranchers in 30 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Three of those owed money have filed a lawsuit to try to force Eastern into involuntary bankruptcy.

The average loss of about $175,000 per rancher is enough to put some out of business, said David Scott, president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Many ranchers,

unaware that Eastern’s checks were no good, tried to pay bills and ended up writing bad checks themselves, ranchers said.

Eastern made money mainly by buying calves throughout the South and selling them to feed lots in big cattle states, including Texas and Oklahoma, where they were fattened for slaughter. Federal regulations require such companies to have sufficient bond to cover two days of business activity.

Eastern’s bond was only $875,000 even though it was buying what Lane Broadbent of KIS Futures in Oklahoma City described as “monstrous amounts” of cattle each week.

Broadbent is among those who advocate an escrow system in which money from cattle buyers would be held in an account until the animals were delivered, and then ranchers would be paid. Now, Broadbent said, some ranchers deliver animals before a buyer’s check has cleared.

They should be more careful, he said.

“Something’s got to change or this is going to be a problem for a long time,”

✪

By BETSY BLANEY Associated Press

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ January 1, 2011 10

Commentary

A source of entertainment C owboys are always a never-ending source of funny quips and oneliners delivered with a matter-of-fact tone that belies the actual humor within the words.

Put a cowboy on an airplane headed to the bright lights of Las Vegas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and his capacity for wit and humor pegs the needle on the laugh meter. The only thing funnier is an entire plane load of them.

JULIE CARTER Obviously COWGIRL SASS AND SAVVY acquainted and buddies, the banter passed back and forth amid the stewardess’ attempts to take drink orders and offer the usual Southwest Airlines snack.

Lightheartedly, one cowboy suggested little juice boxes would be in order for the lot of them because they needed to stay sober for their arrival in Vegas. He had been assured they were to be met by the champion Australian beach volleyball team.

The discussion quickly moved to a recent trip to Vegas one of the lads had made to stand up in a wedding. It was for his good friend who had decided, on the spur of the moment and a night of drinking, to get married.

The story teller said he got called in the middle of night, jumped on a plane and the wedding took place as soon as everybody could get there, at 8 a.m.

The cowboy next to him said, “If I ever get married again, it’ll be in the Elvis Wedding Chapel using a bubble gum wrapper for a wedding ring. That’s about as serious as I plan to be about it. Rode that horse already!”

With only an hour of openbar time, the cowboys in rows 13 and 14 managed to get themselves dubbed the “two-fer boys,” both for beer

and peanuts.

As a parting gift, over the loud speaker, the stewardess recognized them for their good humor and fun.

She also handed them a large bag of the peanut snack sacks as a reward for their “show.”

Those cowboys gave new meaning to “working for peanuts.”

On the shuttle bus to the hotel, a Texas cowboy, who showed some signs of aging wisdom, said he’d had to quit gambling.

When one of the other passengers asked why, he replied, “They kept complaining about the spit cups I used when I chewed, and I damn sure wasn’t going to give up chewing.”

Eight-time PRCA world champion bull rider Don Gay worked the NFR behind the

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ESPN microphone during the bull riding.

When asked if he thought he could still ride a bull, Don said, “Sometimes I think so.

Then I look down and there are about 25 pounds of me that have never been on a bull.”

The trade shows draw as many crowds as the casinos do.

At a National Ropers Supply booth a cowboy was scrutinizing a belt loaded with shiny glitz.

“That’s too blingy for you,” the woman with him said to him.

He chuckled as he hung the belt back on the rack and said, “I’m too fat to be flashy.”

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Swindle From 9 ness there’s not enough time — too many deals to try to keep up with it.”

Welch said he sold a couple of hundred head of cattle to Eastern about a month before it collapsed. His check, unlike scores of others, didn’t bounce.

Many cattle producers still make deals using “faith and a handshake,” just like they’ve done for decades, said Welch,

TE PRIVA Y T A E TR

rk An a l C

AP Photo/The Courier-Jo Courier-Journal, Sam Upshaw Jr. Jr sation for 51 holstein steers he sold to Indianabased Eastern Livestock Co. for which he said he was never paid.

who manages up to 10,000 head of cattle on Spade Ranches across West Texas.

The key, he said, is “try to know who you’re doing business with.”

That didn’t help Lynn Hirsch, of Shelbyville, Ky., who never got paid for 51 Holstein steers that Eastern bought from him. Hirsch wouldn’t say how much he lost but said the animals “were worth a lot.” He described Eastern as “a large, reputable company” and said he didn’t know how future fraud could be prevented.

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Hirsch said. “Livestock people have worked on a handshake. We deliver cattle and trust that we’ll get payment in the next two to three days by mail. I just don’t know what could be done.”

Pr writer Joe • Associated Press Edwar in Nashville contributed Edwards to this report.

January 1, 2011

Shelby County, County Ky., Ky farmer Lynn Hirsch stands next to Red Angus crossed feeder cattle at his Bull Run Farm. Hirsch is trying to obtain compen-

ment is investigating.

But while ideas are being tossed about, those in the industry said they have no sure-fire answers on how to prevent similar problems in the future.

“I don’t think anyone knows enough yet to say, ‘Where do we go from here?’” said Ross Wilson, president and chief executive officer of Texas Cattle Feeders Association.

✪

But, he also said a stockyard in Lexington, Ky., has a new policy requiring that all cattle be paid for before they leave the yard. He suspected it was a result of the trouble at Eastern.

As of Nov. 22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration had documented $81 million in returned checks that Eastern issued between Nov. 3 and Nov. 9. It had received 250 claims totaling $7.4 million against the company’s bond. The Justice Depart-

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The Land & Livestock Post

News

Well, well, well

January 1, 2011

✪

Things to know when drilling for water in Texas

12

By ASHLEY McCOLLUM Special to The Post

ON

F

or many Texans, there is nothing as refreshing as a drink of cool, clear water from a well drilled deep underground.

Whether it is for drinking, watering gardens or caring for livestock, water from individual wells supplies more than 17 million families across the United States.

“In Texas, people primarily use private water wells for irrigating crops or drinking water if a public system is not available,” said Pete Brien of Brien Water Wells in Hearne.

Some who have access to the public water system, choose to drill and utilize water from an individual well for health or financial reasons.

“Water wells are less expensive to operate than buying water from a water supply company or the city,” said Water Well Drillers Program Specialist David Gunn of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

“Because well water is naturally filtered through the soil, you will have chemical free water, no chlorine and other additives that public water systems are required to have. Water wells sometimes have minerals that are beneficial to you.”

Whether it is by choice or necessity, there are many things to consider before drilling: abundance of ground water, contamination factors, power supply and accessibility for drilling and pump installation.

Research all of these factors with the help of well drillers such as Brien Water Wells’ Brien, whose company has served the Brazos Valley for 50 years and drills wells of all sizes.

Also check with the state licensing board.

Gunn encourages property owners to read the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation rules to understand the construction standards for all water wells such as requiring wells to be drilled at least 50 feet away from a septic tank and 100 feet from drain fields.

“Look up other wells in your area via the Texas Well Report Submission and Retrieval System,”

THE COVER

Troy Goodman fills a 800-gallon tank that supplies fuel to the generator powering water-drilling efforts at a site near Rockdale. Some 17 million families across the United States depend on water from wells.

Photo by Dave McDermand

Photo by Dave McDermand

December. Thousands of Texas Water flows from a well being drilled near Rockdale in December families depend on well water for drinking, caring for their livestock or building water gardens. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has issued rules that must be followed when drilling for water anywhere in the state.

Gunn said. “This will tell you how deep the other wells are and how those wells were constructed. Talk to your neighbors who have wells and find out how deep their wells are and if they are having any problems.”

Brien says depth of drilling is very important when it comes to water

quality.

“Very shallow water can pick up some minerals and iron,” Brien said.

“Iron is a common problem. In general, shallower water is poor quality.

But, if you get too deep, the water picks up dissolved solids that can make it salty. Intermediate levels

contain the most suitable water for irrigation and domestic use.”

This explains why many people who use the public water system in Bryan-College Station find it hard to grow plants. The water comes from a depth that makes it high in sodium and chloride.

Future well owners should also educate themselves on their rights to the water that comes from their wells and any regulations placed upon well owners by local groundwater conservation districts.

The state classifies water as either groundwater or surface water.

Surface water is that found in ponds, lakes, rivers, etc., and it belongs to the state. Groundwater filters down from the surfac rf e and accumulates rfac underground in aquifers, and, under the Texas “rule of capture,” it belongs to the landowner.

“The rule of capture is a Texas common law which basically says if you own property you can capture as much water as you can put to beneficial use regardless of what it does to other well owners,” Gunn said. “This law has been in place for well over 90 years and has been challenged many times, but has never been overturned.”

“To give you an example, if I owned a manufacturing plant where I used millions of gallons of groundwater a day and after pumping this much water every day my neighbors’ wells start to go dry, the neighbors have no recourse,: Gunn said. “They can sue me, but I have the rule of capture on my side and as long I can prove that the water I pump is being put to beneficial use, no judge will rule against me.”

There are only five situations in which a Texas landowner can take legal action for interference with his

• See WELLS Page 13

Wells From 12

Photo by Dave McDer McDermand mand

ically, economically and hydrologically.

For more information or assistance on drilling a well in the Brazos Valley, call the Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District at a979279-9350. Alternately, log on to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation at www.license.state.tx.us or Texas Groundwater Committee at www.tgpc.state. tx.us.

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AUSTIN (AP) — Environmentalists are hailing a state panel’s decision to buy 18,000 acres of wilderness along a remote West Texas river without trading a pristine state natural preserve in the bargain.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted on Dec. 20 to buy the Devil’s River Ranch in Val Verde County along 10 miles of the pristine river.

In so doing, the state will use $4 million in public money along with more than $10 million in private donations to close the purchase of the land.

The state originally had planned to trade the 20,000acre Devil’s River State Natural Area for the land, but nature lovers who enjoyed the state tract’s hiking and kayaking protested the plan.

After the decision was announced, the Sierra Club commended the commission decision.

✪

groundwater rights: • If an adjoining neighbor trespasses on the land to remove water either by drilling a well directly on the landowner’s property or by drilling a “ slant” well on adjoining property so that it crosses the subterranean property line, the injured landowner can sue for trespass.

• There is malicious or wanton conduct in pumping water for the sole purpose of injuring an adjoining landowner.

• Landowners waste artesian well water by allowing it to run off their land or to percolate back into the water table.

• There is contamination of water in a landowner’s well.

No one is allowed to knowingly pollute groundwater.

• Land subsidence and surface injury result from negligent overpumping from adjoining lands.

Though the rule of capture remains strong, there are groundwater districts in place that can impose regulations to prevent local groundwater from being overpumped.

“The Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District allows an exemption for wells that pump up to 50,000 gallons a day for private use,” Brien said. “They do not have to obtain a permit, and are not regulated.

However, well owners are required to register their wells, regardless of the size.”

Permits must be obtained for larger wells. The conservation district can charge user or export fees, when necessary, to large well owners.

The Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District is a not-for-profit local government agency that is required, by law, to protect and conserve the groundwater resources of Robertson and Brazos counties through local management. Brien said the two counties are joined in the same district because they are connected geograph-

Deal reached for Devil’s River land

Nicholas Costillo, left, and Juan Costillo set a pipe into place for insertion into a water well being drilled. Before drilling, owners should consult the Texas Well Report Submision and Retrieval System to learn how deep other wells in the area are and how they were constructed.

The Land & Livestock Post

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ January 1, 2011 14

News

Late congressional action causes tax confusion the amount of start-up expenditures that small businesses can deduct from their taxes in 2010 from $5,000 to $10,000 (with a phase-out threshold of $60,000 in expenditures).

• Allowing a deduction for the cost of small-business health insurance premiums in calculating self-employment taxes.

The increased Section 179 expensing option and the 50 percent depreciation provi-

By BLAIR FANNIN and PAUL SCHATTENBERG AgriLife Communications

COLLEGE STATION — Year-end tax planning for agricultural producers and general taxpayers must be done by “what is known” regarding current federal tax code, even though there’s uncertainty about extending certain tax cuts, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service economists.

Pena, AgriLife Jose Extension economist-management at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Uvalde, said a hot-button item among agriculture producers is the estate tax. As part of President Barack Obama’s budget compromise with congressional Republicans approved in late December, the first $10 million of a couple’s estate will go to their heirs tax free. Anything above that will be taxed by the federal government at 35 percent.

Many congressional Democrats had sought an estate tax that would allow couples to leave $7 million tax free, while taxing everything above that at 45 percent. They said only 6,600 estates would be affected in 2011. The Democrats said their plan would save $23 billion in 2011 and 2012.

President George W. Bush began phasing out the estate tax and it was due to expire at the end of 2010.

Pena said agricultural producers and small business owners may be able to take advantage of some extended tax cuts as part of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 signed into law in September.

“This extended some of the business tax cuts which had expired in 2009,” Pena noted.

He said some of extensions and allowances from which agricultural producers may derive a tax benefit include: • Extending and increasing the Section 179 expensing option for depreciable property used in business (computers, office furniture, equipment, vehicles or other tangible business property) to a maximum of $500,000 for tax years 2010 and 2011 only.

• Extending the 50 percent

sion can give agricultural producers a great ability to manage income and Social Security taxes for 2010, said Wayne Hayenga, Texas A&M University professo prof r emeritus and AgriLife Extension agricultural economist.

“Some producers who bought equipment in 2010 may be able to almost elimi-

• See TAXES/Page XES XES/Page 15

Texas AgriLife Extension photo

Year-end tax planning for agricultural producers and general taxpayers must be done by “what is known” regarding current federal tax code, even though there’s uncertainty about the recent extenion of certain tax cuts, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service economists. bonus depreciation for 2010, which was set to expire at the end of 2009 for new property as long as the property is placed into service before

Jan. 1, 2011.

• Allowing the deduction of cell phone business use without documentation.

• Temporarily increasing

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January 1, 2011

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The Land & Livestock Post

News

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Taxes From 14 nate taxable income for the year,” Hayenga said. “And cash-basis producers can use expensing to avoid tax on income carried forward from prior years. They can also use it to avoid income and Social Security taxes on much of their 2010 income.”

He added that discussions in Congress regarding cutting the tax rate for 2011 also will have an impact on agricultural producers.

“It probably wouldn’t make sense for producers to lower their taxable income, missing out on otherwise allowable personal exemptions and deductions,” Hayenga said.

“Also, some producers may want to report sufficient income to qualify for an earned-income credit.”

Pena said tax breaks that expired at the end of 2009 included deduction for classroom expenses for educators; tuition and fees deduction for college; additional standard deduction for property taxes; additional standard deduction or itemized deduction for

sales taxes paid on a new vehicle; itemized deductions for state and local sales taxes in lieu of state income taxes; taxfree exclusion of the first $2,400 in unemployment benefits; and tax-free exclusion of IRA funds donated directly to charity.

“In addition, required IRA payments from IRA plans resume this year,” Pena said.

“Congress also did not extend last year’s waiver of required IRA distributions for those age 70 or older.”

He added that the $1,000 child tax credit available through 2010 as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and the 2009 stimulus package will be reduced to $500 in 2011.

“And cost-of-energy efficiency improvements may be entitled to a tax credit of 30 percent of the purchase price up to a maximum credit of $1,500,” he said. “But that credit will be offset by the alternative minimum tax in 2010 unless Congress changes the rules.”

The AgriLife Bookstore at agrilifebookstore.org has several publications on agricultural taxes and general tax issues or visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov.

To find a dealer nearest you: 1-800-750-9608 �������� ����� ��� ��������

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15

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ January 1, 2011

Commentary

Singing along all these years with an old friend I can’t remember how many songs Martin wrote, probably half of my notebook full of livin’ room hits. I guess nobody knew me as well as Martin. All those sad love songs, honky tonk songs, funny ones, bluegrass, country, cowboy, even the occasional gospel song, he heard first.

I was better at the lyrics but he could come up with the oddest melodies. I spent hours trying to decipher or invent the chords that would fit his tune.

While it is true we spent most of our time together alone, there were many occasions when I would take him with me. He was especially popular during the fall cow works on the big ranches.

We’d be there four or five days. It takes a while to preg check 2000 cows.

Martin would wait for me in the bunkhouse or in my vet truck but when work was over I would take him to the cookhouse. After we’d eaten, we’d play music and tell stories. What fun it was.

The cowboys liked it, too.

These outfits were so far out, there was no television, and BAXTER BLACK satellite TV hadn’t been invented. No VHS, maybe a weak radio signal, so entertainment was at a premium.

We weren’t great but we were there.

Sometimes one of the cowboys sat in and played or sang. I remember at one big outfit, a prospector would show up and he played Irish

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songs on his mandolin. And by gosh, Martin spoke Irish. I didn’t even know it. I took him to the sheep camps, too.

The herders couldn’t speak English but they could understand Martin.

He went with me after the divorce. I got my deer head, my shotgun and Martin. We moved to another life. I became an itinerant poet and he joined me on the road. I went places with Martin, I normally wouldn’t have gone without a gun. He made friends fast.

We stayed up many a night together. I confess, on more than one occasion I’ve had to go back and rescue him. I remember how sad he looked in the middle of a vacant parking lot one early morning. He’d spent the night there alone.

His case was pretty shabby

looking. Mostly duct tape and stickers from seedy places.

He’d break strings and I’d have to substitute the odd gut string or wrong one to let him finish. He’s ridden in boats, on pack mules, on top of pickups, on ski lifts, snowmobiles, wagon trains, railroad trains and training wheels.

I had taught him how to stand up. The strap button on his butt wouldn’t let him stand up straight, so he had a jaunty look about him.

People would marvel at his balance. We were standing side by side one evening and he fell off a three-foot ledge and broke his neck just below the tuners. I got him home, put him in a vice and with two machine bolts and nuts and some Elmer’s Glue I patched him up. He could still carry a tune. I glued his

back when it started gaping.

But, he’s played with some wonderful pickers and singers in his day. I got him a new case but I run one of my old belts through his handle and around his waist to keep him from poppin’ out at the wrong time.

Occasionally these days we get to pick with somebody, but mostly we just play along with XM radio or strum an old song one of us remembers. He’s aging well, getting a little mellow.

Wish I could say that about myself. Oh, well, my kids are musical, so I guess he’ll be around a long time, long as the machine bolts and Elmer’s glue holds out.

• Baxter Black is a former large animal veterinarian.

His website is www.baxterblack.com.

Questions About Cattle Health?

Ask the Vet! Steve St ev Wi eve Wikse kse - Re Retir tired ed DVM DVM Large Animal Clinical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University

WikSe

Submit your questions to:

P.O. Box 3000 Bryan, TX 77805 or jesse.wright@theeagle.com

Biological controls best for root-knot nematodes

By ROBERT BURNS Texas AgriLife Communications

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Root-knot nematodes formed galls or knots on pumpkin plant roots at a Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Overton.

“They’re very difficult to get cant losses in crop yield or rid of, and once a grower gets quality, Steddom said. But if nematodes in a field it can be the field is left untreated, it’s a big issue for their produc- almost a sure bet that the tion for years to come.” nematode population will The infestation may start grow and spread throughout. out in a small area of a field Steddom began the study and at first may not be at high because there wasn’t a lot of enough levels to cause signifi- field data on two of the label

products. He could have tested the products on a number of different crops, but he chose pumpkins because they’re less labor intensive to harvest, he said.

He tested nine different combinations of products on a site at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton.

He conducted the tests in a field with a field that had a sandy loam soil and a high population density of rootknot nematodes.

One of the treatments tested was Vapam and Vydate, a chemical combination considered an industry standard.

Another fumigant was Paladin, a relatively new product for which there weren’t a lot of test data, he said. The other two products were biological controls, one already on the market, another still in the

✪

OVERTON — Root-knot nematodes are common visitors to East Texas fields of pumpkins and many other vegetables, but their presence is anything but a holiday treat for growers, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.

“Root-knot nematodes are the biggest problem that many of our East Texas vegetable growers have to face,” said Karl Steddom, AgriLife Extension plant pathologist.

Steddom recently completed trials comparing various fumigants and biological controls for root knot nematodes on pumpkins.

“The pleasant surprise is that one of the biological controls was one of the most effective,” Steddom said.

He said the results should be applicable to all the crops affected by the pest. The list is

considerable. Root-knot nematodes can knock back yields and quality on pumpkins, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, cucumbers, carrots, peaches, watermelons and okra.

Even ornamental plants such as roses that have been started from rootstock can be hammered by the pest.

“Some watermelon varieties are marginally affected, but they can flat-out kill some crops like okra,” Steddom said.

Root-knot nematodes are tiny parasitic worms that infect plant roots. They form galls or knots on the plant roots that block the flow of nutrients and photosynthesis products. The pest is found worldwide but thrives in the sandy soils common to East Texas, he said.

“One of the biggest problems with these is that their eggs can lay dormant in the soil for years,” he said.

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News

Roots From 17 experimental, testing stage.

Three of the treatments were of Actinovate, a biological fungicide that uses the bacteria, streptomyces lydicus to control nematodes. The three treatments were at 6, 12 and 18 ounces per acre.

Steddom also tested NI-9, an experimental biological control product not yet on the market, at various rates. And he tested a mixture of Actinovate and NI-9.

For the test crop, he used pumpkins in raised beds, 40inches wide and 6-inches high, under plastic mulching, a system that is comparable to what’s commonly used in commercial vegetable production.

All the treatments were applied through drip-irrigation tubing. He harvested the pumpkins on Nov. 5 and compared yields as well as the extent of root galling.

Although Steddom did not find pumpkin yield differences among the various treatments, there were differences in the amount of visible galling on roots.

Surprising, in terms of eggs per ounce of root, the best control was achieved by Actinovate at the lowest rate of 6 ounces per acre, he said.

The root-gall index, which is largely a visible-eye rating, was also lowest with the 6ounce rate of Actinovate. The 18-ounce rate of NI-9 achieved similar results.

“While yield was not impacted during this study, the reduction in reproduction rates has signific if ant implicaific tions for future crops in this field,” Steddom wrote in his official report. “Neither phytotoxicity nor differences in plant vigor were observed at any time during this study.”

The other pleasant surprise is that Actinovate is by far more user-friendly than the standard fumigants. Though the fumigants rapidly degrade and pose no risk to the end user, Steddom said, they

For a test crop in the root-nematode control study, study Karl Steddom used pumpkins in raised beds under plastic mulching, a cropping system comparable to what's commonly used in commercial vegetable production.

Texas AgriLife Extension photo

are dangerous to those who apply them. A private pesticide license is required to purchase and use the fumigants, but the biological control is available to homeowners without a license.

The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s IR-4 Project, which is referred to as the Minor Crop Pest Management Program.

The full results of the rootknot nematode study will be available on the IR-4 website — ir4.rutgers.edu/ — sometime in early 2011, he said.

“Growers or homeowners wanting more information about root-knot nematodes and their control should contact their local county Extension agent,” Steddom said.

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✪ January 1, 2011

production capacity for beef and dairy products and to improve the export potential for high-value cuts of beef.

“In August, Griffin and I conducted a five-day instructional and hands-on demonstration workshop for representatives of a large Quitoarea beef processing plant, the system and city-market Ecuador’s ministry of agriculture,” said Joe Paschal, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Corpus Christi. “There were cattle producers and meat-cutters, veterinarians, market managers and others. We focused initially on beef-cattle genetics and nutritional effects on growth and carcass composition.”

Paschal said the cleanliness and food safety aspects of the larger beef processing facilities he visited were “above average” and that some of the greatest interest in the training came from the discussions of cattle breeding and handson demonstrations of differ ff ffer ent ways to fabricate cuts of meat.

“Ecuadorans typically use lighter, grass-fed beef carcasses from which they fabricate their traditional cuts of meat,” he said. “We showed them new styles and techniques for beef fabrication using a heavier carcass, and focused on safety during the cutting process. We also discussed how to improve cattle production, and how to breed and feed cattle to produce

more tender beef with better texture and flavor.”

Davey Griffin, an AgriLife Extension statewide meat specialist at College Station also provided instruction and expertise during the five-day training.

“I explained North American meat manufacturcif tions and how the cifica ing specifica U.S. Department of Agriculture grades various cuts of meat, Griffin said. “I also demonstrated U.S. cutting procedures and how to produce value-added cuts of beef, including how to fabricate cuts from heavier carcasses and market certain beef muscles with different palatability characteristics.”

Griffin said Ecuador wants to establish its own beef grading system, and understanding how the USDA categorizes and grades beef will help them achieve that goal.

“Before we left, the manager of one of the large meat processing facilities there told us he was already implementing some of the differ ff ent cutting ffer styles so he could produce and market new cuts of meat to his customers,” Griffin said.

The third part of the project will involve providing technical assistance toward quality improvement for milk and other dairy products, Roman noted.

“The agriculture ministry has expressed an interest in increasing the export potential of Ecuador’s dairy products, so the final phase of the project will focus on increasing product quality so Ecuadoran dairy product will be more marketable in other countries,” she said.

For more information on the Borlaug Institute, go to borlaug.tamu.edu.

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Beef Symposium set for Jan. 18-19 Special to The Post

AMARILLO — The Southwest Beef Symposium jointly hosted by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service is scheduled for Jan. 18-19 in Amarillo. The symposium will be in the Grand Plaza Room of the Amarillo Civic Center, 401 S Buchanan St. The educational forum is tailored for beef producers and was established to annually provide timely information about current industry

issues and practical management, said Ted McCollum, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist in Amarillo.

There will be a $50 registration fee and checks should be made payable to: SWBS Acct. #229100. For more information on the schedule and to register for the program, go online to the Southwest Beef Symposium website at swbs.nmsu.edu/ or registration forms can be mailed to: Bruce Carpenter, Texas AgriLife Extension Center, Post Office Box 1298, Fort Stockton, Texas 79735.

19

The Land & Livestock Post âœŞ January 1, 2011

News

AgriLife Research hires water expert at Vernon

By KAY LEDBETTER Texas AgriLife Communications

VERNON — Texas AgriLife Research has hired Srinivasulu Ale to fill the newly created position of assistant professor-geospatial hydrology at Vernon, according to John Sweeten, AgriLife Research director for Vernon and Amarillo programs.

The new hydrologist position will help fill a gap in the research programs already in existence at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at both Vernon and Amarillo, Sweeten said.

Ale also will have an academic appointment with the department of biological and agricultural engineering at Texas A&M University at College Station.

As a geospatial hydrologist, Ale will look at water and nutrient balance under complex cropland and rangeland

management systems from field to aquifer and then develop management strategies to increase water-use efficiency and protect water quality. “How you manage that land will affect water quality, as far as sediment, nitrate and phosphorous loads,� Ale said. “All these influence the water quality downstream.� “Can we manage or suggest some strategies to deal with these kind issues? My role will be to do the modeling as well as the field experimentation to answer these questions,� he said.

With agricultural engineering as his primary study, Ale earned a bachelor’s degree from Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University in Hyderabad, India; a master’s degree from the G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, India; and a doctorate from Purdue Uni-

versity in West Lafayette, Ind. Ale was a project associate and assistant professor during his career in India and then a graduate research assistant and post-doctoral research associate at Purdue.

His work in was Indiana primarily with sub-surface drainage and its influence on water quality and streamflow pattern.

In India, he SRINIVASULU SRINIV focused on waALE ter resources management and control of salinity in semi-arid regions.

Ale said his program with AgriLife Research will be difdif ferent from Indiana, where he was dealing with excess water in the soil surface.

There, he said, they installed perforated drainage pipes underneath the ground

to get rid of excess water, and he studied the movement of the nitrates in this drainage water to minimize nitrate loading that could be harmful to fish in the receiving stream.

The problem in the Texas Rolling Plains and High Plains areas is there is less precipitation and stream flow, as well as depleting aquifers due to groundwater withdrawals, he said.

So the focus will be sustainable management of water resources on croplands and rangelands under limited water availability and changing climatic patterns, Ale said.

His research program will have three areas of work: how to manage the water resources under semi-arid conditions; how to cope with the water quality problems associated with non-point sources; and how to conserve soil

and water resources. “My expertise back at Purdue University was studying watershed processes through hydrological modeling, so I will combine that with my semi-arid field research experience from India in order to address the water resources and water qualityrelated issues of this region. “I want to develop strategies for watershed management; how are we going to optimize these water and land resources so that we can maximize agricultural production and at the same time minimize the negative water impacts,� Ale said. “We are fortunate to have found a person of Ale’s training and experience to address these surface and groundwater issues from both water quality and water quantity perspectives as part of a multi-disciplinary team approach,� Sweeten said.

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LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORTS Bryan

Results of Buffalo Livestock Commission’s Dec. 11 sale: Head: 1,843 Steers: 150-200 lbs., $125$205; 200-300 lbs., $125$175; 300-400 lbs., $135$163; 400-500 lbs., $112$142; 500-600 lbs., $107$121; 600-700 lbs., $103$116; 700-800 lbs., $99-$109.

Heifers: 150-200 lbs., $120$185; 200-300 lbs., $115$165; 300-400 lbs., $106$129; 400-500 lbs., $102$120; 500-600 lbs., $98-$115; 600-700 lbs., $91-$106; 700800 lbs., $93-$96.

Slaughter cows: $38-$66.50.

Slaughter bulls: $59-$71.50.

Bred cows: $550-$990.

Cow/calf pairs: $710$1,200.

Groesbeck Results of Groesbeck Auction & Livestock Co.’s Dec. 16 sale: Head: 1,116 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $140$155; 400-500 lbs., $125$139; 500-600 lbs., $117$128; 600-700 lbs., $110$120; 700-800 lbs., $105$109.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $120$132; 400-500 lbs., $110$125; 500-600 lbs., $105$115; 600-700 lbs., $95-$107.

Slaughter cows: $40-$68.50.

Slaughter bulls: $60-$71.

Bred stocker cows: $560$1,000.

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Jordan Results of Jordan Cattle Auction’s Dec. 16 sale: Head: 2.465 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $140$165; 300-400 lbs., $130$151; 400-500 lbs., $120$138; 500-600 lbs., $114$126; 600-700 lbs., $108$118; 700-800 lbs., $103$109.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $120$137; 300-400 lbs., $115$124; 400-500 lbs., $110$122; 500-600 lbs., $105$115; 600-700 lbs., $97-$108; 700-800 lbs., $92-$96.50.

Slaughter cows: $43-$66.

Slaughter bulls: $52-$67.50.

Stocker cows: $570-$1,090.

Cow/calf pairs: $700$1,090.

Milano Results of Milano Livestock Exchange’s Dec. 14 sale: Head: 783 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $123$160; 400-500 lbs., $111$133; 500-600 lbs., $102$126; 600-700 lbs., $98-$115.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $102.50-$126; 400-500 lbs., $102-$121; 500-600 lbs., $95$116; 600-700 lbs., $89-$110.

Slaughter cows: $44.50$61.50.

Slaughter bulls: $63-$72.

Stocker cows: $625-$1,100.

Navasota Results of Navasota Livestock Auction Co.’s Dec. 11 sale: Head: 3,116 Steers: 150-300 lbs., $100$180; 300-400 lbs., $95$157.50; 400-500 lbs., $95$140; 500-600 lbs., $95$122.50; 600-700 lbs., $90$111.

Heifers: 150-300 lbs., $100$150; 300-400 lbs., $95-$131; 400-500 lbs., $85-$122.50; 500-600 lbs., $82-$108; 600700 lbs., $80-$102.

Slaughter cows: $38-$64.

Slaughter bulls: $55-$78.

Stocker cows: $550-$1,600.

Cow/calf pairs: $850$1,700.

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Results of Brazos Valley Livestock Commission’s Dec. 14 sale: Head: 1,123 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $110$172.50; 300-400 lbs., $103$157.50; 400-500 lbs., $100$142.50; 500-600 lbs., $95$125; 600-700 lbs., $90-$115; 700-800 lbs., $100-$109.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $100$127; 300-400 lbs., $105$132; 400-500 lbs., $93-$121; 500-600 lbs., $90-$108; 600700 lbs., $90-$102.50; 700800 lbs., $95-$100.

Slaughter cows: $31-$62.50.

Slaughter bulls: $52-$71.50.

Bred cows: $480-$910.

Cow/calf pairs: $760-$940.

Cow/calf $1,100.

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January 1, 2011 â&#x153;Ş

The Land & Livestock Post

✪ January 1, 2011

Cattlemen have numerous roles to play and soil fertility manager is just one of them.

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Quality beef starts with quality forage.

• Fertilizer additives add flexibility to your application schedule, which not only saves you precious time and money, but gives you peace of mind that your nutrients will be available when and where you need them.

• AVAIL® Phosphorus Fertilizer Enhancer helps protect phosphorus, keeping it available to plants throughout the growing season.

• NutriSphere-N® Nitrogen Fertilizer Manager reduces nitrogen leaching and volatilization for a better return on your nitrogen fertilizer investment.

• AVAIL and NutriSphere-N are proven to boost forage yields, crude protein and TDN.* To learn how to get the most out of your fertilizer investment talk to your fertilizer supplier, visit sfp.com or call 888-446-GROW. *Data on file.

AVAIL and NutriSphere-N are registered trademarks of SFP. NutriSphere-N is not approved for use in California. ©2010 SFP. All rights reserved. 1012 41565

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The Land & Livestock Post â&#x153;Ş January 1, 2011

Wishing you a bright, prosperous New Year!

1800 N Texas Avenue in Bryan (979) 778-6000 www.producerscooperative.com

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Your Agriculture Partner since 1943 Livestock Feeds l Seed/Fertilizer l Fuel/Lubricants A full line of equipment & supplies for the Farm/Ranch