Issue 49 of the Ag Mag

A Letter from the Editor

Put this into perspective: Life expectancy is about 78 years while retirement is about 67. So, we work 50 years to enjoy about 11? Start enjoying life now. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. How many times in your life have you heard, “Enjoy the Moment.” I know I have heard it more times than none and it seems to go through one ear and out the other. I can’t tell you how many times recently I’ve looked back and said to myself, “I wish I would have enjoyed that moment more.” At the time, I thought I was enjoying that moment, but honestly I was just going through the motions and practicing what I preach. I am constantly preaching about time passing quickly, and advising to not take days for granted. I’d be a hypocrite, however, if I said I didn’t take some days and moments for granted. I am human and I tend to let my circumstances control me at times. I tend to get so caught up in completing tasks that I may be present, but mentally, my ADHD mind is running with the things I should be doing.

I’ve recently been extremely busy traveling for work filming, having meetings, magazines, and managing my home and personal life. I am raising my hand high, declaring I’ve been taking many of these days for granted. I take the time to notice the beautiful world around me, and enjoy the momentous moments in life, but it is the small ones that I’m letting pass me by. That’s it folks. It’s the little moments that usually impact our lives the most. Of course, there are great big things that happen, and big tragic things, but sometimes the littlest ones make us smile and bring us the most happiness. It could even be a moment when we are alone. God didn’t create a world for us to be controlled by the to-do list, or try to be better than the person next to us. Our lives are meant to make a difference, to enjoy the world and the life God gave.

One recent day, a Jeremy Camp song came on my playlist and I started singing the song as if it were one of my favorites. I hadn’t ever heard it, but somehow the words stayed in my brain, and I felt God was speaking to me. I believe God was telling to me slow down, to enjoy the days, the bad and the good. Enjoy the people who come into your life, even for a short amount of time. I know everyone that enters my life, is meant to stay in it. God places people and circumstances in our life to teach us something. Not every bad day or year will remain. Our lives are constantly changing, and we are always evolving and changing with it.

Look back upon you from just two years ago. A lot has happened since then. You probably are not the same person you were. That is the way life works when we are trying to fulfill the purpose God has given us. We are becoming more aware of who we are. It’s a life journey, always looking and finding ways to better ourselves and ways to do better-- in whatever area of life you are trying to better at or figure out.

God works in mysterious ways and the New Year is approaching, I know many people make a “resolution,” but I don’t think we need a New Year to do that. Every day we should set goals, but not become so fixated on them that we neglect the little moments that mean the most in life.

Cover photo by: Michelle Martin

Year 9, Issue 49

No part of this publication can be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ag Mag reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse editorial materials and assumes no responsibility for accuracy, errors, omissions or consequence arising from it. All correspondence to the publication become the property of Ag Mag.

Solar shrink ® Mulch Film Technology AVAILABLE to gROWers Throughout North America

Specialty film manufacturer Charter Next Generation brings innovative Solar Shrink mulch film technology to growers across the US, Mexico, and Canada.

Founded on sustainability, Solar Shrink® is the industry’s strongest, lightest, and most cost-efficient mulch film ever. Solar Shrink’s exclusive technology uses the power of sunlight to tightly mold to the soil bed. This significantly reduces plastic usage, while better protecting the crops from wind flap damage and moisture escape.

Solar Shrink’s revolutionary design is up to 30%

lighter and over 4X stronger than conventional mulch films, reducing material, labor, and other input costs. These benefits combine with the most critical aspect of a significant reduction in plastic waste.

“If all else is equal, we know that absolutely every grower will opt for the most sustainable farming practice available to them”, says Neil Weisensel with Charter Next Generation. “In reality growers must weigh performance and cost in addition to sustainability. Finding the appropriate balance is critical. Solar Shrink checks all the boxes by significantly reducing plastic waste, reducing input costs, and increasing performance in the field.”

In 2015, Solar Shrink was invented and introduced in Australia and gained rapid success due to the superior crop protection, weed prevention and ease of lifting both by hand and mechanically.

“It is more cost effective for growers to use Solar Shrink, because they are able to apply it 15% faster, and pick it up quickly at season-end due to its improved strength.” explains Solar Shrink inventor, Robert Trenchard. “They have less plastic to dispose of, which means less plastic going into landfills and/or negatively impacting their soil.”

Domestic testing by Solar Shrink began in 2018 and received rapid support and rave reviews from farmers like Clint Wiggins, a third-generation grower at Wiggins Watermelons, one of the larger watermelon farms in Texas.

“Traditional mulch film flaps up and down in the wind,

damaging the seedlings, young plants, and growing watermelons,” explains Wiggins. “Solar Shrink not only protects against crop damage from wind flapping, but also better retains the heat in the soil and stops the loss of moisture that occurs from loose conventional plastic”.

Solar Shrink is now exclusively manufactured in North America by Charter Next Generation (CNG). With 14 plant locations in the US and a core value of engineering sustainable solutions, CNG is poised to provide growers a better way with the production and distribution of Solar Shrink.

“We have an unyielding commitment to engineer and manufacturer the most advanced agricultural films in the marketplace,” explained Neil Weisensel. “Partnering with Solar Shrink Technologies and manufacturing best-in-class product technologies like Solar Shrink provide the perfect pathway to enhance and expand the specialty film solutions we can provide and allow us to better serve the incredible farming community that drives our industry from farm to table.”

To learn more contact Charter Next Generation at (312) 343-9079.

About charter next generation

Charter Next Generation has quickly become North America’s leading independent producer of high-performance, specialty films used in flexible packaging, industrial manufacturing, healthcare, and a wide variety of consumer applications. Driven by a relentless sustainability-first mindset and obsessive commitment toward engineering and production of the highest performing specialty film solutions in the industry, CNG possesses world-class manufacturing capabilities and unsurpassed quality and expertise. The company’s commitment to sustainability, state-of-the-art manufacturing, and engineering next generation specialty film solutions, makes it an ideal partner to help solutions like Solar Shrink® reach their long-term production and sustainability goals, while adding value to their product portfolio and expanding their market reach.

WITH NATHAN ATKINSON Q &A

BY KYLIE SELLMAN

1)

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Nathan Atkinson and this year I have the distinguished honor of serving as Texas FFA State Vice President from the Area X Association. I was born in Edinburg, Texas and spent some time in the RGV, before moving to Corpus Christi, Texas where I would eventually graduate from Calallen High School. However, they say history repeats itself, and I now reside outside of Edinburg and attend South Texas College. I am a huge fan of the outdoors, I love livestock, and possibly my most defining personality trait would be that I love listening to classic country music.

2) When and why did you join FFA?

I joined FFA in 2016 through the Calallen Jr FFA Chapter. My pee wee football coach at the time, Mr. Brooks, who went on to be my ag science teacher and perhaps one of the most influential people in my life, encouraged me to get involved with showing livestock. I had lost my dad around this time and old activities like sports had lost their appeal; the FFA took me in at a time in which I really needed something new.

3) What is your favorite FFA memory?

My personal favorite memory, and perhaps one of the coolest ones, would have to be meeting Senator Cruz in Washington, D.C. Having the chance to talk to our legislators about FFA and agricultural education at such a young age was really quite the honor.

service project... go serve. Take it from the old timer, four years in that FFA jacket flys by, make the most of it!

8) What advice would you give to someone who wants to run for an office position?

My advice to someone looking to pursue an officer position is to be tenacious. Be tenacious in your FFA pursuits and build a good resume for when it is time to run for office. Next I would say, never strive to be anyone but yourself. When it comes time to interview, be yourself. The people conducting your interview, whether it be a student nominating committee or adults, want to see who you are. I promise it is better to be elected as yourself, than be elected as somebody you are not and have to spend a year living as someone else. You are who you are, and you are perfect that way!

9) Who has been your biggest mentor/role

model?

My mom is definitely my biggest role model. First of all, someone who raised and put up with me deserves all the gold in the world. All jokes aside, my mom certainly had a tough task raising my sister and I after the loss of our father. However, through much adversity, my mom never slowed down. From working hard to provide for a family, to being our biggest supporter at any FFA event, I thank God that I was blessed with such a strong mother. I wouldn’t be who I am today without my momma.

10) What do you plan to do after your year of service?

4)

What has been your biggest accomplishment within FFA?

I would say one of the standout moments in my FFA journey was when my homesite evaluation team qualified for the National Land and Range Contest in Oklahoma. It felt really fulfilling to see our hard work pay off, and we were blessed to be the eighth high team in the nation.

5) What inspired you to run for Texas FFA State Office?

I made the decision to run for state office because of those who came before me. I have been personally inspired by many past state officers that I know, and I certainly know many others have been as well. I have seen the impact that can be made in this position, and everyday I pray that I am doing my part to make an impact. Although I am in my last year in the blue corduroy, I am blessed to have the opportunity to potentially leave a long lasting impact, that will hopefully last far longer than the time spent in this jacket.

6) How has being a State Officer impacted you?

I would say one of the biggest things I will take away from state office is a deeper understanding and appreciation for the need of a strong community. I have a super neat opportunity in which I currently attend college in Area X, because of this I am able to attend many events, ranging from chapter meetings to leadership camps and contests. After I leave these events, I always reflect on how refreshing it is to see members interact amongst themselves, and I smile at the fact that the people in this organization will go on to leave long lasting impressions on their communities.

7) What advice would you give to a new FFA member?

My advice to new members would be to jump right in! Get involved in your chapter, and never miss out on an opportunity. If there is a sign up sheet for a contest... sign up. If there is a community

After my year of service, I plan on staying involved in the community by supporting local FFA and 4H programs. I strive to give back to the community, and to organizations that made me who I am. I intend to stay involved in agriculture, and one day pursue a career in the industry. Most importantly, I plan on striving to be the best version of myself, and keep on living the dream.

WINNIPEG, MB – A New Standard for Pivot Irrigation and Traction - Evolution Wheel is excited to announce our newest domestically manufactured tire, the EWRS-PIVOT XT airless irrigation tire for center pivot irrigation systems.

Known for being a leader in innovative, top-quality airless technology for heavy equipment, Evolution Wheel Develops airless tires for operators to work longer, more efficient hours. With extensive engineering, R&D, and rigorous testing, their products create a new quality standard for any application. That new standard is extreme traction when it comes to center pivot irrigation.

Every farmer has that problem area in the field with soft soil or soil that has high amounts of clay. Towers will often get stuck in these areas causing a whole bunch of problems that have to be addressed. To get through these areas’ farmers require a tire with extraordinary traction capabilities to travel through this type of soil.

Evolution Wheel’s newest product, the EWRS-PIVOT XT is designed as a specialized version of the EWRS- PIVOT Series, optimized for the areas in the field that cause the most problems. The highly aggressive tread design with extra large lugs and void space allows for much better traction. The large lugs paddle through sticky soil while the void space helps the soil from sticking to the rubber. The addition of small ribs within the void space helps release mud from the surface of the tire as it compresses and expands.

Virtually all pivot tires on the market have a convex profile where the center of the tire bulges out. This pushes mud from underneath the tire out forming deep ruts in the field. Like the original EWRS-PIVOT Series, the XT version has a concave profile that holds mud underneath the tire. Preventing ruts from forming in the first place.

The EWRS-PIVOT XT airless pivot tire also

features a wide tread for increased surface area. This means that the full surface of the tread contacts the ground to maximize flotation.

All Evolution Wheels products including the EWRS-PIVOT XT are segmented for serviceability. The rubber is segmented and attached to the high-strength steel rim with a series of nuts and bolts.

Once mounted on the tower, the rims never need to be changed. If a rubber segment is damaged, it’s as simple as replacing it with a new one. When the tread is finally worn, a retread kit is available consisting of a full tire’s worth of segments. The operator can replace all worn segments without removing the tower’s rims.

Eliminating the need to haul damaged or flat tires in and out of the field. From cutting the steel for the rims to mixing the rubber for the segments, Evolution Wheel owns the entire manufacturing process for all its products. This allows them to control the quality of their tires. Making sure they provide only the highest-quality options on the market. With a highly skilled team of engineers, technicians, and chemists, they tailor each tire for the highest performance in any given application.

For the most effective results in the field, Evolution Wheel recommends installing all towers with the EWRS-PIVOT Series, placing the XT only on towers traveling through the most problematic areas in the field.

A tire with an aggressive tread design, a segmented airless construction, and a wide concave profile creates a very competitive option on the market. Providing both flotation and traction to limit ruts and get through problem areas. Helping farmers forget about stuck pivots or damaged tires and focus on the more important tasks at hand.

Reborn to the Land

Three pairs of little feet dangling from the back of the tailgate. The road kicks up a cloud of sandy dust in our tracks. Grass and weeds growing in the middle of the road swish our pants as the truck moves past. Wind blowing our hair makes us feel free, alive. My cousin is dragging a rope, and we’re entertained with its unexpected bounces on the road behind us. Suddenly, in cartoon style, my brother and I find we’re the only ones left, as the rope end found a permanent plant to catch on and our cousin went with it.

As a child growing up in a small-town suburb, I have vivid memories of visiting my grandparents’ ranches. Here, it felt as though anything was possible as cattle grazed, and wildlife scampered. Without trying, a connection was made to the wild outdoors and my land ethic was developed. I bet you, too, can think of places or smells that remind you of those wild places you once knew, or maybe still own.

Texas is at a crossroads. On one hand, our large state boasts 141 million acres of private working lands (Txlandtrends.org) On the other hand, some days it feels like it’s all being developed. The market value of land has been a driver for development. Farmers and ranchers work in a high-risk, limited profitability sector. It can feel defeating to keep land in production (land rich) while neighbors are selling out and becoming rich, rich! Between 1997 and 2017, the Texas population grew by 48%, with several counties in South Texas reaching closer to 86% growth (Txlandtrends.org). Landowners account for less than 1% of the 29.5 million people in the state, burdened with ag production, as well as maintaining open spaces, clean air, and water for everyone. This small percentage of Texas farmers and ranchers have built a land-centered culture all Texans can be proud of.

As the great generations who created and maintained this farming and ranching culture age, who will replace them? Oftentimes, the next generation has left to seek education and start their own career away from the family land. Others who do not have land to inherit seek to have a piece of this rural life and are buying property as new landowners, eager to learn and steward their new place. I would argue the way we support

these new land managers makes an incredible difference in the future of farming and ranching in Texas. Will we continue to allow land to be subdivided and sold or will we take an active role in mentoring and supporting the efforts these new land managers must make?

Land management isn’t what it used to be. Many conservation challenges, such as wild pigs, cattle fever tick, brush encroachment, invasive grasses, chronic wasting disease, and land fragmentation have added hurdles that further exasperate the low income potential on agricultural lands. To combat these challenges, tools such as Web Soil Survey (USDA-NRCS) and Brush Busters Program (Extension) have been developed. The Conservation Reserve Program, forage drought insurance and other cost-share opportunities are also offered to improve land profitability and sustainability. Additionally, a 12-week online course ‘Generation Next: Our Turn to Ranch’ is available through AgriLife Extension twice a year for new or “reborn” landowners, or those wanting to add a new operation to their ranch/farm, to work through basic land ownership topics such as setting up a new business, tax implications, insurance needs, basic land management, tracking finances, developing grazing/hunting leases, water/fence law, conservation topics of concern, and land transfer. Participants work through a new topic/lesson each week (at any time during the week) and submit a completed “activity” which asks questions to relate the information learned to their situation. At the end of the 12 weeks, these activities culminate into a basic business plan participants can use to direct their next steps or submit for a loan if needed. Interested or know someone who might be? More information and the link to register can be found at GenerationNext.tamu.edu.

Though we would like to think otherwise, our land challenges and fragmentation are hard to reverse. Efforts should be made by everyone directly involved in farming and ranching, as well as those who are lucky enough to have developed their own land ethic, to support the next generation of landowners. Reach out and create opportunities to use your experience and knowledge. You might just be the knot at the end of somebody’s rope.

BY DR. MEGAN CLAYTON Professor & Extension Range Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Farmworker wages up 7% from last year, according to USDA Farm Labor Survey

BY KRISTIN LEIGH LORE

Hired farmworkers play a critical role in U.S. agriculture while making up less than 1% of all U.S. workers, according to a recent USDA report. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service tracks the farmworker labor force and, on Nov. 23, it released its bi-annual Farm Labor Survey results report sharing wage data from the past year. Not only does this survey report on hired farm labor trends, demographics and regional variances, but the Farm Labor Survey tracks changes in income that will be used to inform H-2A worker wages in the U.S.

The top finding from the report is that, in the past five years, farm wages grew at 2.9% per year. This increase is consistent with growers’ reports that workers were harder than usual to find, according to the USDA report.

Other takeaways of the Farm Labor Survey include:

• Hired worker wages were up by 2% and gross wage rate increased 7% from 2021.

• Farm operators paid workers an average gross wage of $17.72 an hour, up 7% from the same week in 2021.

• Inflation-adjusted wages for nonsupervisory crop and livestock workers (excluding contract labor) rose at an average annual rate of 1.1% per year between 1990 and 2022.

• Across all farm types, labor costs averaged around 10% in the last two decades.

Although farm wages are rising in real terms, the impact of these gains on farmers’ incomes have been offset by productivity and output prices, according to the USDA. Concerns about implications for H-2A

H-2A wage changes are updated through the Department of Labor’s Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for 2023, which sources its data from the Farm Labor Survey. While recommending wage increases for H-2A farm workers is good news for some, not everyone agrees with the increase.

The International Fresh Produce Association favors stopping wage increases to H-2A workers through legislative reform, according to a recent news release. Further, the organization champions the House-passed Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which proposes putting an annual cap on increases to the AEWR.

“Today’s release of the Farm Labor Survey by the USDA should be a clarion call from the fresh produce industry on why Congress must act this year on agriculture immigration reform legislation,” Robert Guenther, IFPA’s chief public policy officer, said in the release. “For the last two years, ramping up to the 2022 congressional mid-terms, we have heard so much rhetoric from our elected officials about the rising cost of food and inflation taking off. Next week, Congress has the ability to stop this unaffordable and unacceptable increase in wages that will cripple producers who are already suffering from high inflation.”

Let’s remember the real reason of Christmas, and that is the birth of Jesus Christ.

I wish all of you a loving and blessed Christmas.

A GROWING LEGACY FOR LEADERSHIP EDUCATION

New endowed chair established honoring leadership legacies of Dr. Joe Townsend ’67 and Dr. Chris Townsend

Continuing the legacy of leadership in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, a campaign to fund a multi-million dollar endowment in memory of Joe Townsend, Ph.D., and honoring Chris Townsend, Ph.D., has kicked off.

For more than 30 years, “Dr. Joe” served as Texas A&M associate vice president for student development and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences associate dean for student development. Dr. Joe taught many courses and is remembered by thousands for his instruction in AGRI 101. “Dr. Chris” taught in two departments: the Department of Horticultural Sciences and the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications. Students remember her as their professor for courses as diverse as Floral Design and Leadership Theory. To this day, hundreds of former students and industry stakeholders fondly look back at their time at Texas A&M and attribute much of their successes to the Townsends’ mentorship and support. Unfortunately, Dr. Joe Townsend passed away in July 2021 after a courageous battle with cancer. “Joe wanted all types of students to grow into leaders,” said Chris Townsend, who met her husband when both were graduate students at Iowa State University before they ventured into long, successful faculty and administrative careers in Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “Joe always wanted students to know leadership is not always at the top of the pyramid because you can lead from behind as well,” she said. “Leadership education is for everyone.”

CONTINUING THE LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE FELLOWS PROGRAM

Townsend’s leadership was honored with the establishment of the Dr. Joe Townsend ’67 ALEC Leadership Fellows Program in 2008. This program supports the advancement of undergraduate study in leadership theory through the activities of a select cohort of students.

“The idea with the Fellows Program was to bring in student leaders, let them help us create it and select 20-25 students a year who would really study, enhance leadership study,” Chris Townsend said.

The high-impact experiences the Fellows Program creates for students allows them to not only develop but sharpen the tools for their leadership toolbox, said Jennifer Strong, Ph.D., faculty director for the Townsend Leadership Fellows Program and associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications.

“Field trips, guest speakers, service projects, creative projects and team development activities help Fellows connect leadership theory to practice,” Strong said. “Program graduates have been publicly celebrated for their leadership accomplishments by earning spots on the Aggie 100 as well as industry and civil awards, but it is their daily impact on their communities that makes the world a better place.”

EXPANDING JOE AND CHRIS TOWNSEND’S LEGACIES OF LEADERSHIP THROUGH AN ENDOWMENT

Leroy “Shafe” Shafer ’67, chief operating officer emeritus of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and friend of Joe Townsend, said the Houston show is very familiar with students from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences after having employed “hundreds of interns” from Texas A&M over the years. He explained how “Dr. Joe and Dr. Chris” prepared students for their future professional careers.

“I’ve talked to so many corporate leaders, and they said if Joe Townsend said this student was good, then they knew they were good,” Shafer said. “Joe and Chris not only worked with their students, but they mentored those students to help them grow and become leaders, inside and outside the classroom.”

Today, inspired by the momentum of an initial gift by Shafer and his wife Nancy, a $2 million campaign goal has been established to fund an endowed chair in leadership education and student excellence through the Dr. Chris and Dr. Joe Townsend ’67 Chair in Leadership Education and Student Excellence. This faculty member will continue the Townsend’s legacies of leadership complimenting the Leadership Fellows Program while expanding opportunities across the College.

The Townsends tirelessly sought ways to find the best in students and help those students reach excellence. The endowed chair is designed to continue that emphasis on student success and will be guided by an external advisory committee of former students recognizing and appreciating the positive influence of the Townsends. In Townsend-style, the Chair holder will enhance student preparation for entry-level leadership

The Dr. Joe Townsend ’67 ALEC Leadership Fellows Program started in 2008 (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

position, mid-career enhancement and executive level development. Campaign contributions will help fund mentorship opportunities in the following areas that emulate the Townsends’ values of leadership education and student excellence:

• Faculty, staff and/or former student leadership undergrad uate mentorship program.

• Graduate student mentorship program for the next gener ation of academics.

• Early career Aggies wishing to advance into management or executive roles.

“The endowment allows us to say that leadership will have a legacy at Texas A&M in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences forever,” Chris Townsend said. “I am proud Joe and I can leave this legacy behind at Texas A&M. Not only did we have 25 amazing years at Texas A&M, but we now have something we can leave forever with students in the College.”

A FRIENDLY FACE TO COUNTLESS AGGIES ACROSS THE WORLD

Shafer first met Joe Townsend in 1963 during Texas 4-H Roundup, then became roommates during graduate school at Iowa State.

“Joe was an absolute in my life,” Shafer said. “He could always put people at ease, and everybody seemed to know him.”

Shafer said Townsend was known throughout the world. Shafer recalled coming in from flying a late-night combat mission in Vietnam, and the officer club’s dining room had closed.

“I was looking for food and a beer in the club’s bar area, and it was only me and one bartender—an enlisted soldier working extra duty,” Shafer said. “He looked at my hand and said, ‘Captain is that an Aggie ring? I taught in a high school back in Iowa with an A&M graduate. Do you know Joe Townsend?’”

Shafer said he will never forget his surprise at being nearly 9,000 miles away from home in a war zone and finding someone who knew Joe Townsend. “He said, ‘Captain, Guttenberg, Iowa, may be a little town, but Joe Townsend is known all over the world.’ Joe had that kind of impact.”

PAVING THE WAY FOR AGRICULTURAL LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY

Shafer said the “dynamic duo” of Chris and Joe Townsend have already cemented what the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications is all about.

“Chris was instrumental when she became department head because before she joined, it was just the department of agricultural education,” Shafer said. “She helped put agricultural leadership, agricultural education, and agriculture communications and journalism together.

“Working alongside Dr. Chris, Dr. Joe saved so many students’ academic careers with his mentoring and paved the way for their future in business and education. Ultimately, the successes of many of those former students can be attributed to Dr. Joe’s mentorship and leadership.”

As a result of their collaborative efforts, both Joe and Chris Townsend were honored with a proclamation from the 81st Texas Legislature for their agricultural advocacy and leadership. The proclamation recognized the couple “as role models for educators, mentors and advocates for young people across Texas and that they be extended our sincerest appreciation for their service to our state through their efforts.”

“The creation of this endowment will ensure their legacies are endured in perpetuity,” Shafer said. “Think back to when you were a student sitting across from Dr. Joe and Dr. Chris. It is your chance to say, ‘thank you.’” To give in honor of the Townsends and strengthen their legacy, give online to the Dr. Chris and Dr. Joe Townsend ’67 Chair in Leadership Education and Student Excellence or contact Bailey Allison ’21 at ballison@txamfoundation.com

Chris Townsend, Ph.D., and Joe Townsend, Ph.D., affectionately known as Dr. Chris and Dr. Joe, are honored with a new endowed chair in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

A reprint from Texas Farm Bureau

North Alamo Water Supply Corporation

is committed to supporting and preserving the communities in which we serve. We recognize the importance of investing in our youth and the value that this brings back into our communities. North Alamo launched the first annual scholarship program for 2021 - 2022 and we were fortunate to be able to award eleven scholarships to outstanding individuals to be able to use towards funding their continuing education. As per Martin Drewry, Director and Chairman of the Scholarship Committee,

“Our goal when forming this scholarship program was to recognize students who excelled in and out of the classroom.”

North Alamo is honored to be a part of these scholarship recipient’s stories, and we look forward to seeing their continued growth and learning as they move forward toward their goals. North Alamo looks forward to being able to continue this program for years to come.

USDA, Texas AgrAbility and Partners Helping Veterans Find Their Mission and Purpose in Agriculture

BY MELISSA BLAIR, Compiled by NRCS Public Affairs Specialist

They all come from different walks and stages of life and for many reasons, but one thing they all share is they want to know more about starting their own farm or ranch or improving their knowledge and resources for their existing agriculture enterprise.

And the Battleground to Breaking Ground (BG2BG) program is just the island these military veterans and beginning agricultural producers need in a sea of “information overload.” The BG2BG program is a multifaceted agricultural business training program for veterans and beginning farmers and ranchers. The original idea for the program was a two-day workshop to help veterans learn about local, state, and federal resources that relate to agriculture.

Since BG2BG started, the program has expanded to teach business plan development, launched an approved Department of Defense (DoD) SkillBridge program for transitioning activeduty military members, added mentoring, and taught agricultural production training in in a variety of enterprises, such as beekeeping cattle, sheep and goat production through a fiveday in-person bootcamp, to help trainees decide what avenues they wanted to pursue. Through BG2BG, cohorts acquire the skills and knowledge to help them start and/or improve their agricultural operation.

“Since its inception, the Battleground to Breaking Ground organizers have really worked closely with both the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as well as the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA),” said Kristy Oates, State Conservationist with the USDA NRCS in Texas.

Training Program Expands to Meet Diverse Needs

The BG2BG is under the Texas AgrAbility program, which is a part of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service that provides services to individuals engaged in agriculture who have disabilities, chronic health conditions, or functional limitations to start or stay engaged in production agriculture. BG2BG Program Director, Erin Kimbrough, Texas AgrAbility staff, veterans in the program, and partners including USDA, Texas Department of Agriculture, Farmer Veteran Coalition, and many others, have been working to expand and improve the program with a phased cohort training program to meet the growing needs of the veteran and

non-military beginning farmer/rancher population. “The program’s important for a lot of reasons,” Kimbrough said. “Battleground to Breaking Ground provides much needed support to our new and very new agriculture producers, as well as helps our farmers and ranchers be more sustainable because they have a written plan and learn how to best implement it.”

Since the cohort training program started in 2016, there have been a total of 12 cohorts, with cohort 13 applications being accepted until December 5, 2022. More than 100 individuals have gone through the program, and many are now mentors and trainers themselves. According to Kimbrough, “Many come with little or no experience, but farmers and ranchers that have been in production for years can really benefit from participating in the program too, by developing a business plan and learning how to work the USDA, state and non-profit programs together for helping with their agricultural enterprise.”

“Oftentimes, people come into the program with their focus set on one practice, like cattle ranching, but not having any idea what will work for them, or the time and costs involved,” said Kimbrough. “Plans tend to change as they go through the Battleground to Breaking Ground program.” “We give participants that structure that they need, where they have a plan for how to learn about agriculture. And they get that business planning, so that they know what their finances are, and they know what’s feasible,” said Faye McGuire, program manager for the BG2BG Program. Sandi Parriott is an active-duty Army Veterinarian, who participated in the BG2BG’s Skills Training Program (STP), through the DoD SkillBridge Program as part of her transition back to civilian life. The DoD SkillBridge Program is an opportunity for service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training. Parriott describes the

program as “an opportunity for transitioning service members to get a jump on their career.”

Parriott worked closely with her mentor, Heidi Barber, who is also a military veteran. “There’s a common ground there. She’s actually been through the Battleground to Breaking Ground program, and she’s a rancher—she does sheep and goats. Between those shared experiences, it allows us to meet on a common ground,” said Parriott. Kimbrough explains this has been a shared theme among those attending the program. It is easier to take help and guidance from those who have been through similar experiences and a comparable lifestyle than those who haven’t. By having this mentorship program run by military veterans themselves, new participants have been more likely to stick through the program and start a new agricultural business.

Financial and Technical Assistance Goes Above and Beyond

The BG2BG program helps with much more than just education. “New ideas come into play and those are expanded on. Many times, veterans will come back and teach or share with the next group. As these opportunities for training are provided from year to year, there are always additional participants that come back just to let others hear their story,” said Oates of the BG2BG training program. “They have a great network and ability to communicate for years to come.”

Doug Havemann, veteran and co-owner of Mesquite Field Farms in Nixon, Texas, with his wife, Melissa, are mentors and trainers after they went through the BG2BG program and the Mentor Training Program. They bring participants to their farm, to share their story of what it took to get them where they are now and train participants on installing high tunnels, planting cover crops, welding, poultry processing and more.

“The resources learned about the USDA agencies such as NRCS’ conservation technical, and financial assistance to address natural resource concerns on the land, to Farm Service Agency loans, or Risk Management Agency opportunities for crop, specialty, and disaster insurance for veterans and beginning producers is so valuable,” said Havemann.

“NRCS has been a great help,” Havemann said. He describes how their NRCS District Conservationist, Jason Katcsmorak, in Floresville, has worked with them through the years, with each side learning as they go, since they are nontraditional farmers. “Jason helped us with our farm plan, which is our conservation plan. He helped us a lot in understanding what was already on our land: what grasses grow here, what’s our soil type, what’s the weather like here year-round. And that conservation plan played into our total farm plan,” said Havemann. Doug and Melissa both share that BG2BG, USDA, Holistic Management International (HMI) and other programs, along with a lot of hard work and dedication, have helped them get to where they are today on their operation, and allows them to educate, advise, and promote the agribusiness development to fellow veterans and beginning farmers and ranchers.

More Than Agriculture Advice

Texas AgrAbility and BG2BG has been able to provide additional resources needed for veterans who may have a disability and need on-farm modifications, to help them stay in or get into agriculture production. Through the program, participants can obtain mental health support and one-on-one peer mentoring. Edward Stock was active duty in the U.S. Air Force for 11 years, followed by four years part time Utah Air National Guard where he served with the Utah 151st Air National Guard during Desert Storm and the humanitarian efforts in Somalia. These days, he has a ranch in Wills Point, near Dallas, where he runs cows.

Stock found BG2BG through working with the USDA FSA and doing research. “It looked like it would be a good fit to help me gain more knowledge of ranching,” said Stock. He said the business plan portion of the program helped him to understand and define some of the goals he needed to put together in getting the foundation of his ranch set. That was Phase 1 of the program. Phase 2, he said, provided him with insight of the different resources out there. Now in Phase 3, which involves hands-on training, learning, mentorship, and coaching, Stock shares that the FSA as well as the Farmer Veteran Coalition are great resources that have not only provided great knowledge, but opportunities like the training he’s receiving.

He’s not keeping what he’s learning to himself.

“I’ve made some good relationships with some young soldiers that are ready to come out and hopefully give them some understanding and knowledge of what to do next,” he said.

“I believe I’ve given them some confidence that they can do it and that’s what I’m hoping for is to give back to them as well. That’s what it’s about giving back to the younger generation.” Stock said you don’t just have to be right out of the military to take advantage of these programs.

“I’ve been a day or two in another career,” he said with a smile. “It doesn’t matter if you’re someone just getting ready to separate or you’ve been out for 30 years, the program is there to help. To give you the opportunity to gain the confidence and knowledge and understanding of what you need to be successful.” “The other big benefit is the friendships and relationships that are formed as a result of being involved in the program,” Havemann said. “We are here for each other to support, share and help each through the challenges that Mother Nature and life in general throw at us.”

On the Horizon

The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will make it possible for the BG2BG program to continue through 2024 through the Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program grant. As partnerships expand and the program grows, more opportunities become available to the participants, who complete the training and for mentors whose mentees graduate from the BG2BG training.

With solutions like this arising, it’s no wonder so many people are getting a jumpstart on life in agriculture. And with just over one percent of the U.S. population being farmers or ranchers, bringing others on board to help feed the rest of the world is, for these veterans this is another call to duty.

WORRIES ABOUT MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND POTENTIAL RAIL STRIKE IMPACTS

BY GARY JOINER, Publisher

So much of agriculture is beyond a Texas farmer’s and rancher’s control. Added to the list right now are the low water level of the Mississippi River and a potential rail strike. Both are impacting fertilizer availability and prices. The river gauge at Memphis, Tennessee reached minus 8.49 feet last week. That’s up from the low point this year of -10.81 feet last month.

The Fertilizer Institute says cargoes are going up the river about a quarter loaded on barges. A lot of the docks where fertilizer is transloaded into terminals are off the main river. Access to those docks are a challenge.

The threat of a rail strike is also looming large. The deadline to avoid a strike has been pushed back to Dec. 4. Industry leaders say fertilizer shippers using trains will be impacted even before the deadline if the unions haven’t reached a decision before the deadline.

Ammonia shipments will be impacted five days ahead of time if there is no resolution. That’s because ammonia cannot be stuck in train cars during a strike. For every day shippers are not able to move product, it takes five to seven days to catch up and there’s not a lot of long-term storage, according to officials.

Not good for Texas growers, but there is not much they can do about it, like so much in agriculture.

2023 Calendar OF EVENTS

Certis Biologicals Elevates Leadership for U.S.-Based Sales Efforts

COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Certis Biologicals today announced that veteran sales leader Tim Riley has been tapped to helm the company’s U.S.-based sales team as National Sales Director for U.S. Ag Business.

Riley joined Certis Biologicals in 2020 as Key Account Manager, supporting the company’s business partnerships with distribution leaders. As National Sales Director, he will continue those efforts by managing the company’s nationwide team of sales managers and key accounts.

“Throughout his career and his tenure at Certis Biologicals, Tim has proven himself a valuable leader with extensive knowledge of bringing products to the markets that need them,” says Amy O’Shea, President & CEO. “This leadership will strengthen our U.S. ag market and allow us to serve growers in effectively putting biologicals to work for their operations.”

Riley brings to this position proven expertise as a sales and marketing leader in the agriculture space across ag-chem, seed, equipment and animal health markets with companies such as Amvac Chemical, American Cyanamid, CDMS (Crop Data Management Systems) and Caterpillar, Inc.

“Certis Biologicals’ experienced sales team is the tip of the spear in bringing our biological solutions to growers so that they can utilize their power to protect crops and their investments year after year,” Riley says. “The relationships that they build with U.S. growers and our distribution partners are integral to the growth of Certis and to the agriculture industry as a whole. I am proud to work with our team to enhance those relationships well into the future.”

“This leadership will strengthen our U.S. ag market and allow us to serve growers in effectively putting biologicals to work for their operations.”

To learn more about Certis Biologicals, be connected to their portfolio of proven solutions, and explore their commitment to sustainability, visit www.CertisBio.com or follow the company through social media on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Certis Biologicals

Certis Biologicals is the leading manufacturer, innovator, developer and marketer of proven biological solutions for use in commercial agriculture, professional greenhouse and the consumer markets. With biological products sold through a global distribution network and in collaboration with various technology, regulatory and sourcing companies in more than 50 countries, Certis Biologicals meets the challenges faced by today’s growers around the globe to feed a growing population while sustaining the natural resources and environments necessary for a healthy planet.

Certis Biologicals today announced that veteran sales leader Tim Riley has been tapped to helm the company’s U.S.based sales team as National Sales Director for U.S. Ag Business.

(Photo: Business Wire)

All About Sod

1) Tell me a little about yourself.. (history) where you grew up, family etc..

I grew up in Southeastern Wisconsin (Burlington) only about 30 minutes from the sod farm and am the oldest of 4. Burlington was a small town, under 10,000 people at that time, and my mom’s side of the family all grew up on the family dairy farm. Ultimately, with 10 of them, most of my Mom’s uncles went into the trades and her 2 aunts became nurses, only 1 currently lives on the no-longer operational dairy farm; they only grow row crops after the main barn burned down in the late 90’s. My dad’s family came from various different building trades, and although I didn’t spend time working on the farm, the combination of both of my parents’ relatives pushed me to have a good work ethic, the need to do something with my hands and a love for the outdoors. I went to school to be a physical education teacher and then received a masters of education with an emphasis in adventure and outdoor education; I’m still trying to figure out if it is my passion for the outdoors and/or education that helped me to get to where I am today on our 3rd generation sod farm. I met my wife, Dawn, going to the neighboring local high school with her cousins. We were married shortly after both graduating from college and now have 2 kids, Makenna (13) & Bennett (10). Dawn is a teacher at the elementary school she went to, and our kids now attend. She helps out on the farm for various things and our kids come help out whenever they can; my son would skip school any day if I let him to help out. I now help run the farm with Randy & Hilda Jasperson (father & mother-in-law), Mark Jasperson (brother -in-law), along with our 3035 full and part time employees.

2) How did you get involved in the Sod business?

Through college, I started working on the sod farm for my wife’s parents. I initially started helping with our fall planting, driving truck for deliveries, and other smaller maintenance & repair projects during the summers and when my wife and I were back home during college breaks.

3) How long have you been involved in the sod business?

I started the part time work during summers and school breaks in 2002; very small scale jobs. As my wife and I furthered our relationship, so grew the jobs and tasks that I would help out with on the farm. One of my bigger tasks the first couple years we were dating, was to help design the layout of the house office addition; helping to move the office from the basement to a more dedicated space. During this time and my classes in college, I also helped add technology advances to the farm. In 2014, the farm had grown in size and my in-laws were looking to hire more help to keep expanding. This is when I decided to leave teaching, among other reasons, and started working full time on their sod farm. Since then, my educational background and knowledge helped me update the farm website, incorporate more technology advances: software, truck routing/dispatching, efficiencies in field tracking, and ultimately helped our farm prepare for the unknown of 2020; being able to run our farm almost virtually. The advances we made allowed us to communicate with employees and customers without them knowing we were not even in the office, dispatch loads to drivers via tablets in our trucks, send invoices, collect payments, etc. It isn’t the way we liked doing business (not being face to face), but showed us we had the capabilities.

4) Why do you feel sod is so important?

I not only feel that sod is important but all crops that are grown and harvested. The important part of any harvested crop is to educate the consumer and what they have chosen to purchase, much like when they go to the grocery store and knowing where their food comes from. There are municipalities that are banning sod because of the bad reputation that it has somewhere picked up along the way as being a high water and fertilizer user. There are many untold stories that aren’t being told: the creation of heat islands that are caused by removing natural grass with hard-scapes, the run off that isn’t filtered because sod isn’t in place, creating excess micro-plastics pollution by switching from natural

turf athletic field to synthetic. Previously when I would get asked about why someone should use sod instead of seed, my answer was that we do the work for you: you can be frustrated with seed selection, watering, reseeding, etc, or just let us handle that frustration by sodding: within a matter or hours you can have a new lawn that could take you up to a year to establish on your own. Today, I still try to use that but add to it by saying that sod is a living breathing plant, how can it be “bad” for the environment. Feel free to check out the other environmental benefits that sod offers: http://www.thelawninstitute.org/environmental-benefits/ (this link highlights many different benefits, but expands on the heat islands).

On top of these concerns; is the growing number of NFL players speaking out against plastic surface playing fields. There are studies that show a reduced rate of lower body injuries on natural grass surfaces vs artificial: https://www.turfgrasssod.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/TPINFL-Case-Study-FINAL.pdf (The studies are there but our industry as a whole is not sure how to get information to the public)

The fact that most people can’t take car tires to your local dump to dispose of, but there are companies grinding up tires, plastic bottles, old tennis shoes, etc. and putting them into school athletic fields is alarming. Do people really think the chemicals go away when these products get ground up and then are okay for our kids to play on? The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has confirmed 126 different chemicals in crumb rubber extracts from plastic artificial turf fields and 67 volatile organic targets were detected in field air samples.

5) There are many types of sod, what area do you work in, and educate us on the types you work with.

Our farm is a cool-season farm offering Kentucky Bluegrass & Turf Type Tall Fescue. Generally, in the south where there are warm-season grasses, everything is grown by sprigs (cutting up the root mass and spreading it out) or leaving 2-4” ribbons when you harvest to let it grow back in. While most everything cool-season grass in the north is typically grown by seed; certain types can be sprigged also. The central band in the middle of the country, the transition zone, has a combination of both types of grasses.

6) What are some things about sod that you think people would like to know that they may not know?

Along with other agricultural industries, sod farmers try to be good stewards of the land. As we grow in our knowledge of farming we have incorporated minimum tillage practices, use improved varieties for drought tolerance, establishment, disease resistance, etc. I would further like consumers to start educating themselves on the environmental benefits of sod including carbon sequestration, oxygen production, reduced run-off, and how natural grass helps the ecosystem; along with the reduced stress of trying to seed a lawn themselves.

7) What are common misconceptions about sod?

Sod is bad for the environment: see environmental benefits link above. It takes more water to sod: this simply isn’t true, if done at the right time of the year and after the first two weeks of establishment. The initial establishment is really only the time a “heavier” watering is needed to ensure root growth. Once established it will actually take less water. Sod requires a lot of chemicals: Actually, sod requires less chemicals because it should come weed and disease free. Establishing your own lawn from seed is a lot of work and often costs more than just the bag of seed you think you’ll get a lawn from: weed pressure from competing weed seed in the dirt, the vulnerability of seedlings to get disease when they are young is higher; both of these ultimately leading to higher water & chemical usage to get the same lawn as a sodded one.

8) Sod farming is highly under- valued and taken for granted, what are some challenges you have seen on sod farms? See number 7. Along with the challenge of educating consumers that no plant is guaranteed but there are procedures to follow with any living plant to help with success.

9) Have you seen the sod industry change over the years? If you have, what are some of the changes?

Some of the biggest changes I have seen are the advances in varieties and the development of new variety genetics to help with disease pressure/resistance, establishment, growth traits, etc. There are breeding programs out there pushing seed to do better in all of these areas. Along with our general farm practices to manage our lands better, these improved varieties allow sod farmers to pass these advancements onto our customers. Every year the research continues to grow and the information for ways in which homeowners can maintain healthy lawn environments grows with that.

10) Why do you feel bringing awareness to sod is so important?

As Drew Barrymore said “Your lawn is your new living room.” As we saw from Covid, the general public has a need to be outdoors and having a healthy lawn accomplishes more than just an outdoor space. No matter how small it is, your lawn is a living, breathing plant, contributing to the environment more than most people know, along with having a safe and beautiful place to gather outside of the home.

Seated is Mary Jane Jasperson (my wife’s grandma; her late husband, Vernon “Buster”, started the sod farm with his brother Lyle). Back Row: Left: Me, Ryan Menken, Center: Mark Jasperson, Right: Randy Jasperson

NRCS Announces EQIP-CIC Sign-Up for Fiscal Year 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Texas is announcing the Fiscal Year 2023 funding signup for Conservation Incentive Contracts, a new option available through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program.

TEMPLE, Texas, — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas is announcing the Fiscal Year 2023 funding signup for Conservation Incentive Contracts (CIC), a new option available through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP).

EQIP-CIC expands resource benefits for Texas producers through incentive conservation practices such as wildlife management, cover crops, nutrient management, conservation crop rotations, and prescribed grazing.

Additionally, EQIP-CIC allows producers to target priority resource concerns on their property by offering incentive payments for a five-year contract without needing to enroll the entire operation into the program. EQIP-CIC is designed to be a stepping-stone between EQIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), to help producers improve their level of conservation and earn benefits of longer-term conservation enhancements.

While applications for EQIP are accepted throughout the

year, interested producers should submit applications to their local NRCS office by Jan. 6, 2023, to be considered for the 2023 ranking funding period.

Texas NRCS will offer funding through two separate initiatives. A Piney Woods Restoration Initiative is available for applicants in East Texas to help restore declining Piney Woods Habitat. A Climate Smart Agriculture and Wildlife Initiative available statewide prioritizing applications that address wildlife habitat and climate smart agriculture practices as well as addressing resource concerns on expired Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands. Individuals interested in applying for the EQIP-CIC should contact their local NRCS conservationist as soon as possible.

Visit the Texas NRCS website for more details about EQIP or other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs or contact your local USDA Service Center.

Standard acreage contract with the commodity price fixed at the time the contract is signed. The best option to eliminate both production and market risk.

• Price and acres fixed at contracting

• No volume guarantee

• Producer agrees to sell 100% of production from a specified acreage at a fixed price

• Standard Act of God Clauses

Acreage contract with a market price component. The Act of God clause protects against production risk and the flexible price enables the producer to take more control over the timing on when a price is set. When combined with the price boundary option, downside price risk is protected

• At producer’s option, price fixed anytime between planting & up to 2 weeks after harvest

• Acres fixed at contracting

• No volume guarantee

• Producer agrees to sell 100% of production from a specified acreage at price to be determined

• Standard Act of God Clauses • Price Boundary Option

Modeled after the traditional grain cash bid system, this provides the producer the most flexibility in how and when to market the crop.

• Price fixed in accordance with current bid

• No acre guarantee • Volume fixed

• Producer agrees to deliver fixed volume at fixed price in accordance with fixed delivery period

• No Act of God Clause, but possible to extend delivery period or roll- over contract to following crop year for a fee to be determined

Retail food inflation is slowing, but USDA reports farm prices for fruits and vegetables still running hot

BY TOM KARST

Retail food inflation slowed in Octo ber but is still running up double digits compared with a year ago, a new USDA Food Price report says.

The agency also said farm-level prices for fresh fruits and vegetables are running even hotter. All food prices in October were 10.9% higher than in October 2021. Grocery food prices were 12.4% higher than October 2021 and the USDA said restaurant prices were up 8.6% compared with October 2021.

The 2022 calendar year inflation rate for all food is now projected from 9.5% to 10.5%, with grocery prices predicted to rise between 11% and 12% and restaurant food prices expected to increase between 7% and 8%.

In 2021, grocery prices increased 3.5% and restaurant prices rose 4.5%. Looking ahead to next year, the USDA said food prices are expected to grow more slowly but are still expected to increase at a rate above historical averages.

In 2023, all food prices are predicted to increase between 3% and 4%, with grocery prices expected up between 2.5% and 3.5% and restaurant prices predicted to in-

crease between 4% and 5%. “The increases in all-food and food-at-home prices continued to slow in October and were the smallest of 2022,” the USDA’s Food Price report said. “The continuing increases in the Federal funds (interest) rate by the Federal Reserve place downward pressure on prices, and prices for unprocessed agricultural commodities have decreased each month since peaking in May 2022.”

Retail fresh fruits prices are now predicted to increase by 7.5% and 8.5% in 2022, while fresh vegetables prices are predicted to increase between 6% and 7%. Grower prices at the farm level were up significantly compared with a year ago, according to the USDA.

The USDA said farm-level fruit prices rose by 11.5% in October 2022, an increase of 34.5% from October last year. Farm-level vegetables prices jumped by 22.4% in October 2022, following a 15.7% increase in September, and were 45.8% higher than October 2021, the USDA said.

Farm-level fruit prices are now predicted to increase between 15.5% and 18.5% this year, while farm-level vegetables prices are now predicted to increase between 34% and 37%.

Ag Labor: Changing perception means changing what we say (part 2) BY DANTE GALEAZZI, Texas International Produce Association; December 2022

s of the writing of this article, many agriculture groups throughout the country are holding their breath to see if U.S. Senators Crapo (R-ID) and Bennett (D-CO) will bring their version of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to the Senate floor for a vote before the end of the 118th session of the U.S. Congress. There remain a few paths this bill could take to becoming law prior to the end of the year and the end of this congressional session. If the FWMA bill does not reach the floor and receive approval before the end of 2022, it will mean starting the process for a legislative fix all over again.

Even if the Bennett-Crapo bill is introduced and the FWMA does become law, challenges for a reliable, legal and plentiful agricultural workforce will linger. FWMA will make many improvements to the H-2A program, provide a legal framework for moving undocumented workers into a documented work visa program (not amnesty or citizenship), as well as changes which make the program easier to use for smaller farmers and create a more strategic approach to areas such as AEWR increases and recruiting metrics.

This all means the industry will still need to be prepared to talk about this issue in the future, regardless of what we see before the end of 2022 from Congress. That means a strong yet simple to understand message is still needed for farmers to talk about labor shortages effectively.

In case you missed the last article on ag labor, as an industry representative for fresh produce growers in Texas, one of the biggest challenges I have found is how our side of the table talks to Congress and non-agriculture people about the labor issue. Often, we bombard these people with terms like “H-2A” or “Foreign Guest Worker” and make statements like “regulations are expensive and overly burdensome,” or “the legal ramifications of a

violation make the program unattractive to small growers.” These are all valid points and issues, but the delivery is all wrong if the person hearing the message is not a farmer.

What does any of that mean to the suburban family who pictures the word “farm” as a big red wooden barn with rolling hills of green grass? How do statements such as these motivate the average Americans, and thereby our congressional and senatorial representatives, into action on this issue? Simply put, the above terms and statements have not proven to be effective this day in age.

Look no further than the long history of Congressional action (or inaction) on agricultural labor. The first Braceros program was in 1917, and yet the United States continues to struggle to provide a legal, reliable and plentiful foreign workforce for agriculture. Clearly, the issue has been around a long time and has made its way into the ears of policymakers in Washington, DC a few times. Yet the devil is in the details. While each program has provided “improvements” from the preceding effort, each new program has brought its own challenges without fully addressing the needs of U.S. farmers. This means farmers and our industry need to be prepared to continue this conversation well into the future.

So again, how should we talk about the shortage of agriculture workers in this country? How can we craft and deliver a meaningful message? Because if the last 100 years is an indicator, the agriculture industry clearly needs to do a better job or we may never see a long term solution to the labor issues plaguing the sector.

A few points need to happen in developing these new talking points on fixing ag labor.

First, the message needs to resonate with consumers. Any good writer or marketer knows a connection with the listener is essential . It has to reach on a personal level,

especially if a call to action is necessary. And, it has to be easy to understand – which has been our biggest hurdle.

Second, the consequences of inaction need to be equally clear. This is how a sense of urgency is connected to issue. The consequences for farmers can be discussed, but again – we want action from consumers so that means presenting the impacts to the consumers.

Third, the solution or “ask” needs to be brief and easy. If the talking points for an answer become too technical, the issue returns to obscurity. Think about it like filing your own taxes. We know the issue: tax code is incredibly complicated. The consequences: one needs professional (and often expensive) help to take full advantage of all the various tax breaks possible. The solution: make the tax code easier. But what does easier mean in this instance? Do you abandon the tax breaks that work for so many in favor of simplicity? Or do you use legislature to demand the taxation system overhaul? If so, to what end?

Therefore a solution, like the message and the consequences, must be clear and simple for the entire delivery to prove successful.

2050. But with no workers to harvest today’s crops, farmers will go out of business before 2050 and the world will never reach that 60%. Keep farming alive, pass FWMA so we can feed America and the world.”

• Focusing on access

“Fruits and vegetables do not have to be expensive, but they will be if there’s no one to harvest those crops. Tell the Senate that FWMA will bring us workers in order to keep fruits and veggies affordable for all Americans.”

Each talking point can be used in different settings for different audiences. These points are just the beginning and are still in the “testing” phases. Have no doubt either that as time passes, these points will evolve to remain current and impactful. Like consumers, our message must adapt with the times to have the right reach, and ultimately hope of making a difference.

• Focusing on current issues

We hope to continue bringing more simplified and impactful talking points to the Ag Mag readers and our Texas farmers so that we all can do our part and educate our families, friends, neighbors and our elected officials about the importance of this issue. In the meantime, if you have ideas or would like to be part of the grass roots effort to get the word out about how Ag Labor is being addressed, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at the Texas International Produce Association (info@texipa.org).

more food by

A few ideas have risen to the top, but by no means are these “final” talking points:

“No farm workers means higher food prices beyond inflation. Want to keep food prices stable? Demand Senate passes FWMA so we can get workers.”

• Focusing on the future

“The world needs 60%

BAYER FUND AND WESLACO FARMERS TEAM UP TO DIRECT DONATIONS TO RURAL NONPROFITS AND SCHOOLS

In 2022, Bayer Fund doubled America’s Farmers Grow Communities individual donations from $2,500 to $5,000

• The America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, a Bayer Fund program, partners with farmers to provide grants to local nonprofits and schools to help their communities.

• Through the program, farmers enroll for the chance to direct a $5,000 donation to a local eligible nonprofit organization or school of their choice.

• Farmers will once again be able to enter for a chance to direct an America’s Farmers Grow Communities 2023 donation on August 1, 2022.

WESLACO, TX – Local farmers Dusty & Ashley Dickerson recently directed a $5,000 Bayer Fund America’s Farmers Grow Communities donation to Borderline 4-H Club in Hidalgo County. Borderline 4-H will use the funds to award scholarships to graduating seniors and for leadership programs for members,

“We are so excited to receive this grant, our club president Ellie Vaughan has appointed a committee to implement leadership trainings and grants within our club to grow more leaders! We hope to multiply the impact of this amazing opportunity,” said, Miriam Ford, Borderline 4-H Club Manager.

In 2022, Bayer Fund revamped America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, making it easier for farmers across the country to find and fund the organizations and institutions that keep their communities thriving. This included doubling the individual donations to $5,000, up from $2,500 in previous years to provide a greater impact to local rural communities.

For more than a decade, Grow Communities has partnered with farmers to direct funds to programs and organizations that contribute to their communities’ health and vibrancy, such as food banks, schools and youth agriculture programs. Since the America’s Farmers programs

began in 2010, the initiatives have awarded nearly $65 million to such programs.

“Each year we hear from several nonprofit and school leaders, as well as farmers, about the ways Grow Communities has made a difference,” said Al Mitchell, Bayer Fund president. “Bayer Fund is proud to work side-byside with farmers to identify local nonprofit organizations and schools that are improving rural communities in the areas of health and wellness, food and nutrition, and STEM and ag education.”

Farmers can enroll for the opportunity to direct a 2023 Grow Communities donation starting on August 1, 2022. To learn more about the enrollment process and how America’s Farmers programs are making an impact, visit www.Americasfarmers.com.

About Bayer Fund

Bayer Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where Bayer customers and employees live and work by providing funding for food and nutrition, education and community development projects.

GOLF TOURNEY 2022

WANORECK

Bethany Wanoreck was named the winner of the 2022 Texas Farm Bureau Outstanding Young Farmer & Rancher contest at the organization’s 89th annual meeting in Corpus Christi. (Courtesy Photo)

The seeds of a dream tended with much hard work and perseverance have one young farmer reaping the rewards. It’s a bountiful harvest for first-generation farmer Bethany Wanoreck of Orange Grove.

She was named the winner of Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) 2022 Outstanding Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) Award at the organization’s 89th annual meeting in Waco.

“Farming is never easy, but it can be even more difficult to break into as a first-generation farmer,” TFB President Russell Boening said. “Bethany is a determined young farmer who is working to make her dream in agriculture come true alongside her husband. We’re honoring their dedication with this award.”

Bethany Wanoreck co-owns the farm with her husband, Travis. They grow corn, grain sorghum and cotton in Bee, Jim Wells and Nueces counties.

They implement minimum tillage and strip-till practices on their farms to help reduce soil erosion and increase organic matter. They also provide custom planting and harvesting to other farmers in the area. In addition to farming, Bethany is the district nurse for Orange Grove ISD.

She and her husband represent District 13 on the TFB YF&R Advisory Committee. She is active in YF&R events and activities at the state and county levels, including the Nueces County Farm Bureau scholarship committee. Together, Bethany and Travis are raising a family rooted in agriculture. Their three children—Wyatt, Brynlee and Taryn—help on the farm and are learning to love and respect the land.

The Outstanding YF&R contest recognizes farmers and ranchers between the ages of 18 and 35 for their hard work and dedication to agriculture, Boening noted. To be eligible for the contest, young farmers and ranchers must be TFB members and earn the majority of their income from production agriculture.

“In agriculture, you need perseverance and dedication,” Boening said. “This year’s contest highlighted some of the best young farmers and ranchers in our state who are innovative, resourceful and passionate. They’re determined to grow their future in agriculture, and their efforts were rewarded in our contest.”

State prizes

As the winner of the Outstanding YF&R contest, Wanoreck will receive a $60,000 member dealer voucher to be used at Ford, Case IH, Grasshopper, CAT or John Deere, courtesy of Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies; a $5,000 cash award, courtesy of Farm Credit Bank of Texas; and expense-paid trips to the TFB Annual Meeting and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Annual Convention.

Other finalists in this year’s competition include Jay and Francie Clark of Brownwood and Slayton and Abby Hoelscher of Wall.

Two runners-up will receive $500 cash award, courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company; and an expense-paid trip to the TFB Annual Meeting.

Wanoreck will go on to represent Texas in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Achievement Award competition.

National prizes

The winner of the national Achievement Award will receive a $35,000 credit toward a new Ford vehicle and paid registration to the Farm Bureau YF&R Fusion Conference in Jacksonville, Florida, courtesy of Ford Motor Company. The national runner-up will receive a $25,000 credit toward a new piece of equipment from Case IH, courtesy of Case IH.

Third place in the national competition will receive a $2,500 Investing in Your Future cash prize, courtesy of AmericanAg; a Case IH branded safe, courtesy of Case IH; and $1,665 worth of Stanley Black & Decker merchandise, courtesy of Stanley Black & Decker. The fourth-place national finalist will receive a Case IH branded Solo stove, courtesy of Case IH.

Information on the contest and other young farmer and rancher activities can be found online at texasfarmbureau.org/YFR.

A Look into

Hurricane Protection

BY KYLIE SELLMAN

Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast in August of 2017, being the most catastrophic hurricane to hit the United States in over a decade. This landmark event caused Texas Agriculture to lose an estimated $100 million in cotton crop alone, resulting in lingering effects on farmers for years to come. A relatively new program could protect farmers from these massive losses caused by future hurricanes.

Hurricane Insurance Protection - Wind Index, commonly referred to as HIP, provides coverage on over 70 crops for counties along the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, Hawaii, and their adjacent counties. HIP is an insurance policy that must be renewed annually and will be paid within 30 days following the release of counties identified by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC). You may be wondering, what if my crops are not affected by a hurricane for several years? The producer pays an annual premium for insurance coverage and would receive an indemnity if the county that they insured in or an adjacent county sustained hurricane force winds with a named storm and would pay the full policy limits. There is no adjustment procedure, and the amount of the indemnity is based on the liability of underlying Federal Crop Insurance Policies.

Historically, for example, Hidalgo County, Texas would have triggered a loss 4 out of the last 20 years. Based on Hidalgo County rates and federal government subsidy, a farmer could sustain 1 loss every 20 years and have no out of pocket expense. It is

possible that a farmer could pay in for 19 years and in the 20th year receive an indemnity to cover all past premiums. Currently, if a farmer were to look back on historic tropical storm averages, for every dollar paid in premium, they would receive four dollars in indemnity.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Nueces County, Texas, even though it made landfall at this point, Hidalgo County would have still qualified for a HIP payment because Kleberg and Kennedy County both sustained hurricane force winds and they are adjacent to one another. Willacy County would have also qualified for payment as it is adjacent to Kennedy County while Cameron County would not have qualified for a claim. In insurance terms, this is considered a group risk program rather than an individual farm based program. All group risk programs subsidized by the USDA Risk Management Agency are subsidized at a higher rate than the underlying individual farmer based programs.

The program was introduced for the first time in 2020, and many agents were reluctant to offer it to their producers in fear that the farmers would not want to pay into an unproven insurance protection policy. The agents that I interviewed also felt this way until they took the time to analyze the program and all that it has to offer. Since the Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced the program and companies set up quoting programs for farmers to evaluate their individual farming operations, there has been an overwhelming amount of participation.

The Hurricane Insurance Protection - Wind Index

Endorsement gives farmers the opportunity to protect themselves from future tropical storms that may affect them. This program has the ability to financially stabilize farmers along the Texas coastline following these catastrophic events.

For more information on Hurricane Insurance Protection - Wind Index, visit the United States Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency website at: https://www.rma.usda.gov/ en/Topics/Hurricane-Insurance-Protection-Wind-Index

Upcoming North Alamo WSC Construction Projects…

North Alamo Water Supply Corporation is currently working on an Energy Efficient brackish Groundwater Desalination Project with assistance from the engineering firm of Freese and Nichols and funding from TWDB and the Bureau of Reclamation. The project consists of retrofitting it’s Donna and Doolittle reverse osmosis plants with energy efficient membranes to help lower energy costs and increase the production of water. The project also includes the addition of 3 new wells to supplement the capacity of each of the R.O. plants including the Owassa R.O. The upgrades to the existing facilities and the addition of new wells at Owassa, Doolittle and Donna will increase brackish groundwater desalination supplies by nearly 3 million gallons per day. This project is part of the Corporations Capital Improvement Plan as it continues to serve its membership and provide sustainable water improvements to its system.

he proposed project is to expand Water Treatment Plant No. 5 from an existing 11 Million Gallons Per Day facility to a total Treatment capacity of 16 Million Gallons Per Day by adding processing facilities to provide for an additional 5 Million Gallons Per Day. The facility is located north of Donna, Texas along Victoria Road.

The improvements include the construction of a new raw water lift pump station, a rapid mix basin, two clarifiers, a four-cell filter system, a transfer well and pumps, a chemical feed system, and operations building. The construction for the expansion will begin January of 2023 with a completion date of December 2024. The construction cost for the improvements is valued at approximately $14,500,000.00

This project consists of approximately 16,000 lineal feet of 16-inch PVC C-900 waterline and approximately 5,800 lineal feet of 24-inch PVC C-900 waterline. The improvements will begin with the installation of the said 24-inch waterline at Water Treatment Plant No. 5 located north of Donna, Texas along Victoria Road. The proposed 24-inch line will continue north along Victoria Road to Mile 11 ½ North Road, where it will run west along Mile 11 ½ North Road to FM 493 and transition to a 16-inch waterline. The 16-inch

waterline will continue west along Earling Road to Val Verde Road (FM 1423) and connect to an existing 12-inch waterline. The construction for these waterlines will begin January of 2023 with a completion date of January 2024. The construction cost for the improvements is valued at approximately $3,000,000.00. Both of these projects will enhance water pressure and add capacity for the area served in Western and Eastern Hidalgo County as well as Willacy County.

Life On The Run

1.Tell me a little history about yourself and your businesswhere are you from, kids, home state, living now, what got you involved in Agriculture? I was born in the piney woods of east Texas, but have spent the majority of my life on the prairies of the Great Plains in Nebraska and Kansas. While I have always had an interest in agriculture, I never dreamed my life would be on the path I currently find myself and returning to my birth state most Mays to kick off wheat harvest, but here we are! My name is Laura Boroughs Haffner. My husband and I have a grain farm and own and operate a custom harvesting business called High Plains Harvesting, based out of Park, Kansas. High Plains Harvesting started its maiden season in 2012 and just completed our 11th year on the run. We are a full-service harvesting operation, fully customizable to meet the needs of our clients. We travel from Texas to the Canadian border each summer harvesting wheat and other small grains like barley, canola, lentils, peas, etc. We make additional stops in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Montana and often North Dakota. Depending on the job, we may be at a location a matter of days, or it could be several weeks. In addition to the summer wheat run, we also harvest fall crops including corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, pinto beans, etc. High Plains Harvesting is considered full service because we bring everything a farm needs for a timely and efficient harvest. This can include combines, tractors, grain carts, trucks, precision technology and all the people needed to operate the machinery effectively and professionally. There are many diverse reasons why a farm may wish to partner with a custom harvester. I chose the word “partner” because a partnership truly what is. The farmer depends on us to bring in the crop for them in a timely, efficient manner, and we depend on the farmer to communicate their needs to us, changing conditions and an accurate estimate of their harvest needs so we can plan to serve them accordingly.

2. How did you get started, etc. Agriculture was something that interested me from a young age. I’m not sure where exactly the spark first started, but I loved visiting my friends’ farms, had a father who was an agronomist, and grew up in rural communities whose survival depended on the success of agriculture. There was no escaping it! As a result of that interest, I pursued education and agronomy for my undergraduate degree from Kanas State University. I also have a master’s degree in biological sciences from Clemson. Ryan, my husband has a slightly different story. Ryan grew up on a farm where his dad was mainly responsible for the cattle and crops and his uncle ran the harvest crew. As a result, he got his start with harvest on the knees of brothers and cousins as they operated machines. The first combine he drove was a Gleaner N7 which caught him hook, line and sinker. Since Ryan, the youngest of seven, is what we affectionately call a “late in life blessing”, he came of age as the family’s crew retired. This didn’t stop him from seeking out other harvesting opportunities at the ripe old age of fourteen. He spent most of his teen years and early twenties on the harvest run. After college, he spent several years in the agriculture industry working for both MacDon and Great Plains. It was during that time we met and were married. Owning a harvest crew wasn’t on the horizon or in any part of the plan, yet God has a way of taking you places you’ve never dreamed, both literally and figuratively. The opportunity has been both a blessing and a challenge, and we have grown immensely through the experience.

3. What is the most exciting thing about your custom harvest? The harvest run can almost feel like an addiction due to the adventures and the constant adrenaline rush for months on end. One of our team members once said something like the following, “It’s like a bad drug you just can’t shake.” Even though he or I have never done drugs, I suspect he’s on to something. Somedays, the stress and sacrifice for “life on the run” can become so heavy. There are times I wonder why we do this. Then that wild and free feeling creeps back in along with the satisfaction that we are providing a real service to farmers while playing a role in

feeding the masses. No two days are ever the same. There is the constant pressure to do the best, professional job possible at your current harvest job, but also mentally putting things in place to be ready and prepare for the one that is quickly ripening up the road. There are always unexpected challenges, usually around the weather, that affects that schedule. There is something exhilarating about standing in some of the most desolate, open spaces in the country. There are always new people to meet, interpersonal things to navigate. Harvest stretches a person mentally and physically and challenges them to try things they may not otherwise have the chance to do.

4. What are some challenges? As with all of agriculture, weather poses the biggest challenges to our business. This year we faced widespread drought in the southern part of our run that greatly reduced our harvestable acres, a massive hailstorm in the north, and some freeze damage in-between. If used to feel that the run was a bit more predictable, but things have changed and become more volatile with each passing year.

Like others in this industry, we face the challenge of continually changing rules and regulations. Some examples include labor, transportation, ELDT, etc. Inflation, volatile fuel prices, grain prices, parts availability and delays have been known to cause a headache or two as well. Another challenge with custom harvesting is there is no safety net. At some point prior each harvest season, we must jump off a proverbial financial cliff and commit to the run, with equipment and labor, well before we have a solid idea of how the crop will materialize in each location along the run. Because we are contractors and not the farmers, we do not have insurance for crop loss in the event of a catastrophic weather event. I would be lying if I said this hasn’t likely caused me a white hair or two over the years.

5. From starting until todays date- what has been your biggest success and your biggest challenge?

Starting and running a business has been both our biggest challenge and success. The sheer amount of effort it takes to get any business off the ground is staggering and its important to have a great team of people to surround yourself with such as your banker, accountant, dealerships, employees, etc. It has taken years of blood, sweat and tears in the realest of ways to get to where we are now. We are proud of the business we have built and how we support other’s operations through the service of harvesting. However, there’s always work to be done because new challenges and obstacles are always just around the corner. I’m not sure we’ll ever feel like we have “arrived” as there’s aways new technology to learn, ways to improve as a boss for our team, and methods to tweak to better serve our customers.

6. Tell me a little about your family Ryan and I have two elementary school aged children. People unfamiliar with the lifestyle often ask what we do with them during a harvest season that can last roughly from May through November or December, weather dependent of course. The answer to that question is that they join the crew on the run whenever possible. Our son and daughter don’t know any other life. I would be lying if I said it was easy taking babies on the road like that. It wasn’t, which is a story for another day. However, now they are wonderful, seasoned travelers and because of our extended stay in areas across the Great Plains, they have been able to see many things I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to show them. The amount of time and duration they’re on the road is something we are evaluating each season as they age. As much as we value this lifestyle, we also know it is important that they can grow and learn as individuals too through camps, 4-H, and other valuable activities. Trying to find the right balance is a moving target. As an educator, it is important to me that our children receive a solid education both in an out of the classroom. One of the neatest things about having a diverse set of team members who work for us is that the world comes to our children, and often they can become like family. This past season we had team members from the United States,

Ireland, Scotland, England, Romania, Germany, New Zealand, Chile, and South Africa. Foreign accents are as common for us dialects within our own country. They enjoy the opportunity to occasionally try food common to a particular area and have a blast taking crew members to experience things unique for our country. They have also had the opportunity to form relationships with some of our customer’s or other harvesters’ children. They even attend school in another town during fall harvest and have great relationships with people in that community and back at our home-home. A solid work ethic is another thing our children witness firsthand. They know that every role is important to the success of making the operation run smoothly. The children also know that harvest doesn’t fit neatly into a nine to five schedule. When you live in a travel trailer for many weeks on the road, it is difficult to shield them from some of the stressors that come with owning a business. However, I hope they will see how we work to solve problems and learn from our mistakes and successes, which are skills they can take with them in life. Finally, I am so thankful that our travels have taken us to locations we would normally be able to experience. I am constantly looking for unique things to do in the regions we travel to. This year we were able to dig for dinosaur bones in Montana with Cowboy Dino Digs, travel to numerous national parks including camping and hiking in Glacier National Park, crossing the border into Canada, and countless other educational experiences too numerous to count. Events like these from the past several years have quickly become some of my most treasured memories with my children.

9. Working with family can be tough, yet rewarding. Tell me both. The dynamics of a family-owned business are forever changing because nothing in this life is static. Farming and families are very similar. If your crop doesn’t have sunlight, water and proper nutrients, it won’t grow and prosper. The same thing is true for families. If you don’t take time to invest in your people, relationships will suffer or eventually wither away, maybe to the point of no return. I believe in being transparent if it can help another person not feel so alone or have hope for their own situation. There have been times we have gotten things right and there were times we couldn’t have been more out of balance. As a result, we have thrived and suffered accordingly. There is not a one size fits all for everyone or even within the same home due to differences in personalities and constantly changing conditions. Some things that have helped me is having a trusted person to talk to, making it a priority to give back to industry through agriculture organizations, carving out time for family and friends, and investing in my faith journey. One of the best things to come to out of the experience is something I heard from a seasoned harvest mom friend call “forced togetherness.” Sometimes, family is all you have on the road and you have no other choice but to figure out how to get along and thrive. Of course, I will never know if their bond would have happened regardless of our lifestyle, but I believe it has helped my children have an extremely close relationship. Full disclosure, they do have their days just like any other pair of siblings!

7. What is one thing about agriculture that you have seen change since starting the business? The focus on various technologies continues to increase exponentially and precision agriculture will only continue to grow. We need to continue to improve our craft in agriculture and do more with less. This will mean producing more food on less ground, reigning in our inputs and only applying what is needed where it is needed, and continuing to lead the way in key conservation initiatives to leave our farms better than we found it for future generations. Technology, coupled with human expertise and collaboration, will be key to making this happen.

8. Why is custom harvesting so important? Harvest is one of the most important times of the season where the farmer sees a year or more worth of planning, investment, and work come to fruition. There’s one chance to get it right, especially when it comes to a crop like wheat that is time sensitive to the constant threat of weather and heat. There are many reasons why a farmer may choose to partner with a custom harvester. Sometimes, they already have their own harvest equipment, but their size of the operation requires additional resources to increase their harvesting speed and capacity. For some, it doesn’t make sense to own expensive equipment that is only used a few days out of the year. Harvest requires a lot of people power for a short amount of time. As a full service business, we take the hiring struggle out of the equation and bring all the people and equipment to them. Other farmers may have other important responsibilities whether on their actual farm or in their personal lives during the same time as harvest. Custom harvesters can help the farmer achieve that important work/life balance that is often difficult to grasp.

10. If you could give someone younger in Ag some advice, what would it be? While agriculture is an honorable, necessary profession, it is also unpredictable and volatile. Don’t get so caught up in making a living, that you forget to make a life. Hard work and sacrifice are required for any worthwhile endeavor. However, if it comes at the cost of chronically neglecting your family and close friends, is it worth it? Relationships are what make the world go around. Speaking of relationships, don’t go it alone. Find a trustworthy mentor who is willing to walk with you through some of life’s ups and downs. This doesn’t apply to just your business, but to other areas of life such as parenting and marriage. Rarely is there anything new under the sun and chances are someone else has gone through similar challenges. This realization can do wonders for one’s mental health and personal growth. Finally, take time to give back to the communities, organizations, and people that have poured into you. If we want healthy communities and sound agriculture policy, we can’t sit back and hope someone else does the work. Find what speaks to you and devote time to doing your part now for a brighter future.

11. Where can people find you on social? Our business can be found on Facebook and Instagram: @highplainsharvesting My personal blog Facebook, Instagram (and just dabbling in TikTok – yikes): @undertheflyoversky

12. Where can people find information on your business? Social media is the best way to stay up-to-date on the happenings at High Plains Harvesting. For information on the past eight seasons, visit the High Plains Journal’s “All Aboard Harvest” blog at: https://allaboardharvest. com/ For harvesting or employment inquiries, contact us at 785-673-6161 or rhaffner@heartlandagriculture.com.

AS RIO GRANDE SHRINKS, EL PASO PLANS FOR UNCERTAIN WATER FUTURE

BY KYLIE SELLMAN

Since before El Paso was founded by a Spanish missionary in the late 17th century, the Chihuahuan Desert region has been nourished by a steady supply of water: the Rio Bravo Del Norte, as the river is known in Mexico, or the Rio Grande, as it’s known in the United States. Today, the population on both sides of the international border is booming, fast approaching 3 million. But even as the Paso del Norte region — which encompasses El Paso, Texas; Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; and Las Cruces, New Mexico — prospers, a twodecade-long megadrought exacerbated by a warming climate is bringing more extreme weather and shrinking the lower Rio Grande. As temperatures have risen and rainfall has decreased, the river’s flow along its entire length will continue to decline, and peak runoff could occur a month earlier. As temperatures continue to rise, scientists predict additional losses may exceed 20 percent by mid-century and 35 percent at the end of the century. The changes have left urban water authorities scrambling to find ways to provide cities with alternate supplies of water. “We have to prepare for the year that there is no river water,” says Lisa Rosendorf, a spokesperson for El Paso Water, the utility that serves the city, “because that year will come.”

The Rio Grande flows some 1,900 miles from its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains, in southern Colorado, to its mouth near Brownsville, Texas. The nation’s fourth longest river, the Rio Grande has long been known for its low and often intermittent flows; it’s jokingly referred to as the Rio Sand.

But the flow through southern New Mexico and West Texas is exceptionally paltry these days. The Elephant Butte Reservoir — which holds

Rio Grande water that is sent downriver to Las Cruces in southern New Mexico and then on to El Paso and Mexico — is currently at 5.6 percent of capacity.

Eighty percent of the river’s flow has historically been diverted to agriculture. But now diminished flows have forced many farmers to either fallow fields or switch from water-hungry crops to those that are more drought tolerant.

Intermittent water shortages have long plagued El Paso, and in the 1950s a withering regional drought spurred the city to begin thinking about sources beyond the river. El Paso Water, the municipal utility, has been ahead of other cities in working to establish these new sources, including desalination, residential and commercial conservation, “toiletto-tap” wastewater recycling, and importing water from far away. Now, as the city experiences its longest drought on record, these alternatives will be put to the test.

The city of El Paso gets 40 percent of its water supply directly from the Rio Grande. Another roughly 40 percent is pumped from wells drilled into the Hueco Bolson aquifer, which is 200 miles long and 25 miles wide; another 17 percent comes from the smaller Mesilla Bolson aquifer. The city usually pumps from the Rio Grande for 30 continuous weeks of the year. But during this most recent drought, the river has provided water for only six to eight weeks a year.

The Kay Bailey Hutchison desalination plant, completed in 2007, is capable of supplying 5 percent of El Paso’s water. Most people assume that desalination turns only seawater into fresh water, but El Paso’s system — the world’s largest inland municipal desalination plant — generates fresh water from brackish, or mildly salty, groundwater. (Texas aquifers contain approximately 2.7 billion acre-feet of brackish water.) The plant cost roughly $90 million to build, and the city already has plans to expand it. On a tour of the plant, Woody Williams, the plant’s lead technician, points out row upon row of reverse osmosis filters stacked atop each other. Brackish water is piped from deep wells and forced through these membranes, which have pores so tiny that water molecules can pass through, but not molecules of salt and other impurities. Desalination along coastlines, where most such plants are located, has some major drawbacks. It’s an expensive,

With a megadrought persisting in the Southwest, El Paso and other cities on the Rio Grande are scrambling to find alternative sources of water and are turning to innovative approaches — desalination, transporting water via pipelines, and “toilet-to-tap” wastewater recycling.

Elephant Butte Reservoir on the Rio Grande in New Mexico in August 2022. The reservoir is currently less than 6 percent full. MITCH TOBIN / THE WATER DESK

The Rio Grande viewed from the Good Neighbor International Bridge connecting El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, looking toward Mexico. MAURITIUS IMAGES GMBH / ALAMY

energy-intensive process, and plants suck in fish and other marine creatures with the ocean water. Inland desalination, which is also energy intensive, doesn’t kill fish. But like ocean desal, it leaves behind mountains of briny waste. Ocean plants return that salt and other chemical residues to the sea — a potential threat to marine health. El Paso solves its brine problem by piping the waste 22 miles across the arid plains to an injection well where it is stored permanently 4,000 feet underground. Like other cities in the Southwest, El Paso has long recycled used residential water through its so-called “purple pipe” system, which cleans up wastewater and delivers it for non-potable use on golf courses and park lawns. The city is now upgrading its water recycling plant with a UV disinfection system, reverse osmosis, and microfiltration that will make its end product potable. The “toilet-to-tap” system — the technical term is direct potable reuse — will provide the city with water so clean that minerals will have to be added to improve its taste. The largest such plant in the world, it will cost $150 million to build and is scheduled to open in 2025.

Rate hikes that cover the increased costs will cause financial pain to many. “It’s estimated that households in the lowest income bracket will have to pay 10 percent of their income for water,” says Alex Mayer, director of the Center for Environmental Resource Management at the University of Texas at El Paso. “Everywhere in the Southwest is going to have more expensive water.” Fortunately, utility assistance programs are available to help the very poorest. “It is an ongoing adaptation [for everyone],” says Sam Fernald at the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute at New Mexico State University, in Las Cruces. “New Mexico is paying the price for climate change.”

With almost half of its water derived from two aquifers, El Paso worries about overpumping groundwater. The city acknowledges that the way it manages the Hueco Bolson aquifer is not sustainable. It is currently pumping between 60,000 and 70,000 acre-feet of groundwater a year but replacing only about 5,000 acre-feet. Municipal pumping has lowered the aquifer several hundred feet.

Texas has sued New Mexico alleging that its increased groundwater pumping was depriving Texas of Rio Grande flow.

This overdrawing is sometimes referred to as Managed Aquifer Depletion. “Notice the acronym,” says Mayer, with a smile.

But El Paso continues to seek new water sources. Since the 1990s, the city has emphasized conservation as a way to stretch its limited water supplies, requiring builders to install low-flow toilets and faucets and limiting the amount of turf in new construction. “The whole culture of landscaping has changed here,” notes El Paso Water’s Rosendorf. Per person usage dropped from 200 gallons a day 30 years ago to about 139 today. The utility has a target of 125 gallons per day by 2030. To further assure its supply, the city is also buying 70,000 acres of farmland in Dell City, 90 miles to the east. The Texas town has just a few hundred souls but an abundance of groundwater provided by the Bone Spring-Victorio Peak Aquifer. The system is not expected to come online until 2050.

The concept of “buy and dry” — purchasing land only to fallow it, then moving its water elsewhere — has a controversial history in the West. Owens Valley in Southern California is the case study. The valley was home to a prosperous farming community in the early 1900s. But in 1913, agents of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, posing as farmers and ranchers, began to surreptitiously buy up land and the water rights that came with it. They diverted that water 233 miles to support the burgeoning metropolis. Springs and seeps soon disappeared, and agricultural land was ruined.

There is nothing surreptitious about El Paso’s approach to the Dell City project. The utility has purchased 20 farm properties for more than $222 million, and until water starts being pumped west, those farmers are leasing back their land at attractive rates.

But Dell City makes an expensive source. Pumping and piping water to El Paso will cost the city $3,000 an acre-foot. Treating and distributing an acre-foot of water from the Rio Grande — enough to provide indoor and outdoor water for two urban households for a year — costs $300.

Groundwater and rivers are connected, of course, and abstracting too much water from one source can negatively affect the other. In 2013, Texas filed suit against New Mexico, alleging that its increased pumping of groundwater was depriving Texas of Rio Grande flow. The case has continued for nine years, with a hearing in front of a federal judge appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled for January. Water authorities are trying to make groundwater use more sustainable, says Scott Reinert, water resources manager for El Paso Water. The utility uses injection wells to return treated wastewater to aquifers, and when it is available, it directs excess Rio Grande water into the city’s Enhanced Arroyo Project — two miles of human-made river channel that allows water to slowly filter into the Hueco Bolson aquifer. Rain is also diverted into basins designed to allow recharge of groundwater reserves. Mayer says there is a good deal of uncertainty about those reserves. Right now, experts estimate that fresh groundwater will hold out for a few decades, while brackish groundwater will be available for generations.

The end of surface water, however — if it comes to that — signals the end of a living river. Already, the lack of river water in the Rio Grande has robbed people of the opportunity to swim, raft, and gather along its banks, especially in the region’s poorer areas.

To begin to remedy this loss, the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, a Las Cruces-based nonprofit that helps communities of color gain access to public lands, has worked with volunteers to create a very modest natural area, called La Mancha Wetland Park, on land donated by a local builder. Here, families can enjoy the outdoors and observe birds and other wildlife drawn to a cattail-rimmed pond dug by machine. “It’s some of the only year-round water in this area,” says Olivia Jensen, Nuestra Tierra’s operations director. It’s clear, though, that no matter how much infrastructure is built to help offset the great drying of the Rio Grande — whether it’s multimillion-dollar plants or small community-based efforts like this one — the region’s water future remains uncertain. “The river,” says Mayer, “has proven itself to be unreliable.”

“Everywhere in the Southwest is going to have more expensive water,” says a water expert at the University of Texas.

Left: The El Paso Water Desalination Plant, the largest groundwater desalination plant in the United States. Right: The average amount of salt removed from a beaker of brackish groundwater. TED WOOD

Alex Mayer, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso, at the Mexican border. TED WOOD

Plant science researchers at Texas A&M University conduct crop variety testing trials to determine which varieties of that crop have higher yields or are more drought tolerant, heat tolerant, disease resistant, or display some other desirable characteristics. Both cotton and grain producers and industry use the information generated to select the best varieties for production or for sale in specific target regions.

Crop variety testing research is conducted in many strategic production regions throughout Texas, including the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Centers, the Texas A&M farm services facility near the Brazos River west of College Station and numerous on-farm sites

with cooperating producers. This multi-location testing provides data under a multitude of environments which differ in soil type, moisture, temperature, day length and cultural practices. This is essential in Texas given the diversity across the production environments.

The research is supported in many ways, ranging from seed companies to major agriculture commodity groups whose producers will benefit from the knowledge gained. The following crop varieties tested in Hidalgo and Cameron counties were corn, grain sorghum, cotton and sunflowers. For more information, feel free to contact Marco Ponce, CEA-Cameron County at (956) 361-8236 or Vidal Saenz, CEA-Hidalgo County at (956) 383-1026.

CROP VARIETY TRIALS