Issue 18 of Ag Mag by THEAGMAG

Staff Michelle Martin

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

Al Benavides

Graphic Designer (956) 492-6407

Proverbs 3:5

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”

A Letter from the Editor

I was driving to a meeting when the song “Unanswered Prayers” from Garth Brooks started playing, and I thought to myself how many times have I prayed for something and not gotten it? Have you ever prayed for something and never gotten an answer or received what you asked for? There have been several times in my life where I have asked God for something and never got what I asking for. It was as if I was knocking on a door of an empty house asking if anyone was there. Let’s be honest, no one likes waiting or feeling like we are being ignored. We don’t like waiting in doctors offices, waiting at traffic lights, waiting for an answer from someone. So why would it be any different with God? Here’s the difference. Over the years I have learned that God can foresee my future when I can’t. I’ve learned that maybe what I am praying for is not fit for me, maybe God has something bigger in store for me, sometimes I pray for things that have already been determined, and sometimes I am not ready to receive the gift God is ready to give me. Our faith can’t grow unless we are relying on God for something bigger than us. I can remember before I started this magazine I was in a job where I was more than ready to get out. I was unhappy, I sat there for two years praying for God to give me a way out. I began to get frustrated when nothing was coming to surface. However, what I didn’t realize was I was being taught lessons. Lessons on how to be patient, lessons on how to better my talents, lessons on dealing with difficult people. If God had granted me what I had asked for when I asked for it I don’t think I would have been ready to have this magazine. There are also other instances when I look back and say, “Thank GOD you didn’t give me what I asked for.” The lesson is that God knows what is good and best for us at all times, even when we think we know. But we are creatures of habit, and we tend to lead with our emotions and what we think is best at that exact moment. When God says, “NO” we feel like he hasn’t answered , and our imperfect human bodies do NOT HEAR HIS PERFECT RESPONSE, because all we want is a “YES” God answers prayers in silence sometimes. For example, if you recall my letter from the editor about two issues ago, I informed you about my best friend’s son Tyler who was diagnosed with brain cancer. We had several people praying for healing and God did heal, but the cancer came back. We found ourselves pleading for more healing, but Tyler eventually passed away in May at 18. We all felt like God ignored our prayers for healing, but when I took a step back, I realized that God DID answer our prayers for healing. Tyler is resting peacefully and fully healed with our Lord. God listens, God cares. So whether you are praying for a good crop, that new job, maybe you are praying to bear a child, praying for healing, finding the love of your life, the list can go on, know that God hears you. When we pray and heaven is silent, then we need to get silent too. We need to be still and know that he is God, and thank him for the opportunity to trust him. God answers prayers. It may not be the way we want Him to answer them or at the exact time we want them answered. God is always faithful to answer. Sometimes His answer is a much desired “yes”, sometimes His answer is “No”, sometimes His answer is a faith-building “not yet” and sometimes when an answer cannot be found His answer is simply “trust me.“ So be still and know Gods plan is far greater than ours.

Owner/Creator of AG MAG

In This Issue: Page 6 North Alamo Water Supply Page 10 Baseball and Grain Marketing Page 11 Say Howdy Page 14 Big Welcome to Dante Page 16

Featured Farmer Story

Page 20 Page 22 Page 26 Page 28 Page 30 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 38 Page 39 Page 47 Page 48 Page 54 Page 56 Page 59 Page 60 Page 62 Page 68 Page 70 Page 72 Page 74 Page 76 Page 77

Traveling with John Miller The Big Picture Lacho Garza Building Dedication Pest of Cotton and Grain 2017 Algodon Pictures Why I joined 4H Texas Agricultural Lifetime Field Day Fun Compliance Dates pushed off for Ag Water Cattle Futures Texas Peaches a short primer To behind the scenes crew, thank you Planting the Seeds Women in Agriculture Citrus Fun Facts What do you really own? Down in South Texas Master Gardener Program In STARR Co. Texas Hispanic Farmer/Rancher Conference Following your dreams Facebook Picture Winners Winds blow in new opportunity for the Valley Wild Flower Seeds Spur Pollinator Gardens by Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas Asian Pork Lettuce Wrap Recipe Importance of Agricultural Trade on the Texas and U. S. economies

Dynamic Duo

Volume 3, Issue 6. July/August 2017. No part of this publication can be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ag Mag reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse editorial materials and assumes no responsibility for accuracy, errors, omissions or consequence arising from it. All correspondence to the publication become the property of Ag Mag. Ag Mag is published bi-monthly ©2017. To advertise in Ag Mag, call (956) 330-8870 or email michelle@theagmag.org

Fike, John Pose, Herbert S. Savage and Lawrence Cron in the First State Bank and Trust Co. Community Room.

North Alamo Water Supply observes 50th year bringing running water into rural neighborhoods BY NORA N. GARZA

As a non-profit water utility, North Alamo Water Supply Corporation has been in the business of improving health and safety in the community for the past 50 years. “It has been our privilege to provide clean, safe drinking water to communities in the Rio Grande Valley since 1967,” said Steven P. Sanchez, general manager. “It is with great pride that we observe our 50th anniversary.” Today, NAWSC is the largest rural water supplier in Texas. It serves an area that spreads for 973 square miles in northeast Hidalgo County, Willacy County and northwest Cameron County. Its business office and base of operations is located at 420 S. Doolittle Road in Edinburg. NAWSC serves more than 44,900 meter connections, which represents an estimated population of nearly 200,000. This rural community includes households, numerous businesses, 24 schools and six other public water systems. In addition, NAWSC also provides wastewater treatment service for more than 3,261 connections in San Carlos, Hargill, Monte Alto and Lasara. A highlight of its celebratory year, NAWSC was recognized during Rural Water Day, March 29, 2017, at the state Capitol in Austin. A resolution was read from the floors of the House of Representatives and the Senate to recognize NAWSC for its achievements and service to the community. Co-sponsors for the resolution (H.R. No. 334) were Rep. Eddie Lucio III, District 38, and Rep. Oscar Longoria, District 35. NAWSC representatives and their guests were present for the reading on the floor. They were Sanchez; Steven Krenek, NAWSC board president; Dennis Goldsberry, NAWSC board vice-president; Lara Zent, executive director and general counsel, Texas Rural Water Association; Hunter Hook, vice president, Water and Community Facilities Banking Group CoBank. On the Senate side, Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. sponsored a similar resolution to commemorate the Golden Anniversary of NAWSC. “Looking back at the beginning, we can thank a handful of men who had the vision to bring running water to households and farms in rural Hidalgo County,” Sanchez said. “Despite many obstacles and personal hardships, they started up a water utility in 1966 north of the city of Alamo.” Adopting its location for its name, North Alamo Water Supply Corp. began operations in 1967 for rural residents of northeastern Hidalgo County. NAWSC eventually merged with other rural water systems: Mid Valley WSC, Stillman WSC, Mercedes Rural WSC, North Willacy WSC, Stillman WSC and Sunny Dew WSC. These mergers along with increased population have contributed largely to making NAWSC the largest rural water utility in the state and the

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The North Alamo Water Supply Corp. business office is located at 420 S. Doolittle Road, Edinburg.

third largest water utility in the Rio Grande Valley. NAWSC was instrumental in bringing running water to some communities, located outside of city limits. With no municipal water utility to hook up to, some homeowners had to truck in water and store it in tanks. It was common for residents to use shallow wells, cisterns or untreated canal water, which could be subject to contamination and the possible spread of disease. Early on, there were objections from some residents living in the area. They were concerned that a ready source of potable water would bring growth to the area and disrupt their country lifestyle. Undoubtedly, this grassroots movement was a boon to agriculture. It is worth noting two early supporters of NAWSC.

Lloyd Miller (1919-1997)

Nedra Miller (1917-2013)

Lloyd Miller is credited as being the driving force behind the establishment of North Alamo Water Supply Corp. He desperately needed a good source of water for his dairy farm. Lloyd, a native of Kansas, came from a farming family and worked in agriculture all his life. Lloyd and his wife Nedra bought their first dairy on Tower and Owassa roads in Edinburg in 1948. Unfortunately, the land was in a low spot, which tended to flood. Seeking higher ground, they moved in 1954 to a farm near Canton and Alamo roads, east of Edinburg. The property came equipped with a house, a milking parlor and a feed storage building. The Millers owned and operated Sunrise Dairies, tending to a herd of cows and raising corn for feed. The raw milk was sold to Golden Jersey Creamery in Edinburg. Water quality was an issue. The only water available on the farm came from wells. This mineral-heavy, silt-laden water often clogged milking machinery. With hundreds of cows waiting to be milked, broken machinery could mean disaster. A more reliable source of water was sorely needed. Lloyd’s daughter Linda Davis was a senior in high school in 1966 when the founders of the water corporation would get together at the Miller home. Linda remembers seeing her father, engineer Bruce Dunn and others sitting around her kitchen table discussing the maps and blue prints set before them, setting into motion plans for bringing water to rural northeast Hidalgo County. Lloyd was the first board president for NAWSC. One of his first official duties was accepting a check for a $385,000 loan as reported in a The Monitor (McAllen) issue, dated April, 21, 1967. Jim O. Hill, supervisor of the county Farmers Home Administration (now the USDA Rural Development) is pictured looking over plans with Lloyd, secretary-treasurer Dwayne Wills and directors Willard

The funds were for the construction of a treatment plant and distribution system covering an area bounded by Expressway 83 on the south, Val Verde Road on the east, U.S. 281 on the west and Monte Christi Road on the north. A spur to Faysville was also provided. More than 385 applications had already been submitted for the water service. Linda said her father’s support extended to providing the corporation its first backhoe, which NAWSC later bought from him. Lloyd also served on the board of directors for the Texas Association of Rural Water Corporations. The dairy was almost physically and financially ruined in the aftermath of Hurricane Beulah. The historic Category 3 hurricane swept through the Rio Grande Valley in September 1967, dumping 30 inches of rain in 36 hours in some areas. Lloyd’s herd was standing utter deep in mud and there was no feed because the fields were underwater. But all was not lost. Lloyd had a portable generator and was able to milk his 325 Holsteins. Because his dairy was on higher ground than most dairies in the area, heavy milk trucks were able to drive onto the property to pick up milk without getting stuck in deep mud as they did at many other dairies. Lloyd was hailed as a hero by the dairy industry. According to The Milk Producer, November 1967 issue, the farm of Lloyd’s neighbor Lamar Isaac flooded. Lamar’s 90 cows were trucked to Lloyd’s place to be milked on alternating shifts. There was milking going on 24 hours a day. Lloyd also rescued Harlingen dairyman Gerald Hubbard. When the flooding began in Harlingen about a week later, Hubbard’s 50 cows were moved in and milked at Sunrise Dairies. The Millers figure they were just paying it forward. When their Edinburg dairy flooded 13 years earlier, dairyman Fred Kuper invited them to milk their cows at his dairy. Nedra told The Milk Producer: “We were just glad to have the chance to help out other dairymen as we were once helped.” Not only did Sunrise Dairies survive Hurricane Beulah but it also prospered for many years. It was the last of many dairies that operated in the Rio Grande Valley. As processing plants left the area, it became expensive for dairy farmers to transport their milk first to Corpus Christi and later to San Antonio or Houston.

farmers didn’t live on the land they farmed because of the lack of water. The well water they depended on for farming was not fit to drink, he said. At that time, drinking water was delivered to rural homes. Mr. Yeary worked long days that stretched into the night. His wife helped with the business by managing the payroll. “I left at 5 in the morning and got home at 9 at night,” he said. “I would be asked, ‘How do you work as much land as you do with so few people?’ I worked with my people doing whatever they did. “They’ll do whatever the boss does. I wasn’t driving the tractor; I was picking up stumps.” A series of events lead the Yeary family moving from town to their farm, located on 200 acres north of Edinburg. Hurricane Beulah devastated the family’s Edinburg home. Though the house survived the initial fury of the storm, flood water got into the butane tank and caused an explosion. The blast blew off the roof and walls of the brick home. Though the entire family was in the house at the time, no one was hurt. The family packed up and moved to the farm. This was made possible because there was now a good source of potable water, made available by NAWSC.

The Future NAWSC can’t rely on the lower Rio Grande as its only source of raw water for several reasons: Volume has been decreasing from drought, from increased demand from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, and from noncompliance by Mexico to release water into the lower Rio Grande as part of an international water treaty. Fortunately, NAWSC board members had the foresight to think about the future and seek other sources of raw water to supplement the river. In 2004, NAWSC was one of the first water utilities in South Texas to pioneer the desalination of brackish groundwater. It currently operates five reverse osmosis treatment plants, producing approximately 8.5 million gallons a day, and six surface water treatment plants, processing approximately 26 million gallons a day. “Just as it has for the past 50 years, NAWSC will continue to work diligently to be a leader in the potable and wastewater utilities in Texas,” Sanchez said. Some members of management pose in front of a 50th anniversary banner at the Edinburg business office of North Alamo Water Supply Corp. From left to right are Gilbert Davila,distri-bution superintendent; Rick Garcia, meter reader manager; Janie Sandoval, controller; Irma Tamez, office manager; Steven P. Sanchez, general manager; and Robyn Rodriguez, human resources director.

Continuing his father’s legacy, Randy Miller (1952-2014), served on the board of directors from 2004 to 2014 and ran the family dairy. At its height of production, the dairy had as many as 500 cows. Milking was an around-the-clock operation. In a 2004 article in the Valley Morning Star (Harlingen), Randy said, “It seemed like it never stopped, and it got kind old as time went by.”

Ray Yeary Another ag producer who supported NAWSC early on is Ray Yeary. Now in his mid-80s, Ray has retired from active farming. He continues to help guide the growth and direction of NAWSC serving on the board of directors, a post he has held since 1984. When he moved to the Rio Grande Valley from North Texas in 1955, agriculture was thriving in the Rio Grande Valley. He leased and worked land from legendary ranching and farming families, such as the Benstsens and Wallaces. Ray and his wife Bessie settled down in Edinburg on South 15th. Mr. Yeary said that some

In this undated photo, farmer Ray Yeary poses in a sugar cane field. Prudent fertilizing and watering yielded 20-foot stalks.

Lloyd Miller, left, and his son Randy at the family dairy, circa 1975. Both Millers served as board members for NAWSC.

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Baseball and Grain Simple Marketing: Baseball is just a game, as simple as a ball and bat, yet as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. A sport, a business and sometimes almost even a religion. – Ernie Harwell, baseball broadcaster

rnie Harwell’s observation about baseball on the day of his induction into the baseball Hall of Fame reflects how many of us feel about farming. It is more than an occupa tion; it is a way of life. It defines who we are and what we stand for. Perhaps simple to the outside observer, farming is a com plex combination of agronomy, biology, climatology, economics, and faith. We are at about the halfway point of the 2017 major league baseball season. Baseball’s general managers are evaluating talent and positioning their teams for a run at the playoffs—or rebuilding for next year. As this year’s grain crop is harvested, the marketing season for many farmers is underway as well. It may be that farmers making grain-marketing decisions can learn a thing or two from a successful baseball manager. In his book, Money Ball, Michael Lewis tells the story of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s. Lewis was intrigued how Beane could produce a winning baseball team with a team payroll that was a fraction of his competition. At the opening of the 2002 season, the New York Yankees had a payroll of $126 million; the Oakland A’s payroll was $40 million. Yet the A’s had been to the playoffs three years in a row and had taken baseball’s richest team, the Yankees, to within a few outs of playoff elimination the past two years. Lewis notes that Beane was better able than most to get wins out of dollars by observing five simple rules when acquiring or trading players. These rules provide a firm foundation for decisions related to grain marketing as well.

1. No matter how successful you are, change is always good. There can never be a status quo. You have to always be upgrading, improving, getting better. Farming practices and markets are changing rapidly--so must our marketing tools and marketing strat-

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Rules BY MARK WELCH

egies. If you cannot face and embrace the changes today’s marketing environment requires, find someone—a spouse, a partner, a son or daughter coming back to the farm from college – who can.

2. The day you say you have to do something, you’re in trouble. You’re going to make a bad deal if

you are forced into a situation. Do not wait to sell grain until the note is due at the bank. That is not likely to be the best managed marketing opportunity.

3 4 5

3. Know your breakeven price. Put a dollar figure on every bushel or head. It is difficult to evaluate whether the price offered for your crop is a good one if you do not know what you have in it. 4. Know what you want and go after it. Once you know what a good price looks like, do you have the tools you need to secure that price? Are the marketing tools you are familiar with and comfortable using the best suited to today’s markets? 5. Ignore coffee shop talk. Probably the hardest of the rules to live by. You do not have to defend every decision at the coffee shop or the Dairy Queen. Make the best decision you can with the best information available and move on. Farmers may be unable to control the markets for their products, but marketing discipline can help them manage marketing opportunities.

Say Howdy to the new face of Commodities and Producer Relations! Patrick Dudley is a fifth generation Texan, born and raised in Comanche, Texas on his family’s registered Hereford ranch. His early days were spent crawling around on feed sacks in the back of his dad’s ranch truck. Some of his first lessons at a young age were how to properly open and shut a gate, how much feed to dump off the back of a tailgate, and, no matter how scary it is, always get back up on a horse that has thrown ya. Patrick is still involved with his family’s ranch whenever possible, is currently an active member of the Texas Southwestern and Cattle Raisers Association, and is a Cohort in the current Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership (TALL) XV class. While his day-to-day work isn’t done from the seat of a tractor, he deeply appreciates those who help put food on his table, and has spent much of his career supporting Texas farmers and ranchers. Patrick has worked for the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) for a total of seven years, serving in many different capacities. He got to know the Lone Star state well beginning as a Pest Survey Technician. He also worked in the Biosecurity and Plant Quality division as a program specialist, where he was part of the team charged with rolling out the Citrus Health Response Plan (CHRP) program. His most recent posts with TDA were as Government Liaison during the 84th Legislative session, and Special Assistant to the Commissioner. When not at TDA he spent numerous sessions working in and around the Texas legislature. Today, Patrick supports all of Texas Agriculture as the new Coordinator for Agriculture Commodity Boards and Producer Relations. In this role he will work with commodity boards like the Texas Citrus Producers Board, the Texas Grain Sorghum Producers Board, and other referendum-initiated producer boards. In his capacity over producer relations, Patrick will be acting liaison between producers, producer organizations and the Texas Department of Agriculture. Additional duties will include working with the Prescribed Burn Board and the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation. In this new role, Patrick brings a wide variety of experiences; from legislative and agency experience, ranch

work, construction sites and yes even a hot rod shop! Though he has a variety of interests and diverse professional roles, his heart has always been in agriculture. Patrick is eager to take on this new position sharing, “I am looking forward to being exposed to and learning more about all different facets of the agriculture industry. Each commodity is different, unique and comes with its own challenges. I’m excited to have the opportunity to learn from so many producers; it is truly a blessing to be able to serve in this new role.” With his ranch upbringing, personable charisma, and government experience, Patrick has the ability to engage with farmers and ranchers, the agribusiness industry and consumers to support Texas agriculture. “My goal is to be there for the producers of Texas. Let’s work together to find solutions to industry problems, increase marketability of all our commodities, and continue to make agriculture synonymous with Texas. I have a long family history in agriculture production and have acquired many years’ experience in state agency and legislative capacities; I want to put these experiences to work for all our producers.” Patrick would like to get to know everyone in the Ag industry, so give him a holler! Patrick may be reached by email at patrick.dudley@ texasagriculture.gov or by phone at 512-463-3285 (office) or 512-787-9966 (cell)

J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

Big Welcome to

Dante Galeazzi BY DANTE GALEAZZI

n May 1st, following a long interview process and shorter training period, I took over as the President and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA).

Since that time, I’ve hit the ground running in assuming this post and quiet literally in fact. Physically, I’ve been in the office less than a week since taking over. The coming months will prove no different as I continue a whirlwind summer that will have me traveling every week, with the purpose of making introductions, learning the role and above all advocating and representing the 230 members of TIPA. For those who may not be familiar with the association, TIPA is a collective of shippers, growers, distributors, importers, transportation, packaging, and a host of other direct and allied industry companies. In 1942, the founding members saw value in working together to mutually benefit the fresh produce industry of Texas. Thus the association was formed with the purpose of representing the business, economic, and political interests of fruits and vegetables grown, handled or shipped through the state of Texas. Today, the association works on a wide assortment of projects such as expanding market access, securing grants, improving border crossings, educating members on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and fighting to make sure that the voice of our fresh produce industry always has a spot at the table. Clearly, the post I’ve taken has broad cross-sections of topics that require knowledge and experience in nearly all aspects of the industry. While my background may not be all politics, it is a background that has been and continues to be agriculture first.

Congratulations

Wyatt Agri-Products, Randy Merrill and Bayer on their first bale

olives to name a few. I spent many summers laying sprinkler pipes, counting burlap sacks and harvest bins, driving tractors and standing in front of a chain-sizer, grading and packing onions. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t always fun, but I learned a lot from those years. After graduating CSU Monterey Bay with a degree in International Business and 2 minors, I went to work for C.H. Robinson in Monterey handling produce transportation. It was that post that would take me to McAllen, TX over 10 years ago. In addition to C.H. Robinson, I’ve worked for Rio Queen Citrus, Paramount Citrus (aka Wonderful), and the Crescent Fruit/ Frontera Produce operations handling sales, growing/importer communications, marketing, and special projects. During those years, I also sat on the Board of Directors for the Texas International Produce Association and the steering committee for the Viva Fresh Produce Expo. I even served as the Chairman for 2 years, and held post during the inaugural produce show 3 years ago. Over the course of the last decade, I’ve constantly championed and represented the interests of Texas produce while continuing to hold my roles at other companies. Today, I’m fortunate enough to be able to work full time in representing the membership of TIPA and ensuring their voices and stories are heard. I look forward to bringing light to the challenges that stand before our industry. Older challenges, like labor shortages, and newer ones, like Food Safety and regulation harmonization, will all come to play in the days ahead. Regardless the scope or realm of these obstacles, I intend to take them head on and see that fresh produce grown or handled through Texas always has a voice.

I grew up in a small town in the middle of California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, known as Manteca. My grandfather started farming in 1947, and today it encompasses 3500 acres and crops including apples, almonds, cherries, grapes, and

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J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

Ag Mag Featured Farmer

c i m a n y D Duo

If you ever want to know the history of citrus, or entomology, or bugs or diseases that have come through the Rio Grande Valley and have challenged farmers just talk to longtime friends Don Grossman or Jeptha Victor French, also known as Jeep.

And it won’t be any kind of boring history lesson. The two can feed of each other’s comments better than most husband and wife duos who have been married for 40 or more years. Their fascination years ago to citrus and scouting built a friendship and working relationship that has grown; a lot of area farmers have probably been better off because of it. Grossman is originally from West Texas. His parents traveled to Texas in the summer of 1932. They were broke traveling in a 1924 Model T Ford. They lost everything they had when oil went to 25 cents a gallon. Don’s parents travels to Texas was short from an easy one. Traveling with Don and his brother in a Model T that got a flat bout every fifty miles and they even traveled through the Dust Bowl After many trials the travelers made it to the northern part of the Texas

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Panhandle where they broke down completely. Don’s father asked the owner of a combined filling station, restaurant, and tourist court for enough gas to go the last hundred miles, on credit. The man agreed and gave them food and a room to stay the night. Eventually they made it, and Don’s father said he would never leave Texas again, and that they didn’t. Once settled Don’s parents bought a section on land in the Panhandle and eventually started to farmed. They were German- Irish farmers from Iowa. When Don began farming he did so just south. He came to the Rio Grande Valley in 1957 while working for the chemical and fertilizer business.

“I started working for a Port Chemical Company, it was the biggest in the Valley,” he said. “After they were bought out by Niagra Chemical Company, Grossman took a job for a company out of Mississippi and it was there that he was named manager and turned an old building in Edinburg into a fertilizer plant. It was also where he created the first fertilizer blender. “I converted that building into a fertilizer plant and made the

first fertilizer blender,” Grossman said. “The first one in the Valley.” Finally, Grossman started working for Tide Chemicals, selling fertilizer. He found he was a natural at it, selling 5,000 tons the first year. “I had it coming in by the trainload and going out by the truckload,” he said. “I worked for them for 30 years and trained all their salesmen – not that I was smart but I knew how to talk to people.” He retired from that job and became a consultant for farmers for 25 years. “I’ve been doing nothing since retiring from that job there,” he said. “But I’ve still been busy as the devil.” It was during his time at Tide and as a consultant that he worked with French, becoming friends with the entomologist to could talk to him about bugs and what threats were coming and how to treat those threats. French is from Colorado and went to school at Colorado A&M in Fort Collins (now known as Colorado State). He followed that with a stint at the University of California Riverside where he learned about citrus. “Then I decided to get a PhD and went to Michigan State,” he said. But it was because of his educations and experience in citrus that the Valley’s Citrus Center had a job for him. “My boss told me my job was to be out in the field and working with the growers,” French said. “He wanted me out there advising growers and keep up on what pesticides to use and his worked immensely helped farmers combat the bugs and diseases the Valley would face on a regular basis. That experience was crucial in paving the way for French’s success. Throughout his time working for the Citrus center French made major headway when it came to pest and diseases. “It was more than just the freeze that was bad years back,” French said. “There was greening disease, that affected citrus more than anything else, including the freezes – it took out more than half of Florida and three-fourths of the citrus in Brazil. These two men have made quite the impact on the Valley and agricultural. While their knowledge on pest and citrus

have helped growers have a better understanding of their land, these two have impacted many lives. Dr. Mamoudou who has been said to be Dr. French’s protégé. He learned most of what he knows from these men. Dr. French took Dr. Mamoudou under his wing in 2006. It was there that Mamoudou learned that this was more than just a job. He says. “ They led the way for me because you can read any book but the practical experience they have isn’t written anywhere for someone to read. To be able to learn from that experience I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what I have without them in this short amount of time.” “ Don Grossman worked with growers as a scout but also recommendation to control pest control method, he really cared about the growers”, he said.. “This duo should be considered pioneers moving forward in citrus industry, especially Dr. French. French validated and tested many of todays common pest, that we know today. He was instrumental in our citrus industry,” said Dr. Mamoudou. While working in Mamoudou’s lab Danielle Sekula was asked to help Don scout fields. It was there were she got her start with this dynamic duo. She drove around with Don where they became life long friends. Upon retiring he passed down his scouting fields to Danielle. He taught Danielle everything he knows so that his

legacy can be carried out. “If it were not for Don I do not know where I would be today. I owe my career to him, he is like family to me,” says Danielle. Things have changed over the years, but a bond that was created between French and Grossman only got stronger. Dr. French and Don are a dynamic duo. One thing that will remain constant is the foot steps they’ve left for todays ag society but the relationships and lives they’ve touched. J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

Traveling with John Miller

BY JOHN MILLER

structure and experience to capitalize on those windows of opportunity.

n late April, I was fortunate to be asked to travel to the Central Highlands of Mexico to visit staff and see operations at two large feed processors near Aguascalientes. Gavilon, a multinational agribusiness with grain merchandising and handling operations in the Valley, organized the trip to build upon existing Texas-Mexico trading relationships. Local Gavilon representatives including Daniel Perkins and JC Lomeli felt strongly that having Valley farmer representation on the trip would enhance their relationship building efforts there. Local growers Gary Palousek and Marshall Swanberg joined us to share about the Valley grain crop and gain a better understanding of our potential customers. After flying from McAllen to Mexico City, we caught a ‘puddle jumper’ flight on to Guadalajara where we met merchandising and research staff at a regional headquarters. From there, we made the few hour drive to Aguascalientes which lies at the heart of Mexico’s Central Highland region. As the capital city for the State of the same name, Aguascalientes has a population of approximately 1 million. The 6,000 foot elevation, mild climate, and rich cultural heritage make this a very desirable area for growth. In addition to agriculture, this city is home to significant manufacturing including numerous automakers. To visit the feed processors, we drove a short distance from Aguascalientes into the State of Jalisco. After seeing the high number of hog and poultry farm operations during our drive, it was obvious that feed processing had to be a huge indus-

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here. Even those thoughts, however, did not prepare me for the size and scope of what lied ahead. Our first stop was a Gavilon grain handling facility that receives Texas and local corn and milo by truck. As amazing as it sounds, trucks taking up to 15 hours to travel from the Valley is routine as market relationships including desired quality often makes buying our grain desirable. While there, we watched the arrival of a 110 car ‘unit train’ arrive filled with corn from Nebraska. Each typical rail car carries approximately 221,200 pounds, or 3,950 bushels. The full train, carrying approximately 434,500 bushels, has almost become the industry standard for participating in large scale feed processing. This is compared to hopper-bottom trailers in Texas that carry approximately 1,000 bushels each, Mexican single trailers that carry 1,967 bushels each, and the tandem trailers with a combined quantity of 2,950 bushels. The feed processing capacity in this region requires considerable imports of corn and sorghum since local supplies, while increasing, are still insufficient. The primary border rail crossing is at El Paso, with some rail crossing at Laredo. The opportunity for the Valley grain, then, is from the efficient loading of trucks at border crossings such as Progreso. Being competitive against rail requires an advanced understanding of the needs in Mexico, and the ability to provide the desired quality at the right time. Fortunately, our area has the infra-

The two feed processing facilities that we visited purchase corn, milo, soybean meal and dry distillers grain (or DDG) which is a feed byproduct of ethanol production. Both facilities visited produce feed for hogs and poultry. The resulting pork, broiler chicken and egg products find markets all over Mexico and in some cases the US. At Valle de Guadalupe, Jalisco we visited Gena, which has a monthly use of 21,000 metric tons (826,500 bushels) of corn or milo, 7,000 metric tons of DDG, and 3,500 metric tons of soybean meal. This would be on par with some of the largest feed processors in the US. At San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco we visited the Aviporc feed processing facility which was consuming monthly 15,000 metric tons of corn or milo (590,357 bushels), 4,500 metric tons of DDGs, and 2,500 metric tons of soybean meal. While we did not visit a processor of cattle or dairy feed, they do exist in the area. Our conversations with the owners and operators of these facilities confirmed that pork and broiler production was still in a period of strong growth. This would suggest that the Valley will remain in a strong position to supply this area for some time. We were told a number of times that the Valley produces a very desirable quality that can be purchased and delivered in a timely manner. It was important for our hosts to hear about the Valley grain and corn crop and know that we would be seeking selling opportunities with them.

It did not take long staying in Aguascalientes to realize that something big was going on. Our trip coincided with the festival of San Marcos which is one of the most important annual events in all of Mexico. We were told that this month-long event featuring agriculture, manufacturing and local colonial culture attracts large crowds daily that often include politicians and celebrities from Mexico and abroad. This festival features cattle, dairy, hog and poultry competitions that looked similar to what we would see at livestock shows here in Texas. And while the carnivals, dances and rodeo events look familiar also, most of us would not be familiar with the main event which is a night of bullfights equal in pageantry and intensity to anything one would see in Spain. While I had traveled there before quite a few years ago, being there during this festival made me realize how important this area is to overall Mexico culture and tradition. This celebration of antique origins was uniquely contrasted with the state-of-the-art agriculture and industry spread across the region. Visiting these two high tech processing facilities, meeting with owners and management, and understanding the scope of grain operations there gave me a much better perspective of and appreciation of the importance of the cross-border trading relationships that have been developed over our history of grain production in the Valley. As electronic communication, road infrastructure, and feeding technology continues to improve, it stands to reason that considerable opportunities for trade between our two communities are to be realized. J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

Wind Power in the Valley: The Big Picture

BY DEBRA ATLAS

can continue to plant crops and graze their livestock right up to the base of these behemoths. Dr. Al Smith is involved with wind farming. Raised on a farm, he no longer farms his land. When Duke Energy approached him about putting wind turbines on his property, being environmentally minded, he struggled with whether to accept the opportunity. “There’s a big incentive for farmers to put turbines on their land,” said Smith. Royalties for wind turbine placement are typically from $2,000 to $5,000 per year per turbine, depending on its size. These payments can provide stable supplemental income to farmers, which helps counteract commodity price swings. Wind developers may offer landowners a fixed annual lease payment, a single up-front payment, a share of revenues from a wind project, or a combination of these options. Smith lives in the house he grew up on. The land has never been grazed and features native plants, brush rows to break the wind and ponds his Dad developed years ago for water. The Duke representative said Smith’s land was surrounded fr all sides by signers. “We were at ground zero” Smith said. Duke’s representative explained what they wanted to do, what the process was, how many turbines they might get, and what they thought they’d be getting.

verything’s bigger in Texas. As the only state with its own power grid, we’re this country’s lead energy producer and are #1 in wind power.

Texas annually produces 18;000 MW – triple #2 ranking Iowa which produces 6,212 MW annually.

The Valley’s involvement in wind power includes Duke Energy’s five-phased Los Vientos Windpower Projects in Starr and Willacy counties. Years in the making, these are capable of producing 912 megawatts of energy. Think of it as five wind farms bringing electric power to approximately 182,000 homes during peak load times, particularly during the Valley’s continually hot weather. The Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB) tapped into Excelon Generation’s Sendero Wind Farm, in Hebronville (Jim Hogg County). Its 39 wind turbines can produce 78.2 MW of electricity. Since coming online in 2016. it’s seen a 26 percent increase in annual energy production. That’s greater energy capture and improved economics for wind developers. We’ve been interested in offering renewable energy to customers for a long time, said Ryan Greenfeld, BPUB’s Senior Communications & Public Relations Coordinator. With the coming of

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munications & Public Relations Coordinator. With the coming of SpaceX and local business growth, the utility wanted to diversify. Sendero is a good fit and an ideal location. If it was near Brownsville, the humid, salty air would cause corrosion. In Hebronville, that’s not a factor. Far from the coast, it’s not subject to hurricane damage. It has similar coastal wind patterns, and, Greenfeld says, “in the long run, it saves money.” “Having this ultimately benefits everyone in the community,” Greenfeld said. “By having a further diversification of our energy portfolio, it gives us more opportunities to bring lower cost energy to our customers. It also prevents service interruptions.”

“It is very lucrative,” he said. And the wind turbines don’t have a large footprint. You not only get farm income, said Smith, but also wind turbine income, which every year is more than farm income. Smith realized Duke was getting into wind for the heavily subsidized green credits. Duke admits to this but says they’re in it for the long haul, as demonstrated by the 26 year lease they signed. As new companies put turbines on Willacy County brushland, Smith believes it will be more difficult to develop that land.

“These turbines may help stop some of that development,” ‘he said. There are downsides to having wind farms practically in your backyard. Some say the turbines “wooshing” sound is noticeable and annoying. Smith says his wife and son find the sound soothing. For his part, he misses the sound of quiet and bird songs when taking his evening walks. “You do hear the generator,” he said. And it affects the bat and bird populations. When bats fly thru the sonic, it damages their radar and they can’t find food, Smith says. He used to have bats come down and take a dip in their swimming pool. But he doesn’t see them anymore. Bird deaths are another problem with wind farms. Birds fail to see the danger of the long whirling blades until it’s too late. Wind farms are often placed in the middle of migratory bird fly zones. Exact figures vary but wind farms are responsible for from 10,000 to upwards of 600,000 bird deaths annually. And Texas leads on this, with between 123,000 – 146,000 per year, possibly higher. These are predominantly songbirds, as well as some endangered and protected species. For farmers thinking of having a wind farm on their property, Smith suggests considering both sides of the equation. “Think of it from an ecological point of view,” he says. “It is green.” And it’s lucrative. But there’s a cost to wildlife. Bill Harris, the Communications Senior Manager, South/West Region for ExelonGeneration says “there is a Bird Conservation Strategy in place that shows the estimated annual avian mortality rate to be lower than the Great Plains and overall U.S. averages.” As to Valley residents who are benefiting from these wind farms, Greenfeld says the feedback they’re received from customers has been positive. “Our customers are ultimately our boss,” he said.

“The population of the Valley is growing,” said Smith. A great deal of farm land is disappearing – going into cities, housing projects, etc.

The cost of producing wind power has fallen by as much as 90 percent since 1980. That makes it attractive not only to utilities but to developers and farmers as well. Wind farms have become a sound investment for farmers. They can lease them to developers, use them to generate power for their own farms, or become wind power producers themselves. Large wind turbines like those used on wind farms encompass less than half an acre of land, including access roads. Farmers J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

LACHO GARZA AG BUILDING

DEDICATION

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PESTS OF COTTON AND GRAIN SORGHUM IN THE LRGV FOR THE GROWING SEASON OF 2017

t the beginning of our growing season we seemed to have a whirlwind of pests going on in the cotton. There were a lot of early season thrips feeding on the cotelydon stage up to 4 true leaf stage that had to be sprayed especially down by the river or near onion fields being harvested. Along with them came the cotton aphids (Fig 1) that gave us trouble the whole month of April and many growers had to spray if not once at least twice to control them because populations were just building so rapidly in late March to midApril. Many would control one population only to see a whole new population fly in and repopulate at the time from what I noticed in my observations. Towards the end of April though we started to see some parasitism affecting the cotton aphids (Fig 2). Fleahoppers were present throughout the Valley from late April on and many cotton fields had to be treated for them as we were seeing infestation levels of 15% to 30% across the Valley. Red spidermites and whiteflies were on the scene around this time but only in some areas and not in numbers that warranted spray, though a handful of fields did get high red spidermite numbers and were treated. We also had our share of bollworms on the immature bolls in the conventional cotton. It was during this time in late April and on that predator populations in cotton finally built up in numbers and we have continued to see a consistent presence of pirate bugs, lady beetles (adults (Fig 3) and larvas (Fig 2), big eyed bugs, assassin bugs, and other predators present. I predicted that we would see a buildup in tarnished plantbugs this year like we did last year and that wasn’t quite the case (which was good). Tarnished plantbugs were present in the cotton early on but my guess is that with the intense heat and little moisture we have experienced this year compared to last year they did not have the right conditions to reproduce as rapidly as what we saw in June of 2016. However, in some late irrigated cotton down by the river I have seen a higher presence of tarnished plantbugs and have noticed some dirty blooms that could cause some yield damage to the soft immature underdeveloped bolls. As we head into harvest season this late June we are keeping an eye out for whitefly populations to avoid sticky cotton as bolls start to open in some cotton fields (Fig 4) across the Valley and some cotton fields have already had to be treated for high whitefly populations but it has been spread out in different areas. The sugarcane aphid is the number one pest of grain sorghum

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BY DANIELLE SEKULA Integrated Pest Management Agent, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Fig.1: Cotton Aphids

in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. We had the sugarcane aphid enter our commercial sorghum fields earlier this year in late March as supposed to them usually coming into commercial sorghum in mid-April the past 3 years. The stage was there, the heat units were there since majority of all my growers had planted a month earlier than usual so these factors in my opinion must have been the reason for the earlier detection of the sugarcane aphid this year.

ers were very prepared this year and many of my growers down by the river and elsewhere made sure to spray for early adult winged and nymph sugarcane aphids being detected before they irrigated prior to boot. I believe that this helped keep sugarcane aphid populations low and from dispersing more inland and populating rapidly to soaring numbers across the Valley. Fig.2: You can notice tan aphids that were Also around the first week of mummified (upper part of cotton plant) and May we had the cotton aphids lady beetles larvas feeding as well crash in the cotton, the sugarcane aphids crashed in populations as well in the sorghum and this could have been a combination of environmental factors such as the weather, growers’ management and predator populations were high. I noticed from Mid-April and on that I documented in pictures where I saw high aphid populations in sorghum I was also seeing high populations of puffy brown/ tanish mummies (Fig 5), these mummies seemed to be parasitized by what looked of the family Braconidae, probably Lysiphlebus parasitoids (Fig 6) since they have been encountering many in the Corpus Christie area, according to Dr. James Woolley, professor of entomology at Texas A&M University in College Station. Shortly after rice stinkbugs came on to the

scene in mid-May across the Valley and had to be controlled by some growers. Around this time as well if you had late grain sorghum that was barely flowering and a month behind everyone else’s you received the heavy midge populations and were forced to quickly take care of them before they destroyed your crop. Heading into harvest the last week of May and on into June we saw sugarcane aphids start to build a little again in the second population peak we see prior to harvest and I was worried that they would start to produce high honey dew amounts and cause havoic during harvest. Since then though it seems the sugarcane aphids are being controlled by a lot of beneficials at work.

He also says the other thing to note is that aphids will take about a week to turn black (Fig 11) after Aphelinus oviposits in them, so by the time they mummify they may already be hyperparasitized. Dr. James Woolley also mentioned that mummies of Aphelinus are very sensitive to heat and desiccation so this might be the reason for the sudden death and decline of sugarcane aphids being controlled in the sorghum late this season.

Fig.8: Syrphid Larva Fig.3: Lady beetle adult Harmonia axyridis

Fig.7: Adult green

lacewing in Sorghum

Fig.4: Open boll cotton

Beneficials in sorghum such as green lacewings (Fig 7), pseudoschymenes larvas, ladybeetle larvas, syrphid larvas (Fig 8) and parasitiods (tiny parasitic wasps) are taking care of the sugarcane aphid populations. You might have come across a sorghum leaf that appeared to have ‘blue aphids’ on it (Fig 9 and 10) , that was more than likely a black or blue-black mummy that was parasitized after the parasitic Aphelinus wasp feeds, inserts an egg, then the larva will feed, then develop and the Aphenlinus leaves (Fig 10). You will not be able to pick up on the parasitic wasp Aphelinus so easy as it is very tiny and I myself have only found him about 3 times this year but I have seen his feeding he does by the blue aphids he leaves behind.

Fig.5

Fig.6: Close up of tanish/brown

mummy and sugarcane aphids as well as a winged adult (lower right)

However, Aphelinus mummies are usually heavily hyperparasitized and the hyperparasitoids will emerge from puffy black mummies, and they are often more common than the primary parasitoids (about 80-90%!) according to Dr. James Woolley.

Fig.9: Sugarcane aphids parasitized by Aphillinus as you can see they are blue, and you can see two that are not yet

Fig.10: Sugarcane aphid that has turned blue and has exit hole from Aphillinus feeding and leaving (Center aphid in photo)

Fig.11: Sugarcane aphid that has

been parasitized and is turning black

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algodon

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WHY I JOINED BY LORELAI HILL

4-H

The Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership Program is seeking applicants for its new class, which will begin in July 2018. BY PATRICK DUDLEY

TALL is a two-year leadership development program managed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Applications for the new class, Class XVI, are due March 15, 2018. The application forms will be online at http://tall.tamu. edu. “The agriculture industry constantly faces new and unique challeng-

es, and there is a need for individuals who have leadership potential to serve in decision-making positions. TALL graduates provide a new pool of proven leaders that can provide the leadership, insight, knowledge and direction to ensure that agriculture is viable in the future,” said Dr. Jim Ma-

4-H what would I do without it.

zurkiewicz, AgriLife Extension leadership program director.

Family, friends, agriculture everything I love know came from this. The 4-H pledge is something I live by. I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world. It is not good for your heart, hands, head, and health then you probably shouldn’t be doing it. That decision should make an impact on your community, country, and world. My family is really important to me but sometimes responsibility split us up. That made cleaning up cattle pens or clipping heifers that much more special. 4-H has brought my family closer and that to me is super important, because family will forever be by your side and two it makes work easier, five is better than one. My family’s life revolves around agriculture. My dad is a farmer, my mom sells produce, and me and my 2 siblings show livestock. 4-H is more than ribbons and buckles it is about the people, the experience, life-long skills, the memories, and the county fair. It’s about being a role model, giving back, and making the best better. 4-H has given me an amazing friendship with two amazing people. We met through Linn-San Manuel 4-H club. I love the friendships that I have with them because I’m always happy when I’m with them and we get along very well. When I step foot on the show grounds the first thing I see are my friends and I already feel like a winner. We do a lot of things together like washing a heifer together or if someone has a cow calf pair the pair together. 4-H was the way we found each other and I don’t think there is a day where we don’t thank God for 4-H and for one another. Agriculture is everywhere. It is the reason we are here today. Agriculture created the place you are probably standing on right now, and clothes that you wear. You can’t run from it so embraces

The program invests 455 hours of intensive training per person in seminars, speakers and domestic and international study trips over two years, Mazurkiewicz added. It is equivalent to the time spent obtaining a master’s degree in agriculture. The typical class size is about 26, and participation cost is $3,000.

it. It is the reason we live. 4-H was built around agriculture. You can show pigs, goats, lambs, rabbits, chickens, horses, and cows. You can compete in competitions like horticulture, photography, public speaking and so much more.

“The mission of the program is to create a cadre of Texas leaders to ensure effective understanding and encourage positive action on key issues, theories, policy and economics that will advance the agriculture industry,” Mazurkiewicz said. “Participants include traditional crop producers, ranchers, bankers and attorneys, as well as those who work in lumber, food processing, agricultural corporations and horticultural industries”, he said.

I’ve been involved in 4-H for 5 years and those years have been the best years. 4-H has taught me so much and I am so blessed to have gone this road. When people ask me why do you like 4-H so much? I say because my friends and family have grown from it and I gives me a better look into agriculture.

J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

Compliance Dates Pushed Off for Ag Water

Field Day Fun!

BY DANTE GALEAZZI President of Texas International Produce Association

Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced an extension to the compliance dates for enacting agricultural water standards under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). For those who may not be as familiar, within the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) of FSMA, water quality and testing guidelines were set-forth under the role. These rules decreed how water used for agricultural purposes on fresh fruits and vegetables should be measured and to what level. For example, waters being used for irrigation or post-harvest cleaning would fall under these rules. Industry advocates, including the Texas International Produce Association, testified before FDA officials in opposition to the burdensome and unrealistic measurements outlined in the ruling. The industry understands the intent of the rule, but the operation and the methodology are not conducive to practical or sustainable farming. One part of the rule in particular is cause for concern as it “requires some produce growers to monitor the quality of their agricultural water by analysis of generic E. coli using EPA Method 1603 or another scientifically valid method that is at least equivalent ... in accuracy, precision, and sensitivity (quoted from 21 CFR §112.151).” This method, EPA Method 1603, requires the collected water sample remain chilled and arrive to the lab within 6hrs of collection. Unfortunately, laboratories which offer this analysis method are extremely limited and not even available in all states. That means getting such a sample to the lab within 6hrs of collection is simply impossible. Furthermore, the rule fails to adequately outline methods which constitute equivalency in accuracy, precision and sensitivity. As of February 2017, the Produce Safety Alliance was still unable to find comparable studies that showed equivalent methods when matched with EPA Method 1603. Without this guidance from FDA, growers could not accurately confirm if their water testing via ‘equivalent’ methods would be accepted during an audit.

1. U.S. Dept of Human & Health Services, U.S. Food & Drug Administration. “FSMA Final Rule On Produce Safety.” https://www.fda. gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm334114.htm? source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery. June 6, 2016. 2. Stockel, Pahl, Wall, Woods & Bihn, March 2017. Produce Safety Alliance. “The Water Analysis Method Requirement in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.” https://producesafetyalliance.cornell edu/ sites/producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu/files/shared/documents/ Water-Analysis-2017. Now, FDA has said they still intent to implement the agricultural water standards. However this time around, FDA has said they’ll do so with the cooperation and input of industry stakeholders. We anticipate FDA will publish compliance guidelines which will offer more clarity and elaborate on additional testing methods and use a risk-based, scientific approach. For those farms which are currently doing water testing, don’t stop. Water quality and testing will be a part of the final ruling and establishing a baseline via any scientific method will prepare the operation for those testing methods FDA presents in their final guidance. Meanwhile, farms which are not currently conducting water testing should begin testing their water. Sampling is not required… yet. However, laying the ground-work and establishing a system by which to collect, report and measure will go a long way in preparing the farm and the personnel for the water quality standards. With compliance dates pushed off, take this additional time to focus on building strong food safety programs and then adapting those programs to FSMA as the guidance and compliance dates are published. J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

CATTLE FUTURES

BY EDDIE GARCIA

TRYING TO predict the cattle markets nowadays

reminds me of a game show I used to watch when I was a kid, called “Press Your Luck.” Big Bucks, Big Bucks, No Whammies. Contestants never knew where they were going to land once they committed. Gone are the old Rand McNally road maps we all used to navigate the cattle cycles. They have been replaced with volatile rapid fire electronic systems that control the markets.

Where’s the market headed?

What do you think this ol’ market is going to do? Do you think it’s better to sell now or later? The number one question week after week is about the cattle prices and rightfully so, its the most important aspect of what we do. How do the “Order Buyers” come up with what to pay for a calf, what makes up the prices you see on the market reports? Well the answer is there are many contributing factors, more than I have space to write about, so let’s concentrate on the main ones. The starting five if you will, we have Supply, Demand, Weather, Quality, and Cattle Futures.

Supply vs. Demand the old brick and mortar principle of just about any business known to man. We all witnessed what lack of overall supply did in ‘14, it sent cattle prices through the roof. Just recently in May the lack of slaughter ready “fat cattle” was limited and we had one of the fastest increase in prices that the industry has seen.

BEEF DEMAND, probably the most determining factor

in this whole equation, just as important as the rain we need to produce the cattle. Fall of 16’ demand was sluggish, beef retail prices were high and people chose to eat other cheaper proteins. The result cattle numbers started to stack up and we saw some of the lowest cattle prices in the last five years.

THE WEATHER as we all know plays a huge factor in

everything we do. Lots of times people just notice the weather conditions that directly affect them locally. We need to keep in mind that conditions far away from us directly effects the price of our cattle. Right now Montana and the Dakotas are in a moderate/severe state of drought. That in turn has forced a lot of cows from that area into the supply chain that normally this time of year wouldn’t be there.

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Peaches

Slaughter plant inventories are increased and packers can lower the price on the rail. The same plants that slaughter those northern cows, slaughter our cows as well. So we end up getting less for our cull cows because of a weather issue clear across the country. Weather also plays a big role in the health and death program on the loss of unweaned new crop calves. The A summer heat along with aspects of to hot days and cool nights that we have in practical the fall cause cattle water conservation “break” or get sick. As a buyer if you starttechnologies losing cattleforyou have citrus to buy them cheaper to offset the health risk. Selling your cattle producers in the Lower during these weather patterns could costRio youGrande some money. Valley will

Texas

be held May 9 in Mission.

(Photo courtesy of The QUALITY of the cattle can’t be emphasized enough. Dr. Shad Nelson)

industry as a whole is moving towards a more efficient higher yielding and grading type of calf. The gap in the beef choice/ select spread is considerably wide right now, about thirty cents a pound. Which is quite comparable to the price per pound difference of “choice” and “good”cattle that come through the ring. Quality is also very important in our exports to other countries, especially to China who are very particular when it comes to their beef orders.

a short primer BY TARA HALE

CATTLE FUTURES, think of them as the pulse of

the industry. They react to the indicators and trends within the market, which in turn provides directions for each segment of the industry. Futures contracts give the buyers an avenue to “hedge” or “insure” their investments long term, usually five to six months out. This is a crucial tool for the buyers because they have be able to sleep at night with some level of comfort that the investments they made today will hold together into the future. Unfortunately we are in an era that the futures have become very sensitive and volatile to the slightest bit of news or disturbances within the industry. Many feel that current futures system needs to be overhauled to reflect the modern times we live in today. On top of all that you have the feedlots and packers constantly battling for price negotiation leverage. Every week and it’s usually on Friday feedlot cattle are traded as packers are needing to fill contact orders and feedlots are needing to market cattle that are finished. Usually it turns into a game of who will blink first. Each side trying to manipulate the supply vs. demand numbers to gain leverage over the other side. Feedlots had great position most of the year with current front end supplies of fat cattle along with strong beef demand. Packers seem to be regaining some leverage with high numbers of cattle going into the feedlots and demand expected to soften after Independence Day. While some of the key points that I mentioned that set the cattle prices sound pedestrian. Understanding when they are in play and how they can benefit your bottom line at different times is the tricky part. I urge you to look past the weekly sale barn market reports and access the information that is readily available to us these days. Cattle Futures are the pulse of the industry. They react to indicators and trends within the markets, which in turn provide directions for each segment of the industry. Futures contracts give the buyers an avenue to “hedge” or “insure” their investments long term, usually five to six months out. In the past there wasn’t these volatile swings like we are experiencing now. There was more predictability that kept prices.

sually peaches are associated with the state of Georgia; however, in Texas we have approximately one million peach trees plant ed! Yes, indeed you read that right, one million! More impressively, only half of those are planted in commercial orchards of one acre or larger. The demand for locally-grown peaches is always strong and the market is even stronger for this delightful fruit. Peaches are grown in many areas, and some towns even lay claim to their famous peaches. Weatherford was declared the official “Peach Capital of Texas” back in 1991. Peaches are so well-regarded in Park County that they are celebrated each year at the Parker County Peach Festival. The festival is Weatherford’s largest one-day event and takes place on July 8. Another popular destination for Texas peaches is in the Texas Hill Country. From Johnson City to Fredericksburg, you can find a great variety of peaches and there’s nothing better than a fresh Texas peach. There are many different ways to include peaches in your daily food regimen that can make any recipe absolute perfection! Whether it’s in a pie, cobbler, ice cream or just as they come fresh off the tree, you can enjoy fresh Texas peaches just about anywhere in the Lone Star State.

g r O . n a x e T o www.G www.GoTexan.Org

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2017

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USDA announces more than $22 million in conservation innovation BY MELISSA BLAIR Public Affairs Specialist melissa.blair@tx.usda.gov

TEMPLE, Texas – June 8, 2017 — The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today announced that the agency will award more than $22.6 million to drive public and private sector innovation in resource conservation. The agency is investing in 33 projects nationwide through its competitive Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program, which helps develop the tools, technologies, and strategies to support next-generation conservation efforts on working lands and develop market-based solutions to resource challenges. Public and private grantees - including non-governmental organizations, American Indian tribes, academic institutions and local government entities - will leverage the federal investment by at least matching it. “The Conservation Innovation Grant program is an example of government at its best, providing seed money to help spur cutting-edge projects,” said NRCS Acting Chief Leonard Jordan. “This year’s competition resulted in an impressive array of proposals that will ultimately benefit the people who grow our food and fiber.” The projects announced today focus on conservation finance and pay-for-success models to stimulate conservation adoption; data analytics for natural resources; water management technologies and approaches; and historically underserved farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners. The 2017 CIG awards bring the total NRCS investment to nearly $286.7 million for 711 projects since 2004. Annually, about 10 percent of CIG funding is set aside to support efforts to benefit farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who historically have not had equal access to agricultural programs because of race or ethnicity; who have limited resources; who are military veterans interested in farming or ranching; or who are beginning farmers or ranchers. Ten projects totaling $5,141,856 were selected in 2017 because they will benefit historically underserved agricultural producers and forest landowners. “These awards will help NRCS partners implement projects that take conservation efforts to the next level in Texas,” said Texas NRCS State Conservationist, Salvador Salinas. “Not only will these efforts protect and enhance the natural resources on private lands that benefit all Texans, but they will provide farmers and ranchers innovative ways based on sound science to maximize their agricultural production.”

National Audubon Society (CO, MO, ND, NM, SD, TX, WY) $1,500,000 Development of Self-Sustaining Markets for

Bird-Friendly Beef to Incentivize Grassland Conservation on Private Lands Across the Great Plains National Audubon Society proposes to fully develop the supply chains of its Audubon Conservation Ranching program to provide ranchers with access to premium beef markets. The project will scale the program from pilot sites to fully functioning, self-sustaining ranch-to-retail markets. By certifying and linking bird-friendly grassland management to consumers whose values include healthy bird populations and thriving rural communities, this project will create the first scalable self-sustaining model for a linked

Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation (TX) $289,922 The Gulf

Conservation Revolving Loan Fund: Harnessing Private Philanthropy to Achieve Transformative Land Conservation on the Texas Gulf Coast The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation proposes to establish the Gulf Coast Conservation Revolving Loan Fund to support efforts to maximize Deepwater Horizon oil spill mitigation funding by leveraging private investment for public and working lands conservation along the Texas Gulf Coast. The fund will be capitalized by zero-interest or low-cost Program Related Investments (PRI) to reduce the costs interim financing for approved Deepwater Horizon conservation projects.

National Center for Appropriate Technology (TX)

$785,565 Subtropical Soil Health Initiative The National Center for Appropriate Technology proposes to address soil erosion challenges in the Lower Rio Grande Valley arising from soils left bare through the summer. The project consists of field demonstrations of ecological soil management on certified organic and transitioning vegetable and row crop farms, focusing on the effectiveness, practicality, and profitability of cover crops and reduced tillage. Technical assistance and knowledge transfer to underserved (predominantly Hispanic) audiences is a key part of the project.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research (TX) $728,583 Forage Fore-

casting/Nutritional Analytics: Decision-Support for Rangeland/ Grazingland Ecosystems Texas A&M proposes to adapt and demonstrate a combination of two innovative grazing tools—the Livestock Early Warning System (LEWS) and the Forage Risk Assessment Management System (FRAMS)—which have been developed and tested over the past two decades across the world but are only in limited use in the United States. These tools can help livestock producers make decisions on livestock and natural resources both before and during drought conditions. Bringing together these forecasting tools in an innovative, collaborative manner and placing them in the hands of those who make conservation decisions on the landscape will demonstrate the transferability of the tools improve sensitive natural resources. Read and download the full list of this fiscal year’s selected projects: www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/cig. CIG is funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The maximum grant is $2 million per project, and the length of time for project completion is three years. The CIG projects are designed to engage EQIP-eligible producers in onthe-ground conservation activities that speed up the transfer and adoption of innovative conservation technologies and approaches. The NRCS uses CIG to work with other public and private entities to accelerate transfer and adoption of promising technologies and approaches to address some of the nation’s most pressing natural resource concerns. J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

To the behind the scene crews,

T HANK YOU Volunteers...You are the Heart and Soul BY YVONNE (BONNIE) RAMIREZ

SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS – When you go to a major livestock stock show, regional/ county show, prospect show, rodeo, benefit event, etc. have you ever wondered who makes it run? How does it happen? Who organizes the event? Who executes it? And how? How much time goes into it? Whose blood, sweat and tears (figuratively speaking) goes into making this event go off without a hitch? Many times, there is a paid team that manages the event; but behind every successful event is the heart and backbone … the amazing “behind the scene crews!” … and they are called, Volunteers!

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A volunteer, as defined by the Cambridge dictionary, is a person who does something, esp. for other people or for an organization, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it. I used to work for the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo and let me tell you about our volunteers…. They were simply like no other! No one could quite compare. While I was working there, we had over 5,000 volunteers intermixed within over 30 committees that helped us put on one of the best stock shows and rodeos in the nation! I was simply amazed at the tireless work, dedication, commitment, money and time our volunteers put in. It was extremely humbling to work side by side with these selfless, remarkable individuals who gave so much of themselves. They were driven by passion, loyalty and ultimately by wanting to make a difference. No matter the hours that I put in, it didn’t compare to the unpaid work they invested. It amazed me that many of these volunteers took their personal vacation time off from their professional career to

devote endless hours and put in, most likely, harder labor at the stock show and rodeo, than at their personal profession. Our volunteers ranged from doctors and lawyers to teachers and retirees to ex-military to law enforcement to bankers and entrepreneurs to college students and administrative assistants to everything in between. There were mornings we (staff) were up and running by 6 am and did not leave the grounds until 3 am and guess what… Almost always, our volunteers were right there with us. How crazy awesome is that phenomenon? They didn’t do it for the recognition, they did it because they believed in the mission behind the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, they genuinely wanted to make a difference! And you know what; they did! Through the heat, cold, rain, wind, late nights, early mornings, mud, dirt, cow/ pig/horse poop, our volunteers didn’t blink an eye in putting in the work. It’s truly incredible what being driven by passion will cause a person do. Unfortunately, many times our volunteers received the shorter end of the deal as they were the first in line to hear complaints, get yelled at, be disrespected, etc. Please be courteous and respectful to volunteers. Remember, they are not getting paid. They are volunteering their time to better the lives of those around them, to help you, to help put on the event you are participating in. Volunteers, without a doubt, are the backbone and heart and soul of an organization.

I, along with the help of my family, also put on an annual benefit Alzheimer’s Team Roping fundraiser in memory of my grandma. We have people who volunteer their time to help us in one way or another and it is so touching and humbling. Words cannot begin to describe how thankful we are to the volunteers who help us behind the scenes. Currently I am working for a cattle breed association and we, too, have several committees comprised of individuals for a passion for the breed. They dedicate their time to serving on committees, planning events, securing sponsorships, participating in meetings and conference calls, etc. They play an integral part of our association. We couldn’t do what we do without their time and help. So whenever you are at your next stock show, rodeo, benefit event or prospect show, win or lose, make sure to thank a volunteer! Whether you are sick, grumpy, tired, frustrated or just having a bad day, don’t take it out on the volunteers. Remember they are there willingly, unpaid and to help you. The event you are participating in happens because of their loyalty and dedication. Volunteers are priceless and few and far between.

Thank a Volunteer today!

ily r a s s e c e n t no o d ust s r e e t n u Vol have the time; thehyeja rt. e h t e v ha J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

narrative. To this very day women are still defining the American agricultural chronicle.

Planting the Seeds

Now almost ten years into my career with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, I have met many remarkable farmers, ranchers and wildlife managers from whom I have learned a lot all while advising them at the same time. Among these agriculturalists are women. Women in the world of agriculture are not the first thing that comes to mind when one pictures farms and ranch workers. But throughout the globe and throughout history women have been an important part of culture of agriculture.

“We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it — for a little while”. Willa Cather “O Pioneers”

“She looks over a field and buys it, then with money she’s put aside she plants a garden.” Proverbs 31: 16

Women in Agriculture BY KATHRYN BRADY

When I was a young child we lived on a large cattle ranch near Abilene, Texas, where my dad was the ranch manager. The little town we lived in put on a play every summer loosely inspired by the account by Sallie Reynolds Matthews of early ranching in the big country in the late 1800’s. The times were rough and few Anglo settlers lived in the area. There was the threat of bandits, Comanches, weather and loneliness around every corner, but like so many other women of her time Matthews persevered to define this state and help make it what it is today. Due to my living in this town where history was woven into the fabric of it’s being and also due to living on a ranch where 100’s of head of cattle are still gathered up on horseback by cowboys and worked not much differently than the ‘olden’ days, my life and imagination was littered with the ‘romance’ of the bygone days of the pioneers. My first chapter books were the “Little House” series and “Sarah Plain and Tall” and the “American Girl” series. By high school, I chose to read “O Pioneers” and “My Antonia” for an independent assignment in English class. These stalwart women were my heroes and reminded me of the stories that my grandfathers would tell me of the women in my family who helped pave the way for my families’ cultivation in Texas. As I grew older and began to understand the hardships that life can bring; the hardships that my own mother went through following my father across the state to different ranching operations sometimes merely on the whim of my dad or the whim of the ranch owners; I began to understand the magnitude of what it truly meant to be a pioneer woman; to follow your husband out ‘west’; an undefined

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place, barely inhabited; where so much could maim or kill you. One of my favorite parts of the book “Little House on the Prairie” is when Pa and Ma are building the log cabin on the Kansas plains and one of the logs falls back onto Ma and Pa realizes the privation that this move has placed on the family and apologizes for dragging Ma away from her family, however in response she lovingly, but firmly says that her home is wherever he and the children are. And she continues to move all around the west with him. That takes a lot of fortitude. Laura also realizes this and claims that she doesn’t want to marry a farmer, but does anyway and endures many similar difficulties in her “first four years” of the marriage to Almanzo. In “Sarah Plain and Tall”, Sarah quickly recognizes how rough living on the Kansas plains is compared to the settled, modernized, shores of Maine. And she is told that in order to truly stay and fall in love with the prairie, she must write her name in soil of the land and become one with the land. When she finally does this it is because she is ready to admit that Kansas is her home and Jacob, Anna and Caleb are her family. This part of the story has inspired me and become ingrained in who I am, and since then, every place that I have lived I have endeavored to do this same thing; to write my name in the land. In spite of knowing that some of the places would not be my forever home, I wanted to do my part to take care of the land that I was working in. From Laura Ingalls Wilder to Willa Cather to Sallie Reynolds Matthews and many, many more the history and stories of the American western frontier are dotted with the tradition of brave, strong, visionary, independent women who endured and helped define the saga of the American pioneer and agriculture

In the history of settlement of the United States, women were a keystone piece of frontier settlement. In colonial America, especially around Pennsylvania, women worked in fields and stables participating in animal husbandry; this was in addition to running a household and attending to domestic duties, such as spinning, sewing, preserving food, cooking, cleaning, and raising children. After colonization when the United States was an independent nation and was deeply entrenched in the effort of manifest destiny and settlers were moving into the west; women were a part of the great movement. During the early years of settlement on the Great Plains, women played an integral role in ensuring family survival by working the fields alongside their husbands and children; again while attending to the domestic duties. One source states that “as late as the 1900’s a typical farm wife could expect to devote nine hours per day to chores; such as, cleaning, sewing, laundering and preparing food. Two additional hours were spent cleaning the barn and chicken coop, milking the cows, caring for chickens and tending the family gardens”. Flash forward all the way to the mid-1900’s during the time of World War 2, prior to the war many modern conveniences had allowed women to dedicate more of their time to housework and child-rearing, but as many men were fighting against the axis powers, women took up their role of agricultural work. The war effort encouraged women and children, even in towns, to plant victory gardens providing food domestically and for the troops abroad. Look across the globe and one will realize that it is not just the United States in which women are involved in agriculture. According to the FAO and a report on the Role of Women in Agriculture “the international development community has recognized that agriculture is an engine of growth and poverty in countries where it is the main occupation of the poor.” Women make essential contributions to the agricultural and rural economies in all developing countries. The FAO adds that their “activities typically include producing agricultural crops, tending animals, processing and preparing food, or collecting

fuel and water.” From historic homesteaders to contemporary cattle ranchers, women have been the cornerstone of America’s agricultural heritage. The 2012 Census of Agriculture notes that “nearly 1 million women are working America’s lands. That is nearly a third of our nation’s farmers. Together these women are generating $12.9 billion in annual agricultural sales”. Women are scientists, economists, foresters, veterinarians and conservationists. Women are owners and operators of the ‘small-business farms’, they are property owners and managers, policymakers. Women are involved in every aspect of agriculture. I have been fortunate of late to work with several incredible women of agriculture, some of which are doing genetic research on plants at the University of Texas, one who is doing mission work in Africa teaching women about making wool and other products to sale for income for their families, another who is raising chickens, dairy cattle and honey bees to run a small business which sells butter, honey and cinnamon rolls to the community, another who raises goats, chickens and row crops and vegetables as an educational farm for children to learn about cultivation and another who is managing her land for wildlife habitat while serving on the board of the National Rifle Association and selling firearms. Not to mention all my fellow female conservationists working with me for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. As a women in agriculture, I am so excited the know that there are so many other women overcoming obstacles to make a difference for our world and community, I am also thankful for the women who have gone before me paving the way to those of us who have a great appreciation for the land and to my mom for showing me that it is okay for a girl to like the outdoors, plants and animals. J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

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Texas Association of Olive Oil hosts First Annual Texas Olive Conference

annual Texas Olive Conference solidified TXAOO in the olive industry, both in Texas and nationally.

BY KERRY HOUSTON TXAOO Board Member Texas Olive grower and producer

Texas Association of Olive Oil (TXAOO) hosted its first annual Texas Olive Conference in San Antonio, Texas in June. The conference was a partnership with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and the Texas Department of Agriculture. TAMU AgriLife Extension provided extensive presentations on Climate Constraints on Olive Growing in Texas, Present and Future Control of Cotton Root Rot in Olive Orchards, Development of Sound Olive Orchard Nutrition Program for Texas Growers, Prevention & Control of Olive Knot Disease in Texas and Olive Orchard Floor Management Strategies. Another feature of the Texas Olive Conference was the presence of top California olive growers and producers sharing their expertise. California has an established and successful olive industry and the leadership and collaboration of these experts brought immeasurable value to the Conference. Most notable was the willingness to share how California growers cooperate and collaborate to ensure success. Topics from our California speakers included extensive presentations on Orchard Establishment Considerations: Varieties, Tree Density and Training; Super High Density Olives â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Management Keys to Success; Pre-and Postharvest Keys to Producing Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Texas and Regulations in Olive Marketing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; What Texas Producers Should Know. Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also

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attended the Conference. Commissioner Miller has been a support to TXAOO and the unification of the Texas olive industry. Additionally, Kimberly Houlding President of the American Olive Oil Producers Association (AOOPA) was in attendance and announced their next annual conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas. Conference attendees were also able to meet with several Texas agencies supporting Texas olive growers, farming and marketing. The Go Texan representatives offer resources and support marketing initiatives for Texas olive oil producers. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) was also in attendance and provides growers with many resources to build and preserve infrastructure in Texas orchards.

Our Mission Statement reads: The Texas Association of Olive Oil supports, promotes and defends the growing, harvesting, processing, marketing and sale of Texas olive oil. TXAOO through is members coordinates all olive related activity in the state of Texas. For more information on membership or sponsorship of TXAOO please go to the website www.txaoo.org or contact Kerry Thornhill-Houston at Kerry@txaoo.org at 713-8185487.

In 2017, two Texas producers were awarded Silver Medals on the international stage. South East Texas Olive won a Silver Medal at the New York International Olive Oil Competition and Texas Hill Country Olive Company won a Silver Medal at the Les Olivalies International Olive Oil Competition. The Conference provided a great forum for Texas olive growers and producers to see old friends and meet new TXAOO members. TXAOO is proud to have introduced such a broad spectrum of topics in science and agriculture to its members and attendees. In a year, TXAOO has created a unified organization for Texas olive growers and producers. The first J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

FUN FACTS ABOUT

CITRUS

mal r o N n o i t c u Cost of Prod od) trees $1,500 o Producing (g cre a to $2,000 per u Rust mite is the major pest, but most spraying will A: B: C: D: E: F: G: H:

Labor Chemicals Water Fertilizer Equipment Herbicides Pruning Crop Insurance

u Total Acreage in the Rio Grande Valley is 25,000 to 26,000 acres

u Approximately 1/3 of acreage is new or just panted

trees. Cost of new trees is $10-$15.00 per tree plus an additional cost for planting, labor, fertilizers, and water. Average number of trees per acre- 151-155 trees. The number of fruit per box depends on fruit size.

cover all other pest.

u Rust mite, wind damage, and off color fruit reduced in price or sent to juice plant. Greening disease from psyllid major cause of tree loss.

u Fertilizers amount per acre: Nitrogen (N)265- Phosphorous (P) 55- Potassium (K) 350 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Magnesium (MG)38- Sulphur (S) 28

u Backyard citrus that is not sprayed becomes a hazard to all other citrus in the Rio Grande Valley. Fruit not harvested by April 1st can become a source of Mexican Fruit Fly and other pest.

u The Earth is covered by 75% water, 10% ice, and 6% Dessert, leaving farmers to make the most of what is left.

u Harvesting and packing at $7.50 per box (40lb car- u New for the Rio Grande Valley- sniffer dogs to detect tons) sizes- 36, 40, 56.

greening disease.

u Most sales go to Fresh Market in early October to u Greening disease has been the reason for Florida Mid May Harvest

u Spray 4-6 times per year at a cost of $25 to $150

per acre for materials plus labor and equipment cost. Most sprays cover all insects and disease present at the time of application.

and Brazil loss of over half their citrus.

Information for this article received from Dr. M Setaumou, Dr. Victor French, Jim Hoffman, and Don Grossman.

What do you really own BY:

Kurt Schuster

AgMag Columnist

n our era of weasel lawyers (but I repeat myself) and having presidents trying to define what “is” is, it should come as little surprise that things as simple as the ownership of a piece of physical property like land, seed, or machinery is under assault from individuals looking to make a buck by being conniving rather than hard working. The old axiom that “Possession is nine-tenths of the law” might still hold well and fast when you can hold something in your hands, but when such intangibles as intellectual property or software get involved it can be a near Sisyphean task to discern whom owns what. Having a better understanding of the ever-evolving issues surrounding these abstract things that are integral to the function of your overall farming operation is no longer for the realm of academics and theorists, but has come to be a stumbling block for many in agribusiness.

You Can’t Patent That ! By now most people have probably heard of the dustup over Monsanto and their use of hybrid crops. Many legal cases have been filed going both ways with their decisions, so the issue is far from settled. A quick summary for those living under a rock: Monsanto, amongst other seed vendors, has been breeding an engineering new varieties of seeds that have a variety of desirable traits not normally found, or not so strongly expressed in current plant varietals. Where this has come up for debate is Monsanto has tried to patent the genomes of these new varietals as their “intellectual property”. In most cases a farmer using these seeds must agree not to keep any seeds, not to breed any of them, cross breed, let others use them, etc. amongst a broad blanket of other restrictions and liability issues.

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For the most part, but no always, Monsanto has failed to establish that something as stochastic as a genome (which can change measurably from plant generation to generation) can be patented. Monsanto, while still fighting this fight, increasingly is putting restrictions on farmers and taking them to court regularly for any violations. The gist of this column is not to fight that war, but to get many to realize that you do not actually own these seeds. Thanks to the contract you sign to use these varietals you surrender or abrogate the majority of your rights to use this seed beyond this season, or oftentimes beyond this individual usage! If you think you won’t be pursue for any infractions you are dead wrong. Even something as uncontrollable as one field of modified plants pollinating and creating hybrids of unmodified plants from seed purchased via a storage elevator and not through Monsanto was litigated and won by Monsanto in court (Bowman v Monsanto Co). If you’re thinking that you can’t control volunteer plants, have no way to test seeds you buy from someone else, or even the how/when/where of hybridization, you’re right!

However, that does not mean that the courts won’t hold you liable for it. In this area, there is little good guidance beyond use your best judgment, document everything, and evaluate strongly your needs for seed every year.

Lost in the Ether

These days the majority farm equipment has become a lot more high-tech than its predecessors. Tractors that can connect to GPS satellites, monitor all sort of sensors and gauges, and even do custom routines programmed into their computer, modern tractors have taken a lot of the skills that took a lifetime to develop and computerized them. However, John Deere has taken the same tack as many automakers and is advocating that although you may own the tractor, you don’t own any of the software that comes with it. Using a strange interpretation of the DCMA laws established to stop music and movie pirating (yes, John Deere literally argues that farmers might be able to illegally download music) John Deere reserves the right to disable and/or not diagnose and perform maintenance on your tractor. Congratulations, you just possibly bought yourself a $100k paperweight. In the same vein as the seed issue this is still a hotly contested issue. However, much less caselaw has been developed in the instances of this area of ownership. On its face, the arguments for preventing ownership of software are fairly specious, farmers downloading music is highly unlikely and already illegal. More likely to happen is the avid inventor on inveterate tinkerer messing around with software code to either enhance performance or to ruinous effects of not even being able to start the machine. As in the case of the intellectual property of seeds there is no fast and easy answer. John Deere invests millions into R&D to gain a competitive advantage and have fully functioning machines. At the same time, farmers pay large sums of money and have actual physical ownership of the machines that John Deere develops, so why shouldn’t they get to tinker with their property. As it stands though these issues will not be settled by you and me, but they will affect ownership greatly.

examine closely any contract concerning software or intellectual property of this equipment and adhere to it as much as possible. Frankly if anyone out there is such an adept coder that they do believe they can improve their tractors by themselves without any support staff or expensive testing facility than please proceed, but don’t say you weren’t warned ahead of time.

All in All , You’re Just Another Brick In The Wall Unless you’re one of those brave souls that wants to step up to the plate and take on the multi-billion dollar valued multi-national corporation these issues are something that you cannot fight on an individual level. Examine your risks here, is it worth having a team of highly paid corporate lawyers descend upon your business like vultures, or should at least try to play by the rules. Whatever you can do or develop within the limits of the law is always your best bet. One of the most powerful tools you can give yourself though is education, education, education. Typically, most farmers go on a lifetime of experiences to guide themselves in their decision-making process, but we’re not in Kansas anymore Dorothy and the logical and natural order of things makes little sense in the maw of a faceless bureaucracy. Educate yourself on your rights as a business owner, on what you agree to in the contracts you sign with these firms, and most importantly what you can and cannot do with what you buy. Having a working knowledge to guide you through this morass of yet unsettled case law is the most important thing you can do for yourself and your business in these types of situations.

The best advice anyone can give you in this case is to J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

Down in south Texas On lots of old ranches Where mesquite beans And buffel grass grow You can find sets of pens With lots of tradition Built by cow hands Long ago... From square water troughs To mesquite post fences gates barely hanging on to rusty ol hinges Each unique by design But serve the same purpose All have special names Marked by years of service When it came time to gather When it was time to round up One gentleman always sat higher Than the rest of the group.

DOWN IN

SOUTH TEXAS BY EDDIE GARCIA

On a perch above the chute Was usually a chair or plank Where a man made the cut On what to ship and what to keep Most important job on the ranch Delegated to men who were in charge The future held in their hands The past told through their scars. Things change over time Old ways become obsolete But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll always keep in mind The cattlemen who sat in that seat. So if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ever in south Texas, And find an ol set of pens Climb to the top of the chute And sit with the Cattle Giants.

Dedicated to the past when cattle were sorted from the top of chutes. J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM I N S TA R R C O U N T Y

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Texas A & M AgriLife Extension Service is bringing the Texas Master Gardener Program to Starr County.â&#x20AC;?

BY HEIDI C. LOPEZ

he Master Gardener program is for individuals that have a passion for gardening and for their community as well. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great opportunity to give back to your community. By becoming a Master Gardener, you also become an educator and help others in your area become better gardeners. We offer community gatherings, hands on activities in establishing, developing and maintaining a vegetable garden, volunteer opportunities, planting, cultivating and harvesting crops at all our 12 community gardens and community events. We will start with the very basics of how to garden successfully in our unique Valley climate. This Master Gardener program includes classes for gardening, native plants, grasses, compost and mulch, organic home vegetable gardening, soil, water and fertilizers, weed identification and removal, citrus care and maintenance, container gardening, insect and diseases, plant propagation and more. The Master Gardener program will also provide great tours of a native plant farm, dragon fruit farm and a sensory garden tour around the Rio Grande Valley to expand knowledge. The Master Gardener program helps homeowners

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The Master Gardener program is a volunteer horticultural program of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Master Gardener interns are required to commit at least 50 hours of community service in support of agency horticultural outreach during their first year. cut down on the time and expenses lost in trial-and-error gardening and landscaping. The popular volunteer program will be in Starr county in September. We are accepting applications from locals and Winter Texans. Classes will be in the afternoons from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday for 12 weeks. Classes are filling and there is limited availability. Please call the Texas A & M AgriLife Extension office at 956-487-2306 for more information.

J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

TEXAS HISPANIC FARMER AND RANCHER CONFERENCE: GROWING TOGETHER, CRECIENDO JUNTOS TO BE HELD SEPT.14 -15 IN MCALLEN

BY GUADALUPE GRACIA

June 19, 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Farmers and ranchers who want to improve their operation and anyone who wants to start a farm or ranch are invited to the Texas Hispanic Farmer and Rancher Conference: Growing Together, Creciendo Juntos, Sept. 14-15 at the Casa de Palmas Hotel, 101N. Main Street in McAllen. Producer networking, trade show and farm and ranch tours are a few of the program highlights. Track

Session 1

Urban Farming

The Million Dollar Question: Small scale agriculture funding programs and options for the direct market producer.

Session 2

Session 3

Organic Matter. Where to find it!? Resources available to Urban Producers to help build soil health. Tapping into resource recovery options, composting and soil amendment alternatives.

Diversifying Sales Outlets. CSA, FarmtoWork, Farmstand. Understanding and identifying market diversification opportunities available; how to enter and succeed in these settings.

Session 4 Value Added Opportunities: Turning excess product into profit. A discussion of market alternatives and best practices.

(Veggie Compass?)

Ranching

Grassfed Beef from A to Z An overview into the grass fed industry including market outlook, operational challenges, grazing decisions and animal selection.

Improving Pasture Performance: Grazing management strategies and practices intended to build soil health, improve water holding capacity and increase carrying capacity.

Genetics and Herd Health: Building your herd. Understanding the importance of sire selection and strategic heifer retention in cow-calf operations. Discussion of common livestock diseases with prevention and treatment applications.

Marketing. What the Butcher Looks for: Understanding and selecting carcass characteristics to improve consistency and quality in finished beef.

Farming

Show Me The Money! Real world experiences in the Ag funding world along with representatives from SSARE, NRCS and FSA.

Minimizing Input Costs. Using Cover Crops to boost soil Health. Cover crop uses and varieties for hot and humid areas. Discussion of uses, benefits, best practices and available resources.

Successful Planning for New Food Safety Laws: Preparing for FISMA food safety law implementation. What you need to know and do, for fresh fruit and vegetable producers.

Variety Selection and Pest Management: Crop variety selection research developments along with a look into Sugar Cane Aphid issues and pest management strategies.

The conference is being hosted by the USDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE). Registration is $25 a person or $40 per couple, and includes lunch and snacks. Scholarships are available. Parking is free at Casa de Palmas Hotel. For more information, visit texashispanic.ncat.org or contact Robert Maggiani at (866) 319-1669 or email robertm@ncat.org. 62 Ag Mag

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COOPERATIVE MEXICAN FRUIT FLY PROGRAM PROTECTS TEXAS CITRUS BY GUADALUPE GRACIA (Mexican Fruit Fly Coordinator for Lower Rio Grande Valley, USDA APHIS PPQ Field Operations) and Hugh Conway (Supervisory Entomologist, USDA APHIS PPQ Mission Lab)

ince the mid-1980s the Cooperative Mexican Fruit Fly (CMFF) Program has been protecting Texas citrus by fighting back against periodic outbreaks of Mexican fruit flies (Mexfly) and preventing its spread to other citrus-growing areas in the United States. Mexfly is one of the world’s most destructive insect pests with a host range of more than 40 species of fruits and vegetables. If it were to become established in the continental United States, it would devastate commercial agriculture and citrus production and make it much more difficult and expensive for homeowners to grow fruits and vegetables. The CMFF Program was established in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in the mid-1980’s by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), and the Texas citrus industry. The program uses a sensitive surveillance system to monitor and detect Mexfly incursions and the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to release sterile insects to control and reduce wild Mexfly populations. SIT is a key component of the CMFF Program. APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) rears 150 million flies per week at the Mexican Fruit Fly Mass Rearing Facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas, sterilizes them, and then aerially releases them over citrus orchards in the south Texas. The sterile males mate with invading female wild fruit flies. These matings result in the production of infertile eggs that do not hatch (Thomas et al 1999). Over time, sterile flies will reduce a wild fly population and eventually eradicate the pest. The CMFF Program successfully eradicated Mexfly from Texas in 2012 using this technique. Surveillance and monitoring is the other key component of the CMFF Program (Trapping Guidelines 2015). PPQ and TDA personnel uniformly distribute traps across citrus groves and residential properties, placing 5 traps in each square mile where fruit fly host trees are present. As a result, the Program is able to rapidly detect incursions of Mexfly adults each year in south Texas. The likely sources of these flies include illegal movements of infested fruit into the United States and the natural spread of adult flies across the U.S. border from infested areas in Northern Mexico.

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Figure 1. Placing surveillance trap into citrus TDA and APHIS employees use the National Fruit Fly Trapping Guidelines for trap maintenance and servicing (Figure 1). In 2016, traps were service weekly during the harvest season and once every two weeks in the summer months to collect captured flies. The flies are placed into vials marked with the capture location and taken to PPQ offices in McAllen and Harlingen. All collected specimens are screened by PPQ technicians trained in fruit fly identification. The technicians determine if the captured flies are sterile or wild flies and classify each to species (Figure 2). Figure 2. Screening captured fruit flies When a wild Mexfly is captured, the Program increases trapping to determine if other wild flies are in the vicinity. PPQ personnel also collect and cut fruit within a 200 meter radius around the detection site to look for fruit fly larvae (Figure 3). In addition, PPQ uses bait spray pesticide applications in a 500 meter radius around a dooryard detection (Figure 4) and grove owners use bait sprays in a 200 meters radius around a grove detection to help reduce any local wild fly populations. Bait sprays continue for at least two Mexfly life cycles based on a temperature dependent model of the fly’s life cycle (Thomas 1997). Quarantines are triggered when the CMFF Program captures five wild flies within a three mile radius and within a time

Figure 3. Removing fruit from tree period qual to one life cycle of the fly, (or) capture of one mated female (known or suspected to have been mated to a wild fly), (or) when larvae is found in fruit or pupae is found in an orchard or residential property. During a Mexfly quarantine, Texas Program managers use a systems approach to manage the risk of citrus fruit from becoming infested (Jang et al. 2015). The systems approach allows more options for citrus growers to move fruit during a quarantine. The systems approach is based on three major components: - area of low pest prevalence for fruit flies based on historic data, use of pre-harvest foliar bait spray treatments to reduce or eliminate wild fly populations, and limited distribution of fruits from a quarantine area based on risk assessment. These safeguards effectively reduce the risk of pest spread while still allowing growers to move most of their products to market. In addition to the efforts of the CMFF Program, there are a number of actions that residents can take to keep Mexfly out of Texas.

Figure 5. Removing old fruit under tree

• Know the quarantines in your area and cooperate with all quarantine restrictions or rules that might be imposed. • Allow authorized agricultural workers access to property to install and inspect insect-monitoring traps and conduct treat ments. • Download the free Explorer for ArcGIS app to view the latest Mexfly quarantine maps. Go to maps, type MXFF, and select the latest map by date or quarantine area.

References: Enkerlin D, Garcia L, López F. 1989. Pest status: Mexico, Central and South America. In: Robinson, A. S.; Hooper, G. (ed.). Fruit Flies: Their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control. Volume 3A. Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 372 p.

Figure 4. Bait spray application • If you have citrus trees in your yard, pick your fruit and use it, or double bag it and put it in the trash. Don’t leave fruit on the tree or on the ground (Figure 5). • Do not bring or mail fresh fruits, vegetables, or plants into Texas or other state unless agricultural inspectors have cleared them first. • When returning from international travel, declare all agricultural products to U.S. Customs officials. Learn more at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/travel.

Jang E, Miller C, Caton B. 2015. Systems Approaches for Managing the Risk of Citrus Fruit in Texas during a Mexican Fruit Fly Outbreak 61 p. https://www. aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/fruit_flies/downloads/texas-citrus-systems-approach-risk-assesment.pdf Stewart J. 2017. Mexican Fruit Fly Cooperative Eradication Program. 33 p. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/ea/downloads/2017/rio-grandemexfly-ea.pdf Thomas, DB 1997. Degree-Day accumulations and seasonal duration of the pre-imaginal stages of the Mexican fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae). Fla. Entomol. 80: 71-78. Thomas DB, Worley JN, Mangan RL, Vlasik RA, Davidson JL. 1999. Mexican fruit fly population suppression with Sterile Insect Technique. Subtropical Pant Sciences 51: 61-71. Trapping Guidelines. 2015. USDA National Exotic Fruit Fly Detection Trapping Guidelines. 126 p. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_ info/fruit_flies/downloads/fruitfly-trapping-guidelines.pdf

• Never move fresh produce from your property if your area is under Mexfly quarantine.

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WANT TO ADVERTISE? Contact

Michelle Martin at the Ag Mag

(956) 330-8870 michelle@theagmag.org

The non-resident owners of a large Rio Grande Valley cotton and grain farm are seeking to employ a farm superintendent who will have the responsibility of overseeing the farm operation. The farm is actively farmed by multiple farm operators, and the successful candidate would be responsible for the following:

1) Monitor the farm operations on a regular basis 2) Handle all matters with the FSA 3) Manage crop insurance 4) Be responsible for an extensive farm drainage system 5) Be responsible for monitoring on farm roads 6) Work with farm operators regarding their respective responsibilities for farm improvements 7) Report to owners on a regular basis.

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The successful candidate should have farm experience and agricultural training. An agricultural college degree would be helpful but not essential. Send resume to cathy@hhwv.net.

Following your

Dreams

how things are set up in the background,” she said. “You can see the end results of a lot of these wonderful programs but it takes a lot of work to get it all done and make it happen. It’s important to see the whole picture instead of just the finished project.” Davis added that she’s in the Rio Grande Valley, 1,104 miles away from Paris, Tenn., because an opportunity was placed in front of her and “I jumped at that chance.”

Her advice to young students is similar. “Don’t be afraid to try new things,” she said. “You’ll never know unless you try. Ask somebody – the worst they can do is say no. I never imagined I would living in South Texas and pursuing Agricultural Education but I think that’s due to two things – being willing to take on rick, and jumping at opportunities.”

BY HALLIE DAVIS

he crops may be different and there may not be a large dairy farm in South Texas anymore, but Hallie Davis said agriculture comes down a lot of times to same thing across the globe – the people.

“Those organizations really opened a lot of opportunities for me,” Davis said. “I explored some career options I didn’t even know existed and I learned a lot of leadership skills and was exposed to a lot of other things I wouldn’t know about otherwise.”

Davis is an intern at the Willacy County 4H and AgriLife Extension Office. A senior at Texas A&M Kingsville studying Agriculture Science with a certification in education, Davis was born in Paris, Tenn., a city of about 10,000 people that sits 86 miles north of Nashville and is known for being home to the “World’s Biggest Fish Fry.”

David joked that the best thing about being in 4H and FFA in high school was “getting out of class all the time.” “We were still learning obviously,” she was quick to add, “but it was better than being in math class or English class – that’s for sure.”

“I know there isn’t a major dairy industry in South Texas anymore but there used to be,” said the Henry County (Tenn.) high school graduate. Besides the different crops and the animals people are raising, it all boils down to the same thing – people who care about our environment and care about our food supply and fiber and fuel as well. “These are people who are laboring outside every day to provide the food, the needs for our nation. That doesn’t change from Texas to Tennessee. At the end of the day it’s the same thing,” she said. Davis said even though she’s not familiar yet with all the agricultural pursuits that are happening in South Texas, she has enjoyed agriculture since she was in high school as a FFA and 4H member, where she showed dairy cows, competed on the shooting sports teams and participated in some speaking events.

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While just like most college students, she’s not totally sure on what the future has in store immediately after graduation, but she has a strong grasp of what she would like to do. “I want to be able to give back to my community while doing it in a way that I’m passionate about through agriculture,” she said. “There is nothing more important than teaching people how to feed our families.” “I plan on living here and hopefully someday starting a family here so I’m going to contribute to my community and I need to know what people are farming as far as row crops and animals they raise and et cetera. I’ve gotten exposed to agriculture down here already and look forward to giving back – even through this internship – and hopefully a career with AgriLife someday.”

ple who o e p e r a e s “ The side every t u o g n i r o b are la e the food, d i v o r p o t day ation. n r u o r o f s the need e from g n a h c t ’ n s That doe nnessee. Texas to Te day it’s f the At the end o hing” the same t – Hallie Davis

“ Don’t b e to try ne afraid w You’ll ne things. ver unless yo know u try.” – Hallie D a vis

Through the internship, Davis said, she had a wildlife article published by a local newspaper and has been to a lot of planning and committee meetings. “It’s important to see

J U LY / A U G U S T

2017

Congrats to our Facebook photo contest winners.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Make sure to log on to our Facebook page for photos, contests, dates, and more!â&#x20AC;? www.facebook.com/theagmag

Terra-Gen and the Valley

Terra-Gen is particularly pleased with their local-first focus on the development of their Rio Grande Valley wind portfolio. Since starting development in south Texas in late 2016, Terra-Gen has hired five Rio Grande Valley natives and two additional Texas natives to navigate and execute on the development of projects in south Texas. By utilizing local stakeholders, companies, and contractors, Terra-Gen has built a team that is uniquely well situated to execute on a multi-billion-dollar pipeline of wind the Rio Grande Valley.

Economics of Wind

Winds blow in a new opportunity for the Valley

BY TERRA-GEN

Those wind turbines seem to be popping up everywhere. What are they good for? Most people are fascinated by the size of these turbines. There are concerns about them, do they get in the way and what do they really do? Well the good news is these turbines are quite the help to our ecosystem, but also to farmers, and local schools, and the community in general. Let’s get to know these turbines…. Terra-Gen, LLC is a renewable energy company focused on developing, owning, and operating utility-scale wind, solar and geothermal generation. Based in San Diego, California, Terra-Gen developed the largest single wind project in the United States, the Alta Wind Energy Center, located north of Los Angeles. Terra-Gen’s senior leadership has executed the development of tens of thousands of megawatts of electricity over their respective careers. Terra-Gen’s development team is comprised of experienced and seasoned energy development professionals capable of executing all key facets of the development process. Terra-Gen owns 1051 megawatts of wind, geothermal and solar generation across the Western United States Terra-Gen’s subsidiaries are responsible for the operation and maintenance of over 2,000 megawatts of renewable projects. The company primarily sells the output of the renewable energy projects to util-

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ties and power cooperatives under long-term power purchase agreements. In 2016, Terra-Gen sought out Milton Howard as VP of Origination & Development for the central US and Texas markets with a focus on the Rio Grande Valley. Prior to joining Terra-Gen, Mr. Howard was the Vice President of Development at Duke Energy, where he and his teams developed and installed the 912 megawatt Los Vientos Wind projects, located in Willacy, Cameron, and Starr Counties, which is currently the largest wind farm in Texas. With Mr. Howard, Terra-Gen intends to develop and construction several hundred megawatts, or more, of wind energy in south Texas in 2019 and 2020. Terra-Gen is actively developing wind energy projects in Willacy and Hidalgo Counties in Texas, and across North America, with an emphasis on the west and mid-west regions of the United States. Terra-Gen is also developing greenfield wind energy projects in a variety of other states, as well as acquisitions of wind development efforts from smaller developers.

According to Terra-Gen, the cheapest form of new generation that can be built in the Rio Grande Valley (and all of North America) is wind power. Terra-Gen can generate wind for the wholesale market at a fraction of the residential rates paid by Texas energy consumers. This cheap, low-cost, fixed-rate energy is driving the substantial investment that American utilities, power cooperatives, and private businesses are making in renewable wind energy. Long-term price certainty at a very attractive rate has brought major US corporations to the table with developers like Terra-Gen over the past few years, and the industry anticipates this trend continuing for the next several many years.

Turbine Size

The wind turbines Terra-Gen intends to erect in south Texas will be even larger the biggest turbines currently installed in the Rio Grande Valley. Terra-Gen will utilize the next generation wind turbines, measuring 525-575 feet tall at the 12 o’clock position; each blade will be roughly 190-196 feet long and the rotor diameter will total 380-400 feet wide. Each turbine will generate between 2.0 and 3.5 megawatts of power.

Significant Economic Development

The local economic benefits of wind project are tremendous in scope and transformational for some communities. A typical wind project will inject millions of dollars of new revenue each year into a county, totaling tens of millions of dollars over a 25year period. Wind projects also offer farmers, ranchers, and landowners a new source of revenue from a high-quality, renewable natural resource on their property that has previously never been monetized, and often been a cause of frustration and cost to the owner. Typical local economic benefits of a wind project like those proposed by Terra-Gen include:

· Roughly $45 million in landowner royalties over a 25-year period · Roughly $25 million in new property taxes over a 25-year period (with most of the benefit to local schools) · The creation of 12-15 new well-paying jobs with a total salary of roughly $15 million over 25 years · The creation of 350-400 jobs for 6-9 months of construction while generating · Roughly $40 million in local direct, secondary, and indirect impacts.

Benefits for similar projects have been verified by third-party economic impact analyses. Four Basics of Wind Four key pieces are required to a develop and build a wind project. A wind developer requires land, wind, electrical transmission, and a market for the power to be sold. Land – Terra-Gen is currently in the process of securing lease-options for several large wind projects in the Rio Grande Valley. A typical wind project of 100 turbines requires roughly 15,000-20,000 acres of contiguous land in the Rio Grande. Wind projects are highly complementary to current land uses. Turbines are sited in “rows” perpendicular to the predominant wind direction. Individual turbines are roughly ¼ mile apart in a row, and each row is roughly three-quarters of a miles apart. Despite the need for large contiguous acreage, each turbine, including the access road, only takes a quarter to a half acre out of production, on average. For a 100-turbine project, only 25-50 acres will be taken out of production, after construction. Wind – The Rio Grande Valley has all the characteristics of a tremendous wind resource – consistent, predictable, high-quality wind. For a wind developer to accurately assess the expected production of a wind project they must capture data via meteorological towers for a period of at least one year, and ideally two. Terra-Gen currently has these “met towers” installed throughout the Valley, and will be looking to add more later this year. Transmission – All wind projects must connect into the electrical transmission system, commonly referred to as the power “grid.” Terra-Gen is well down the road in studying and evaluating several potential sites with the local transmission manager, ERCOT, for the feasibility, expense, and construction timeframes of new transmission interconnection facilities. Market – For any wind project to be built, a sound development plan must be in place to market the power to the proper buyer. Cheap renewable wind energy is highly attractive to utilities, power cooperatives, municipal electrics, and commercial business users. Terra-Gen is highly confident in their development and marketing plans, and senior leadership of Terra-Gen has previously contracted many thousands of megawatts of wind energy to Texas utilities and commercial users.

•Terra-Gen an American Company •Local office - Local team •Team developed the largest wind farm in Texas representing over $1.4B investment in South Texas •Farmer/landowner income enhancement •Revenue not wind dependent < 2% of land utilized •Leasing land now if you have over 250 acres •Call or email to determine suitability. 956.386.9387

So you see these turbines can actually assist in better living for everyone. Do you have land available? Do you want to help your community, make a profit. Call to determine suitability. 956.386.9387 J U LY / A U G U S T

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WILDFLOWER SEEDS SPUR POLLINATOR GARDENS BY GIRLS SCOUTS OF GREATER SOUTH TEXAS BY MELISSA BLAIR Public Affairs Specialist melissa.blair@tx.usda.gov

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – June 21, 2017 — Monarchs will have a lot more native nectar plants drawing them to the Rio Grande Valley this fall and next spring thanks to packages of wildflower seeds which “planted” the idea for pollinator gardens by the Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas. “The seed packages from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) given to me by my father which I planted at home sparked the research. That’s when I found the Texan by Nature Monarch Wrangler Program,” said Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas Harlingen Service Unit manager, Danielle Dodier-Pena. “I wanted to find different ways to promote stewardship in my Girl Scout troop. I realized I was thinking too small and I expanded it to all 43 troops in the area.” The nonprofit Texan by Nature partners with state and federal agencies, academia and non-government organizations to improve habitat for the Monarch butterfly and other pollinator species. The partnership includes USDA-NRCS, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust, The University of Texas in Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Texas Department of Transportation and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), just to name a few.

PICTURED ABOVE: Girl Scouts Troops from Greater South Texas add native nectar plants for Monarchs to the Combes Community Center garden.

the annual migration of the monarch butterfly.

The Monarch Wrangler program is the Texan by Nature’s statewide initiative that provides organizations, individuals, companies, farms and ranches with results-oriented and meaningful ways to get involved in creating habitat essential to the monarch butterfly through planting beneficial native plants, removing invasive species, and tagging or tracking monarchs. After Pena applied for the Monarch Wrangler program in April, the Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas planted an assortment of native plants at the Valley Haven Emergency Children’s Shelter which will be opening soon. “We are proud to host a Monarch Garden at Valley Haven Emergency Children’s Shelter,” said Pamela Alvarez, co-founder and program coordinator at Valley Haven Inc. Emergency Children’s Shelter. “We look forward to incorporating this project as part of Valley Havens programming so the children at Valley Haven can help in caring for our garden while learning about the Monarch Butterfly and the impor-

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“The monarch gardens make me feel happy because the butterflies will have a home and a better chance at living,” said Jade Gutierrez, Girl Scout in Troop #150. “I care about the Monarch because it’s a beautiful butterfly that represents Texas and I love nature.”

conserving our natural resources.” The Girls Scouts also cleaned up the community park’s garden at Primera Community Garden and planted native species to enhance the garden. In June, the Girl Scouts worked on their third Monarch Wrangler garden by planting more native species at the Combes Community Center. Texas NRCS presented the Girl Scouts and their troop leaders’ copies of the new Pollinator Partnerships poster, which shows the I-35 corridor also known as the “Monarch Highway,” that highlights native plants that can be planted for natural habitat to support

Girl Scout, Sofia Pena from Troop #150 likes planting days because “I am helping butterflies and Texas, and I love both!” As the Monarchs travel through Texas in the fall and the spring, the Girls Scouts of Greater South Texas plan to monitor the gardens to catch glimpses and photos of the colorful butterflies to share with others and educate them about the importance of native plants and conservation. For more information on the technical and financial assistance provided by NRCS on Monarch conservation efforts, visit www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov or contact your county NRCS office.

Danielle Pena and her daughter, Sofia, weed one of the garden areas at Valley Haven Emergency Children’s Shelter.

For more information on the Texan by Nature efforts including the Monarch Wrangler Program, visit http://texanbynature.org

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RECIPE Asian Pork

Recipe can be found at http://www.texasweet.com/recipes

Lettuce Wraps with texas rio star grapefruit

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, packed 3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1 Texas Rio Star Grapefruit

1. Mix fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar in a bowl, set aside.

3 tablespoons roasted, salted peanuts, chopped

2. Lightly toast the coconut in a skillet over medium heat; cool.

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce 2 green onions, thinly sliced

4. Toss sections in a bowl with coconut, peanuts, mint, chili sauce and green onions.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 lb lean ground pork

6. Transfer the met to a bowl, and drain any excess liquid; set aside.

1 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger

7. Raise the heat to high, add remaining 1 table spoons of oil to the skillet, then add ginger and red onion; cook to soften, about 1 minute. Add the onion to the pork, pour into the fish sauce mixture and gently toss.

Romaine or butter lettuce leaves

8. Divide the pork mixture among the lettuce leaves and top each with grapefruit salad. 76 Ag Mag

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Trade agreements impact exports and imports. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), negotiated between the United States, Canada and Mexico and initiated on January 1, 1994, has been extensively studied over the years. NAFTA was designed to expand the flow of goods, services, and investment throughout North America. NAFTA calls for the full phased elimination of import tariffs and the elimination or fullest possible reduction on non-tariff trade barriers, such as import quotas, licensing schemes, and technical barriers to trade.

3. With a sharp knife, peel and sections grapefruit.

5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pork and cook, breaking it up, 4-5 minutes (do not brown).

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

As agricultural producers experience higher input costs and lower revenues, along with declining U.S. government support to agriculture, understanding the impacts of international trade and how markets and competition are affected will take on added importance for farmers, agribusinesses, policy makers, and agricultural leaders. The United States is the largest exporter of farm products and those exports account for about 35% of farm income, up from 28% in 1996.Â The economic impact of U.S. agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico totaled $107.8 billion and 509,332 jobs in 2016.Â The total economic impact of Texas agricultural export trade to Canada and Mexico totaled more than $3.3 billion in 2016 and supported 18,674 jobs. In addition, agricultural exports help support rural communities across the United States, with each dollar of exports stimulating another $1.27 in business activity.

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped

Importance of Agricultural Trade on the Texas and U.S. Economies

Agricultural imports are also important, as U.S. consumers are more dependent on them for certain commodities, as well as, for year-round supply. Not surprisingly, these include tropical products not produced, or only sparingly produced, in the United States such as limes, coffee and bananas. Orange juice and tomato imports have increased over the years as production, mainly in Florida, has decreased significantly. Other products such as beef and pork account for a smaller share of US imports.

Reprinted from Agri-Life publication J U LY / A U G U S T

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