Issue 30 of the Ag Mag

DEDICATED TO GROWING THE BREED & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CONGRATULATIONS to our junior Brahman exhibitors on a job well done showing their Brahmans.

CONGRATS to our two $1,000 Scholarship Winners Cassie Flores & Marco Moreno. We will again invest over $10,000 this year with our youth.

We will sponsor our $6,000 RGVBA Heifer Futurity in conjunction with the Jr. RGVBA Showmanship Clinic & Show at the RGVLS on 12/7/2019. Only heifers purchased from active RGVBA members are eligible.

You can pay your $100 dues by mailing them to Javier Moreno at 23903 Hinojosa Rd. Edinburg, TX

Cassie Flores with her RGVLS Jr. Show Grand Champion. Cassie was also the Cover Girl last year.

Victor Romo with his Grand Champion Brahman Cross Steer bred by England Cattle Co.

Gabi Ramirez with her RGVLS Jr. Show Grand Champion Red Brahman bred by La Muneca-La Negra

Mia Ramirez with her RGVLS & SA Jr. Show Reserve Grand Champion bred by La Muneca-Flores.

CONGRATS to our 2018-19 Jr. RGVBA Officers on a job well done. GOOD LUCK in school !!

Kylie Sellman with her 2019 RGVLS Open Show Reserve Grand Champion bred by ECC, HMC & K-K.

2018 winners at Jr. RGVBA Showmanship Clinic & Show judged by Dr. Tobin Pennington. Thank You DOC for all you do for all of us.

CONGRATS Mary & Herb Riojas on winning the first Annual RGVBA ANIMO Award. We love you guys!

MIL GRACIAS to Mike, Crickett & Team on another great Brahman Camaraderie Party!!

2018 winners of Skill-A-Thon held at Jr. RGVBA Showmanship Clinic & Show.

CONGRATS to Cecilia Guerra on her 2019 RGVLS Reserve Grand Champion Open Show Red Brahman bred by La Muñeca-La Negra.

Louie Flores - President 956-457-0205 Carlos X. Guerra Jr. - V.P. 956-330-1963 Javier Moreno - Sec. Pres. 956-607-7408 Mike England - Chaplain 956-330-0916

MIL GRACIAS to the donors, bidders & buyers of donation lots at the ECC Brahman Camaraderie Party & LMC GenePLUS Sale.

Michelle Martin

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

Matthew 7:1-5

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

Al Benavides

Graphic Designer

A Letter from the Editor How do you portray yourself? How many of us have been told by our parents “It’s how you present yourself; first impressions are important.” I have heard this I don’t know how many times. In a job interview, you know that first impressions are everything. When you walk into a room, you know people are looking at you and placing judgement. I am guilty of judging from time to time, or placing labels at first glances. I admit it. I am not proud of it, but I think everyone does it to an extent.

I am going to get personal and share two stories that happened to me, that put me in my place about this so-called habit we tend to do, most of the time without knowing we are doing it.

One day, I was at the courthouse waiting to get some paper work straightened out from my mother’s death, and I was standing there just staring into a wall. I guess I had a blank stare. All of the sudden I hear this young man’s voice next to me say, “Why are you so frustrated? You look like you are unhappy or mad.” The reality of the situation was I wasn’t mad at all. I was confused if I was in the right spot, a little worried about the outcome of the paperwork I needed. Mad or frustrated I was not.

It was that young man’s words that made me think at that very moment how am I portraying myself to others? How are my actions reflecting to the world? I am a very happy and giving person, but at that moment that’s not what I was portraying to the world around me. It is so easy for emotions to overtake not only our minds, but our appearance and actions.

Story No. 2: One day, I was standing in line at Wal-Mart with a basket full of Easter stuff for my son’s school. The lady ahead of me was paying for her groceries with about a million coupons. She was dressed in her work uniform and looked beyond tired, but determined with her coupons in hand.

When we see someone with a binder full of coupons that means we will be spending what feels like an eternity in line. So, the impatient me waited there for what seemed like an hour, to only see the lady in tears. She didn’t have enough money to cover her groceries even after the coupons had been applied. It was at that moment, all my frustrations faded away. I felt compelled to cover the remainder of her bill so she could go home.

I asked the clerk to take my debit card to finish the transaction. Right after that, the sweet older lady looked at me, her eyes filled with tears, and said, “Thank you, I have been working overtime just to feed my family, and now because of you, we can eat this week. You are a blessing from above.”

“No, my friend you are the blessing,” I replied. It took that moment for me to realize that I was so quick to judge the woman in front of me, when all she was doing was trying to make ends meet. The frustrated look I had on my face soon was humbled by experience and quickly changed into a smile.

These two stories are great examples of how we are so quick to judge and how quickly others judge us. How many times do we hear things about other people before we meet them and we set judgement upon them without first meeting them.

Everyone is fighting a battle that we know nothing about.

We should portray ourselves with the love of Jesus. Let’s treat one another with kindness. If we continue to judge one another, we have no time for love. Help when help is needed and spread kindness. One simple act could change someone’s life.

Owner/Creator of AG MAG

In This Issue: 6. Introduction to the Water Rights of the Lower Rio Grande 10. North Alamo Water Supply Corp. to conduct test pilot of energy-efficiency alternatives for treating groundwater 12. Valley program to Focus on Challenges, Opportunities of Modernizing Irrigation Systems 16. The Brahman Foundation Leadership camp is coming to the Rio Grande Valley 20. Ag Labor & Guest Workers: The History 22. FARM HER: The Calling 26. The River and the Wall 28. All About HEMP 30. Harvesting Quality Grain Sorghum 38. 4R Nutrient Stewardship 44. A Farmer in the East Meets a Farmer in the West 47. A Letter from the Editor 49. Meet your new Don and Doña 50. Extension Agents 52. San Benito Transforms Abandoned Wastewater Treatment Ponds Into Coastal Wetland Habitat 56. Featured Farmer: Roots That Run Deep 60. THE GRASS BAD DREAMS ARE MADE OF 63. Texas A&M Student “Beth Quintanilla” 67. GO GLOBAL! 68. Weather Elsewhere Supporting Valley Grain Prices 72. Arroyo Colorado 76. Strength Prevails

Year 5, Issue 30 July/August 2019. 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 ©2019.

To advertise in Ag Mag, call (956) 330-8870 or email michelle@theagmag.org

Introduction to the Water Rights of the Lower Rio Grande

BY RICHARD WARD FRYER

W

hile some people monitor

the stock market and

others their Twitter feed, I

find myself among a group

that regularly checks the water levels of Falcon and Amistad Reservoirs. As of June 8, 2019, the United States’ share of water in these reservoirs stands at 61%, and Mexico’s share is 16%. The current trend indicates that these levels will continue to fall as we enter the hottest and driest part of our year.

Water availability is critical for the prosperity of the Rio Grande Valley. It was instrumental for the rapid growth of the Valley and it is vital for our continued prosperity. Yet, few people truly appreciate the important role that water plays in sustaining our economy and lifestyle, and even less understand how to manage and conserve water to ensure that availability of this precious resource continues.

My family has been involved in the Valley’s agriculture industry since the early 1930’s. That history was marked by devastating hurricanes, freezes, and droughts. As a teenag-

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er, I watched my parents fight to keep their citrus orchards alive during the ‘90s drought, searching for water to buy, then moving it between irrigation districts. That background gave me a unique perspective on the impact that water availability has on our region. My late father-in-law and local water attorney, J.W. Dyer, often said “Whiskey’s for drinkin’ and water’s for fightin’”, a quote commonly attributed to Mark Twain, when summarizing the Valley’s water situation.

The Rio Grande Basin encompasses approximately 335,500 square miles of United States and Mexican territory yet, surprisingly, only 40,000 square miles of Texas has surface runoff into the river which means that almost 75% of the inflow below El Paso, TX comes from the Mexican side of the Basin. The Lower Rio Grande segment of the river consists of that portion starting from Falcon Dam and ending at the Gulf of Mexico. The water adjudicated for that segment is the primary source of water for the estimated 1,500,000 residents of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, made up of Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, and Cameron Counties.

Water rights adjudicated to users within the Lower Rio

Grande are stored in Falcon and Amistad Reservoirs. These reservoirs are operated as a single system to store and supply water to the United States and Mexico by the International Boundary and Water Commission (“IBWC”) and its Mexican counterpart, Comision Internacional de Limites y Aguas (“CILA”). The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality- Rio Grande Watermaster, is in charge of managing the United States’ share of the water.

Water inflow into the Rio Grande, as it relates to Texas, is divided based upon two treaties: the Convention of 1906 which distributes the water between El Paso/ Juarez and Fort Quitman, Texas; and the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande (the “1944 Treaty”) which distributes waters of the Rio Grande between Fort Quitman, Texas and the Gulf of Mexico.

Amistad Dam and Reservoir, located 12 miles northwest of Del Rio, was completed on November 21, 1969. At its normal conservation pool elevation of 1117.0’, it holds 3,151,306 acre-feet of water. Falcon Dam and Reservoir, located 30 miles southeast of Zapata, was completed on April 8, 1954. At its normal conservation pool elevation, 301.2 feet, it holds 2,653,793 acre-feet, making the total storage for the system at conservation capacity 5,805,099 acre-feet. The United States’ share at system conservation capacity is 57%, or 3,326,157 acre-feet, almost 1.1 trillion gallons.

The Lower Rio Grande water rights were adjudicated in 1969 as the result of the State v. Hidalgo County Water Control and Improvement District No. 18, commonly referred to as the “Valley Water Suit.” This unprecedented lawsuit was filed during the 1950’s drought and lasted more than 30 years with almost 3,000 parties becoming involved. The case was the first court adjudication among all water rights claimants in an independent segment of a stream and was instrumental in creating the mechanism to quantify and define existing water rights. It also led to the creation and ultimate passage of the Water Rights Adjudication Act of 1967, which was used to adjudicate water rights in all Texas’ rivers.

The trial judge in the Valley Water Suit took judicial custody of the water in the Lower Rio Grande and within Falcon Dam and appointed a watermaster to divide the available water pursuant to the court’s orders. Upon conclusion, the court had established a water reserve for municipal, industrial, and domestic uses and two classes of irrigation-use water rights.

Class “A” are irrigation/mining-use water rights designated as “first priority” rights. These water rights consist of the legally-established statutory claims. Class “B” are irrigation/ mining-use water rights designated as “second priority” rights and were awarded to holders of legitimate equitable claims to water rights.

The watermaster is tasked with managing Amistad/ Falcon Reservoir System’s authorized domestic, municipal, industrial, irrigation, and other uses to promote the efficient use and optimum yield of the United States’ share of the water consistent with the 1944 Treaty. The watermaster maintains a reserve of 225,000 acre-feet of water for domestic, municipal, and industrial users and an operating reserve of 75,000 acre-feet in addition to the irrigation and other type water-use accounts.

Of the approximately 3,300,000 acre-feet reserved for the Lower Rio Grande, 1,400,000 acre-feet are irrigation-use water rights, 300,000 acre-feet are municipal-use, 25,000 acre-feet are mining-use, 440,000 acre-feet are multi-use (irrigation and mining), 160,000 acre-feet are multi-use (domestic, industrial, and municipal-use) and 10,000 acre-feet are domestic and industrial-use water rights. Of those water rights, 1.41 times the amount of the adjudicated water rights is stored in the Amistad-Falcon Reservoir System for irrigation and mining-use water rights.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley is much different than it was in the 1960’s. It faces new and difficult challenges which include its water supply. Farms are consolidating and farmland is being replaced by urbanization. Considering Mexico’s sporadic compliance with its obligations under the 1944 Treaty and this region’s unpredictable weather, it is mandatory that the Lower Rio Grande Valley leadership come together to discuss and explore methods to expand and conserve our water supply, perhaps using lined or buried canal delivery systems, water conservation education, regional planning, and economical production and treatment of alternate water sources. This subject must be addressed if the Valley is to remain viable and competitive going forward. The Valley’s stakeholders must educate themselves on the fundamentals of water management in order effectively plan for our region’s future and to avoid unnecessary “fightin’” over the Valley’s water supply.

Richard Ward Fryer is an attorney with Fryer & Hansen, PLLC. He represents many water supply corporations and water districts in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

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North Alamo Water Supply Corp. to conduct test pilot of energy-efficiency alternatives for treating groundwater

BY NORA N. GARZA

Steven P. Sanchez, turned to engineering firm Freese and Nichols Inc.

N

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Freese and Nichols recently evaluated energy-efficient alternatives for brackish groundwater desalination plants and found that nanofiltration could significantly reduce the amount of electricity used by North Alamo Water to treat brackish groundwater.

The study received funding Standing in a reverse osmosis plant, located from the U.S. Bureau of in Lasara, Texas, are North Alamo Water

Reclamation, and matching Corp. managers, from left, Agustin Gomez,

funds from North Alamo Water wastewater department; Robert Rodriguez,

Supply, Brownsville Public water department; Steven P. Sanchez,

Utilities Board, McAllen Public general manager. This plant is the site for a

Utility, and Freese and Nichols. nanofiltration test pilot.

The modeling and analyses for North Alamo Water found that replacing reverse osmosis membranes with nanofiltration membranes at two facilities would cut desalination energy use by 52.2 percent at one plant and 49.8 percent at the other. The switch also would provide for a small increase in production and allow the plants to continue meeting water-quality standards.

orth Alamo Water Supply Corp., based

in Edinburg, leads the state in number of

water treatment facilities using reverse

osmosis to produce drinking water. Now,

the largest rural water supplier in Texas

is testing nanofiltration to make the pro cess even more energy efficient. Using nanofiltration to treat brackish groundwater could be a game changer for water-thirsty Texas.

Faced with a long ongoing drought, North Alamo Water has tapped into groundwater to supply its customers with a reliable source of safe drinking water since 2004, building its first reverse osmosis water treatment plant in Lasara. Groundwater in the Rio Grande Valley is often brackish, or salty. Desalination, the process to remove salts and other minerals, is energy intensive, making it more expensive than processing surface water, in our case the Rio Grande.

As the largest rural water supplier in Texas, part of its mission is to produce water at the lowest cost possible. With an eye to conserving electricity in the treatment of raw water, General Manager

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“To test the feasibility of nanomembranes, North Alamo Water is considering a pilot project at a cost of $160,000,” said Steven P. Sanchez, NAWSC general manager. “The results will be used to determine if nanotechnology will be installed in existing and future water treatment plants.”

North Alamo Water operates four brackish groundwater desalination plants (and co-operates a fifth), making it the water operator with the most desalination facilities in Texas. North Alamo Water Supply provides potable water and wastewater utility service for rural residents in eastern Hidalgo, Willacy and northwestern Cameron counties. The service area encompasses 973 square miles in the Rio Grande Regional Planning Area (Region M) and a population of 180,000.

The Freese and Nichols team studied options and concluded that nanofiltration membranes could replace the existing RO elements with minimal infrastructure adjustments while yielding substantial energy-use benefits.

“It’s fairly innovative to be looking at nanofiltration for desalination

Pictured is a reverse osmosis production train in a water treatment plant.

Attending an early project meeting regarding energy-efficient alternatives for the treatment of groundwater were, second from far left, NAWSC General Manager Steven P. Sanchez, North Alamo Water Supply Corp.; and, from far left, Freese and Nichols representatives Mark Graves, water/wastewater engineering; Ray Longoria Jr., client representative account and director; and Jorge A. Arroyo, co-project manager.

plants,” said Jason Cocklin, who is project co-manager with Jorge Arroyo, both of Treatment, Transmission & Utilities, Austin.

“Traditionally, it’s been reverse osmosis, which has a really tight membrane that allows water molecules through but is relatively impermeable for salt. Nanofiltration elements have a looser membrane and require less energy in the feedwater stream.”

But, he said, the specific circumstances of NAWSC’s operations, along with advancements in membrane technology, make nanofiltration a good fit.

Incremental retrofitting and expansion of well field capacity is projected to increase North Alamo Water’s drought-proof supplies by

33 percent. And with the energy savings, the new membranes are expected to pay for themselves within a few years. Arroyo said this project offers new ways of viewing the viability of brackish groundwater to supplement drinking water supplies. “Although Texas sits atop of an ocean of brackish groundwater, developing this source into a fresh water supply is often considered too expensive,” Arroyo said. “The NAWSC study shows an innovative path to lower the energy required to desalinate and thus reduce the cost to produce brackish groundwater desalination supplies.”

A successful pilot study to verify performance and provide data for designing a nanofiltration system “would change the outlook for tapping into brackish groundwater sources in Texas,” he said.

The Freese and Nichols team included client representative Ray Longoria, account director, Fort Worth; Also contributing technical expertise to the project were Mike Morrison, Mark Graves, Michael Sherer, and Oliver Haugland, all of Treatment, Transmission & Utilities in Austin; and Dave Buzan, Environmental Science/Coastal, Austin.

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Valley program to focus on challenges, opportunities of modernizing irrigation systems

BY LUCAS GREGORY AND KATHY WYTHE

A

n education program focused on

improving efficiency within irrigation

districts and farms for Rio Grande

Valley irrigation district managers,

board members and growers is set for July 16 in Monte Alto. The program will be 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at the Rio Farms, Inc., 25601 N. Farm-to-Market Road 88.

Gregory said McGregor’s talk will focus on work Rubicon Water has done in Australia to modernize the irrigation conveyance system in the Murray-Darling River basin, one of the most significant agricultural areas in Australia.

The Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Water Development Board are co-hosting the program.

“Integrating technology and operational systems such as automated canal gates and valves, flow metering, supervisory control and data acquisition, or SCADA, and telemetry have improved operational efficiency of irrigation districts and on farms, but these don’t come without some challenges,” he said.

The program is free but attendees are required to pre-register at http://twri.tamu.edu/irrigation by July 8. Registration and coffee begins at 7:30 a.m. in Rio Farms conference room.

Dr. Lucas Gregory, Texas Water Resources Institute senior research scientist, College Station, said this event is part of the institute’s Lower Rio Grande Valley Irrigation Education and Outreach project, funded by the Texas Water Development Board through an Agricultural Water Conservation Grant to AgriLife Extension.

The project promotes water conservation strategies among growers and irrigation district boards and managers. It also educates the target audience on the benefits and advantages of water conservation and water use efficiency of various on-farm irrigation and irrigation district water management practices, especially when compared to conventional practices.

Darren McGregor, general manager for Rubicon Water for North America, will give the keynote presentation.

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Newly planted watermelons in drip-irrigated field with plastic mulch

Ag Mag THEAGMAG.ORG

“McGregor’s discussion will highlight the challenges faced and lessons learned with modernizing and increasing efficiency in the Australian irrigation system network.”

Al Blair of Axiom Blair Engineering, Austin, will discuss efforts the Harlingen Irrigation District Cameron County #1 has undertaken to improve its efficiency and will highlight the development and capabilities of the Rio Grande Center for Ag Water Efficiency.

Pre-plant furrow irrigation with polytube

Isaac Huacuja of SWG Engineering, LLC, Weslaco, will speak on the benefits of converting small irrigation canals to pipelines realized by the Delta Lake Irrigation District.

Pre-plant furrow irrigation with polytube

The program will then turn its focus to the farm. Dr. Girisha Ganjegunte, associate professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in El Paso, will discuss salinity management options for irrigators.

Matt Klostermann, president of Rio Farms Inc., and Gregory will summarize approaches implemented in the field and lessons learned to date for an ongoing cotton irrigation demonstration project. They will give a field tour of the demonstration site.

Following the field site tour, a catered lunch sponsored by Texas Regional Bank will be provided at the Rio Farms conference room.

In the afternoon, Wayne Halbert will provide updates on the recent Texas Legislative session.

Texas Water Development Board Director Brooke Paup will provide information regarding the agency’s financial programs available to improve irrigation infrastructure within the districts and on-farm.

Sonny Vela, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

specialist, will discuss additional resources available to districts

and farmers.

Furrow irrigation tail water at end of the field

canola grown in the LRGV without irrigation

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

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The Brahman Foundation Leadership Camp Is Coming to the Rio Grande Valley

BY CHRIS SHIVERS

E

ducational tours through the famous and historic

King Ranch, engaging conversations about

the future of the beef industry, and a dip into

the local culture of South Texas are just a sliver

of what 40 junior Brahman enthusiasts from across the country will be partaking in during The Brahman Foundation’s Leadership Camp. The 2019 TBF Leadership Camp to be held July 21-25 will be based at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Attendees will be able to utilize the state of the art facilities and renowned personnel at the university to learn more about the history of the Brahman breed, systems thinking, a reproduction seminar, new advancements in technology, an enlightening session on the future of the industry and the role the Brahman breed will play as well as a hands on meat cutting demonstration. In addition to the on-campus activities attendees will take advantage of the King Ranch and STX Beef to learn more about the cattle feeding and packing sectors. One of the highlights of the week will be an evening at King’s Inn and hearing an informative presentation on successfully marketing Brahman Beef. To complete the week’s activities participants will get to experience some South Texas hospitality and food while visiting England Cattle Company in Mercedes where they will learn about rotational grazing and see one of the breed’s elite Brahman operations.

The camp in its fourth year of existence was created in order to connect future cattle breeders to assets that could aid in the development of their cattle operations but more importantly their ability to be future leaders in the agriculture industry and their community.

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Of course the leadership and educational component is the purpose of the event but what would camp be without a lot of fun and the opportunity to meet new friends? Mike England, President of The Brahman Foundation, says “we are excited to be bringing this leadership camp to South Texas and expose the attendees to the rich cattle and agriculture industry of the area. We greatly appreciate the generosity of Texas A&M University-Kingsville to host this event”.

The Brahman Foundation is a 501c(3) organization founded in 2015 that was developed by a collaborative effort of Brahman breeders who are dedicated to the future of the American Brahman Breed and the generations that will continue with the breed. The Foundation gives support to programs that aid in the development of youth through education, leadership, scholarships, showmanship, carcass merit, and breed research. To learn more about the Brahman Foundation and what the organization has to offer please visit their website: thebrahmanfoundation.org.

Ag Labor & Guest Workers: T

H

E

H

G

I

S

T

O

R Y

PART 1

BY DANTE GALEAZZI

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rowers in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) have been fortunate when it comes to finding labor. An expe rienced, local workforce has been readily available with few limitations during the season. In fact, labor was one of the last issues on the minds of valley growers, until recently.

been challenged to find enough laborers during their growing windows.

The issue is becoming more widespread, and compounding the difficulties of developing a program to access sufficient harvesters for agriculture is the fact that our “guest workers” from foreign countries fall into the larger debate around immigration in the United States.

Over the last few years, more RGV producers have reported challenges in securing enough workers, especially during peak production in the early spring. Sadly, these are challenges growers in other parts of the state have been reporting for quite some time.

Immigration has been a “hot button” topic in Washington D.C. for over 30 years. It is divisive, partisan, and in need of reform.

Many attempts at fixing the immigration system in the U.S. have been proposed, although none passed. That does not mean efforts have stopped, or will stop, where this topic is concerned.

Central & West Texas farmers have limited their acreage of fresh produce for years, not because of weak demand or market prices. Instead, these growers have chosen to consciously keep operations small because they know well the challenges in finding enough harvesters to get products picked and out of the fields before the end of the season. Outside of Texas, growers in states such as Florida, Georgia and New York have long

To understand how the US arrived at this point, a look at the history of immigration - specifically as it relates to ag workers helps draw the picture.

Ag Mag THEAGMAG.ORG

From 1942 to 1964, the Mexican Farm Labor Law and the Bracero Programs brought U.S. agriculture their workers, primarily from Mexico. These programs created roughly 4.6

million guest worker “contracts,” allowing workers access to the U.S., the ability to work in agriculture the return to their home country at-will. In 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act granted legalization to 2.9 million undocumented workers already living in the country.

The combination of these policies created a ‘migrant’ workforce that followed the growing seasons in the U.S. These workers would move from region to region, harvesting different crops across multiple states, in a cycle that would last for decades.

Since harvesting fruits and vegetables is labor intensive, the job has often been unattractive to many Americans. And the lack of desirability is not recent either. In the 1950s, California attempted a program to bring high school students to work in fields.

It failed, with only a handful of workers remaining after a few weeks. More recently, Georgia attempted a program in collaboration with convicted or rehabilitated personnel to work in field. Within just 2 days, the program failed to retain a single worker.

Unfortunately, a combination of factors has created today’s labor-crunch. First, are the changes to state and national regulations that have made it more difficult for these workers to move between growing regions. New regulations and elevated enforcement have made traveling undesirable for this workforce.

This means the agriculture industry must instead rely on foreign workers to provide the estimated 3 million people needed to harvest American-grown fruits and vegetables. The situation and backstory seem easy enough to understand. Tackling the problem gets a little trickier.

Rather than risk issues, they no longer move and instead stay in a very small area. The more remote growing regions that depend on seasonal workers have felt the dramatic impacts from these changes with few to no workers arriving during their harvest periods.

So, what can growers do to find workers? What’s being done about improving the US immigration system? *Read next month’s edition, Ag Labor & Guest Workers: Status Report (Part 2)*

Second, improving economic conditions. As the economies of both the US and Mexico continue to improve, so do job opportunities. Many workers no longer choose to pursue jobs in the fields. Instead, they are drawn to factories throughout Mexico and Latin America. And as economic conditions improve, so do education and job prospects for future generations.

Third, is the aging workforce. In 2006, the average age of seasonal workers was 36. In 2017, the average age climbed to 42.

The figures reflect that replacements simply are not entering the workforce, and sooner or later, this workforce will age-out.

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FARM HER The Calling

BY R ONI M ARIE M C CARTLAN

She sat on the patio as the sunrise appeared, deep in thought as her eyes appraised the beginning of the new day. Peace filled the atmosphere and the flicker of tree limbs brought a small breeze to the quiet air which held a hint of hot but was decently comfortable at the moment. Sydney and Rylee, her beloved dogs, lay at her feet quietly. Her mind was reflectively thinking, connecting from thought to thought like a complex shape of molecules.

The past year had brought lots of understanding, lessons, and learning. She had seen things grow. She was living the blessings, she had felt the losses. It was as if she were on a pinnacle at this time in her life looking back over the mountains and valleys of the years that had passed. For the first time ever, she was able to see the ‘why’ of some things. Not only that, she had seen the realization of dreams, dreams she thought would never happen, dreams that had begun at a young age but were never fulfilled until now. She grabbed pen and paper

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to share her meanderings that were flitting around like fireflies in the night.

Dreaming •She remembered clearly how she yearned to have a lush green and beautiful backyard. It had started early at her childhood home as she pulled grass burrs and tried diligently to dig down to plant flowers only to find caliche six inches under the topsoil. She worked on having beautiful grass her entire life, and now, as she looked across the lawn, all she saw was a thick, velvet Saint Augustine carpet and an amazing landscaped scenery. It was little victory, a small accomplishment, but it meant a lot.

•She had always known she would speak to groups of people and tell them things that could change their world. She didn’t realize it would be in agriculture but that’s what had happened.

She loved it.•She believed she would find the love of her life

and make a heaven on earth. She watched her husband breathe as he fell asleep and listened to his deep voice tell stories of a life well lived and felt waves of contentment. It was her fairy tale. •From the age of 22, she had dreamed of having a baby grand piano. The brands had changed over the years until she found the one she really wanted but the piano had never appeared. There was a time when she received a small baby grand piano music box with a note that said, “Here is your dream”. It was only this past year that that dream became fully realized when a beautiful satin black piano was delivered to her home. Dreams do come true. It took a while to sew the seed and let it grow. Her choice was to keep believing through all the years and although it didn’t always turn out the way she imagined, it always turned out.

The Purpose It was a turbulent year for the farm and for the land of America.

Families were at odds with families and different beliefs were passionately and sometimes violently upheld. The turbulence led to anxiety but again, it is in the angst, problems, and difficult circumstances, that realizations come in and lessons are learned. As she listened to people screaming to each other about their differences, the thought went to the scripture in 1st Corinthians that the greatest gifts are faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love. The years had instilled the distinction of ‘calling’ and ‘purpose’ with the revelation that our purpose was to love. Love one another. Gift kindness and respect. Love treats well. Love is the route because of the universe, the Master of Creation.

Beliefs •”Our deep respect for the land and it’s harvest is the legacy of generations of farmers who put food on our tables, preserved our landscape, and inspire us with a powerful work ethic.”JHD-1 •”Look at all the different parts of the world He could have planted us in, and He put us here. It’s not an easy life.” EF-2 •”Just as a tree develops roots for many generations to come, your instruction has changed life for the ages. It transposed our world.” RMM-3

The Ages of Time

Farmers started with just a seed in their hands and toiled endlessly planting, growing and harvesting a crop with their sheer will power. Slowly the tractor began to evolve and the timing of the crop became more compatible with the season.

Their instinct, clairvoyance, and knowledge added to the intelligence of farming year after year until at this day in agriculture, the technology includes the electronics and expertise of the technological age.

The Calling •The day was getting hotter so she moved inside and continued her reverie. Her farmer swung like a pendulum between positive and negative. Each day was spent staring at the weather channel configuring each moment to the news at that juncture of time. Last year, the crops were too dry. This year,

it was too wet. His calling filled him with apprehension as he struggled to control the uncontrollable. He was born to be a farmer. There was no doubt about that. His intuition with his crops happened in ways she had never seen. What she realized was that the intention of farming needed the inclusion of the face of believing, for the combination. That was the recipe for the “calling”. The purpose of placement on this earth was to genuinely love; carrying the energy of love, being the spirit of love, giving away love in everything that is done. The “calling” is the intensity of the passion plus the faith to see it to the end.

So summer was here. The corn had tasseled and pollinated.

The cotton was blooming and the blooms were turning into bolls. The grain was red, turning into the deep rust of completion. Would the traditional way of finishing his “calling” work for the best or did it need something more? It’s easy for the farmer to see himself as the caregiver of the fields. He knows all the tricks of the trade, can tell in an instance how the acres looks, and can pick up a hand full of soil and know what it needs. He is incredible in his knowledge. He produces mountains of food to meet the world’s needs. But is there another ingredient to this recipe? What if that farmer quit doing it on his own ability and added unsurmountable, unshakable, undeniable faith.

Would that make a difference?

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

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J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

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THE RIVER AND THE WALL

U

nless you’ve been living under a rock these

past years; you’re probably aware of the

debate about border security. And I’m sure

that those of you living in the Rio Grande

Valley and deep south Texas are more keenly

aware and have more first-hand experience or knowledge of the immigration and drug issues along the border.

What you may not be aware of is that an adventurous documentary was being filmed in your neck of the woods and has now come to life on-screen.

Wildlife filmmaker and photographer, Mr. Ben Masters, and five friends took a journey down the Rio Grande from the far reaches of west Texas; starting near El Paso all the way to the coast at Brownsville to look at the untamed beauty of south Texas and to document the vastness, allure and unparalled landscapes, wildlife and plants.

Not only did the group travel down the river to document the landscapes, but also talked to people along the way including stopping at a town in Mexico and speaking to citizens on that side of the border.

Ben Masters, Jay Kleberg, Heather Mackey, Austin Alvarado and Felipe Deandrade embarked on a journey to allow folks to see for themselves. And to present a side of the story that isn’t being told by politicians; a story that the land and the wildlife can’t tell themselves.

The 1200-mile trip was planned to take two and half months starting in December 2017 and only went over by about ten days so that they could spend an adequate amount of time meeting, visiting and getting to know the good people that are a part of the border story.

The group used horses, mountain bikes and canoes throughout the journey in all weather conditions.

In the film Austin Alvarado explains that “The Rio Grande is unappreciated… everything could be changed; the environment, the views, the people who live there.”

26

Ag Mag THEAGMAG.ORG

BY KATHRYN BRADY

For this Ag Mag article, I was fortunate enough to catch up with Mr. Masters and conduct an interview with him about the trip and the making of the documentary The River and The Wall.In the interview Ben Masters says that “he wishes everyone could come and see the landscapes before the wall is built and realize the profound impact that a thirty-foot wall on the Texas side of the river would have on the wildlife dispersal, water access, private property rights, immigration, public lands and border culture.” “That is the purpose of the film to try to understand what the effects of the wall will be”, he emphasizes.

On one end of the state are the Guadalupe Mountains and Big Bend National Park, Ben Masters reflects that there is a degree of “wildness “out there that is hard to believe really exists without travelling through and seeing it for yourself. Parts of it are still so “wild and inhospitable” that the land serves as its own deterrent when crossing through. Around Big Bend National Park there are deep canyons with tall bluffs on either side that serve as their own natural border wall bounding the river. This is one of the points of the film, why build a wall where one already naturally exists and why build a wall in an area that is so rugged that there is less illegal activity or border crossings. A wall in this area would have detrimental effect to wildlife populations that are already at risk or that have only recently began to recover. Species such as the Black Bear Pronghorn Antelope and Big Horn Sheep.

Navigating the rapids in the lower canyons around Big Bend National Park in what is the only federally designated wild and scenic river in the state of Texas, Ben Masters says, “totally humbled us” he explains the group “underestimated the power of the river”.

As they were travelling along the river, they took some time in Mexico, itself, to visit with some of the locals and some fisherman.

They also visited with farmers and ranchers. Including Mr. Frank

Schuster around Alamo, TX; who talks about the effects that the wall will have on his farming operation. Since the filming of the documentary; the wall has already been constructed on his farm cutting off some of the fields between the river and the wall.

Heather Mackey states in the documentary that “the Rio Grande Valley is one of the most critical habitats in North America it is a migratory route for birds, butterflies and bats. Many species which you wouldn’t find anywhere else in the United States. The wall could drastically alter the habitat. Most people are not thinking of this area when picturing the wall.”

Not only are there critical habitats for butterflies, birds and bats, but also for threatened species like Ocelots and Tortoises.

The Rio Grande Valley is such a special area with many state parks, wildlife refuges. The valley has a system of levees that were built to protect the towns and this is where the wall has been built and will be built in the future, which is not right on the river. A thirty-foot wall would block the ability of wildlife to move north or south and would restrict the ability of the wildlife to have anywhere to escape in the case of a flood, explains Ben Masters, the construction of the wall means bulldozing; which results in habitat loss. The construction

means bulldozing; which results in habitat loss. The construction of the border fence would be “walling off public and private land, preventing or severely limiting outdoor education and recreation and some of the best birding locations. Less than three percent of the land in Texas is available to the public.” Ben Masters says that what he likes the best about south Texas is the “diversity and beauty of Texas and also the availability of public land.” Not only does the film spend time speaking with farmers, ranchers, border patrol agents and citizens of Mexico, but it also has interviews and discussions with Congressman Will Hurd and Beto O’Rourke.

Ben Masters, expresses what a tremendous honor it was to be able to interview and have two sitting congressmen (O’Rourke was still in office at the time of filming) share their thoughts candidly in the documentary. Masters discloses how truly grateful he is to have met them and have them be a part of the movie and realized from listening to their comments and dialogue that we all have more in common than what divides us.

have to improve our understanding. People talk about it, but don’t really understand it.”

Not only has The River and the Wall been premiering around Texas and the United States, but it was also shown in Washington DC where there was and question answer session after the showing hosted by the two congressmen. Ben Masters reveals that it was important to show the film in DC because many of the decision makers there have never been to the border, have never seen the landscapes or witnessed the issues first hand.

When considering how to approach the complex and polarizing issue they tried not to be too political, but rather to keep an open mind and focus on the outdoor, agricultural and wildlife issues. And that is one of the aspects of the film that Ben Masters says he is most proud of is what he learned while doing the film and that it started a dialogue on the border issues from a perspective that had really never been discussed before but was able to stay politically neutral.

He says that he has been very pleased with the positive responses from those that have followed the making of the film ad have seen it. He is also proud of the pride that the film brings to Texans especially those along the Rio Grande.

In answering my questions as to why you should go see the documentary, Ben answers that it is a “funny and entertaining adventure movie and you may even learn something new from it”.

I was able to see the documentary at one of the opening screenings in Austin with a close friend. The film did not disappoint. Even my friend, who wasn’t sure if he would like the film, walked away; pleased. The movie does do an excellent job presenting information on the effects that a contiguous border wall all the way across the Texas/Mexico border would pose to wildlife, culture, travel, relations, water and agriculture.

And as Ben Masters, himself, states that the film is an exciting adventure film. It also presents ideas that many people, especially those that have never lived along the border could never know or be aware of.

One of the main messages from Hurd and O’Rourke was that “we need to work on both sides of the aisle more often than happens.”

Beto O’Rourke explained that “when you live here (along the border) you see and feel the issues differently.” And Will Hurd states that “we J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

27

All about

I

HEMP

t’s everywhere. Every magazine, news channel, and acquaintance is talking about hemp.

Welcome to the modern gold rush, or should we say green rush? For those who’ve been busy with other things let me provide you with a recap of what’s happened, where we are now, and where we’re headed.

As I’m sure most of you are aware of by now, the 2018 Farm Bill opened the door for hemp by redefining hemp as a separate plant from marijuana. It specified that hemp is Cannabis sativa L. and that it must contain less than 0.3 % THC, the psychoactive compound found in marijuana that gets users high.

The farm bill also clarified that individual states would have to come up with local regulations and laws for the growing of hemp. It does, however, prevent states from interfering in the transport or sale of hemp and hempbased products such as oils and extracts.

Several states, Colorado, Kentucky, Oregon, and California, to mention a few had legalized hemp farming and growers there have been producing hemp crops for a couple of years. Since the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, there are now 40 of the 50 states that allow the legal cultivation of hemp.

Most states, except West Virginia, have adopted the same requirements as those of the 2018 Farm Bill, solidifying the standard in the U.S. of what hemp is. So what exactly is hemp? I won’t go into a long biological explanation of the difference between hemp and marijuana but let me give you a quick rundown. On one side, we have marijuana. It’s been part of human history for, well since forever.

Various ancient cultures around the world have used the plant for one purpose or another for millennia. Its primary use was as herbal medicine, but it also had value as a source of fiber. That’s not what we most know it for, of course. Its use as a recreational psychedelic and its pro-

28

Ag Mag THEAGMAG.ORG

BY JOE PEDROZA

hibition in the US, which began in 1937 with the Marijuana Tax Act, are what make it so notorious in our culture today.

So is hemp the same plant as marijuana? Well, it depends on whom you ask. For our purposes, we will say no.

In the agricultural world, there is a marked distinction between the two. Marijuana is a cannabis strain primarily grown for its high THC content, around 10% to 14% depending on the strain with some reportedly having levels as high as 37%. Hemp is a low THC (below 0.3%) cannabis strain grown for fiber, oil, or seed. Oil varieties usually will produce CDB concentrations between 4% – 15%, depending on the strain, with higher concentrations making growers the biggest profits.

Fiber varieties are drilled in, like wheat, in dense plantings where the plants number about 100 per square meter.

In this tightly packed formation, the plant grows tall, reaching up to 12 feet in some cases. These long stalks are perfect for processors looking for hemp fibers. The crop produces two products, fiber from the stalk and seed from the tops. The core of the stalk also contains “hurd” or “shives” (short fibers), similar to hardwood fibers. Building components, particle board, and pet bedding, as well as composite plastics, are some of the uses of these fibers.

Oil varieties of hemp require a different planting method.

Plenty of space is given to promote good air circulation, helping prevent problems with molds and fungus. An acre will hold about 1000 to 1500 plants in this configuration; every plant is tended to individually, resulting in a large labor cost. The plants are shorter, growing to an average height of 3 to 5 feet. Growing hemp this way produces a very full and lush plant that has many branches, each with the capacity to produce lots of flowers full of CBD rich oil.

In April of this year, the Texas legislature removed hemp from being a Schedule 1 substance, thereby making its possession legal and satisfying a key step in moving towards legalizing hemp farming in this state. The Texas Senate passed a bill in May that was signed by Governor

Greg Abbott on June 10th. Now, TDA will begin working on the next steps to get farmers licensed and testing laboratories certified hopefully in time for next years season.

Assuming things move forward without a hitch, those interested should begin making preparations. Many around the state are already purchasing land and equipment — one of the biggest investments in growing hemp, though, is the seed. Texas will have to provide a list of certified hemp varieties. Whichever variety it is, be prepared to spend a large sum of money. Right now, the average price of seed around the country varies from state to state and strain to strain but don’t be shocked when you hear that they start at $1 per seed for feminized seeds. Transplants and clones will run you about $3 to $5. Moreover, when you consider that an acre will hold about 1500 plants, costs add up quickly.

Now, what about profits? Is all this investment even worth it? Let’s look at average yields and market prices. For this example, we will focus on CBD extract yields and prices.

Yields will vary depending on planting methods, strain, nutritional requirements, and climate. On average, most growers around the country see an average of about 1 pound per plant. The average market price right now for CBD is $25 to $35 per pound. Some quick math and we see that an acre with 1000 to 1500 plants can produce from $25,000 to $53,000, and that’s why everyone is anxious to start growing hemp.

usually have oil percent requirements with some not accepting plants with oil concentrations that are lower than 8% or 10%. Grey mold can destroy whole fields in a matter of days, especially in humid climates. Improper soil types can prevent proper plant growth, reducing your yields. With so many factors to consider, it is important that you have someone to guide you throughout the growing season.

Fortunately for those interested in growing hemp, there are resources available. Locally, TPS Lab, an agricultural consulting laboratory, has worked with Canadian hemp growers for years and more recently with hemp growers across the country. From its establishment in 1938, TPS Lab’s main purpose has been to help farmers grow better crops by taking advantage of the science behind soil and plant testing. Since then, TPS Lab’s proprietary standards have been field tested and proven to produce better yields with reduced inputs. They offer a wide array of consulting and testing services to help growers manage the health of their soil and their crop’s nutrition.

For more information, visit their website at www.TPSLab. com or call 956-383-0739 to speak with one of their experienced consultants.

Here’s the catch, unless you’ve secretly been growing hemp for a while, most farmers in Texas will have no idea of how to profitably grow hemp. It is true that it’s a resilient plant and that it doesn’t demand perfect soils to grow. However, if you’re a serious commercial grower “winging it” isn’t what you want to do, especially after considering the high costs involved. Hemp processors will

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

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HARVESTING

Quality

GRAIN SORGHUM AND THE USE OF A HARVEST-AID

BY BRENT BEAN, PH.D. Sorghum Checkoff Director of Agronomy

30

Ag Mag THEAGMAG.ORG

H

arvesting quality grain sorghum

begins with timely harvest. Ideally,

grain sorghum should be harvested

when the moisture content is between

17 and 20 percent. Elevators and end users differ on when they begin discounting for moisture, but any grain above 14 percent can be subject to a charge.

Extended periods of wet weather can lead to lodging, grain deterioration from molds and seed sprouting. For this reason, growers are encouraged to harvest as soon as the crop reaches maturity.

If all grain heads in the field reach maturity at the same time and the heads extend above the flag leaf, growers may avoid the use of a harvest-aid (desiccant). However, many times growers still need a harvest-aid to eliminate late green tillers, weeds and sorghum leaves that interfere with timely harvest.

Josh Lofton, Ph.D., at Oklahoma State University, recently completed a two-year trial examining different treatments for their effectiveness as a harvest-aid in sorghum. A common misconception is that the use of a harvest-aid will speed up the drying of the grain. This is not true and is shown in Lofton’s results. His results do show an average increase of 5-7 bushels in yield from the use of a harvest-aid treatment.

The most common harvest-aid in grain sorghum is glyphosate. The key to successfully using glyphosate is to treat only the amount of acres that can be harvested in a timely manner.

Growers should try to harvest glyphosate-treated sorghum 8- 15 days after application. If harvest is delayed, the sorghum is at risk of lodging.

Using glyphosate, or any other harvest-aid, will not help in the control of sugarcane aphids. If aphids are present in sufficient numbers to produce enough honey dew to interfere with harvest, then a low rate of SIVANTOÂŽ Prime or TransformÂŽ should be applied with the harvest-aid product.

Once harvest begins, growers should cut just below the heads to avoid unnecessary intake of leaves and stalk material, which decreases harvesting efficiency. Grain sorghum can be harvested with a grain header (platform or rigid cutter bar), flex header, row crop header or draper header. When using a grain header, guard extensions attached to every other guard will reduce gathering losses in standing sorghum.

Other attachments are available that can help with lodged sorghum if needed.

Finally, growers should take their time when setting their combines because a well-adjusted combine can add a significant amount of income per acre. Loss is determined by counting seeds left behind the combine. Depending on seed size, 1621 seeds per square foot will equal one bushel per acre. A 5 percent loss is considered acceptable for grain sorghum.

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

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MORE THAN JUST INSURANCE! H We award $8,500 scholarships a year

to graduating seniors that are Cameron County Farm Bureau members.

H

We spent over $11,000 at the Livestock Show on animal bids

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H Texas Farm Bureau has a mobile learning barn.

H We donate to Sunny Glen Children’s Home in San Benito.

H Your Farm Bureau membership provides a

County Fair & Livestock Show to build a new barn.

Anyone can become a member and take advantage of all these services for only

$49.00 a year

lot of services to youth and community

Why you should join your Cameron County Farm Bureau Membership Discounts:

Farm Bureau promotes today’s farmers and ranchers!

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335 N. Oscar Williams Rd. San Benito, TX 78586 (956) 399-8183

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National voice of agriculture, working through our grassroots organizations to enhance and strengthen the lives of rural Americans and to build strong, prosperous agricultural communities.

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2315 W. Expressway 83 #102, San Benito, Texas 78586 www.cropguardinsurance.com

956-688-8485 Thanks for 11 Years!

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MADE YOU

4R

Nutrient Stewardship

The 2019 crop season is well underway and rainfall, weed, disease, and insect pressure are probably top of mind. 4R Nutrient Stewardship is a philosophy that employs the four ideas of right source, right rate, right time, and right place. So why am I discussing the 4Rs of nutrient management? There are probably situations in which nutrient deficiencies have shown up on some fields in 2019. Growing crops are a good indicator

38

Ag Mag THEAGMAG.ORG

BY DEREK EMERINE

of how efficient or effective our fertilizer applications prior to the 2019 season have been. Adverse weather conditions like floods and/or droughts will definitely cause issues even if fertilizer was applied perfectly. In a year that has excessive rainfall, nitrogen and sulfur tend to show up predominantly. In a dry year, any nutrient deficiency can show up. However most growers are aware that certain nutrient deficiencies tend to show up on

certain crops at specific growth stages in season in “normal� years. The most common fix employed is to look at fertilizer rate and placement.

The automatic response is that if my crop is deficient in season, then the fertilizer rate should be increased.

Most growers have finite fertilizer budget and increasing the rate may be cost prohibitive. Many South Texas growers are well aware of the importance of fertilizer placement.

This insures the applied fertilizer is as close as possible to the growing plant. Knifing in liquid fertilizer, utilizing a starter, and placing fertilizer directly under the bed are great practices to improve efficiency.

Utilizing plant tissue samples and or historical knowledge of nutrient deficiencies that commonly show up in season should be used to honestly look at current fertilizer practices.

This is where the 4Rs come into play. I will go through some real world experiences I have seen in South Texas that show the importance of the 4Rs. Many people believe the 4Rs make a lot of sense and seem pretty logical until they highlight the opportunity to change current practices. Utilizing the 4Rs may require an open mind, creativity, and being open to changing some common historical practices.

The first is the right source. This principle comes into play often with potassium. Potassium deficiency is common on many crops in South Texas and predominant in cotton. Many growers who apply potassium on cotton get the potassium from a liquid blend of N,P, & K. In most situations, it is very difficult to impossible to get enough K using common liquid blends. If soil test K levels are low to medium and K deficiency continually shows up, then considering a dry K source makes sense to increase the amount of K applied.

The right rate is the second of the 4Rs. This commonly shows up with phosphorus on cotton. South Texas soils typically have low P levels and high pH that historically led to high rates of P being applied. However cotton tissue samples only show P deficiency 2-9% of the time depending on growth stage. Conversely, 26-69% of all cotton samples are deficient in K depending of growth stage. This is pretty convincing data that phosphorus may be getting over applied on cotton in South Texas.

soil, but only applying a chelated zinc in the fall or winter before an upcoming crop will most likely not provide adequate zinc in May or June when the crop really needs it.

The last of the 4Rs is right place. Most growers have a good grasp of this principle. Broadcasting polyphosphate on the soil surface in a high pH is probably not very effective. First, there will be tie up with high pH and secondly P doesn’t move very much through the soil profile. Placing phosphorus fertilizer close to the plant makes much more sense.

These examples are in no way a critique of how fertilizer is currently applied but if in season deficiencies continue to show up, these may be some places to consider making changes.

Typically, utilizing the 4Rs may not cost any more dollars than are currently being spent but it does require the equally difficult prospect of change.

The third of the 4Rs is right time. Fall applying phosphorus and zinc fertilizers in South Texas may not make the most sense because of the high soil pH. This shows up sometimes with zinc. Chelated zinc fertilizers are the right source in a high pH

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

39

South Texas’ Finest Meats

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Ste C, Mission, TX 78572 956-584-7530 Fax 956-584-7443

Contact Michelle Martin at the Ag Mag

(956) 330-8870 michelle@theagmag.org

“A FARMER FROM THE EAST MEETS A FARMER IN THE WEST”

BY ARJUN PEDDABHOINI

I

Photos courtesy of Ben Masters

had a wonderful experience of acting as translator

for a farmer from South Texas to a farmer in South

India. From their conversation I understood al

though from different region but their commitment

towards agriculture is same. “A farmer from East

meets farmer in West” is about the meeting, talk, sharing of experience and knowledge from Mike Helle and Venkaiah Kadiyam Idho.

Venkaiah Kadiyam Idho, is a farmer from Chandragudem Village, Krishna District (County) Andhra Pradesh (State) South India. Venkaiah does not speak English and the only language he speaks is Telugu (state language of Andhra Pradesh).

44

Venkaiah’s son Venkata Ramesh is a friend and a recent graduate in Master of Science in Computer Science from University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg Texas.

corn and sorghum on dryland.

Ramesh’s family are in Edinburg for his Graduate ceremony.

Venkaiah farms in 8 acres with chilies, tomatoes and cotton on flood irrigation. Venkaiah does not have any equipment, his method of sowing and harvesting is with hands. Mike Helle is the president of Green Gold Farms in Edinburg Texas.

Mike farms in more than 1000 acres of vegetables and also 500 acres of dry land crops. Mike grows onion, watermelons, melons, cabbage, cotton, cilantro etc. on drip irrigation, cotton,

Mike is a progressive farmer who introduced drip irrigation in his farms in 1990’s. Mike is always interested to know new technologies and also open to meet new people from different areas. I thought it would be good idea to introduce to a farmer from South Texas and show agriculture in valley. He showed interest to talk to Venkaiah and know more about agriculture from his area and challenges faced.

Venkaiah says to Mike “You have high yielding soils of South

Ag Mag THEAGMAG.ORG

Texas. I am amazed with yields and returns per acre.

You manage the farm very well”. I explained to Mike, it is understandable for Venkaiah to be surprise because most of vegetable crops in his area are for local consumption which has low market price compared to USA. An example the better market price for farmer is $0.09 for a lb. of Tomato. Hence farmers are not inclined to investment more on vegetable crops as same as USA even though they might increase the yield but there is no significant difference in returns. An example of onion crop, to grow onions cost of investment is approximately $500-$650 per acre with yields of 600 sacks of 50 lbs. Farmers are looking only for quantity as the main parameter. All sizes of onions and its seeders are for sale. An important advantage to Indian farmers, they get good subsidy on main fertilizers of N, P and K from the Government. A bag of Urea 110 lbs. cost $4 (http://fert.nic.in/urea).

Mike and Venkaiah at Green Gold farms

ing to Venkaiah his average yields of chili crop per acre 6,615 lbs. and the market price per lb. $0.79. InIndia, cotton is handpicked twice or thrice. It is easy to harvest cotton multiple times in small acres because agriculture workers are abundant. An Interesting thing in cotton growing areas, to save money farmers take turns to help each other to hand pick cotton from their fields. The average Investment of cotton crop is $280-$370 and yields in 2,205 lbs. per acre. Price per lb. $0.43.

At the end of the conversation Venkaiah is thankful to Mike for sharing his experience and said to Mike “the way you manage your crop to bring high yields is very great. Your hard work can be seen on fields”. Venkaiah invited Mike to visit India and know more about Indian agriculture. Mike responds “farmers all across the globe are the same, this is what I know and this is my way of life. It is amazing you manage small area and

able bring returns to feed the family”.

Mike also mentioned “year after year with diminishing returns I have to be proactive in making smart decision to be profitable.

One day I will travel to India to see agriculture over there.”

Venkaiah with Mike and Troy

Both Mike and Venkaiah grow Chili and cotton.

Mike grows chili’s on drip, with minimum of 5 harvests. Venkaiah grows on flood with 3 harvests. Mike’s main challenges in chili are yields and quality even if has to spend few extra dollars. Adding to the parameters, he faces tough challenge to find agriculture workers during harvest season.

To Venkaiah and most of the Indian farmers is quantity is the important parameter, quality is not a parameter which brings returns. To Venkaiah availability of agriculture is not a problem, but to decrease the expense Mr. and Mrs. Venkaiah (Krishna Kumari) work long hours to sow, spray and harvest their own crop. Accord-

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

45

Your business is our priority! Locally grown

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A Letter from the Editor Psalm 119:176

I have strayed like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.

Getting lost.

How many of you remember pulling out that oversized map in your car and fighting over which way was the correct — or fastest — way, only to end up lost? Now, fast forward to today and we have GPS, which unfortunately doesn’t always give us the right way or the fastest way all the time. I think we can all agree we have all been lost a time or two in our lives, and most of the time when we get lost we get frustrated and confused.. am I right?

How many of you have heard the biblical parable about the shepard whose sheep strayed from the group and got lost, yet the shepard left the flock to search for the one that left? When Jesus was telling this parable, he asked “How many of you would leave the flock to go back and get the one missing sheep?” That parable is so relatable to our lives today.

How often do we let the pressures of life take over our minds and direct our paths, which eventually gets us lost?

There have been so many times when I thought I was on the straight and narrow, then a tragic life event happens and throws me off course. When we get off course, sometimes we end up losing sight of our relationship with God. We begin acting in ways we typically wouldn’t, we do things that hurt people, and we stop talking to God as often as we once did.

Sometimes, it doesn’t even have to be a tragic event that throws us awry. There are times when things are going too good to be true that we tend to neglect God. We feel like we don’t need Him. Have you heard the saying that “sometimes people only pray to God when they need Him.” There are so many times thoughout life where we forget about God. We get lost in our day-to-day lives and stray from the one thing that gave us life.

I am guilty of this. Sometimes, I tend to feel my relationship with God is not what it once was. I go through phases.

The other night I was laying my son to bed, and we did our usual routine. Brushed our teeth, said our prayers, and then I began to rub his back. (He’s demanding) haha. As I was rubbing his back, he turned to me and said, “Momma, you know that story about the shepard who went back to get his lost sheep?. He threw him over his shoulder and walked it back to the others.” It took me a minute to respond, because at that moment I felt God used my son to tell me that no matter how far I stray He will always come back for me. And it was ironic because earlier that day I was feeling down on myself and lost.

So, whatever it is that you may be going through, feeling lost, or thinking ‘why me,’ or ‘how will I get through this,’ know that your Heavenly Father will come back for you. He always does. No matter how far you go off course.

Sometimes, when we get off course, we learn lessons. We learn about places we don’t ever want to go back to, we learn that sometimes when things are great there is still something missing. We just learn! Just know that God will always care for you as a shepard tends to this flock. Getting lost sometimes is the only way to learn the way.

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L

MEET YOUR NEW DON AND DONA

ance Neuhaus was born on April 28, 1971 in Weslaco,

Texas. He grew up in Mercedes, Texas with his sister

and two brothers on their family farm, where they grew

citrus and raised cattle. He is a third generation farmer

and has other business interests related to agriculture.

Lance’s grandfather, E.F. Neuhaus, moved to Mer cedes with his family from southern Illinois in 1947

after several devastating floods. There E.F. Neu haus grew cotton, grain, corn, citrus, vegetables and raised cattle. Lance’s father, Earl Neuhaus, worked on their farm and at Sherry Barbee Implement —the local John Deere Dealership—through high school and college. Lance’s father set up cotton pickers and equipment during the summers. After his graduation from Texas A&M, Earl returned to the dealership where he had an opportunity to buy shares in it. At that time, the dealership became know as Barbee Neuhaus Implement. Earl and Billie Jo acquired a farm where they raised their four children. They planted citrus and raised cattle. Earl and Billie Jo served as Don and Dona in 2009.

Lance can remember working with his grandfather stomping cotton trailers and feeding cattle after school and on weekends. He worked through high school in their citrus groves. During the summer, he worked at the dealership Cotton equipment was a large part of the business at the time; Lance spent his summers setting up the new machines and repairing the old ones.

Lance attended Texas A&M where he earned a degree in Agricultural Economics. After graduating, he returned to the dealership to work as a salesman. He later became general manager. During that time, the dealership expanded to four locations and became known as Neuhaus & Company. In 2009, Lance and his brother, Kevin, purchased the dealership from their parents and siblings and expanded it to a fifth location. The farm expanded as well to grow cotton, sugarcane, citrus and cattle. In 2017, the opportunity arose to sell the dealerships. Lance still works there managing daily operations as the Division President of the Valley region.

Lance married his high school sweetheart, Melissa, in 1994. They recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. Melissa’s great grandfather, Clyde McWhorter Sr., farmed cotton and grain in Beeville, Texas. Her grandfather Clyde McWhorter Jr., moved from Beeville, Texas in 1947 to Donna, Texas where he farmed cotton and vegetables for many years before working for and retiring from the Texas Workforce Commission. She can remember riding with him in his Pontiac down farm roads, standing in the front seat looking at crops. Melissa’s father, Jimmy Wayne Fulcher, had a career in the oil field where he traveled the state as a Drilling Superintendent.

Melissa attended South West Texas University and later graduated with a teaching degree from Pan American in Edinburg . She worked through college at First City Bank and later Texas State Bank in the Ag Lending Department. Once she graduated, she taught at a private school until her second son, Colton, was born.

Lance and Melissa have two sons. Clayton is a Texas A&M graduate class of ’19 and Colton is Texas A&M class of ’21. Clayton was scepter bearer in the Algodon Court in 2006 and Colton was a scepter bearer in 2009. Colton was an Algodon Scholarship recipient in 2017. Clayton earned an Agriculture Economics degree and has returned to the valley to continue to grow cotton, citrus, sugar and cattle.

Lance and Melissa have always been very civic minded, serving on numerous committees in their community. Lance serves on the Advisory Board of Texas Regional Bank, as well as the Advisory Board at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock show, the Rodeo Committee, the Rio Grande Valley Sugar growers committees, and the Rio Farms board. Melissa serves on the RGV Livestock Show Scholarship Committee, the Hidalgo County 4H board, and numerous other local organizations. Lance and Melissa were Algodon Club Presidents in 2008. They are members of The First United Church of Weslaco. Lance and Melissa enjoy spending time at their family ranch in Rio Grande City; they also enjoy traveling, hunting, and fishing together. They are thankful for their rich farming history and will continue to promote agriculture in their community for years to come.

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EXTENSION AGENTS Vidal Saenz

Omar Montemayor

I serve Hidalgo county as the County Extension Agent for Ag & Natural Resources.

I serve Starr County as the County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources

Tell us a little about yourself.

Where did you grow up?

Tell us a little about yourself.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in La Gloria, Texas, which is

located 30 miles North of Rio Grande

City, Texas on FM 755. I attended San

Isidro High School and I graduated from

there in 1988. I then went to Texas

A&M-Kingsville and received a Bachelor’s

degree in Agricultural Science in 1992

and a Masters degree in Agricultural Science in 2006. I worked for USDA-APHIS for one year as an Animal Health Technician on a part-time basis. In 1994, I started working for the Cooperative Extension Program-Prairie View A&M University as an Extension Agent in Hidalgo county for 24 years. On June 1, 2019, I became the Texas A&M Agrilife County Extension Agent in Hidalgo County. I have been married to my wife, Monica Saenz for almost twenty years and have three children: Celeste, Alex and Celina Saenz. I live in McAllen, Texas.

What got you interested in agriculture?

My Dad was the person that got me interested in agriculture. He was a rancher in Starr and Jim Hogg counties. Since I was a kid, I tagged along with him after school to tend to livestock and perform all of the tasks you could think of on a ranch. He worked in the oilfield during the day and at the family ranch in the afternoons and weekends. I have always liked the way of life on a ranch.

We love raising livestock and deer hunting was one of our few recreational activities. My Dad’s ambition for raising cattle sparked my interest in agriculture.

What inspired you to become an agent?

When I first started working as an Extension Agent for the Cooperative Extension Program at Prairie View A&M University, I did not have a good idea as to the role of an Agent. I just knew that it was going to involve crops, livestock and learning opportunities. Once I was hired, other Agents, such as Mr. Brad Cowan (former Hidalgo CEA) and Mr. Enrique Perez (former Cameron CEA) quickly became my role models by showing me the responsibilities of an Extension Agent. Once I became an Agent and started helping the clientele, I felt how rewarding it is to be a public servant. Seeing the gratitude expressed by producers that I have assisted has fueled me to keep providing technical assistance to others in need of Extension’s services. Also, through networking with Texas Agrilife Extension Specialists, I have attended countless programs that have educated me about livestock and crops. This experience has allowed me to better serve the clientele in our county.

What are your goals for the next 5 years as an Extension Agent?

I have been working as an Extension Agent for the Cooperative Extension Program in Hidalgo County for 24 years. My duties were to provide outreach on USDA Farm Service Agency’s Loan Programs and technical assistance in preparing loan applications for farmers and ranchers throughout the Rio Grande Valley area. As of June 1, 2019, I have become the Texas A&M Agrilife - Hidalgo County Extension Agent. My new role is to provide quality educational programs for farmers and ranchers in Hidalgo County. My goal is to assemble two strong Program Area Committees. One Committee will be made up of ranchers or livestock producers and the other Committee will be made up of Row Crop and Vegetable Farmers. These individuals will be selected on their willingness to provide leadership, come up with educational topics and suggestions so that I could contact Specialists within our organization to address their issues. The two Program Area Committees will provide direction for my future programming efforts. I am looking forward to providing quality educational programs to the producers of Hidalgo county.

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I grew up on a large ranch in Laredo,

Texas. My father worked for the Killam

family and we lived on the Ortiz Division of

the Killam Ranch. I was exposed to agri

culture at an early age as I helped my dad

do a lot of ranch work. I spent my summ ers working on the ranch doing cattle

work, fence work, burning pear, fixing windmills, and a lot of other work that is required on a working cattle ranch. As I got older I became interested in wildlife management and I worked many years with the ranch biologist, Frank Mathews, with the deer management operation.

After high school I attended Texas A&M University-Kingsville where I received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agribusiness. I immediately began working with Extension after graduation. My career started in Starr County as an Extension Agent for Agriculture with Prairie View A&M University. In 1997 I applied for a job in Eagle Pass, Tx and spent two years there before I move back to Starr County in November 1998. I have been here, to what is now my home, in Starr County since June 1994 (Except for the two years that I was in Eagle Pass).

I began working on my Masters of Science Degree by attending horticulture classes at the Texas A&M Kingsville Citrus Center. I later worked with Dr. Randal Williams to complete my Masters of Science Degree in Agriculture Science from Texas A&M University Kingsville.

In 2006 I married my lovely wife (Maribel) and we now have a daughter (Amanda) that has completed our fairy tale love story.

What got you interested in agriculture?

I have had several great mentors in my life that I should give credit to for inspiring me to pursue agriculture as a career. My father had a great love and passion for living off of the land that inspired me as a child. As I got older I saw my brother grow up and pursue a career in agriculture. This inspired me to try and learn more about the many things we had already been exposed to growing up on a ranch. My Agriculture Science teacher, Gilberto “Bubba” Lopez also played a critical role in my career choice. He had a passion for education and instilled many leadership qualities that I still admire today.

What inspired you to become an agent?

I knew very little about Extension and the 4-H program growing up. While I was in college I worked two summers as an Extension Summer intern at the Kleberg-Kennedy County Extension Office. The county Extension agent, John Ford, involved me in every aspect of Extension and I knew that this is what I wanted to do as a career. I consider John Ford a great role model and I owe a lot of what I learned about Extension to him.

What are your goals for the next 5 years as an Extension Agent?

Our agency is going through a lot of changes that have impacted the way new agents are onboarded. I want to work with these new agents in a mentor capacity to allow them to succeed in their career. I feel that by doing this our Extension program can restore some continuity and allow the residents of those counties to become more involved. At the local level I hope to increase our efforts in volunteer management and recruitment. Our grassroots program hinges so much on having well trained volunteers and collaboration from stakeholders.

Marco Ponce

I serve Cameron County as the County Extension Agent – Agriculture and Natural Resources

Tell us a little about yourself.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Edinburg, Texas

and I have lived there all of my life.

My love of agriculture began at a very

young age as I used to spend my summ-

ers in Lopeno, which is close to Zapata,

working on my uncle’s ranch sorting

cattle, branding, dehorning, and fixing

fences. Eventually I attended Edinburg High School where I was member of the FFA chapter there. Both my older brothers were also FFA members and I remember spending a lot time with them and their projects growing up. I began my post-secondary education at the University of Texas Pan American before eventually transferring to Texas A&M University Kingsville where I obtained my Bachelor of Science Degree in Pre-Vet Animal Science. I worked for the Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 2 for about a year before starting my Extension career in 1998 as an Assistant County Extension Agent – Agriculture in Cameron County. In 2001, my position changed to County Extension Agent – 4-H & Youth Development and I served in that capacity for the past 18 years. While serving as a 4-H Agent, I began my graduate work and received my Masters of Science Degree in Agriculture Science from Texas A&M University Kingsville in 2004. I recently began a new chapter in my Extension career as the County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Cameron County. I look forward to working with the agriculture producers in Cameron County for many years.

I am married to my beautiful wife Cindy and we have two children, Mia and Wesley, who are both 4-H members in Cameron County.

What got you interested in agriculture?

First and foremost, my father taught us to work hard, be courteous, and he instilled in us that nothing comes easy in life. I translated that work ethic to my love of agriculture where I began T-budding citrus trees and producing nursery stock. I then moved on to hay production, raising Simmental heifers, and eventually raising a variety of stock show projects. My middle brother Carlos was involved in Rio Red Grapefruit production and my oldest brother Arturo was an Agriculture Science Instructor at Edinburg High School for many years.

I guess you can say that agriculture has definitely been a family affair. I also had some excellent Ag. Teachers at Edinburg High and Professors at TAMUK who taught me so much, and because of their passion, further reinforced my love of agriculture.

What inspired you to become an agent?

While attending Texas A&M University – Kingsville, I was interviewed by our then District Director, Doyle Warren and pre-qualified for possible employment with Extension. I didn’t know much about Extension at the time, but I did some research and soon realized that this was a career I wanted. When I started in Cameron, my trainer agent left one week into my employment to become the District Director. It was either sink or swim, so luckily I was able to swim and continue my career in Extension. I give a lot of credit to John Norman for guiding me through harvesting those variety trials early in my career. Soon after, Dr. Enrique Perez became the Agriculture Agent and I was able to learn a great deal from him related to volunteer development, program area committees, and overall agriculture production.

What are your goals for the next 5 years as an Extension Agent?

Many experienced Agents have retired and others will be retiring within the next 5 years. I feel like it is our duty to fill those big shoes by continuing to enhance our knowledge and expertise related to the field of agriculture. My

goal is to engage the Agriculture Program Area Committee and to listen to their recommendations as to the needs of the producers in the county. I want to continue to work with the other valley Agents in coordinating quality programs for area producers while providing much needed CEU’s for private applicators.

My plan is to also serve as a mentor and provide guidance to the new 4-H Agent who will be serving Cameron County.

Matthew J. Rodriguez

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent in Willacy County Tell us a little about yourself.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in McAllen,

Texas. While McAllen’s agricultural

production has drastically declined over

the past 30 years due to increased pop ulation and economic development. I was

fortunate enough to have spent a lot of

time at our family ranch in Fronton, Texas

while growing up. I attended McAllen High

School where I was involved in their FFA program. After high school I attended the University of Texas Pan-American, while perusing my undergraduate degree I took part in undergraduate research within the realm of entomology. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree I taught high school for 1 year in Houston before moving back down to the valley. In 2016 I became employed by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and have been the Agent in Willacy County with responsibilities in agriculture & natural resources as well as youth and development since then. In December of 2018 I completed my Master’s in Agricultural Science from Texas A&M UniversityKingsville and I will be getting married this fall.

What got you interested in agriculture?

At an early age I can remember working cattle, fixing fences, clearing brush, and attending the auction barn in Starr County with my grandfather. As I matured and began to understand all the unpredictable and unknown variables that encompass agriculture, I soon found myself seeking further in-depth knowledge on the subject matter. Through the FFA program and agriculture science classes, I was able to gain a greater appreciation and understanding towards the many facets of agriculture. In hindsight I have realized that many of the practices and principles that are incorporated and ingrained in agriculture can be applied throughout life in general. Even till this day my interest in agriculture is still apparent, I am fortunate to be surrounded by great county agents, agriculture science teachers, and agricultural producers who continue to make me strive to do the best that I can.

What inspired you to become an agent?

Prior to applying as a county agent, I had the opportunity to attend the District 12 4-H Horse Show in Robstown. During the event I was able to meet many of the county agents within the district. I was extremely impressed with their professionalism as well as the way they conducted themselves amongst others. It was at that very moment that I knew this was an admirable career that I could see myself perusing and more importing enjoying.

What are your goals for the next 5 years as an Extension Agent?

My goal is to continue to provide Willacy County with optimal educational outreach and programing in agriculture & natural resources as well as youth development. Since I have only been an Extension Agent for 3 years, I will continue to establish myself as an educational resource within Willacy County.

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Planting trees around the Phase III ponds: As part of Phase II of the project, the team removed invasive plant species and replaced them with native wetland vegetation and trees. Photo by Jaime Flores, Texas Water Resources Institute.

I

San Benito transforms abandoned wastewater treatment ponds into coastal wetland habitat

BY JAIME FLORES AND KATHY WYTHE

n 2010, the city of San Benito began transforming portions of its wastewater treatment system that not only enhance the city’s treatment of wastewater but also provide a coastal wetland habitat while reducing the amount of bacteria, sediment and nutrients entering the Arroyo Colorado.

After almost a decade, the city has completed the three-phased project. The city now has a 64-acre wetland system that reduces discharge to the Arroyo Colorado while providing a recreational area for citizens and habitat for native plant and wildlife species.

According to Jaime Flores, Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership watershed coordinator, the Arroyo Colorado has high nutrient levels due to nonpoint source runoff from urban and agricultural land and from 24 permitted wastewater treatment facilities that discharge approximately 60 million gallons a day in the Arroyo Colorado watershed. The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Protection Plan, developed by the partnership, identifies wetlands and wastewa-

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ter reuse as management measures to reduce nutrient loadings.

Wetlands are able to filter the wastewater, reducing the amount of sediment, nutrients and bacteria, before the water flows into the arroyo.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality funded Phase I of the San Benito project, which consisted of using outdated, abandoned wastewater polishing ponds to create four one-acre wetland ponds that remove pollutants from the treated wastewater, or effluent, before it is discharged into the Arroyo Colorado.

The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership and TWRI began working with San Benito in 2012 on Phase II and then Phase III, both funded by the Texas General Land Office.

Phase II involved filling 10 one-acre ponds adjacent to the Phase I ponds and connecting the ponds to form a continuous 14-acre pond system.

In Phase III, the city reused three of the 16.67-acre settling ponds from the city’s old wastewater treatment plant. These ponds are approximately 8 feet deep. A separate pump and

valve are used to pump treated effluent into these ponds, which add a combined settling capacity of more than 225 acre-feet for wastewater treatment for the city.

Flores said the water in the settling/evaporation ponds is not discharged to the Arroyo Colorado but will evaporate back into the atmosphere, effectively reducing sediment, nutrients and bacteria that might have been carried off in the treated wastewater. As the water evaporates in the ponds, the city pumps more of the treated wastewater into the ponds to maintain the pond levels. As of spring 2019, Flores said the city has pumped almost 63 million gallons of treated wastewater into the three settling ponds, averaging about 600,000 gallons a day pumped into the ponds.

As part of Phase II of the project, the team removed invasive plant species and replaced them with native wetland vegetation and trees. The city also refurbished existing sampling piers and added observation decks to facilitate environmental education and ecotourism. As part of Phase II and Phase III, the team installed educational and interpretive signage to provide information about the project, native wildlife and coastal resources and stewardship.

He said the Phase III ponds are larger and deeper, like small lakes. “In these ponds, we have ducks and larger migratory birds that need that deeper water to swim and dive down under the water to eat duck weed. “These wetlands are using innovative technology combined with old school ingenuity to create new habitats out of abandoned city property in the coastal zone, and the project benefits the habitat, environment, the city of San Benito and the Arroyo Colorado.”

This project is just one of many that the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership and TWRI have completed to improve and protect the water quality of the arroyo. Flores said implementing point and nonpoint source best management practices contained in the watershed protection plan such as the wetlands has led to reduced nitrogen loadings in the Arroyo Colorado.

Monitoring of the Arroyo Colorado has shown a significant decline in ammonia levels and no significant increase in nitrite and nitrate levels. “Through these projects, our goal is to protect the Arroyo Colorado and the Lower Laguna Madre and the remaining natural habitat,” Flores said.

A sign of a diagram of the San Benito Wetlands showing the different wetland ponds. Planting trees around the Phase III ponds: As part of Phase II of the project, the team removed invasive plant species and replaced them with native wetland vegetation and trees. Photo by: Jaime Flores, Texas Water Resources Institute.

The city of San Benito refurbished existing sampling piers and added observation decks to facilitate environmental education and ecotourism. Photo by Jaime Flores, Texas Water Resources Institute.

Flores conducted education and outreach events for residents and public officials to educate the public and community leaders on the importance of wetlands and provide information about the project.

“It is quite an accomplishment in watershed management to be able to transform these abandoned lagoonal ponds into a thriving coastal wetland environment using treated wastewater effluent,” Flores said. “The Phase I and II ponds are much shallower, and you see a lot of wading birds, including stilts, herons and egrets.”

The city of San Benito and Texas Water Resources Institute staff installed educational and interpretive signage to provide information about the project, native wildlife and coastal resources and stewardship.

Photo by Jaime Flores, Texas Water Resources Institute.

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NOW SERVICING

CANOLA THANK YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS!

García Grain Trading 956-464-6000 SERVING THE VALLEY FOR OVER 20 YEARS ALAMO, TX MCCOOK, TX

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Ag Mag Featured Farmer

Roots

I

that run deep

t was 100 years ago when the Simmons Family

arrived in Rangerville in 1918 and 1919.

A century later and Leonard Simmons Farms are

still thriving. “My sisters and I are fifth-generation

farmers in the Rio Grande Valley,” said Audrey Simmons. “The first two generations of Simmons were sharecroppers and my grandfathers, L.P. Simmons – third generation – was the first family member who was able to but a nice amount of land.”

L.P. farmed with both of his sons and son-in-law at various times throughout their farming career. But that farming family tree isn’t a straight line – it fans out like the roots of a tree... which is kind of ironic since the biggest Simmons farm is exactly that, a tree farm.

“He loved what he did and worked hard — and sacrificed — to grow his farm,” Audrey said. “He would be very happy that so many of his grandchildren actively farm today.”

Audrey said that the biggest challenge of tree farming is a whole different type of ballgame, much of which has to do with

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predicting the market four or five years down the road.

“Sometimes, landscapers and designers will start using plant material that we didn’t anticipate and just don’t have available,” Audrey said. “Or everyone wants the same size oaks in a year when we are sold out. You can’t just pluck a tree off the shelf and ship it. Most of our products require four or five years before they are big enough to market.”

Labor is the second biggest challenge. Identifying enough employees who have the skills required to dig tree poses some difficulties, and skills human resources.

“We tend to get all of our orders at once (when weather is good for planting), so in some busy years we can’t fill all the orders,” she said. “Most of our trees are dug by hand — it’s very hard work. Last year was our busiest sales year, yet we lost some big orders because we had a four-week wait on palm trees.”

Audrey said that Simmons farms grow about 15 types of

shade trees and another 15 types of palms. Live oaks are their biggest sellers, “hence our name,” Audrey said, along with Sabal Palms.

“Both trees are native to Texas and can be used in landscapes all across the state,” Audrey said.

“Two-thirds of our tree sales are shipped out of the Valley.”

The farms, however, are more diversified than a wide variety of trees. They also harvest row crops including cotton, sugar, seed corn, sunflowers and others.

In fact different Simmons family members each enjoy a different crop the most – after cotton.

“Year in and year out it has been our most consistent cash crop,” Audrey said. “It’s also the one crop that all five generations of our family have grown. I think we have had cotton in production continuously since the first group of Simmons arrived in the Valley 100 years ago.”

But, Audrey added, each family member has a different second favorite crop:

Leonard: Sugar. As a long-time board member and current

Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers chairman, he works very hard with the hundreds of other sugar growers in the RGV to make our mill profitable. It’s a joint venture with many other farmers and great employees that is truly one of a kind in our state (we have the only sugar mill in Texas).

Natalie & Courtney: Seed Corn. In the first few years

that they were working full time on the farm, they managed the heat units to determine when to plant male and female rows. That crop required precision and detail-orientation that was really interesting and different from other things we were growing.

Mary Beth: Sunflowers. About 10 years ago, there were

lots of sunflower fields planted between the farm (LSF) where she lives and the nursery (SOF) where she works. Once they opened, the fields were so bright and beautiful. That was when she was the only person at the nursery and as she drove home each day, they added a little light to her day.

Unfortunately, the sunflowers didn’t handle our humidity very well so we didn’t make enough money to continue them.

Audrey: Texas Sabal Palms are my favorite crop. They look great in so many landscapes, are the only native palm from our area, and they are a very profitable product for our tree farm. We sell lots of sabals locally but also ship truckloads to every major city in Texas. I like to think about our palm trees that started here in Harlingen gracing the homes and businesses across the state.

of the farm. Leonard is CEO of all operations; Courtney is Managing Partner of Operations on our row crop farm, Natalie is Managing Partner of Finance and Administration on our row crop farm; Mary Beth is Managing Partner of Finance and Marketing on our tree farm; and I am Managing Partner of Sales and Operations on our tree farm.”

While Simmons’ family are the leaders of the farms, Audrey is quick to admit that the employees at all levels are the heartbeat and help keep the farms profitable.

“We continue to employ more than 20 employees and we are also immensely proud of the longevity of our work force. At row crop and tree farms, we have three outstanding foremen who have worked for our farms for more 30 years,” she said.

“The vast majority of our employees have worked for Leonard Simmons Farms or Simmons Oak Farms for 15-20 years.

They are hard-working men with high integrity - and we are proud that they’ve continued to work on our farms for so long.”

Obviously with five generations of experience, there are few better people to give advice to young farmers everywhere.

“Listen, read, and ask questions,” Audrey advised. “Read all the industry magazines. Know what’s happening in other areas; how other farmers are solving problems and increasing their success. Listen to the “seasoned” farmers at the gin. They’ve been through the ups and downs of markets, weather and pests. Although farming has seen huge changes in the past 30 years, there are lessons to be learned from past experiences.”

And very few have more — or better — experiences to share that others can learn from than the Simmons family.

Business wise, the family splits who handles the different farms. There are five family members who are partners and oversee different areas.

“We work as a team but all play different roles in management

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New study shows changes in Texas borderlands over time Addresses trends in population growth, land ownership, fragmentation

Graphic courtesy of Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute Photos courtesy of Ben Masters

BY PAUL SCHATTENBERG & DR. ROEL LOPEZ

SAN ANTONIO – Changes in population density, rapid urbanization and rising land values have altered much of the historically rural landscape of the Texas borderlands, according to a recent Texas Land Trends report.

The report, “Trends in Land Ownership Along Texas Borderlands,” was produced by the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, or NRI, in collaboration with the Borderlands Research Institute, or BRI, at Sul Ross State University. It evaluates changes in population density and examines how land ownership patterns and use have changed over the last few centuries within Texas borderland counties due to these drivers of change.

It also identifies regions where more rapid transformations have occurred and where similar changes may be expected to occur in the future. The full report can be found in Resources on the Texas Land Trends website: http://txlandtrends.org/.

County population totals for the report’s 1900 estimates were obtained through the Texas State Historical Association, and 2018 estimates were obtained from the Texas Demographic Center. The report also employed data from the Original Texas Land Survey, a geographic collection of Spanish and Mexican land grants from the 1700s and 1800s.

“Much of what’s special about the Texas-Mexico border relates to the unique historical aspects of the area,” said Dr. Angelica Lopez, an NRI research scientist in San Antonio and the report’s lead researcher. “The borderlands are also home to many interesting flora and fauna, including several endangered and endemic species, as well as to migrating wildlife that travel along its historic corridors.” Spread out over more than 1,200 miles, the Texas borderlands have the two heavily populated “borderplexes” of El Paso-Juárez and Brownsville-Matamoros at either end. In between are a mixture of rural working lands, growing urban centers, and public park and wildlife refuge lands. “Over the years, as urbanization throughout the borderlands expanded, it overtook rural lands, leading to their fragmentation and conversion to non-agricultural use,” Lopez explained. “Historically, El Paso and Webb counties were the largest population centers with the old colonial town settlements of El Paso and Laredo, respectively. Today, Hidalgo County, which has seen the largest population increase in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metropolitan area, closely trails El Paso as the most populated Texas borderland county, followed by Cameron and Webb counties.”

The report shows between 1900 and 2018 the Trans-Pecos counties of Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Presidio, Brewster and Terrell had low population growth, while the Middle Valley counties of Val Verde, Kinney, Maverick, Webb and Zapata had moderate growth. And the Lower Valley counties of Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron saw the highest growth during that period. The report also shows how the borderlands, in keeping with the rest of the state, have lost many of their working lands.

“Over the past two decades, we’ve calculated a 13% decrease in total working land acres among Texas borderland counties, as well as a 36% decrease in the size of the typical working land operation such as a farm or ranch,” Lopez said. “This is due to a number of factors, including population growth, increasing land values and an aging landowner base combined with property heirs who may not wish to perpetuate the operation.”

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According to the report, from 1997 to 2017 some of the most significant reduction in working lands use among Texas borderlands occurred in Brewster, Cameron, El Paso, Kinney, Maverick, Starr, Val Verde and Webb counties. “Texas Land Trends data supports the conclusion that farms and ranches are less profitable as they become smaller,” Lopez said. “As working land profitability decreases, the risk of these operations converting to non-agricultural use increases, thereby losing those valuable ‘ecosystem services’ and other benefits derived from healthy private lands.”

She identified some of these ecosystem services and benefits as food and fiber production, clean water, providing wildlife habitat and promoting ecological diversity. Lopez also noted the report shows a correlation between borderland county population density and land parcel fragmentation. “As population density increases, so do the number of land parcels, which is an indication of land fragmentation,” she explained. “Over the years, where urban centers along the Rio Grande increased in population density, land parcel fragmentation followed adding to the subsequent increase in overall number of parcels.” Lopez said approximately 96% of borderlands are currently under private ownership, with some landowners owning multiple parcels. “Our data shows there are more than 712,000 private landowners within the Texas borderland counties with 22,500 of them owning property within a half-mile of the Rio Grande and 60,190 owning land within 1 mile of the river,” she said. The report also shows from 1900 to 2018, the total number of land parcels grew from 30,533 to more than a million. “There are now almost 5,000 parcels along the Rio Grande, more than 31,000 parcels within a half-mile of the river and more than 80,000 parcels within 1 mile of it,” she said.

Based on the data, she said, these changes will continue – and continue to affect land fragmentation and conversion, negatively impacting the benefits provided by private working lands. “While some may view the borderland as much of the same, its rural and urban counties are very different,” she explained. Lopez offered the example of the slightly more than 750 people disbursed over rural Terrell County as compared to the more than 860,000 people who reside in sprawling urban Hidalgo County.

“The needs of the residents of rural Terrell County, which has a lower population but larger land parcels of varied shapes, are different than those of the residents of urban and highly populated Hidalgo County, which has smaller, more uniform parcels.” Lopez said in the coming years many borderland counties will be facing very different challenges related to infrastructure, energy, natural resources and other necessities.

“Knowing more about the trends relating to their population growth, land ownership and use, and differences in their rural and urban areas, is useful in understanding the borderlands as well as in planning for their future,” she said.

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THE GRASS BAD DREAMS ARE MADE OF

BY DR MEGAN CLAYTON Extension Range Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Photos by Meagan Lesak

A quick drive down most any highway in South Texas will reveal a sea of waving stems from introduced bluestem grasses, namely King Ranch and Kleberg bluestem (they look identical to the naked eye).

Once brought over from China and South Africa, these plants were researched and released for commercial production as solutions for soil erosion control and forage grasses for livestock. Reports have indicated these grasses were not only planted on the sides of the highways, but also along riparian areas and steep slopes. These invasive grasses did not stay in rights-of-way. They have encroached into productive

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rangelands and pastures and even neighborhood backyards.

The plant characteristics that made it such a desirable species to bring into Texas – hardy, fast to produce seed, establishing quickly from seed, early to green-up, withstanding many environmental conditions, and thriving on a variety of soil types – has now made it difficult to control its aggressive spreading onto land where it is not welcome.

The biggest downfall to King Ranch bluestem is that it outcompetes other grasses and forbs, creating a monoculture of just that one grass. Wildlife thrive on lands with plant diversity, providing plenty of food to eat and plants for cover

throughout the year as each plant species grows, matures, and produces seeds at different times. Native plant communities have co-existed for a long time and for the most part maintain a plant balance, whereas a field full of thick King Ranch bluestem provides little for wildlife to eat or even to maneuver through.

From a livestock perspective, some say that “even a poor grass is better than no grass!” Understandably, these introduced bluestems do provide forage for livestock, but because of their quick growth and production of stems and seed heads early, they are not palatable to livestock for very long in the spring. Consequently, livestock will seek out other plants in the pasture before being forced to eat the stemmy King Ranch or Kleberg bluestem. This increased pressure on more desirable plants leads to overuse, reduction in root growth, and eventual death of the better grazing plants.

You guessed it – the bare soil left is quickly overtaken by King Ranch bluestem (remember it was largely avoided by livestock and allowed to contribute new seeds to the soil!) and over time the plant community will shift to a monoculture of these invasive grasses. Ranchers have even found hardy forage grasses, such as buffelgrass, to be overtaken by King Ranch bluestem.

In this age of technology and advancement, our first thought might be to “google” how to control these plants. This should be simple enough, right? Unfortunately, researchers have spent an enormous amount of time trying to manage these invasive grasses and thus far, are best at identifying what NOT to do to encourage them! King Ranch bluestem thrives on disturbance, which means that shredding/mowing, disking, and burning favor their quick growth and spread. Mowing can change the grass’ growth form so that it begins to grow parallel to the ground and seed out at shorter heights.

Disking and burning create bare ground which is quickly recolonized with King Ranch bluestem. Deep plowing can uproot the grasses and turn the soil over to bury potential new seed, but if this is not combined with intensive glyphosate applications, reseeding, and elimination of King Ranch bluestem on the pasture borders, the invasive grasses can move back in within months, after a high financial expense to the

landowner.

Glyphosate (trade name of Roundup®) has been used at high rates to control these green, growing grasses. Unfortunately, glyphosate will also control most other growing plants as well because it is not selective, and it does not sterilize the King Ranch bluestem seed already added to the soil. Applying glyphosate in combination with plowing or multiple disking events may reduce the amount of King Ranch bluestem, at least short-term.

Before investing in an intensive control and replanting effort, it would be helpful to know how long the King Ranch bluestem seeds waiting in the soil are viable for germination. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has an active King Ranch/ Kleberg bluestem research program near Corpus Christi investigating seed germination rates, the rate of glyphosate needed to control established grasses, pre-emergent herbicides that will sterilize the existing seedbank in the soil, and potential grasses for replanting these areas once they are clean.

In the meantime, there are several practices land managers can adopt to prevent King Ranch bluestem from becoming established on a property or to reduce their spread. As previously mentioned, any type of disturbance, such as disking, mowing, or burning, will encourage the spread of these grasses. If a land manager is not prepared to intensively manage the grass, many times they are better off leaving it alone. Trucks or equipment can bring in these invasive bluestem seeds, so care should be taken to reduce traffic or request a “weed wash” before entering. Monitor land near roads and exterior fences to identify any new King Ranch bluestem recruits and treat immediately, before they become a nuisance.Without a silver bullet answer for controlling invasive bluestem grasses, landowners should become familiar with how common land management techniques will impact the grass and what active role they can play in reducing their spread.

For more information on the history and management of King Ranch and Kleberg bluestem, download a free pdf of “Introduced Bluestem Management” from the SouthTexasRangelands.tamu.edu website under the ‘Publications’ tab.

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Nourishing Texas Agriculture, Health and the Role of Texas A&M AgriLife Meet-and-Greet and Panel Discussion with Texas A&M AgriLife Leadership and Stakeholders Texas could become a model for the world on how to lower diet-related health care costs through nutrition and responsive agriculture.

Thursday, August 22, 2019 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Texas A&M Higher Education Center 6200 Tres Lagos Blvd. McAllen, Texas

A R E A

X

A S S O C I A T I O N

V I C E

P R E S I D E N T

BETH UINTANILLA Q FROM EDINBURG, TEXAS

As a senior in high school, I can easily pin point where my passion for agriculture originated. The summer of 2004, my father, Mike Quintanilla, brought me to La Muñeca Cattle Company to bottle-feed an orphan, Simbrah calf; I named her Pocahontas after my favorite Disney princess. Although I was only three years old at the time, I realized Pocahontas was only the beginning for my love of cattle. At the age of nine, I started to show Brahman cattle and became more involved in the breed.

From my early show career til now, the Brahman breed has greatly impacted my character as well as my plans for the future.

However, cattle is where my passion originated and the FFA organization is where it has flourished. Entering Edinburg North High School, I joined the FFA to learn more about my livestock projects; but, my first day of Principles of Agriculture class, something happened.

My Ag Teacher opened my eyes to the many different aspects of the FFA: leadership development events, career development events, and speaking development events. He spoke about how supervised agricultural experiences were our livestock projects, but they could also be as simple as breeding and selling goldfish. He talked about the importance of our mission as FFA members to promote premiere leadership, personal growth, and career success. He showed us the blue and gold, corduroy FFA jackets which every member wore and explained how when we put these jackets on, zip them up, and tuck in our “tallywackers,” we all unite as a family. He recited our FFA motto, “Learning to do; Doing to learn; Earning to live; Living to serve,” and finally he presented to us the FFA creed.

“I believe in the future of agriculture…” E.M. Tiffany wrote so many years ago. These seven words ignited a fire in my heart that erased any doubts or fears in my mind. That day, I raised my hand and told my teacher, “Sir, I want to compete in creed speaking.” From that moment forward, the FFA became my second family and I wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world.

Throughout my time as an FFA member, I have served as a Chapter officer for the past three years now, the 2018-2019 Palm Valley FFA District President, and now the 2019-2020 Area X FFA President. I feel extremely blessed and thankful for the opportunities the FFA has provided me. While attending the Texas FFA State Leadership Conference, earlier this June, I have come to understand that leadership is not a position.

In fact, leadership is an action. This year I have set a set goal

for myself: in this upcoming year of service and leadership, I will inspire, encourage, and make an impact on as many FFA members as I can. I am a strong believer in the notion that certain moments and decisions define who we are and who we will become. Becoming more involved in this organization and observing, in awe, the amazing leaders we have had in our Area X officer teams has made me aware of who I want to become: a mentor to FFA members in our great state of Texas. I want to help our members find the moment that defines them, who they want to become, and changes them forever.

A great man, by the name of Carlos Guerra, once shared with me a simple yet powerful philosophy, “If it is to be, it is up to me.”

With this positive attitude, I challenge myself and every FFA member reading this article to make a difference in someone’s life today, tomorrow, or in the next week. How will you inspire those FFA members in your chapters that struggle with overcoming obstacles? How will you encourage others to participate in different events? How can you make an impact? Thank you to everyone who has helped me along my agricultural journey, especially my mom and dad. Love you guys! And thank you so much to Mrs. Martin for giving me the opportunity to share my ag story on the Ag Mag!

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BRAND PRODUCTS

RODRIGO FRANKLIN 956-874-8988

rodrigo.franklin@plantpioneer.com

GO GLOBAL!

Curious about agriculture in other countries?

A Nuffield International Farming Scholarship may be for you.

BY JEAN LONIE

Global Focus Program (GFP)

This year, there are nearly 70 farmers, ranchers, foresters, fishers, and horticulturalists traveling the world with a small red bull on their hat or shirt.

It’s probably a logo you’ve never seen before, but there is a growing group of agriculturalists here in the United States that want to change that.

The Nuffield International Farming Scholars program dates back to just after World War II, and was started to give agricultural producers the opportunity to travel and find new ideas and best practices in agriculture so that they could come back home and improve their own operations and share what they found with their neighbors. Fast forward 70 plus years, and that mission of the program holds true today.

From the first three Nuffield Farming Scholars in 1947, the program has grown to nearly 1700 alums of the program around the world – including 6 Americans who are Nuffield International Farming Scholars and 2 Americans who have participated in Nuffield events as delegates. As a special point of pride, I’ll share that Texas is now home to one Nuffield International Scholar from the U.S. and the two U.S. delegates from 2016 and 2019, respectively.

Nuffield Scholars are people actively involved in agriculture – either as producers or working in the industry – who are curious about what is happening around the world, want to keep expanding their minds and learning new things, and enjoy meeting innovators who inspire them to continue to find new ways to produce the food, fiber, and fuel that sustains a growing world population. Being a Nuffield Farming Scholar also means you are part of an incredibly special network of people around the world.

You have access to some top-tier producers and leaders who will share their insight and expertise with you – just as you will share your ideas and passion with others.

There are three distinct components of a Nuffield scholarship:

Contemporary Scholars Conference (CSC) This week-long event is the only time that all of the Nuffield Farming Scholars are together each year. The CSC will take place in Australia March 14-20, 2020 and features a mix of high-level speakers, field tours, and workshops where you get to engage with the other Nuffield Scholars.

Imagine an agricultural version of “The Amazing Race,” only without the drama! The GFP is a small group experience where about 10 Nuffield Scholars travel together for almost 7 straight weeks. You go to up to 8 different countries, seeing agriculture around the world and experiencing communities you likely never imagined yourself in. We’re hosting a GFP group in Texas in July, and they will have been to Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Germany, Ireland, and Washington DC before they spend a week exploring agriculture across Texas. It is an amazing way to test your own limits, learn how to manage business back home while on the road, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience to meet – and eat – with other farmers and ranchers around the world.

Individual Study Travels Each Nuffield Farming Scholar is required to complete a report on their individual study topic. The topic is typically related to your industry sector or a topic you are curious/passionate about. To complete the report, you are required to complete a further 6 to 7 weeks of individual travel. You pick the places and the people, and the Nuffield network helps as needed to get you to the right people to craft your report.

All of your travel is funded as a Nuffield International Farming Scholar, meaning there are other organizations and individuals who believe in this program – and in you – so much that they are contributing to give you this life-changing experience. When you return, the expectation is that you become a voice for the agriculture industry and a leader who others can turn to for advice and insight. And you take advantage of that study report by giving presentations and sharing your findings with the public.

My Nuffield journey has been incredible, and it is a program I want to see others in the U.S. benefit from. I never imagined I would be exploring coffee production in Brazil, attempts to grow alfalfa in Qatar, or learning about succession planning on a family oyster operation in the south of France.

I am so incredibly fortunate to have had these experiences and to have a family of 1700+ agriculturalists around the world I can go visit, learn from, and share ideas with. Applications open July 1 for 2020 Nuffield International Farming Scholars – I hope you will learn more about this program and apply. It’s one of my goals to see a lot more of those red bulls here in the United States of America!

If you have any questions or would like more information on the Nuffield International Farming Scholars program, feel free to reach out – jean@ nuffieldinternational.org. We hope to keep bringing small groups of Nuffield Scholars on their GFPs back to Texas, so there is always the potential you can host or get to visit with some of the Scholars in the future.

Weather Elsewhere Supporting Valley Grain Prices

BY JOHN MILLER

The recent storms that left untold damage to property and greatly inconvenienced the lives of so many across the Valley left us again with the feeling that we are in a year like no other.

This is definitely the case for area farmers that experienced wet and sometimes weather delayed planting conditions in late January and February only to see abrupt change. While not overly wet, soil conditions late winter and early spring were such that just minimal rains in April and May could allow for top end yields. Nature took another turn however, and the very dry April and May weather had local crops struggling to meet long term yield averages – but an outcome that could have been much worse if not the water saving feature of valley soils and farmer understanding of how to conserve that moisture.

To top it off, and for the second year in a row, the Valley was hit with a strong storm right in the middle of the grain harvest.

Fortunately, we understand that the vast majority of the grain remaining in the field at that time will likely be harvested, and the rain should have provided a boost to the maturing cotton crop.

So maybe in sum, we are experiencing a very unusual year.

And he same can be said for so much of the US. A large part of the Midwest famous for great corn crops has struggled to get the crop planted in a way never seen before.

As with many parts of the Central and Upper coast areas of Texas, a great number of Midwest farmers simply could not get into the field to cultivate or later plant during normal windows for

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best results. This has especially been the case for the large corn states of South Dakota, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

Corn planting in these major states that should have concluded by the end of May lasted well into the middle of June which agronomists tell us most often results in significant yield losses. It is also likely that a good understanding of how many acres never got planted will not happen until sometime in the fall. The USDA had at one time thought there would be up to 92.8 million acres of corn. The planting difficulty had most specialists believing that anywhere from 4 to 8 million corn acres across the Midwest had been lost for the season in favor of Prevented Planting payments. At this time, the USDA maintains that at least 91.7 million

between the two countries. We have been told that the meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi during the G20 conference helped to put some life back into the trade negotiations, but no formal deal has been made.

Without a resolution to this dispute, grain prices in the Valley will continue to be determined by demand from the truck market across the border. Fortunately, area merchandisers do a tremendous job maintaining relationships with animal feeding operations in Mexico and work hard to make the most of that market for Valley farmers.

For example, grain prices to farmers here have been better than prices being paid at the Port of Corpus Christi. This is a very uncommon occurrence and reflects in part the fact that feeders in Mexico and US have wanted to secure a certain amount of inventory to hedge against a potentially stunted Midwest corn crop. And corn prices to farmers in the Valley have been roughly a dollar per hundredweight better than grain and have been stronger than one might expect due to the same overall supply concerns being faced by grain users.

It is true that in absence of the Chinese trade dispute, prices for both grain and corn would have been better, but without the historical rain events delaying Midwest corn planting, there is no telling how much lower prices would have been. So as with our soil moisture situation, things could have been much worse with respect to local prices.

Since so many in the trading community are skeptical of this estimate, the USDA will be conducting a rare 14 state interim survey in July to try and confirm or change these acreage estimates.

The other map shows the national good-to-excellent (G/E) corn as rated by USDA. The current 56 percent G/E is down from the prior week and far below normal ratings for this time is year.

The Midwest, like many parts of Texas, is off to one of the most challenging starts in a generation.

The ultimate determination of US planted corn acres, and the weekly G/E ratings reported each Monday afternoon will drive the fate of Valley grain and corn prices this summer, and likely have an important bearing on next years prices as well. Trying to speculate the final outcomes for US corn and grain acres and yield will likely drag well into the fall and will test farmers and other commodity trades to no end.

However, the skills of the Valley farmer and networking ability of area merchandisers, along with the misfortunes being seen with Midwest crops, has permitted modestly tolerable outcomes alongside key worldwide supply and demand fundamentals that, falling slightly in another direction, could have led to much less agreeable market conditions.

For the balance of the summer, all eyes will be on the two charts below. The June vs March map shows the USDA estimate of corn acreage increase or decline for each state compared to the March 31st estimate. At the top, you can see the 91.7 million acres current estimate which is amazingly well above the year ago level of 89.12 million acres.

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Arroyo Colorado A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality related to the Arroyo Colorado will be held from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on July 17.

The workshop will be held at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center, 2401 US-83 BUS in Weslaco. It will be presented by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in cooperation with the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI).

A free lunch will be provided by the Arroyo Colorado Conservancy for attendees who preregister for the workshop by July 15.

“This workshop is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in local watershed protection and management activities,” said Michael Kuitu, AgriLife Extension program specialist and coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward program, College Station. “The workshop is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the region.”

He said participants are encouraged to preregister at the Texas Watershed Steward website at https://tws.tamu.edu.

The workshop will include a discussion on watershed systems, types and sources of water pollution, and ways to improve and protect water quality. There also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management.

“The workshop will provide an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas, but will primarily focus on area water quality, including current efforts to improve and protect the Arroyo Colorado,” said Jaime Flores, TWRI Arroyo Colorado Watershed Coordinator, Weslaco. “It will address issues related to local water resources but will be applicable to all waters in the region.”

“The Arroyo Colorado is a critical resource and estuary, which serves as the primary source of freshwater to the Laguna Madre, aids in flood control, provides habitat for birds and aquatic life, and is a conduit of commercial barge traffic while remaining an excellent source of recreation,” Flores continued. “For these reasons and more, we encourage the public to attend this free workshop, take advantage of the education, and enjoy the free lunch.”

Attendees of the workshop will receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and a certificate of completion. The Texas Watershed Steward program offers four continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisers, four units for professional engineers and certified planners, four credits for certified teachers, and two credits for nutrient management specialists. A total of four professional development hours are available for professional geoscientists.

In addition, three general continuing education units are offered for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders, and four for certified landscape architects. Four continuing education credits are provided to certified floodplain managers. Four continuing education credits are also offered for each of the following Texas Commission on Environmental Quality occupational licensees: wastewater system operators, public water system operators, on-site sewage facility installers, and landscape irrigators.

“Participating in the Texas Watershed Steward program is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed,” said Kuitu.

Funding for this effort is provided through a federal Clean Water Act §319(h) Nonpoint Source Grant administered by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information on the Texas Watershed Steward program and to preregister, go to the website or contact Kuitu at 979-862-4457, mkuitu@tamu.edu.

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For information on watershed protection efforts for the Arroyo Colorado watershed, contact Flores at 956-969-5607, jjflores@ag.tamu.edu.

2019 ALGODON

Strength Prevails Max Harold De Los Santos has a special connection with animals.

It was obvious the first time he stepped onto a farm his friend invited him to. He has taken on the challenge of dealing with autism – but still may face more, but Max is clearly an over comer.

Even more impressive is that Max Harold De Los Santos is a top notch Grade A shower extraordinaire. “One day my friend Christine Clifford from Team Mario invited me to her aunt’s farm to see the animals,” Max said. “Ms. Kuby welcomed me onto her farm and let me pet the animals. It made me feel like I was capable of doing a good job showing.”

Clearly, Ms. Kuby had the same thought going through her mind after seeing first hand that special connection between Max and different animals. “She offered me the opportunity to demonstrate that I am capable to do things, even though I have autism and intellectual disability,” he said. “She inspired me to start showing because she believed in me. And my FFA teachers Ms. Sanchez and Ms. Robles believed that I was capable to do it too.”

Being capable may be an understatement for Max. He’s also determined and patient. He would practice how to show for many hours, especially with his helpful sister. “My biggest challenge is being a special education student,” said Max, who is also a JROTC cadet and was elected LORD of the military ball this past year. “People don’t see me as a young man capable of doing things. Other students don’t want to work with me. That’s why my sister helps. It’s difficult for me to learn some things, but I can learn with practice and patience.”

Max has thrown out many of the pre-conceived notions that people may have a tendency to believe regarding young men and women with autism. Watch him carry the responsibility of taking care of an animal and one realizes he’s not just capable but superbly motivated and extremely disciplined to handle those responsibilities, which are many. Max said his favorite aspect of showing is “the bond between the animals and me,” he said. “Raise the animals since they are little, pet them, feed them and take them on walks. “(I also have) the opportunity to meet new people, but most important — I have a new family with Ms. Kuby and her family, and at FFA class, too.”

Max plans to keep showing goats next year along with his brother and two sisters. He was also elected an FFA officer and is Sentinel for the next school year. “I would love to show a heifer too, but I do not have one,” he said. “So I’m going to show goats and maybe rabbits too”. The chores may seem repetitive but there are a lot of them. Plus the chores are the “mechanical” part of the job. What comes from the heart and the relationship between animal and human are the most important areas.

Max even has even thought about giving advice to encourage others to become involved with showing. “Start with a small animal,” said Max, who has taken horsemanship lessons since he was 10. “Dedicate time and give so much love to your animal.

Be ready to always clean you animal’s pen and have family support. “And be a good friend to someone who needs help.”

That’s excellent advice from someone who has followed that exact path, from new friendships to additional family.

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NRCS ANNOUNCES DEADLINE FOR CONSERVATION ASSISTANCE FUNDING The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas has announced the first application funding deadline of July 22, 2019 for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) under current approved Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) projects. The approved RCPP projects include: Hill Country Headwaters Conservation Initiative, Improving Working Lands for Monarch Butterflies, Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Improvement Initiative, Rice Stewardship Partnership, Texas Gulf Coast Stream and Wetland Initiative, and the Gulf Coast Water and Wildlife Conservation.

This conservation funding is above and beyond regular county funding under the Farm Bill for specific conservation work in the listed counties. Applications are taken year around for NRCS programs, but deadlines are announced to rank and fund eligible conservation projects.

The Hill Country Headwaters Conservation Initiative is in the counties of Austin, Blanco, Comal, Edwards, Gillespie, Kimble, Llano, Mason, Menard and Sutton.

Improving Working Lands for Monarch Butterflies is statewide in all counties.

Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Improvement Initiative is in the counties of Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy.

Rice Stewardship Partnership is in the counties of Brazoria, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Jackson, Jefferson, Lavaca, Liberty, Matagorda, Waller and Wharton.

The Texas Gulf Coast Stream and Wetland Initiative is in the counties of Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, Comal,

De Witt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Frio, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Grimes, Guadalupe, Harris, Hays, Jackson, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kleberg, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Liberty, Live Oak, Madison, Matagorda, McMullen, Medina, Milam, Montgomery, Nueces, Refugio, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Travis, Uvalde, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, Wharton, Williamson, Wilson and Zavala.

The Gulf Coast Water and Wildlife Conservation is in the counties of Brazoria, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, De Witt, Fort Bend, Galveston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lavaca, Liberty, Matagorda, Refugio, Victoria, Waller, and Wharton.

EQIP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers. Technical assistance is provided without a fee from NRCS specialists to help landowners and land managers plan and implement conservation practices to help them meet their land management goals, address natural resource concerns and improve soil, water, plant, animal, air, and related resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland. Producers interested in applying for EQIP should submit applications to their local USDA service center or if already a USDA client, on-line via Conservation Client Gateway (CCG). RCPP offers new opportunities for NRCS, conservation partners and agricultural producers to work together to harness innovation, expand the conservation mission and demonstrate the value and efficacy of voluntary, private lands conservation.

If you are interested in conservation technical and financial assistance to help you improve your land and natural resources, voluntary conservation planning without a fee, or have natural resources questions or issues on your land, contact your local USDA service center or visit www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov.

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