WILDFIRE DANGER ISSUE ADDRESSED

            The above normal rainfall from this past Spring and Summer here in South Texas, followed by drier than normal conditions this Fall have led to conditions that could to lead to wildfires in the coming weeks, as the fuel load from good forage growth, which is now drying along with drying soils and lower humidity, provides the perfect conditions for wildfire on our rangelands and pastures.  To address this issue, the National Weather Service’s 2010 South Texas Fire Weather and Drought Partners meeting will be conducted on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at the Del Mar College - West Campus, 4101 Old Brownsville Rd, Corpus Christi, Texas.  The meeting will be held in the Emerging Technologies Building, Room 105, with registration beginning at 8:00 a.m. followed by the program from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

            This meeting is designed for wildfire and prescribed burn interests, farmers and ranchers, broadcast and print media, and emergency managers.  The meeting will provide a detailed outlook for the 2011 fire season, comparisons of this season to recent wet to dry pattern transitions, drought outlooks, lessons learned from recent prescribed burns, decision making in ranching based on weather predictions and much more.  Pesticide applicators will be awarded 3 CEU’s for participating in the meeting. 

            Specific topics to be addressed will include; Fire and Drought Management, Impacts of Wet to Dry Season Transitions, Texas Forest Service Predictive Services Outlook, Lessons of Recent Prescribed Burns in Drought Stricken South Texas, Spring Outlook from State Climatologist, Benefits of Prescribed Burning, Decision Making in Ranching base on Weather Predictions, Pasture and Range Management, and Pesticide Laws and Regulations Update.

            Sponsors of this program include; The National Weather Service, Texas Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, Office of the Texas State Climatologist, Texas Department of Agriculture and Texas AgriLife Extension Service.  All those planning to participate are asked to pre-register by December 8, 2010 to Jason Runyen via e-mail @ Jason.Runyen@noaa.gov or 361-289-0959 ext 1, as attendance will be limited to the first 100 RSVPs.  

Individuals with disabilities, who require an auxiliary aid, service or accommodation in order to participate in any of the mentioned activities, are encouraged to contact the County Extension Office eight days before all programs for assistance.  Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.       

South Texas Cotton Data Available

A summary of South Texas Cotton Variety Data is now available and can be viewed at the following web site link;
http://varietytesting.tamu.edu/cotton/files/2010/Uniform%20Cotton%20Variety%20Trial%20Report%202010.pdf

COTTON VARIETY TEST RESULTS POSTED

Results from two cotton variety trials in Nueces County, including yield and lint quality data are complete and the good yields are reflective of  the good growing conditions that we had in 2010.  Recently cotton prices have moved well above $1 per pound and this should increase the acreage for the 2011 crop in the Coastal Bend.  Selecting the best suited variety for your farm remains one of the most important early decisions you can make as you plan for next year’s crop.

    A Uniformed Stacked-Gene Variety Trial was conducted with Jim Massey IV, just northeast of Petronila.  The plots were planted on March 27 with three replicates per variety in a randomized complete block design on 30-inch rows.  This dryland test was harvested by machine on August 27, 2010.  There were ten varieties in the test.  The test averaged just over 1,263 pounds of seed cotton per acre.  The best two performing varieties (no statistical difference between the two) were FiberMax 1740 B2F at 1,446 pounds per acre with a loan value of $0.537 per pound and DeltaPine 0920 B2RF at 1,403 pounds per acre with a loan value of $0.5118 per pound.
    Other varieties in this test and their yields were as follows; ST 5458 B2RF @ 1,315 lbs./ac, PHY 367 WRF @ 1,280 lbs./ac, ST 4288 B2RF @ 1,251 lbs./ac, PHY 375 WRF @ 1,231 lbs./ac, CL 3220 B2RF @ 1,208 lbs./ac, DP 1032 B2RF @ 1,186 lbs./ac, FM 9160 B2F @ 1,167 lbs./ac, and AT Apex B2RF @ 1,150 lbs./ac.  Overall the lint values per acre of this test (using the loan value) ranged from $616.70 to $776.30 per acre.
    A Liberty Link Cotton Variety Trial was conducted with Darrell Lawhon, east of Bishop.  The plots were planted on March 26 with three replicates per variety in a randomized complete block design on 38-inch rows.  This dryland test was harvested on August 17, 2010 by machine.
There were six varieties in this test that averaged more than 1,140 pounds of seed cotton per acre.
The best two performing varieties (no statistical difference between the two) were FiberMax 1845 LLB2 at 1,269 pounds per acre with a loan value of $0.5198 per pound and FiberMax 835 LLB2 at 1,223 pounds per acre with a loan value of $0.5418 per pound.
    Other varieties in this test and their yields were as follows; FM 1015 LLB2 @ 1,122 lbs./ac, FM 1035 LLB2 @ 1,094 lbs./ac, FM 1025 LLB2 @ 1,076 lbs./ac, and FM 1773 LLB2 @ 1,059 lbs./ac.  Overall the lint values per acre of this test (using the loan value) ranged from $544 to $659.70 per acre.
    These tests would not possible without the cooperation and support of local farmers and various seed companies, and for that we should all be grateful.  More detailed information about these tests can be obtained from the Nueces County Extension Office or can also be found on the web at   http://nueces-tx.tamu.edu/pubcat.cfm?COUNTY=Nueces&CatID=2757
For more information contact the Nueces County Extension Office at 361-767-5223.