CROP TOUR - FRIDAY JUNE 10

    The Annual Nueces County Crop Tour will take place on Friday, June 10 with registration at 8:30 a.m. at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at 10345, State Hwy 44, just west of the Corpus Christi Airport, followed by the tour bus departing promptly at 8:45 a.m. Those planning to participate in the tour should make reservations by contacting the Nueces County Extension Office at 361-767-5223 by June 8, 2011.
    In addition to touring the traditional cotton and grain sorghum variety tests in the county, this year the tour will also feature a discussion regarding Managing Aflatoxin in Corn and Skip-row vs. Solid Row Cotton.  Other topics to be addressed during the tour event will include; New Grain Sorghum and Cotton Technology, Weed Herbicide Resistance Management, Sorghum Harvest Aids, Aerial Feral Hog Management , Variable Rate Fertilization,  Pesticide Laws Update and an updated Weather Outlook by the National Weather Service.
    The tour will concluded back at the Research and Extension Center with a catered lunch and educational presentations.  Pesticide applicators will be able to obtain 3 CEU’s for participation in this event. The event will conclude by 2:30 p.m.  The tour is being sponsored by the Nueces County Extension Crops Committee, Texas AgriLife Extension Service  and numerous agribusinesses.
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 at 361-767-5223 at least eight days before all programs for assistance. Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.

RAIN EVENT NOT ENOUGH TO END DROUGHT

    The rain event we experienced last week in the Coastal Bend was worth millions of dollars, although it was not enough to put an end to the current drought.  The rain did however reinvigorate our plants while at the same time greatly improved the mood for all those folks that depend on the land to make a living.
    Cotton in many fields has started to bloom which is the most critical stage when it comes to amount of moisture that the cotton plant uses.  Drought before bloom can reduce the number of fruiting branches produced by first bloom. However, drought is rarely severe enough to cause fruit shed before bloom. As the crop begins to bloom, it must begin filling bolls. This process causes the plant's demand for water to rise dramatically as more and more bolls are produced.
When cotton begins to bloom it can be using from 0.25 to 0.4 inches of water per day.  The dry conditions that we have had early in the season have forced the cotton plant to send roots deep for moisture, which helps explain why some of the cotton looks as good as it does.
Drought following bloom has the greatest effect on cotton yield and lint quality, so we need this new rainfall trend to continue.
    Grain sorghum is known as a drought-tolerant crop and that is why it is so well adapted to the local region.  Grain sorghum's ability to perform under dry conditions can be attributed to the sorghum plants rolling leaves as they wilt, thus reducing transpiration, the waxy covering over the leaf protecting it from drying and the extensive root system. Much of our sorghum is at peak water use stage now, which can be as high as 0.4 inch per day during early bloom and then is reduced to just less than 0.3 inch per day during grain fill.  Grain sorghum’s extensive root system, can extend to 6 feet in a friable soil. About 75 percent of water use will occur in the upper half of the root zone. Under stress conditions, when the upper zone becomes water-limited, the crop will use significant deep water, which thankfully we had some of that this year.
    Corn has been hurt the most by the current drought. During the period of pollination the corn plant requires the most water and is most sensitive to drought stress. Grain is not produced without pollination because fertilization by pollen initiates seed (kernel) production.  Drought stress can disrupt pollination in many ways, with the most frequent being by disrupting the "nick," or synchronization of pollen shed and silk emergence. Tassel and pollen formation take priority over silk and ear formation. Drought stress prior to tasseling will delay silk emergence. By the time the silks from the tip of the ear emerge from the husks, pollen shed may have ended. This leads to ears with barren tips (nubbins), or, in extreme cases, ears with no kernels at all.  We have already seen some evidence of this locally.

NEW LANDOWNER SERIES GOES TO THE RANCH

    So you recently purchased your “Back 40" and have your property in the country and are looking for ways to improve your property while at the same time keep it in Agricultural production, you just need some help to attain that goal.  An educational program to address your very needs related to Pasture and Brush Management will be held Friday, May 20, 2011 at the La Copita Ranch, south of Alice off HWY 281 from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM.
    La Copita Demonstration Ranch located in Jim Wells County, Texas, near Alice, Texas encompasses 2,700 acres of rangeland in Jim Wells County. The La Copita Demonstration Ranch was a bequest in the will of Mr. Robert S. Muil of Alice, Texas.  It was Mr. Muil’s desire that La Copita be used for...“Agricultural experimentation, range management, brush control, wildlife  management, range science and management and generally for the furtherance of the development of the farming and ranching interests and purposes.”
    In keeping with the mission of the ranch, this program will address topics that will include Rangeland Management and Planning, Introduced Forages vs. Native Landscapes (including grass varieties, establishment and fertility), Soil and Forage Testing, Risk Management Tools (to help in times like this with drought), South Texas Brush Buster Program, and Weed ID and Control.  Two CEU’s will be provided to Pesticide Applicators.
    Registration fee for this session is $20 per person, unless previously paid in the first session.  For more information please contact the Nueces County Extension Office at 361-767-5223.  This series is being sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service offices of Jim Wells, Nueces, Kleberg, and San Patricio Counties.

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 at 361-767-5223 at least eight days before all programs for assistance.  Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.

GRASS FED BEEF CONFERENCE TO ADDRESS NEW TREND

    A conference that will address the growing trend of grass-fed beef production is scheduled June 8-9 at Texas A&M University in College Station.  Sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas A&M department of animal science, the conference will give a complete overview of this “rapidly growing segment of the beef industry,” said Dr. Rick Machen, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist.
    “This conference will cover a broad range of important topics pertaining to grass-fed-beef production and is open to both beef producers and consumers,” Machen said.  “In addition to conventionally produced beef, products from natural, grass-fed and organic production systems are important contributors to the beef market. We welcome both the beef producer and interested consumers to attend this conference and learn more about this segment of the industry,” Machen said. “There will be several topics of interest to both audiences.”
    Topics include defining natural, grass-fed and organic production systems, understanding forage quantity and quality, cattle suited for grass-fed beef systems and preventative herd health management. The economics of grass-fed beef systems and marketing aspects will also be covered.  A low-stress cattle handling demonstration and a Taste of Texas Beef event will conclude Wednesday’s activities.
    A panel of producers will address both producing and marketing grass-fed beef from a first-hand perspective. As a highlight, this conference will feature carcass demonstrations, allowing producers to learn about fabrication methods and retail cuts, Machen said.
Cost is $250 through May 27.The conference will be held at both the Rosenthal Meat Science Building and the Louis Pearce Pavilion on the Texas A&M campus.
    To register online, visit http://agrilifevents.tamu.edu and enter keyword “Grassfed”.

BRUSH MANAGEMENT TOOL ONLINE

    In times of drought, when some livestock producer looks across their pasture or rangeland and the only green plants they see are brush, this tends to bring to light that these plants are robbing valuable soil moisture from those desirable forage plants that could be sustaining their livestock.  Managing undesirable plants like weeds and brush is a goal that all livestock producers should have along with a plan to implement these actions.
    Pestman, a new online application for weed and brush control, is a decision-support system that provides sound pest management options associated with weed and brush control, as well as costs associated with the options considered. This tool allows managers to analyze the economic and environmental risks associated with controlling pests invading our rangelands and pastures.  This Internet-based tool can be found at  http://pestman.tamu.edu/#0
    The application is a collaborative effort of federal and state agencies, including U.S. Department of Agriculture-Risk Management Agency, NRCS, New Mexico State University, AgriLife Research, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, the Texas A&M System, and private industry, including Grazingland Management Systems Inc., and AgForce consulting companies.
    This tool will allow users to develop an economic analysis and see what the cost of a brush control treatment would be over a 10-year to 20-year period, as it provides the users with cost estimates of mechanical and weed and brush treatments. Costs of treatments are updated annually.
    The user starts by selecting the pest plant, state of residence (currently only valid in Texas and New Mexico), and plant density. The Pestman program returns the best available treatments and their effectiveness along with cost per acre and application rates for chemical treatments. The user is then asked to select a treatment alternative.
    I have used this tool and it is excellent as it provides a wealth of information regarding the plants that you are investigating, including pictures, so the next time you are browsing the web, go check out this web site and do some online weed and brush management.

WATERSHED TRAINING TO FOCUS ON LOWER NUECES RIVER

A free Texas Watershed Steward Program training will be held from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thursday, May 12 in the meeting room of the Corpus Christi Water Department, 2726 Holly Road, Corpus Christi, TX 78415.

This one-day event is sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in coordination with the City of Corpus Christi and Nueces River Authority.

The training is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by getting involved in local watershed protection and management activities.  Along with free education and training, participants receive a free copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook, prizes and gifts, and a certificate of completion.   In addition, the program offers 7 continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisors, 7 units for professional engineers and planners, and 7 continuing education credits for certified teachers. It also offers 3 general continuing education units for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders, 7 for certified landscape architects and 3 for certified floodplain managers.

The workshop will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas and will primarily focus on water quality issues relating to the Lower Nueces River Watershed, including current efforts to help improve the health of this important watershed.

The training is open to anyone interested in improving the water quality of the Lower Nueces River Watershed. Pre-registration is open and that those interested in participating may pre-register through the Texas Watershed Stewards website, http://tws.tamu.edu.

Since a catered noon meal will be provided, workshop participants need to take a minute to complete the quick and easy online form on our website so we can ensure there are enough materials and meals for the participants.

“The City of Corpus Christi has contracted with the Nueces River Authority to develop a watershed protection plan for the Lower Nueces River between Wesley Seale Dam at Lake Corpus Christi to the Saltwater Barrier Dam in Corpus Christi,” said Rocky Freund, deputy executive director of the Nueces River Authority, Coastal Bend Division. “The plan will be created to protect the drinking water source for around a half a million people within the Coastal Bend area.”

Freund said the Nueces River Authority, City of Corpus Christi and other stakeholders are just starting to work on an implementation plan to improve the water quality issues and encourage land and water stewardship in the Lower Nueces River Watershed.

Participating in the Texas Watershed Stewards program is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed. You can be a part of this effort by attending the upcoming training.  For more information and to pre-register, go to http://tws.tamu.edu or call 979-458-3478 or n-dictson@tamu.edu .

Texas Watershed Stewards is funded by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board through a Clean Water Act §319(h) grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.

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 at 361-767-5223 at least eight days before all programs for assistance.  Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin