Llp may2015 i1

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDBRYAN, TX 77802PERMIT # 23

JAMES THOMPSONStraight from the horse's mouth.PAGE 3




May 2015— Issue 1

Here, mydeer

Using cattle to increase deer populationsPAGE 10

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDBRYAN, TX 77802PERMIT # 23

AG-GRAVATING?New ag commissioner annoys some officials.PAGE 4

GOING GREENResearch aims to reduce water in vegetable growth.PAGE 15

REMEMBERINGWESTLegislation designed to stop another blast.PAGE 16

VET’SVOICEEarn more at sale by treating calves well.PAGE 18

May 2015— Issue 1

May 2015— Issue 1 The Land & Livestock Post2

NewsFrom the General Manager

Ihad a pretty good childhood.I was never abused or ne-glected or given a good rea-

son to look back onmy youthwith bitterness inmy heart.Until recently.I pulledmy old pushmower

out of the shed at the start ofspring, tuned it up, gave it a pulland it started right up. Thenit died. I couldn’t get it startedagain. I fiddled with it for a fewhours, but still couldn’t get itgoing. Mywife came outside,sawme tinkering and insistedI go buy a new one. Shemadea good point, that I spend a lotof time fooling with themowerand it would be worthwhile toget a new one so that time couldbe spent actuallymowing. Plus,themower was almost 9 yearsold, so it had a good run.

I went to the store to pick outmy newmachine. As I perusedthe line of shiny newmow-ers, I noticed there was only a$30 price difference betweena regular pushmower and aself-propelledmower. I decidedto spoil myselfand splurge.I’d never had aself-propelledmower, butmaybe it wasa little better,and I was will-ing to spend$30 to find out.When I got it home and put

it together and filled with gas,I cranked it up and startedmowing. I had no ideamowingcould be that easy. It wasn’t justa little better, it was way, way

better. I’m talking the kind ofbetter like the way a chain sawis better than an ax, or the wayDVD is better than VHS, or theway that bacon is better thananything that is not bacon.As happy as I was to have

this new technology inmy life,I couldn’t help to think of thechildhood squandered pushingamower. Maybe it built charac-ter, maybe that was the plan allalong. I mean, it’s hard to arguethat I didn’t turn out prettygreat. But, still, part of methinksmy parents did it so theycould watchme sweat and toilas I mowedwhile they sat in theshade, cooling themselves witha fanmade of thirty $1 bills.Innovative techniques can

help in places other than thelawn. In our cover story, we

take a look at mob grazing andhow it may improve your pas-ture, cattle andwildlife.We also have news about up-

coming conferences andwork-shops as well as our Vet’s Voicefeature and some news fromthe Legislature that could affectmany in the ag industry.Hope you enjoy it, and as al-

ways, thanks for reading.’Til next time,

• For more information about con-tent or advertising, contact JesseWright at [email protected].

JESSE WRIGHT

National agcenter reopensBONNER SPRINGS, Kansas

(AP) — Like many farmers, theNationalAgriculturalCenterandHall of Fame has struggled.After being closed last year

except for special events, the50-year-oldhall inBonnerSpringsreopened April 25, thanks to a fi-nancial windfall, volunteers anda new executive director.BoardpresidentClausie Smith

says thiswill be a pivotal year forthe center, which opened in 1965and has struggled financially foryears.Hesaystheboardwillworkonastrategicplanforacampaignto bring in new exhibits and in-creased programming.The Kansas City Star reports

(bit.ly/1IRpZlj) the sale of 5 acreslastyearallowedtheorganizationto pay off some of its debts andprovide cashsufficient to reopen.

The Land & Livestock Post May 2015— Issue 1 3

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News

Despite rockystart,newagchiefdefendsrecordby Jay Root and Jim

malewitzThe Texas Tribune

Texas Agriculture Commis-sionerSidMiller told lawmakersa fewweeksago thathewouldn’tdo what a lot of his predecessorshave done: use the agency as a“political tool,” a mere steppingstone to higher office.

Given all the controversy theRepublican has sparked sincetaking the reins in January, thatseems like a safe bet.

In just more than threemonths, the former state repre-sentative has irked lawmakerswith his aggressive lobbying foragency funding, faced questionsabout a proposal to renovate hisofficeandcomeunderfireforhir-ing a felon who, according to anewspaper report, continued torepresentprivateclientswhileonthe state payroll.

The collection of unflatteringheadlines has lawmakers andone of Miller’s predecessorsquestioning whether the world-champion calf roper was readyfully tosteerabillion-dollarstateagency.

“In Sid’s defense, I don’t thinkhe really understood what itmeans to be a statewide electedofficial. I think this happens to alotof people,”saidSusanCombs,a former Texas agriculture com-missioner who most recentlyserved as state comptroller. “It’snot just that you’ve got two orthree House staffers. You’ve gothundreds. You manage all kindsof money.”

But Miller is brushing off thecriticism, touting his first 100daysasawildsuccess.Hesaidhisoffice has accelerated interna-tional trade, beefed up the mar-keting of Texas agriculture anddoled out grants and completedcontracts “faster than they evermoved before.”

In an interview, Miller said, “Itell you what, I’ve never had thismuch fun in my life

“I think we’ve had a rockystart with the media that’s beenhounding us, and unfortunately

not telling the good stories.”Miller roared intoofficeprom-

ising bold action and flashy re-forms. In what he described ashis first official act, the cowboy-hat-wearing commissionergranted “amnesty” to cupcakes— a symbolic gesture meant topublicize that school childrencan bring cupcakes and othersugary snacks into the class-room.

But the ban on such treats,instituted by Combs — a Re-publican who was agriculturecommissioner from 1999 to 2007— already had been lifted by hersuccessor, Todd Staples. Millersaid he was worried that manyparents and kids didn’t know

they could now bring the snacksto class.

Keeping to other people’s po-litical scripts is not really Mill-er’s forte. Shortly before he wassworn in, Miller appeared at aTexas Public Policy Foundationforum.

Asked what keeps him upat night, Miller replied: “Thething that keeps me up at night,usually, is bad Mexican food,”prompting laughter. “Actually,I sleep pretty well, but I do havesome long-range concerns as Ihold those two grandbabies onmy lap, and I happen to wonder:When they have grandbabiesto hold in their lap, will we be asocialist country? Will we be a

Muslim country?”Miller stood by that comment

in last month’s inerview. “Youcan quote me on this — I’m notfor either one of those. I’m forour traditional Texas values,our family values, our Texasheritage.”Hesaidhewasfocused

on issues facing the agriculturesector, including giving farmersand ranchers more sway in dis-cussions about water policy.

“As they say in Austin, if youdon’t have a seat at the table,

Photo by Marjorie Kamys CoteraTexas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller gives away cupcakes at a press conferenceon Jan. 12.

SeeMILLER, Page 6


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News

you’re probably on the menu,”he said.Like his predecessors, Miller

said he’s held trade meetings —on topics including Texas beefand horses — with a host of in-ternational officials, includingsome from Germany, China, Ni-caragua, France and Paraguay,withmore scheduled.“We have already facilitated

hundreds andhundreds of thou-sands of dollars in sales to theseinternational markets,” he said.Miller also has focused on fi-

nances. He grabbed headlinesfor sounding alarms about theimpact of years of budget cuts— including some he voted forand still touted on his campaignwebsite as of mid-April — haveinflicted on his agency. He saidthedepartmentwasdoingalousyjob carrying out core agencyfunctions — such as inspectinggas pumps and grocery storescanners — and as a result con-sumers were “getting screwed.”Miller onApril 10 saidhe recent-ly inspected scales at two pawnshops—oneinWacoandanotherin Fort Worth, finding they didnot comply with state rules.But as he took his budget con-

cerns to the Legislature, Millercame on too strong for somelawmakers, includinghis formercolleague Rep. Larry Gonzales,the RoundRockRepublicanwhooversees the department’s bud-get on theHouseAppropriationsCommittee.“I have never been so aggres-

sively lobbiedbyastateemployeein all my years here,” said Gon-zales, in office since 2011 and alongtimelegislativestafferbeforethen. “He came out of the gatevery aggressive, very demand-ingof whathethoughthisagencyneeded.”Gonzales said his colleagues

approved increases in the bud-get to hire new inspectors andmade sure they “took care ofconsumers.” But he passed onthe millions Miller was seekingfor marketing efforts and otherprograms lawmakers didn’t seeas necessary.Miller said he has a good re-

lationship with lawmakers andcalled Gonzales’ statement “one

of the best compliments” he’sever received. “I’ll take that anyday — that I’m aggressive andworking harder than expected.”Earlier inApril,TheTexasTri-

bunereported thatMiller initial-lyhadbackedarenovationof hisoffice,whichwasto includehand-scrapedwoodfloors, terrazzo tileand a shower. The renovationeventually was put on indefinitehold.The department has declined

to provide the Tribune with atotal cost estimate, but recordsshowthedepartmentwasprepar-ing to shell out $64,000 to replacecarpetwithHillCountry Innova-tions EnvyWood Flooring.“All of these stories are shock-

ing tome,” Gonzales said.In a statement to the Tribune,

spokesman Bryan Black saidMiller “put a stop” to the up-grade due to concerns about theagency’s budget woes.Meanwhile, Miller’s relation-

shipwiththeLegislatureappearstobedeteriorating inotherways.In the past few weeks, he wasasked tomove his car off Capitolgrounds after parking where hewasn’tsupposedto;hewasdeniedaccess to the secured drivewaycircling the building; and whileadvocating for a bigger budget,Millerwasaskedto leave thepartof the House chamber generallyreserved for currentmembers.Miller’s personnel decisions

also have drawn scrutiny. Forinstance, the head of Miller’sgovernment relations team hasacriminalrecordstemmingfromcampaignfinanceabusesinOkla-homa.Walt Roberts, assistant com-

missioner for legislative affairsand external relations, pleadedguilty to federal felony and mis-demeanor charges in 2003. Rob-erts, a former Democratic staterepresentative from McAlester,Oklahoma, participated in aconspiracy to funnel more than$200,000 into his unsuccessful1998 campaign for Congress, ac-cordingtoa2003U.S.Departmentof Justice press release.State Rep. Giovanni Capri-

glione, R-Southlake, said he wassurprised and disturbed to learnthosedetails, reportedbytheTri-

Miller, from Page 4

See AG, Page 7


These cattle have all been screened to ensure youonly the best quality conmmercial cattle will offered.Cattle will be palpated and sold in uniformly sortedgroups to fit any cattleman’s needs.

On Thursday, May 7th, a complete listing ofall sale cattle will be atwww.johnsoncattlemarketing.com

For information Call Tom Johnson817.291.5121

MAY 16, 2015

News

Brazos ValleyResults of the Brazos Valley

Livestock Commission’s April 14sale:Head: 710Steers: 200-300 lbs., $380-

$455; 300-400 lbs., $310-$385;400-500 lbs., $270-$320; 500-600 lbs., $230-$275; 600-700lbs., $205-$242; 700-800 lbs.,$205-$215.Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $280-

$350; 300-400 lbs., $280-$330;400-500 lbs., $250-$290; 500-600 lbs., $215-$252; 600-700lbs., $190-$220.Slaughter bulls: $125-$145.Slaughter cows: $90-$127.Bred cows: $1,400-$2,450.Cow/calf pairs: $1,750-

$3,150.

BuffaloResults of the Buffalo Livestock

Exchange’s April 11 sale:Head: 1,028Steers: 150-200 lbs., $380-

$570; 200-300 lbs., $350-$425;300-400 lbs., $315-$365; 400-500 lbs., $285-$340; 500-600bs., $235-$382; 600-700 lbs.,$220-$255; 700-800 lbs., $195-$222.Heifers: 150-200 lbs., $330-

$500; 200-300 lbs., $275-$430;300-400 lbs., $245-$335; 400-500 lbs., $225-$320; 500-600lbs., $215-$305; 600-700 lbs.,$195-$250; 700-800 lbs., $165-$240.Slaughter bulls: $125-$146.Slaughter cows: $75-$131.Bred cows: $1,350-$2,850.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,100-$3.050.

CaldwellResults of the Caldwell Live-

stock Commission’s April 15 sale:Head: 341Steers: 200-300 lbs., $370-

$530; 300-400 lbs., $325-$400;400-500 lbs., $265-$290; 500-600 lbs., $255-$2280; 600-700lbs., $2250-$250; 700-800 lbs.,$205-$225.Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $350-

$400; 300-400 lbs., $320-$350;400-500 lbs., $265-$290; 500-600 lbs., $240-$265; 600-700lbs., $220-$255; 700-800 lbs.,$200-$215.Slaughter bulls: $127-$144.Slaughter cows: $85-$130.Stocker cows: $1,500-$2,000.Cow/calf pairs: $1,475-

$2,200.

GroesbeckResults of the Groesbeck Auc-

tion & Livestock Co.’s April 9 sale:Head: 361Steers: 300-400 lbs., $360-

$420; 400-500 lbs., $320-$375;500-600 lbs., $260-$315; 600-700 lbs., $220-$285.Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $300-

$360; 400-500 lbs., $290-$395;500-600 lbs., $220-$310; 600-700 lbs., $185-$265.Slaughter bulls: $139-$153.Slaughter cows: $87-$124.Bred cows: $1,000-$3,000.Cow/calf pairs: $1,200-

$3,500.

JordanResults of the Jordan Cattle

Auction’s April 16 sale:Steers: 300-400 lbs., $300-

$330; 400-500 lbs., $275-330;500-600 lbs., $240-$292.50;600-700 lbs., $225-$255; 700-800lbs., $210-$235.Heifers: 300-400 lbs.,

$270-$300; 400-500 lbs.,$245-$297.50; 500-600 lbs.,$220-$277.50; 600-700 lbs.,$210-$231; 700-800 lbs., $190-$203.Slaughter bulls: $125-$149.Slaughter cows: $100-$129.Stocker cows: $1,875-$2,275.Cow/calf pairs: $2,150-

$4,450.

MilanoResults of the Milano Livestock

Exchange’s April 14 sale:Steers: 300-400 lbs., $341-

$372; 400-500 lbs., $270-$297;500-600 lbs., $223-$269; 600-700 lbs., $206-$232.Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $301-

$327; 400-500 lbs., $261-$299;500-600 lbs., $245-$264; 600-700 lbs., $196-$219.Slaughter bulls: $123-$144.Slaughter cows: $85-$115.Stocker cows: $2,125-$2,425.

NavasotaResults of the Navasota Live-

stock Auction Co.’s April 11 sale:Head: 1,152Steers: 150-300 lbs., $225-

$570; 300-400 lbs., $225-$380;400-500 lbs., $185-$330; 500-600 lbs., $175-$285; 600-700lbs., $170-$242.50.Heifers: 150-300 lbs., $195-

$480; 300-400 lbs., $185-$330;400-500 lbs., $185-$305; 500-600 lbs., $175-$275; 600-700

lbs., $170-$240.Slaughter bulls: $110-$150.Slaughter cows: $85-$121.Stocker cows: $1,300-$2,200.Cow/calf pairs: $2,100-

$2,400.— Special to the Post

LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORT

HighCountryUpdate set forMay6

Texas A&MAgriLife Extension

MARFA — The Texas A&MAgriLife Extension Service willconduct the High Country Beefand Range Management Updatefrom 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.May 6 at theMarfa National Bank.Individual registration is $10

due upon arrival, but those plan-ning to attend should RSVP bycalling the AgriLife Extensionoffice in Presidio County at 432-729-4746 or Brewster/Jeff Daviscounties at 432-837-6207.


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NewsGrass-fedbeef conference tobeMay28-29

By Blair FanninTexas A&MAgriLife Extension

Service

With consumer interest aboutwhere food comes from increas-ing, grass-fedbeef producerswillhave the opportunity to learnmoreaboutmarketingopportuni-tiesandproductiontrendsduringaMay28-29 conference inCollegeStation.Rick Machen, Texas A&M

AgriLife Extension Service beefcattle specialist in Uvalde, saidproducers can learn about allaspects of grass-fed beef produc-tion techniquesat theconference,which will be held at the Rosen-thalMeatScienceBuildingontheTexas A&MUniversity campus.“One of the highlights will be

Dr.MonteRouquette,TexasA&MAgriLifeResearch forageagrono-mist fromOverton,”Machensaid.“Montehasclearlydemonstrated

how to produce forage-finishedbeef in East Texas. He’s amongthe best forage agronomists inthe southern U.S. and has yearsof experience.”Given the ongoing drought

acrossmuchof theSouthCentralU.S., sustainable forage produc-tion is atop everyone’s items ofinterest list, Machen said.“As always, a significant em-

phasis in this year’s conferencewill be the importance of a sus-tainable forage supply in bothquantityandquality, perhaps themost difficult part of a grass-fedbeef production system.”The conference will cover a

broad range of important topicspertaining to grass-fed beef pro-duction and is open to both beefproducers and consumers.The following topics will be

discussed: overview of the beefindustry; definingnatural, grass-

fed and organic beef; forage-growing fundamentals; cattletypes suited for grass-fed beef;forage-based nutrition for cattle;preventive herd health; handlingcattle forwholesomebeef; carcassfabrication; consumers and theirexpectations;marketingauniqueproduct; and economics and sus-tainability.A live carcass fabrication dem-

onstration will be a second dayhighlight.Thecost is $250 throughMay15

and $300 after.To register online, go to agril-

iferegister.tamu.edu/ and enterkeyword “grassfed” or call 979-845-2604. The conference is spon-soredbyAgriLifeExtensionwithfunding from Sustainable Agri-culture Research and Education(www.sare.org/), which providesgrantsandeducationprogramstoadvance agricultural innovation.

Water quality trainingMay7Special to The Post

KOSSE — A Texas Water-shed Steward workshop onwater quality issues relatedto the Navasota River willbe from 1-5 p.m. May 7 at theKosseCommunityCenter, 200Texas 14.The workshop is presented

by the Texas A&M AgriLifeExtension Service and theTexas State Soil and WaterConservation Board in coop-eration with the Texas WaterResources Institute.The training is free and

open to anyone interested inimproving water quality inthe region, program coordi-nators said. Participants areencouraged to preregister attheTexasWatershedStewardwebsite at tws.tamu.edu.“This training is designed

to help watershed residents

improve and protect theirwater resources by becominginvolved in local watershedprotection and managementactivities,”saidMichaelKuituof College Station, AgriLifeExtensionprogramspecialistand coordinator for theTexasWatershedStewardprogram.Kuitu said the workshop

will include an overview ofwater quality and watershedmanagement in Texas, butwill focus primarily on areawater quality issues, includ-ing current efforts to helpimprove and protect the Na-vasota River. The workshopwill address issues related totheNavasotaRiverbutwill beapplicable to all waters in theregion, he said.The training will include a

discussion of watershed sys-

SeeWATER, Page 17

The Land & Livestock Post May 2015 — Issue 1 9

News

MobhitGrazingcattle toboostwhitetaildeernumbers

By ROBERT FEARSSpecial to The Post

Newmanagement ideas canbe obtained by drivingacross the state line andobserving what producersare doing in neighboring

states. Themob grazing of cattle to growwhitetails concept was brought tomyattention by Brett Addison’s presenta-tion at the 2013 Grazingland Conferencein FortWorth.Wanting to learnmore, Idrove to the Addison Ranch nearMari-etta, just a fewmiles north of the Texas/Oklahoma line.Primary focus of the Addison Ranch

is hunting. It offers a variety of guidedhunts including trophywhitetail deer,management whitetail deer, bow, feralhog, turkey, duck and combinationpackages. The lodge is located on oneof the highest points on the ranchwithbreathtaking views of the lower creekbottoms. It contains four bedrooms andthree baths and can accommodate upto six hunters comfortably. Cow-calfand stocker operations on the ranch aremanaged to improve andmaintain goodwildlife habitat.“Lisa, mywife, and I drafted amis-

sion statement for the ranch operationwhich guides ourmanagement prac-tices,” Addison said. “Ourmission is toutilize enterprises on our land to pay forthe landwhile building a cash reservefor operational expenses. Managementmust be based on producing a healthyproduct while improving the land forfuture generations. Decisions for theranch should bemade with the followingranked priorities inmind: faith, family,fun, financial and friends.”Previous to buying the Oklahoma

ranch, Brett ranched with his father inNorth Texas, where they intensively,short-term grazed 50 pastures of the

same size and containing the samehabitat. There are approximately 100pastures on the Oklahoma ranchwithextremely diverse habitat, which dic-tates a variance in pasture size of 10 to400 acres.

Pasture improvement“I usemob grazing because I have

learned that it improves pastures andincreases animal productivity,” Addisonsaid. “Many producers, includingmy-self, have shown that stocking rates can

be increased after utilizingmob grazingfor a few years; however, you should becareful with increasing animal units,because of the continued threat ofdrought.“You don’t want to get caught with too

many cattle during dry periods and haveto destock in a depressedmarket. I alsolikemob grazing because it is accom-plished primarily withmanagement andvery little money is required.”“Mob grazing involvesmoving cattle

at least daily between small paddocks,

sized tomatch the number of grazingcattle, and split by portable electricfence,” said Jason Johnson, publicaffairs specialist, USDANatural Re-sources Conservation Service. “The goalis for every plant in the grazing cell to beeither eaten or walked on and trampled.“Plants in each paddock then rest for

60 to 120 days ormore. Benefits of mobgrazing compared to continuous graz-ing include: allowingmore cattle on thesame or fewer acres, better weed con-SeeMOB, Page 11

Photo by Ben TedrickBrett Addison uses the mob method of raising cattle as a way to enhance the deer population on his hunting ranch near Marietta, Oklahoma.

Cover photo by Ben Tedrick


Newstrol, less fertilizer cost, extend-ed grazing season, improvedlivestock health, more plantdiversity, and better soil healththrough built-up organicmatterand reduced erosion.”“It’s not a big deal if I move

the cattle daily or weekly,” saysBill Totemeier, a producer nearNew London, Iowa. “What’simportant is managing aroundthe weather, your forages, andalways watching animal perfor-mance.“Think holistically, be flexible

and vary rotations from year toyear to allow seed productionon all paddocks.”Putting a large number of

cattle in a pasture for a shortperiod of time causes the ani-mals to grazemore of the wholelandscape and to select a widervariety of plant species. Re-moving the canopy of existingplants by grazing creates spacefor additional plants to estab-lish and encourages a greaterdiversity of plants. Plant diver-sity causes an increase in soilmicrobe activity resulting inbetter soil health. Amore evendistribution of urine and dungoccurs withmob grazing whichimproves soil fertility. Betterdistribution of litter, due tomobgrazing, protects the soil fromheat and catches rainfall forpercolation into the soil.“In the spring, I like to see

yellow and brown vegetationmixed with the green,” says Ad-dison. “The yellow and brown

last year’s growth tells me thatthe pasture wasn’t overgrazed.The old growthmixed withlush, nutrient-rich spring veg-etation provides a balanced dietfor the cattle.”

Deer improvement“We high-fenced the property

in 2000 and in 2010, we startedmob grazing,” Addison said.“By 2012, deer withmaximumantler scores of 208 inches wereharvested. In 2014, 10 bucksscoringmore than 190 inchesand five withmore than 200inch antlers were identified.The largest buckwas harvestedand scored 254 6/8 Boone andCrockett gross.“Our deer currently have

more antlermass and pointsthan anytime during the 14years of being in the huntingbusiness. We also havemoredeer than before. Wasmobgrazing responsible for the im-proved deer population?“I can say that mob grazing of

cattle has improved deer habi-tat,” Addison said.“Mob grazing allowsme to

impact everything growing ina given area, which creates amore diverse plant community.Cattle break and tramp downbrush promoting sprouting ofnew green growth that deer rel-ish.“There is very little woody

plant understory in our nativehardwood groves due to thecattle. The result is amixture of

Mob, from

See DEER, Page 12


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Newsgrass, forbs and sprouts whichentice the cattle and deer tofeed in these areas.”Deer on the Addison ranch

eat only native vegetation.There are no food plots or sup-plemental protein feeding. Cornis fed during hunting season tomake the deermore visible.Wildlife on the ranch is cared

for throughmanagement, notmoney.

Cattle improvementThe same principle of low-

cost management is utilizedin the cattle enterprises also.There are no purchases offeed, hay, fertilizer or cattleinsecticides. The only healthtreatment is vaccination for theClostridia diseases when theyare dehorned and castrated.Short durations of grazing

and long rest periods for pas-tures prevent completion ofparasite life cycles, so they arenot a threat to livestock. Ad-dison alsomaintains a closedherd, so disease organisms are

not introduced from the out-side.Addison’s cattle breeding

program is based on informa-tion obtained fromDick Diven,who conducted LowCost Cow/Calf Production Schools at theUniversity of California.“Animals are sunbathers,”

said Diven. “The sun plays animportant role with regards toreproduction. The amount ofdaylight is referred to as photo-period.“Manywild animals are

seasonal breeders that usephotoperiod as the indicator forcycling and breeding. Photo-periods vary with latitude andinteract with animal body con-dition score.At 40 degrees north latitude,

postpartum interval (time be-tween calving and normal cy-cling) increases at body condi-tion score 5 or 5.5 and decreasesat body condition score 7.It is because of this interac-

tion that you cannotmake theblanket statement of being inbody condition score 5 at calv-ing. Maybe it needs to be 5.5, 6

or 4.5. It depends on your loca-tion.”Probabilities of conception

by 85 days post calving for thelatitude of the Addison Ranchis shown in the table on page 11.If a calf is desired every year

then a cow has to conceive with-in 85 days after calving.Assuming a 280-day average

gestation period, then 365 daysin a yearminus a 280-day gesta-tion period equals 85 days inwhich to breed back. Probabili-ties are expressed in percent-ages, so a “1.0” in Table 1meansthat there is a 100 percentchance that a cowwill calve by85 days post calving.Addison’s cows calve from

June 12 until late August. Ac-cording to Table 1, if his cowsare at BCS 6 when they calve,they will have a 100 percentchance of breeding backwithin85 days.It is interesting to note that

at the Addison Ranch latitude,cows calving at below BCS 6have a fairly low chance ofbreeding backwithin 85 days.Another advantage in Addi-son’s calving period is that hiscows are lactating when foragequality is good and their nutri-ent requirements are at thehighest level.Calves are weaned around

March 15 and are held as stock-ers until late August. Flexiblesale dates allow formarketfluctuations, drought or otherfactors.“Do not become overly con-

centrated on land condition andforget the cattle,” Addison said.“Learn how to score animal

body condition andmonitor itconstantly.“Look at rumen fill. If a cow’s

rumen is not full in themiddleof day, she couldn’t get enoughto eat that morning.“Observe cow pats to deter-

mine diet quality. If they arestacked high, the cow is eating alot of lignin which is not nutri-tious. I like to see them ratherflat with amoist dimple in themiddle indicating that the cowis getting a balanced diet.“If monitoring shows a prob-

lem, either use bigger pasturesormove the cattle more often.”Mob grazing works for Ad-

dison because he is flexible. Ifhe gets tired, he doesn’t movecattle for a week. He gives theman extra big pasture where theydon’t have to bemoved as often.Addison also is flexible in se-

lecting locations for his tempo-rary fencing. He picks the easyspots for poly-wire installationsand does not necessary put thefence in the same spot everytime hemoves cattle.Addison is quick to say, “Mob

grazingmight not work forevery operation— but it sureworks forme.”

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NewsThree-dayprescribedfire ‘rancher roundtable’ slated forMay13-15

By Steve ByrnSTexas A&MAgriLife Extension

Service

ABILENE— The Texas A&MAgriLife Extension Service andseveral state and federal agen-cies will conduct the RancherRoundtable: Facilitating theUseof PrescribedFire throughGraz-ing Management symposiumMay 13-15 in Abilene.Themeetingwillbeheld in the

BigCountryHall, 1982LytleWay,locatedontheTaylorCountyEx-po Center grounds.Morgan Russell, AgriLife

Extension range specialist atSan Angelo, said the event willhighlight key speakers from heragency, Texas A&M AgriLifeResearch, U.S. Department ofAgriculture Natural ResourcesConservationService,OklahomaState University, The Samuel

Roberts Noble Foundation, Tex-as Grazing Lands ConservationInitiative and industry profes-sionals.“The goal of the program is to

bring private, commercial andgovernmental prescribed fireexperts together to share theirthoughts among each other andwith landowners and managersinterested in the art and scienceof using prescribed fire as arange management tool,” Rus-sell said.“Topics will cover all aspects

of prescribed fire as they relateto long term-range, livestockandwildlife management goals.”Individual preregistration is

$150. Preregister at agrilifereg-ister.tamu.edu/ and search for“rancher.”For more information contact

Russell at 325-653-4576, [email protected];JeffGood-

win, Natural Resources Conser-vationServicerangelandspecial-ist inTemple,at254-742-9951,[email protected]; or TimSteffens, AgriLife Extensionrange specialist in Canyon, at806-651-2781, [email protected] 13 activities will begin

with a noon to 12:45 p.m. regis-trationandprogramuntil 5p.m.,followed by a networking hour .The afternoon’s topics and

speakers will include:• Ecological Processes – What

Drives Texas Systems?, Jim An-sley, AgriLife Research rangescientist, Vernon

• Grazing Management to Ac-complish Drought, Fuel, PlantCommunity and LandscapeGoals,andGrazingManagementTools,RulesandGuidelines,Stef-fens.• Prescribed Fire and Why?,

Charles“Butch”Taylor, superin-tendentof theAgriLifeResearchStation at SonoraMay14activitieswill startwith

a 7:30 a.m. breakfast followed bya chartered bus ranch tour withspeakers Steffens, Russell andKeith Blair, commercial pre-scribedburnmanageratSonora,speaking. They will discuss anddemonstrate grazing manage-ment planning considerations,prescribed fire and safety aswell as onsite results-planningthrough implementationThe assembly will reconvene

in theBigCountryHall for lunchfollowed by presentations andspeakers, including:

• Working with Natural Re-sources Conservation Serviceand Prescribed Burn Associa-tions, and Post Burn Manage-ment, Goodwin• Planning a Prescribed Burn,

and Prescribed Burn Strategies,JohnWeir, OklahomaState Uni-versity research associate.

• Certified Prescribed BurnManager Requirements, BlairMay15activitieswill last from

8 a.m-noon. Topics and speakerswill include:• Prescribed Burn Insurance

and Liability, Russell Stevens,strategic consultation manager,The Noble Foundation.•Fire,GrazingandTheirWild-

life Implications, Dale Rollins,retiredAgriLife Extensionwild-life specialist inSanAngelo,whocontinues to serve as the quailproject leader for the Reversingthe Quail Decline Initiative andas executive director of the Roll-ingPlainsQuailResearchRanchat Roby.• Panel Discussion to be con-

ducted by producers and agencyand industry personnel.

Bird flu confirmed in SouthDakotaBy KevIn BUrBACH

Associated Press

SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota—A bird flu strain that’s deadlyto poultryhas been confirmed inasecondcommercial turkeyflockin eastern SouthDakota, federalofficials said April 9, bringing to15 the number of Midwest farmsinfected.The U.S. Department of Ag-

riculture confirmed the strainof avian influenza in the flockof 34,000 turkeys in KingsburgCounty, which sits between Hu-ron and Brookings.The U.S. in recent months has

seen an increase in cases of thehighlypathogenicH5N2strainaf-fectingpoultry inmultiplestates,includingnearbyMinnesota.Thefederal Centers for Disease Con-trolandPreventionconsiders therisk to people to be low.So far the total number of out-

breaks across the Midwest hasreached 15, including the newfinding in South Dakota. Minne-sotahasbeenhit thehardestwith

nine farms struck by the virus.The disease has killed or forcedproducers to destroy well over500,000 birds since earlyMarch.The first case of the virus in

SouthDakotawas found in earlyAppril at Riverside Farms nearHuron in Beadle County. Thatflock is one of theHutterite colo-nies thatownandsupply turkeysto Dakota Turkey Growers LLC.State officials said they had

quarantined the latest farm andthat birds on the propertywouldbe killed.Dr. Dustin Oedekoven, South

Dakota’s stateveterinarian, said,“We do anticipate that we couldfind additional cases, additionalfarmsinfectedwithhighlypatho-genic avian influenza,” Oedek-oven said.Thevirusposesavery lowrisk

to humans — none have beeninfected so far — but Lon Kight-linger, the state epidemiologist,said they are still asking thosewho are directly exposed to in-fected birds to self-monitor for10 days.


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NewsVegetable study targetswater savings in theHighPlains

By Kay LedBetterTexas A&MAgriLife Extension

Service

AMARILLO—Vegetable pro-duction is not new in the TexasHighPlains, but it is being re-ex-amined inaTexasA&MAgriLifeResearch study to see if it mightoffer awater-savings alternativeto somecereal grainproduction.“Everybody knows we are

generally water short in theTexas High Plains and can nolonger meet 100 percent of allcrop water needs,” said ThomasMarek,AgriLifeResearchseniorresearch engineer for irrigationwaterconservationandmanage-ment in Amarillo.“We grow a tremendous

amount of corn for the cattle in-dustry. And we know from ourregional water plan that cornproduction is going to have to bereduced in the future.”Marek said production chang-

es, preferably to higher valuedcrops such as certain types ofvegetables, may be a partial so-lution to sustaining future prof-itability for Texas High Plains’producers, particularly thosefacing water shortages withinthe northwestern area.“Water is the largest input fac-

tor ineconomically feasible cropproduction, so numerous watermanagement strategies havebeenproposedbytheregion’swa-terplanningcommittee, thePan-handle Water Planning Group,”he said. “One of those strategiesbeing considered is that of cropchanges to reduce irrigationwa-ter use.“While water use for vegeta-

blesmaynotbe lessperacrethanthatof somecurrentlyproducedcereal grains, less overall re-gional acreage may be requiredto potentially maintain or evenincreaseexistingprofit levels forproducers,”Marek said.He conducted a relatively

smalldemonstrationin2014withseveral categories of vegetablesat the AgriLife Research JamesBush Farm north of Bushland.This study was supported by

the U.S. Department of Agri-culture Agricultural ResearchService’s Ogallala Aquifer Pro-gram,AgriLifeResearchandtheUSDANational Instituteof Foodand Agriculture.Mareksaidtheygrewthehigh-

er value runner-type vegetablessuchassquash,zucchini,cucum-bers, as well as peppers, onions,melons, tomatoes, black-eyedpeas and okra.“We have a pretty definite

range of what we are evaluat-ing at this point,” he said. “Thepotential has been promising todate.”All vegetables were grown

under a single irrigation leveltargeted at a high evapotranspi-ration — known as ET — level.A weather station, which is partof the Texas High Plains Evapo-transpiration Network, waslocated near the plots and wasused to compute daily referenceevapotranspirationtoknowwhatthe actual water demandwas.Plots were planted on May 29

and again on June 10. This waslater than desired, but schedul-ing conflicts prevented earlieroperations.Irrigation was applied using

surface-flowirrigation.Astheto-talplotareawasrelativelysmall,Mareksaidirrigationefficiencieswere high, and the total amountof irrigation applied from plant-

ing to harvest was 17.46 inches.Thein-seasonrainfall in2014was12.61 inches.

Each vegetable was evaluatedon a bedded, two-row, 20-feetlong plot size. Row spacing was30 inches.Vegetableswerehand-harvested on a two-to-three-daybasis. Data regarding plantcount, harvested fruit number,total harvested weight per pick-

ing andwaterusewere recordedfor each harvest event.Marek said several things de-

termined with the first round ofthe study were: earlier plantingwouldhelp increaseyieldoutput

Texas A&MAgriLife Research photoTexas A&M AgriLife Research student workers harvest peas from a study plot at the AgriLifeResearch James Bush Farm north of Bushland.

See VEGGIES, Page 17


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NewsLegislationaims topreventanother fertilizerplantblast

By Eva HErsHawAssociated Press

Looking to prevent anothertragedy like the2013explosionataWest fertilizer blast that killed15 people, a lawmaker recentlypromoted legislation that callsfor increased facility inspectionsand tighter storage regulationsto reduce accidents in the fertil-izer industry.House Bill 942, authored by

state Rep. Kyle Kacal, R-CollegeStation, would regulate the stor-age of ammonium nitrate andrequire the Texas Commissionon Environmental Quality tocollect hazardous chemical re-ports filed by facility operators,a task currently assigned to theDepartment of StateHealth Ser-vices. Last year, discussions ofsimilar legislationweremetwithopposition by someRepublicanswho were hesitant to imposeregulations on fertilizer storagefacilities.“Our state has gone through a

great deal of work to study theissues thought tohavecontribut-ed to the [West} disaster,” Kacalsaid, speakingto theHouseCom-mitteeonEnvironmentalRegula-tion. The city of West lies in thenorthernpartof hisdistrict. “HB492 seeks to follow up on the ac-tions taken by the state to regu-late the fertilizer industry.”Specifically, the bill would es-

tablish strict guidelines for thestorage of ammonium nitrate,which would need to be storedat least 30 feet fromany combus-tible orflammablematerial. Thelegislationwould require a stateor local fire marshal to inspectstorage facilities to identify po-tential fire hazards and allow lo-cal fire departments to tour fa-cilities for“pre-fireplanning.” Inaddition, the bill would increasereportingrequirements for facil-ityoperatorsstoringammoniumnitrate.Kacal’s original bill had pro-

posed increased penalties for vi-olations related to the improperhandlingof hazardouschemicalsatmanufacturingplantsandnewpenalties forviolationsatstorage

facilities.Kacalpresentedsubsti-tute legislation to the committeeon April 14 that did not includethose penalties.On April 17, 2013, a fertilizer

plant in West caught fire andthen exploded as firefighters at-tempted to douse the flames. Inaddition to the 15 people whowere killed, more than 200 oth-ers were injured.While thecauseof theoriginal

fireremainsunknown,theexplo-sion occurred when the flamesreacheda tankof ammoniumni-

trate, a common fertilizer storedat the facility.“We have stored ammonium

nitrate for at least 35years,” saidJim Farley, the owner of FarleyFarmSupplyinDeLeon,whotes-tified in support of Kacal’s bill.Others expressed support of

HB 492, but urged lawmakers toinclude local authorities in theinspection process.“The state fire marshal has

no connection to the local firedepartment,” said Brad John-son, the general manager of the

Northeast Texas Farmers Co-op, which represents more than7,000 farmers across 10 counties.“Shouldn’t the local fire chiefknow about a violation that thestate fire marshal has found? Iwant our folks included.”Tom“Smitty” Smith, the state

director of Public Citizen, a con-sumer protection group, alsourged lawmakers to keep infor-mationaboutammoniumnitratefacilities available to the public.House Bill 417, filed by state

Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso,would impose penalties for im-proper storage of ammoniumnitrateandcreatea rule-makingauthority on ammoniumnitratefacilities that the lawmaker de-scribed as “a living, breathingforum.”“Therule-makingauthority is

a way to make changes without

theLegislaturebeinginsession,”Pickett told the committee, ex-plainingthattheauthoritywouldwork with state agencies. “If wedon’t do something,wewill haveanotherWest explosion.”While bills by Kacal and Pick-

ett aim to improve the storageof ammonium nitrate, two addi-tional bills heardby the commit-teeaimedtoaddressother issuesrelated to the 2013 blast.House Bill 2470, filed by Rep.

Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin,would require anyone who pro-duces,stores, transfers,orblendsammoniumnitratetohavepublicliability insurance, while HouseBill 3810byRep.ArmandoWalle,D-Houston, would establish astatewide notification system inthe case of a hazardous chemi-cal leak from a manufacturingfacility.

Photo by Mike Stone/Bay Area NewsA vehicle near the remains of a fertilizer plant burning after a 2013 explosion inWest,north of Waco.


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News

per plant; and plant establish-mentwithtransplantsneedstobeaugmented by the use of protec-tive wind cylinders due to earlyseason high wind speeds in 2014.“We had area folks driving by

the field who asked ‘what are allthose white things out there inthe field and what are y’all do-ing?’ so I knew the local commu-nitywaspayingattention towhatwewere doing,” he said.Marek said they will need to

look at the heat unit require-ments to be sure vegetables rou-tinely can be produced.Also, more research is needed

regarding production water useand management within the re-gionbeforeadequateassessmentcanbemadewith vegetables as a

viablewater-savingalternative tocurrentcerealgrainsproduction.The demonstration-type as-

sessment is planned again for2015 and will be complementedwithrelatedprojects in theTexasA&M AgriLife cropping systemprogram with wheat stubble in-volving AgriLife Research sci-entists and Texas A&MAgriLifeExtension Service specialists, hesaid.“The results so far have been

promising that we can producevegetables,”Mareksaid. “What’sgoingtobeneededultimately is todevelop theneededmarket struc-tureagain.Whatwewillcontinueto determine are the productionaspects and water-use efficiencyof various vegetables and deter-mine what is most efficient overtime.”

Veggies, from Page 15

tems, types and sources of waterpollution, and ways to improveand protect water quality. Therealso will be a group discussiononcommunity-drivenwatershedprotection andmanagement.“Various segments and tribu-

taries of the Navasota RiveraboveandbelowLakeLimestoneto its confluencewith theBrazosRiver are on the state list of im-paired waters for elevated levelsof bacteria” said LucasGregory,Project Specialist for the TexasWaterResources Institute, basedin College Station. “It first ap-peared on that list in 2002.”“The supportive role the Na-

vasota River plays in regards toregional water supplies, wildlifehabitat, and agriculture is vital.It is a truly important water re-source,” said David Groschke,AgriLife Extension agent forLimestone County.Groschke encourages local

residents and other stakehold-ers to attend the workshop togain more information aboutwater resources and water qual-ity improvement andprotection.Along with the training, par-

ticipants will receive a copy ofthe Texas Watershed StewardHandbook and a certificate ofcompletion. The program offers

four continuing education unitsin soil and water managementfor certified crop advisers, fourunits for professional engineers,professional geoscientists, andcertified planners, four creditsfor certified teachers, and twocredits for nutrient manage-ment specialists. It also offersthree general continuing educa-tion units for Texas Departmentof Agriculture pesticide licenseholders, four for certified land-scape architects and three forcertified floodplainmanagers.“Participating in the Texas

WatershedStewardprogramisagreatopportunity toget involvedandmakeadifferenceinyourwa-tershed,” said Gregory.For more information and

to preregister, go to tws.tamu.edu or contact Kuitu at 979-862-4457, [email protected] or Groschke at 254-729-5314,[email protected]. Formore information about water-shed protection efforts for theNavasotaRiver, contactGregoryat 979-845-7869 or [email protected] Texas Watershed Stew-

ard program is funded througha Clean Water Act Section 319nonpoint source grant from theTexas State Soil and Water Con-servation Board and U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection Agency.

Water, from Page 9


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NewsVet’sVoice:Howdoyoutodorightbyyourcalves?

By Dr. Meredyth JonesTexas A&MUniversity Veterinary

Medical Teaching Hospital

Thearrival of a healthycalf is the culmination ofmonths and years of work

with a cowherd.As a cow-calf producer, you

are the first step in the beefproduction cycle and a criticalcontrol point for animal health,welfare, and the production of asafe, wholesome final product.It may seem that if you send

tomarket a calf that is healthyand has been handled appropri-ately, then you havemet yourobligations for the support ofanimal health andwelfare.I would argue, however, that

themost important animalhealth andwelfare step you cantake is tomake sure it is pre-pared for the next step.A calf beingmarketed off the

ranch is going to experience atleast twomajor transitions dur-ing his lifetime.Performing certain proce-

dures while he still is home cango a long way toward ensuringthat his risk of illness is mini-mized during the stocker and

feedlot phases of growth.

Castration anddehorningCastration and dehorning

are unquestionably themoststressful procedures performedon calves in the beef produc-tion cycle. Intact bulls and thepresence of horns introduceundesirable qualities into thecarcass and beef product whichthe feedlot and packers wish toavoid.For this reason, after a calf

leaves a cow-calf operation, theoperator of the next stepmorethan likely will perform one orboth of these procedures imme-diately or nearly immediatelyafter the calf arrives.Themost important thing to

know about these procedures isthat the stress associated withthem can beminimized by per-forming themwhen calves areyounger and still with the dam.Delaying these procedures untila calf arrives at a new facilityresults inmore complicatedprocedures being performed onthe calf during a timewhen italready is stressed due to ship-ping.

There has been a lot of re-search in recent years regard-ing the variousmethods of cas-tration andwhich produce theleast stress response in calves.Regardless of the procedureyou select, get it done well inadvance of weaning to give thatcalf time to heal.

Vaccination andparasite controlDuring the beef production

cycle calves are exposed to anabundance of bacteria andviruses which significantly im-pact the individual calf and theindustry as a whole.From a numbers standpoint,

themost significant of theseare associated with the BovineRespiratory Disease Complex,or pneumonia. The transitiontimes as a calf moves to thestocker and feedlot phases pro-duce conditions which allow forthese pathogens to set up shopand cause disease early afterthemove.Think about sending a child

to daycare or school.While there, he or she is

going to encounter bacteriaand viruses brought in fromchildren from a variety of back-grounds.It’s important that kids be

immunized against themostcommon of those bugs in ordertominimize illness.We are fortunate to have very

effective vaccines against themost important of these bacte-

ria and viruses.When planning to give vac-

cines, remember that most vac-cines require at least twoweeksto begin to provide solid im-munity against their target andmost will require a booster afewweeks after the initial dose.What this means is that, in

order tomake sure a calf hasthe immunity it will need tofend off the bugs it will encoun-ter at transition time, we needto plan ahead and get it vacci-nated early.Making sure that calves have

been treated for parasites helpsto ensuremaximal weight gainsprior to sale and also bolster thecalf’s ability tomount strongimmune response.An outstanding vaccination

and nutrition program can beundone completely by a para-

site burden.The selection of the best vac-

cine and deworming plan foryour operation can be tricky.Be sure to workwith your vet-erinarian to determine whichtypes of vaccines will producethe best immune response inlight of your herdmanagementandwhich parasite treatmentsare indicated.At aminimum, calves should

be protected against clostridialdiseases (blackleg) and viralrespiratory diseases, includingIBR and BVD, with parasiteconsiderations to include stom-achworms, coccidia and exter-nal parasites.Then, make sure that prod-

ucts are being stored, handledand administered properly .

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Published by Bryan-College Station Communications, Inc.,P.O. Box 3000, Bryan, Texas 77805.E-mail: [email protected]

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VVoiceet’s

See VET’SVOICE, Page 19


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NutritionWhen a calf arrives at a feed-

ing operation, it immediatelymust know how to drinkwaterfrom a tank and eat feed froma bunk. A calf weaned on thetruck to the facility can take afew days to figure these out andthe calf pays a significant pricefor this delay. By providingcalves high quality creep feedand forage, weaning at homeand starting them on feed,calves arrive at the next stepready to go.

Starting calves on feed priorto departure not only benefitsthe calf, but also increasesweight gain prior to sale. Somewill advocate that calves bekept at home up to 45 days post-weaning to give them an oppor-tunity to recover from the sepa-ration from the dam, developstrong immunity, and produceweight gain that increases prof-itability.So what’s in it for you?

Healthy, prepared calves have

added value to subsequentphases of the industry.

Even simple eartags can be asilent indicator to a buyer that acalf has gone through the chuteand likely been vaccinated.If you aremarketing through

a local livestockmarket, let themarket owner know so that itcan be announced.Data from Superior Livestock

Auction for 2014 indicates thatcalves that have beenweanedand vaccinated average a priceadvantage of just more than $12per hundredweight.Preventable illness, specifical-

ly from respiratory disease, is asubstantial detriment to animalwell-being in our industry.Getting calves ready for the

next phase of production bydehorning, castrating, vaccinat-ing, and starting on feed canreduce significantly their riskof disease down the road.Make sure your calves don’t

pay the high cost of arrivingwithout the tools they need tosafeguard their health. It’s justthe right thing to do.

Vet’s Voice, from

Landownerconferenceset forMay8By RoBeRt BuRns

Texas A&MAgriLife ExtensionService

LUFKIN — “The Value ofLand,” a conference on issuesaffecting landowners, will beMay8at theTexasA&MAgriLifeExtension Service office, 2201 S.Medford Drive in Lufkin.Topics will include:• “Affecting Landowners: Oil

and Gas Leasing, Water Rightsand Easements”•Estate planning•Groundwater issues• “Fracturing: Hype or Health

Hazard?”“The issues discussed at the

seminarrepresent those facedbyabsentee and agricultural land-owners alike,” said Cary Sims,AgriLife Extension agent forAngelinaCounty. “This seminarwill address concerns for thosewho care for the land today aswell as those of future genera-tions.”

Registration includes lunchand is $40 per person or $50 fora couple if done byMay 1. Regis-tration at the doorwill be $50 perpersonor$60percouple,andalsoincludes lunch, Sims said. Reg-istration on the day of the eventwill begin at 8:30 a.m. with theprogram starting at 9 a.m. andlasting until 3 p.m.Participants may preregister

by contacting the PineywoodsResource Conservation and De-velopment office at 936-568-0414orthroughtheAgrilifeExtensionoffice forAngelinaCountyat 936-634-6414, extension 102.Speakers will include Judon

Fambrough, senior lecturerwithTexasA&MRealEstateCenter inCollege Station; Susan Struver,seniorresearchscientistwiththeTexas A&M Institute of Renew-ableNaturalResourcesinCollegeStation; and Jackie Risner, gen-eralmanager of the PineywoodsGroundwater Conservation Dis-trict in Nacogdoches.


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1800 N. Texas Avenue in Brryan (979) 778-6000 www.producerscooperative.com

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