Agronomic Crop and Improved Pasture System Development

San Ildefonso Alfalfa Planting
Assistance was provided in the fall of 2011 to the San Ildefonso Agricultural Program in the soil sample collection, selection of alfalfa variety seed, planting and irrigation. The five acre field is another crop that the program is looking at incorporating into their agricultural program. Unfortunately due to the dry fall season that was had along with the cold dry winter, they only got a very poor stand of alfalfa.

Crop Disaster Assistance Workshop
The Agent hosted and co-sponsored in August an FSA Disaster Assistance Information Workshop for Farmers and Ranchers who had experienced losses of crops and livestock due to the drought conditions that occurred throughout the course of the year. The workshop that was attended by 18 producers was well received. Those in attendance were grateful for the effort being put forth to organize the workshop.

Pesticides are an important piece of the management tools available to row crop producers, but in order to use them they must have a private applicator’s license. One component of keeping that license is to further their education of proper pesticide use and management. This agent in conjunction with the Roosevelt County Agent and the Bailey County, TX IPM agent hosted a class for those producers that had not received enough credits to renew their license. Twenty-eight producers from two states attended the training meeting and completed their continuing education units and renewed their licenses. Because of their attendance at this class, 100% those who completed their training were better prepared to manage their farming practices and gained knowledge that would improve their business.

Now in its second year, this agent has collected rainfall amounts and forage production data for the entire county. This agent works closely with the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resource Conservation Service in developing a better means of assessing the health of Curry County grazing lands. Four rainfall and forage production sites were set out across the county to measure precipitation and forage yield. These samples are also analyzed to determine nutrient content and that data passed along to producers in order to make better management decisions. This data will be used by the FSA County Committee to assist producers with grazing losses occurred during a given year. This agent feels this opportunity will greatly benefit county clientele by establishing production data that can be measured and compared from year to year and location to location and establish a useful database for future use. Loss of production can then be evaluated by the County Committee to determine if compensation is justifiable for producers.
This agent has fielded and referred numerous questions throughout the year regarding an array of field crops. Part of this job is to provide resources and access to information not readily available to producers. 100% of the producers serviced this year found answers to their production questions which allowed them to make better management decisions.
The Farmer’s Market is a vital part of small scale vegetable producers’ income in Curry County. The market is open one evening and one morning per week and begins selling around June 20 until frost. This agent strives to provide producers with assistance in whatever arena aid is needed. This agent works closely with the Market Manager and continues to manage the finances for the group in an ex-officio role. This agent provided examples for cooking and preparing the many various fruits and vegetables.
This agent serves in multiple capacities over the course of a year and one of those is an ex-officio member of the Curry County Fairboard. The fairboard is the governing body that directs the fair and this agent serves to provide technical support to the decision making process. The fair is an ongoing event and requires some planning and efforts throughout the year in order to see a successful event each year. In addition, this agent serves to meet the needs of people and activities that occur during the fair. The Curry County Fair is a large event held annually in August. It brings together people from all over the area and provides a large economic stimulus to the community. The amount of time required can be quite extensive but the reward to individuals as well as the community is greatly justified. Curry County residents are more satisfied and have a greater quality of life when events such as the fair are provided in a community.
Progressive Agriculture Safety Day is a nationally sponsored hands-on learning activity to help youth in rural communities gain exposure to the potential dangers found in and around agriculture. This activity is targeted toward third grade students from Curry, Quay, Roosevelt, New Mexico and Parmer County, Texas, and is held on an annual basis in the fall. Progressive Ag Safety Day is an outstanding demonstration of how multiple agencies come together in a region to plan and implement a program that has great educational and safety implications. Participating agencies are local Cooperative Extension Offices, Eastern New Mexico Rural Telephone Cooperative, Local Fire and Police Departments, Curry County Farm and Livestock Bureau, New Mexico State Parks Department, Curry County Emergency Managers Office, Farmer’s Electric and Roosevelt County Rural Electric Company, and the Curry County Health Department.

The safety day is designed with learning stations based on a variety of real life scenarios so that students can gain the knowledge of how to deal with a situation if it arises. Students are exposed to learning stations about fire safety, ATV safety, Community emergencies awareness, electrical safety, lawnmower safety, grain entrapment, water safety, firearm safety, and using 911. This agent serves as a state coordinator for Eastern New Mexico for this program and is responsible for overall program implementation and management. Over 1,500 students, teachers, volunteers, and instructors participate in this two day event. The program has actually received national attention from other safety day coordinators because of its format. The Curry/Roosevelt Camp has the largest single day attendance of any program in the country. This is a major undertaking that would not be possible without cooperation and teamwork. Students that leave this program are aware of the potential dangers connected with agriculture and are better prepared to make intelligent decisions when emergencies arrive.

Rise with Roswell – Agriculture Day
The agents in the Chaves County Extension Office have long cooperated with the Roswell Chamber of Commerce in promoting National Agriculture Week in Chaves County. National Agriculture Week is the third week in March and is conducted to promote and publicize agriculture. National Ag Day is the first day of spring and in Roswell is noted by the Chamber of Commerce hosting a chuck wagon breakfast for the public, which also includes a keynote speaker. The agent, along with the other agents in the Chaves County Office, assisted with planning the event. Keynote speaker was Dr. Catlett, Dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. Approximately 145 persons attended the breakfast, coming together to promote the agriculture industry in Chaves County.

Cotton Production in Chaves County
The glandless cotton evaluation project in New Mexico has expanded into Chaves County during this growing season. After years of breeding and development, a new line of Acala that contains no gossypol glands, which produces the toxic substance in cotton seed, has been made available. But without gossypol, glandless cotton is more susceptible to insect pests. NMSU researchers have headed up trials at research centers and with growers in the Mesilla Valley this past year. To test its response in other parts of New Mexico, the agent arranged for a grower in Hagerman to plant glandless cotton this season. To date, the cotton has responded well. Yield and fiber quality data will be collected this fall to determine final response to Chaves County’s climatic and soil conditions.

Hay Market Report
Alfalfa and other hay production is one of the top crops produced in Chaves County, bringing a total of $21,964,000 for producers in 2009. Due to the extreme weather and lack of moisture this year, prices were extremely volatile. NMSU produces a newsletter entitled “Alfalfa Market News” that is distributed across the state. The agent converses with alfalfa producers in the county and submits hay prices to be published in the newsletter. This information assists producers in being knowledgeable of market prices for the commodity they produce and allows them to stay current with the market.