Brush and Weed Control Education Program (Grant County)

The agriculture agent recorded 237 contacts for the past year in regards to noxious and invasive plant management. This agent feels strongly that one of the CES greatest impacts is one-on-one service that we provide to all clientele including land managers, noxious weed coordinator, state weed specialists, plant society members, garden clubs, and general public that have or think they have state listed noxious plants on their lands. Inquiries come from office visits, e-mail, phone calls, field visits and meetings. Questions include, identification of questionable plants, management recommendations’ including chemical, biological and cultural methods, and CEU's for their pesticide licenses. Significant strides have been made in the treatment of some 1200 acres of Yellow Starthistle in the Gila River Basin, in the Cliff/Gila area and some 40 acres of African Rue in both Grant and Hidalgo counties. This is a result of the Southwest New Mexico Cooperative Weed Management Area being formed in 2006, and two grants funded for mapping, treatment and monitoring of these noxious plants. The agriculture agent served in a significant role in guiding the committee, writing the grant. Chemical recommendations came from extension weed and brush specialist. In 2006 there it was estimated at 800 acres of Yellow Starthistle, but after mapping there is in excess of 1,800 acres infested. With our grants we have been able to hire a part-time coordinator, purchase chemicals and put them into the hands of licensed land managers to treat in excess of 60% of these lands.
With the agriculture agents assistance, the noxious weed coordinator has grown in knowledge and attended recommended trainings. The County Extension Office is unique in offering the general public a place they can walk in or call without an appointment and receive research based information in a timely fashion.

The agriculture agent recorded 276 contacts for the past year in regards to noxious and invasive plant management. This agent feels strongly that one of the CES greatest impacts is one-on-one service that we provide to all clientele including land managers, noxious weed coordinator, state weed specialists, plant society members, garden clubs, and general public that have or think they have state listed noxious plants on their lands. Inquiries come from office visits, e-mail, phone calls, field visits and meetings. Questions include, identification of questionable plants, management recommendations’ including chemical, biological and cultural methods, and CEU's for their pesticide licenses. Significant strides have been made in the treatment of some 1200 acres of Yellow Starthistle in the Gila River Basin, in the Cliff/Gila area and some 40 acres of African Rue in both Grant and Hidalgo counties. This is a result of the Southwest New Mexico Cooperative Weed Management Area being formed in 2006, and two grants funded for mapping, treatment and monitoring of these noxious plants. The agriculture agent served in a significant role in guiding the committee, writing the grant. Chemical recommendations came from extension weed and brush specialist. In 2006 there it was estimated at 800 acres of Yellow Starthistle, but after mapping there is in excess of 1,800 acres infested. With our grants we have been able to hire a part-time coordinator, purchase chemicals and put them into the hands of licensed land managers to treat in excess of 60% of these lands.
With the agriculture agents assistance, the noxious weed coordinator has grown in knowledge and attended recommended trainings. The County Extension Office is unique in offering the general public a place they can walk in or call without an appointment and receive research based information in a timely fashion.

Grant County has numerous noxious plants established in the County with Yellow Starthistle having colonized some 700 acres. Noxious plants are found in every county in the state and are a serious problem on New Mexico Rangelands. In Grant County, there are numerous noxious plants that contribute to the loss of forage production, soil erosion, reduced water use efficiency and increased animal handling costs. These, in turn, lower animal production and cause loss of income to the ranching community. Land managers need to know the most efficacious and economic means of managing noxious brush and weeds. Chemical, mechanical, and biological tools can be used to help reduce the detrimental effects of noxious brush and weeds. Environmentalists have traditionally been an obstacle to chemically treating roadsides managed by NMDOT. A need for an organized Cooperative Weed Management Association is recognized and was formed in 2007.
The target audiences are owners/manage of hundreds of acres of yellow starthistle infected acres of ranch land Grant County, government officials, and allied industry employees that service livestock producers. In order to service the educational needs of Grant County producers, county programs are planned and facilitated with direction of the Agriculture/Natural Resources committee of the Advisory Board. Land managers/hunters become better educated on management of deer to increase quality and increase price of hunts. In addition to approximately 60 beef cattle producers and 80 wildlife managers/hunters that attended extension programs, another approximately 120 made contact with the Grant County Extension Service through, office or field visits, telephone calls or e-mails. Questions and contacts were logged and shared with extension specialists, these contacts are used to develop programming needs for upcoming years.

The major programming goals are to conduct field demonstrations utilizing appropriate range improvement techniques established across the state according to clientele requests and land management agency needs. Also, to increase awareness of noxious plant species and their management those are specific to Southwestern New Mexico, specifically Grant County. Furthermore to increase the knowledge of noxious plant management to private landowners, land management agency personnel through educational programs and direct communications.
Different audiences need help in identification, management options, mapping and education. County Commissioners Court, Public Schools, NMDOT, and the general public.
The formation of the Southwest New Mexico Cooperative Weed Management Association is critical in having a significant impact of the existing colonies of Noxious Plants and the timely control of new colonies that will form in the future.
Major programming efforts in Grant County have included a number of workshops and public programming including numerous field days, for both adult and youth, programs for organizations, extension programs, county commissioners, city government offices, public school boards, steering committees, USDA officials, on the identification, management options including chemical, biological and mechanical methods, importance of control, monitoring and plans to help manage these populations, with some 170 adult contacts and 370youth contacts for Grant Countu. Speakers for program events have been numerous from university specialists, extension county faculty and local county agent. Because of the size of the counties, providing a variety of speakers helps to keep the programs fresh.

Though formal program evaluations were collected from several programs, most of the evaluation to evaluate effectiveness of agents delivery methods and efforts came in forms such as repeat requests to deliver talks, individual requests on technical advice. Appointment of agent on committees and advisory boards to assist with technical expertise in the noxious plant area.

Long term objectives accomplished to date:

As more new technology and information becomes available and is adopted by land managers, overall range conditions will improve.

D. Activities carried out to meet program goals and/or objectives.

1. Ten new demonstration/research trials were installed during
2006-2007. Three demonstrations were installed on prickly pear in Eddy County and one in Lea County. Three cholla trials were established in Guadalupe, Lea and Quay Counties. Two saltcedar trials were established in Eddy County. One mesquite trial was established in Eddy County.







2. Twelve existing demonstration/research trials were evaluated in 2006-2007. One aerial cholla trial was evaluated in Chaves County. One mesquite trial was evaluated in Eddy County. Four prickly pear trials were evaluated in Eddy and Lea Counties. Six cholla trials were evaluated in Guadalupe, Lea and Quay Counties.
3. The Brush and Weed Specialist was involved in planning and coordinating the 2007 New Mexico Vegetation Management Association annual meeting in Albuquerque. This Specialist served as program chair and local arrangements chair for the 2007 meeting. This Specialist attended 10 Board of Directors meetings.
4. The Brush and Weed Specialist provided technical proposal review assistance to the Claunch Pinto SWCD saltcedar management project.
5. This Specialist participated in the Saltcedar Bio-control Consortium meeting - presented information on New Mexico Legislature support of saltcedar management activities.
6. This Specialist participated in the Harding County Locoweed Field Day - provided information on locoweed control.
7. The Brush and Weed Specialist was invited to speak at the Four Corners Irrigation Workshop - provided information on saltcedar control.
8. The Brush and Weed Specialist was invited to speak at the Southwest Noxious Weed Short Course - presented two talks on brush and weed control and saltcedar management.
9. This Specialist provided information and training at the Guadalupe County pesticide training meeting.
10. The Brush and Weed Specialist participated in the two day BLM Rio Grande Saltcedar Project in Taos County - provided information on saltcedar, Russian olive and noxious weed management.
11. This Specialist co-hosted a University of Nebraska- Water Center tour of the southern Pecos River - provided information on saltcedar management and government and public participation in natural resource management.
12. The Brush and Weed Specialist co-hosted an Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell tour of southern New Mexico agriculture - provided information on southeast New Mexico agriculture and saltcedar management.
13. This Specialist attended the EDEN Animal Agro-security Conference.
14. This Specialist co-authored the publication: “Management of Saltcedar Re-growth with Carpet-roller Applied herbicides.” Jose G. Franco, Kirk C. McDaniel, Brent Tanzy and Keith W. Duncan.






E. Resources obtained to meet program objectives:
$15,000 grant from Dow AgroSciences

F. Evaluation results reflective of objectives:
Private landowners and state and federal land managers adapted new information and technology in 2006-2007. This is revealed by the fact that approximately 250,000 acres of New Mexico rangeland and riparian areas were treated during the year. Species in the brush and weed control programs include: Saltcedar, mesquite, creosote bush, tarbush, African rue, Russian knapweed, Russian olive, leafy spurge, woolly locoweed, big sagebrush, sand shinnery oak and scrub oak. In addition, approximately 20,000 acres of previously treated areas are currently in some stage of re-vegetation efforts.

Private land ranchers, state and federal agency personnel and county agents observed and evaluated new and existing field trials throughout the year and adopted new information and technology in 2006-2007. This is revealed by the fact that approximately 250,000 acres of New Mexico rangeland and riparian areas were treated during the year. Species included in the brush and weed control program include: saltcedar, mesquite, creosote bush, tarbush, African rue, Russian knapweed, Russian olive, leafy spurge, woolly locoweed, big sagebrush, sand shinnery oak and scrub oak. In addition, approximately 20,000 acres of previously treated areas are currently in some stage of re-vegetation efforts.

More than 135 demonstration-research cooperators have assisted with this program by permitting research trials on land which they own or manage. Numerous chemical companies such as Dow Agro Sciences, Monsanto, and BASF cooperate by providing herbicides as well as small grants for conducting research. State and federal agencies cooperating include the Bureau of Land Management, U. S. Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, NM State Parks, NM Game and Fish Department, NM Forestry Division, NM Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, Carlsbad Irrigation District, Bureau of Reclamation, NM State Land Office, and several Soil and Water Conservation Districts and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Services.