Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture

This agent spends roughly one to two days a week through the majority of the growing season answering questions about lawns, trees, vegetables, insects, and other various small acreage or homeowner questions. These are often simple questions but can be rather detailed and require much time on the phone or researching answers for clientele. Over 70% of the people that receive information about small scale horticulture situations respond that they have learned something from information provided by this agent and will adopt those changes into their home situations. This agent has encouraged residents to utilize soil tests to determine fertilization needs for their home lawns and gardens. Over 50% of the people that have utilized soil tests have adjusted their home garden management to better fit the needs of the garden. This agent has developed a good relationship with the local nursery which has provided for greater clientele access. People are often referred to the county agent by nurseries in town which aids in program development and public outreach. This agent has developed enough knowledge of general urban horticulture but still utilizes specialists to identify new problems or confirm diagnosis of unusual situations.

Medium Term Objective
1 . & 2.The Otero County Agricultural Agent delivered two power point presentations on two separate dates to 18 members of the Weed and Sacramento, NM community who requested the following topics geared toward their higher elevation growing environment. In the first presentation: deciduous trees, wild flowers, native grasses, high altitude vegetable gardening, high density gardening, cool season crops, and extending the growing season were covered. The second presentation covered these topics: fruit and nut trees, composting and mulching, creative windbreaks, gound covers, and butterfly, bird and fragrance gardens.
Responses from the class participants included: “I can't thank you enough for the incredible amount of knowledge you bestowed upon our group. The Sacramento Mountains will be forever grateful for the new trees and gardens you have inspired your "students" to grow. You did an awesome job doing all that research for us and finding all the specific information we need to be successful stewards of the land up here. It was above and beyond any of my expectations, Beth. Thank you for taking so much time and effort on our behalf. I can't believe you even went to so many local people and got them to share their ideas (and successes and failures) with us so we could benefit from their experience too. I hope you enjoyed the class even half as much as we did because it was fantastic! You did such a great job. Your hand-out material is incredible and I will be poring over it all winter, plotting and planning. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Betsy Shepler” (e-mail)
“Russ and I attended both the 1/3 and 1/10 classes and enjoyed them a great deal. You addressed everyone's issues very nicely and SO thoroughly. We will keep the handouts as references and I know we will go back to them over and over again as we develop our gardening skills up here in the mountains. We are very grateful that you were willing to take so much time to prepare and give these classes. Elaine and Russ Wright, Weed, NM” (e-mail)

3. The agricultural agent also delivered a power point presentation on “Xeriscaping” to seven residents of Holloman Air Force Base. The presentation clarified the term “xeriscape”, described the characteristics of xeric plants, explained the benefits and uses of xeric landscaping, and provided lists of xeric grasses, shrubs, and trees for the Tularosa Basin and surrounding area.

4.The annual Otero Pistachio Growers Workshop hosted 41 commercial and home production pistachio growers from New Mexico and Arizona who received presentations from NMSU Extension Specialists, Director of Research for the California Pistachio Commission, and the Otero County Agricultural Agent. The agricultural agent spoke on the data gathering she did in the local pistachio orchards for the Navel Orangeworm experiment being done by NMSU Extension specialist and the agent. Dr. Carol Sutherland provided information to the participants on management of pests in pistachio orchards and Dr. Natalie Goldberg spoke on the management of diseases in pistachio orchards. (More information on this workshop is provided under Sustainable and/or organic tree fruit, berry, and vegetable production management systems for small farms.) When workshop participants were asked to respond to the question, “Did the class increase or enhance your knowledge of the topics discussed?” on a scale of one to five, with one being “not at all” and five being “very much”, 82% rated the class a four (38%) or a five (44%), and When asked to respond to the question, “Do you expect to use the information presented in your pistachio orchard?” on a scale of one to five, with one being “not at all” and five being “very much”, 86% rated the class a four (38%) or a five (48%).
When responding to a USDA e-mail entitled “FDA Tells Farmers: We need to learn from you” a local pistachio grower posted the following blog to their website: “I agree, there needs to be basic rules that are generic enough that any and all types of farms, big or small can follow. The GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) manual is an excellent example already in place. We also have an excellent system of disseminating information and help for farmers through the Federal Cooperative Extension Services. Instead of increasing the layers of FDA bureaucracy in Washington DC, to come up with more rules and regulations to follow, it makes more sense to increase the staffing of the local Extension Offices who know their areas, the problems, and the solutions. Presently, those budgets are being cut. How is adding more rules and regulations helpful? The existing laws for food safety are excellent and have given us one of the best food systems in the world. There have been a number of food problems in the last few years that could have been avoided if the existing laws had been followed. My tax dollars are a precious commodity. I’m paying for your visits to all these farms to educate you. Please consider using the systems already in place. --Marianne Schweers http://fdatransparencyblog.fda.gov/2011/08/20/fda-tells-farmers-we-need-to-learn-from-you/

5. As part of the Otero CES office’s effort to inform the public of our office and its programs, the county agricultural agent and home economist annually deliver a power point presentation to the Leadership Otero Class, a group (15 members this year) of mostly political hopefuls that are introduced and updated to various county offices and programs in Otero County. Many of these future community leaders are unaware of the existence of the NMSU Otero County Cooperative Extension Service before the presentation and very impressed with and appreciative of the many beneficial programs the Cooperative Extension Service Office provides after the presentation.

6. The agricultural agent provided a power point presentation to 18 members of the Otero County Extension Homemaker Council, as per their request, on “Rain Water Harvesting”. Different capture, delivery, and storing systems were discussed and compared in the presentation. After the presentation two participants called the Extension office asking for additional information.

7. Being a member of the LEPC, the agent was asked to give a presentation on Agro-Terrorism. This also presented an opportunity for the agent to bring to the groups attention a need for an efficient means of dealing with suspected rabid domestic and wild animals on public, private, and Holloman Air Force Base property and the issue of feral hogs threat to human health and agriculture in Otero County.

Long-Term Objectives
A class on “Xeric Plants for Southern New Mexico” is presented in the Master Gardeners course each year, the agricultural agent delivered a power point presentation on “Xeriscaping” to residents of Holloman Air Force Base, NMSU publications on xeric plants for Southern New Mexico are provided at Master Gardeners information tables, at growers workshops measures for water conservation in orchards, such as mulching and green manure crops are presented, and all clients inquiring about ornamental plants and landscaping for this area are given information and publication on xeric plants, the publication “A Waterwise Guide to Trees” from the NM Office of the Sate Engineer, and an explanation of the limited non-brackish ground water in the Tularosa Basin.
One client’s response to these efforts was, “Cooperative Extension Service, Thank you very much for the wonderful information [NMSU website/publications on Xeriscape Plant Specimens] you shared with me and mailed to our home. It was very helpful. I now know much more about our native trees, shrubs, and flowers. Thank You! -- Delia Holloway”

Short Term Objective
The 2011 Otero Master Gardeners class has 31 new class members and 8 to 15 veteran Master Gardeners attending the 12 class course which is presenting information on climatology, soil hummus and mycorrhiza, fruit and nut trees, weeds, irrigation basic, entomology, turf, vegetable gardening, plant diseases, soil basics, urban wildlife management, vegetable gardening in hoop houses, basic botany, mulching and composting, xeric plants for landscaping, and ornamental trees/urban forestry for Southern New Mexico taught by NMSU Extension specialists, the New Mexico State Climatologist, a State Forester, a successful local greenhouse grower couple, a successful soil biology businessman, and a local wildlife specialist. In an evaluation for the first half of the courcs,class members were asked to respond to the question, “Did the class increase or enhance your knowledge of the topics discussed?” on a scale of one to five, with one being “not at all” and five being “very much”, 92% rated the class a four (16%) or a five (76%).
Each year five or more members of the Master Gardeners class opt to join the Otero Master Gardeners Association which has grown to a membership of 61 gardeners, who, this year answered questions at information booths at the Otero County Fair, Earth Day in the Park, Arbor Day at Holloman Air Force Base, and Alamogordo Home, Lawn, & Garden Show; presented a vegetable gardening demonstration to 601 Otero County fourth graders at Kids, Kows, and More; spoke to local service organizations; cared for their Butterfly Garden at the Zoo, provided assistance to elderly gardeners who can no longer till their garden plots in the Spring; planted and cared for the xeric demonstration planter at the county fair; assisted local homeowners with landscaping and gardening problems; provided one-on-one answers to questions from neighbors and inquiries to the extension office, served in an advisory capacity to local teachers for their school gardens and greenhouses, and assisted their fellow Master Gardener members with home horticultural projects and problems for a total of 3,899 volunteer hours contributed by 54 Master Gardener volunteers.
Response to CES Office Agricultural Inquiries -
In the reporting year from October 2010 to September 2011 the Otero County Agricultural Agent responded to 1,326 agricultural inquiries to the Cooperative Extension Service Office. The following are response from some of the growers served: “Thanks sooo much Beth [for the e-mail ‘Growing in the Tularosa Basin’]. “[The Cooperative Extension Service Office is] a huge wealth of knowledge & help! Nancy Lubke” (E-mail reply 10-27-2011)
“Thank you for stopping by our house and taking a close look at our trees. We found your e-mail very enlightening and full of valuable information.” --Joe and Blanca Arroyo (thank you card)
“Cooperative Extension Service, Thank you very much for the wonderful information you shared with me and mailed to our home. It was very helpful. I now know much more about our native trees, shrubs, and flowers. Thank You! -- Delia Holloway
“Thank you for going the extra mile. Sandy really enjoyed the packet on the pecan trees. She likes the paper you sent about what to do month-by –month. The paper on the cacti was very informative. Again, thanks for a job well done.” – Beth Lucero (thank you card)
“Thank you very much for prompt reply and for the information you sent on pecan problems. Thanks also for the [local harvesters and shellers] contact people and their phone numbers.” Ronald Moorehouse (thank you card)
“Thank you for being so diligent and your follow ups. I have been keeping a close eye on the few trees that are having this problem and have seen new leaf growth just within the last couple of days. It is just a few new clusters but encouraging none the less. I will keep you posted on their progress. Once again, I really appreciate you and all the good folks in your office. You girls rock!” Jeff Haden (e-mail from local Pistachio Grower)

Socorro County, like the rest of the state and nation, was hit with some extremely cold weather this winter. Many residences dealt with immediate issues such as broken pipes and gas shortage, but when springtime came residents began to deal with the horticulture issues from the extreme cold. Agave plants that were well established were some of the first to show the devastating results turning black and clumping up on the ground almost immediately. The agent submitted an article to the newspaper after handling several calls on the condition of plants and what to do. Early in the spring, patience was encouraged to wait and see if plants would overcome and begin to reproduce. Overall the agent was able to assist residents in making decisions about their landscapes.