Note: This site is for reviewing legacy plan of work data from 2007-2011. If you are looking for the current plan of work interface, visit pow.nmsu.edu.

Integrated field crop production and management in New Mexico

Plan Goal

Develop and provide information on sustainable field crop production and management in New Mexico

Situation Statement

Challenges associated with producing field crops have significantly increased over the past decades. There is a great pressure on agricultural producers in New Mexico and elsewhere to cope with increasing production costs along with a non-matching increase in the prices of produce. In order to remain competitive in the agricultural sector, field crop producers need information on sound agronomic principles that will help reduced input costs, prevent field production related losses and conserve their natural resources base. One of the major factors affecting field crop production in NM is the poor soil quality. Many fields in NM especially under intensive field crop management have very low organic matter level and poor soil health. Farmers have not focused on practices that may improve their soil in the long-term but rather have depended entirely on regular nutrient supplements to correct soil problems. Some fields are already showing yield reductions despite optimal nutrient and pesticide applications. Most of such production systems will benefit from a more integrated crop and soil management. There is a need to develop crop management systems and production strategies that will focus on building the soil thereby reducing a heavy reliance on synthetic inputs.
Production of some agronomic crops such as cotton and peanut has been declining in NM.
Challenges facing cotton producers in NM include high costs of production inputs and fluctuating lint prices. To make cotton more profitable in the NM, alternative cotton production systems such as precision and organic systems need to be explored. In addition, value added products of cotton such as utilization of gin trash and edible glandless cotton seeds could help the profitability of cotton production in NM.
In general, agronomic cultural practices for different field crops in NM need to be fine-tuned and improved by testing out leading edge technologies that can deliver a more efficient and profitable crop production.
This program will address these specific areas of crop production and management:
– Land preparation and other tillage manipulations of the soil in field crop production systems
– Input optimization for a better economic returns in field crops
– Cultural practices to prevent field related losses of crops
– Soil health management to improve soil productivity, prevent environmental degradation and conserve the natural resource base.
– Enhance profitability of cotton production in NM

Target Audience and Actions

Integrated field crop program addresses the educational needs of producers across a wide spectrum of stakeholders ranging from large scale producers to small scale and home gardening clientele. Specifically, needs of growers; extension educators; and consultants will be addressed through the provision of relevant information related to crop and soil management in New Mexico. Applied, demand-driven, on-station and on-farm trials will be conducted to solve problems, and to demonstrate new technologies. Information will be relayed to end users through field meetings, extension publications, websites, personal visits, agent interaction, train-the trainer workshops, local and regional conferences and other methods relevant to agricultural communities in New Mexico.

Short-Term Objectives

– Collect baseline soil health data under the major production systems in New Mexico.
– Identify crop and soil problems areas that need attention and provide educational information on how to address these problems.
– Conduct on-station and on-field trials on the productivity of glandless cotton in Southern New Mexico. Growth, pest pressure and yield parameters will be documented along with the economic analysis of production.

Medium-Term Objectives

– Develop solutions and strategies that will address crop production problems and soil productivity constrains and testing them through field experimentation. Information will be provided to end users on issues where applicable research results already exist.
– Provide information to growers on alternative production systems in cotton and identify problems in the adoption of the new technologies.

Long-Term Objectives

– Recommend specific management practices to address soil and crop production problems; and develop educational materials for field crop producers and other clientele that will help address different issues related to soil and crop management in New Mexico.
– Provide recommendations and educational materials focusing on alternative production systems in cotton and cotton production for value-added products

Evaluation Plan

Surveys will be conducted at intervals to document the impact of extension programming efforts.
Attendance during meetings will be noted and surveys will be distributed during meetings to evaluate the relevancy and the utility of extension information being provided.
Individual and group requests for information related to goals of extension program will be documented and follow-up will be conducted to monitor how the information provided has been used. Improvement in production practices due to extension efforts will be documented and acreages affected will be recorded.
Extension program will be fine-tuned based on feedback from different stakeholders.