Forbes ranks NMSU as one of America’s Top Colleges in 2015

Forbes ranks NMSU as one of America’s Top Colleges in 2015 DATE: 10/05/2015 WRITER: Tiffany Acosta, 575-646-3929, tfrank@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Judy Bosland, 575-646-6131, jbosland@nmsu.edu New Mexico State University has been recognized as one of America’s Top Colleges in 2015 by Forbes. On the list of 650 institutions, NMSU ranked 417th overall and 92nd in the South, which are improvements of 25 spots nationally and 12 spots regionally from a year ago. For the eighth year, Forbes and Washington, D.C.-based Center for College Affordability and Productivity joined to create a return on investment-focused ranking structure. Forbes and CCAP utilized five weighted categories to calculate the rankings: student satisfaction (25 percent), post-graduate success (32.5 percent), student debt (25 percent), four-year graduation rate (7.5 percent) and academic success (10 percent). For more details on ranking methodology, visit http://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/. Additionally this year, NMSU was named as a top tier university on the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges for 2016 National Universities rankings. NMSU was listed at 114th on the Washington Monthly National Universities rankings for 2015. Washington Monthly ranks institutions based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, which includes recruiting and graduating low-income students, research and service. In a Brookings Institute report, NMSU ranked in the top 10 percent for value-added mid-career salary. NMSU is listed at 89th of 863 institutions for value added mid-career earnings. Value added is the difference between a college’s predicted and actual student economic outcomes, as defined in the report. In January, NMSU received a 2015 Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its institutional commitment to serving communities across New Mexico. NMSU is the only institution in the state and is one of 361 colleges and universities in the country to carry the Community Engagement Classification. - 30 -

NM WRRI’s 60th annual water conference to look at how science can help us manage water

NM WRRI’s 60th annual water conference to look at how science can help us manage water DATE: 10/05/2015 WRITER: Catherine Ortega Klett, (575) 646-4337, coklett@nmsu.edu Despite the return of monsoon rainfall this summer, New Mexico continues to be immersed in a prolonged drought, and the state’s limited water resources will continue to be squeezed. Water resource management throughout the West is facing dramatic challenges that go to the core of our cultural, economic, and societal foundations. This year’s New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute’s conference, “Coloring Outside the Lines: Can Science Help Us Be Creative and Innovative in Managing Our Water?” is focused on managing the changes in water resource strategies – technology, legal/institutional, and social policy and whether science can help in determining new management strategies. The day-and-a-half program will be held in Taos at the Sagebrush Inn and Suites on Oct. 7-9. On Oct. 7, participants can register for a tour that looks at acequia connections between the area’s hydrology and local community. Ongoing hydrological studies in the area will be highlighted as the tour proceeds along the Rio Hondo/Cuchilla acequia. Conference sessions begin on Thursday morning with water experts from around the region and nation. Science-based water management of groundwater supplies, hydroclimatology, climate change, and successfully changing institutions will be discussed. Regional topics to be addressed include land grants, the future of ski areas and watershed restoration priorities. At the national level, drought research throughout the West along with how other states are coping with drought will be featured. Two luncheons are scheduled. Darcy Bushnell from the Utton Transboundary Resources Center at the University of New Mexico will speak on Thursday on the Abeyta Settlement. Friday’s lunch will feature Earl Greene of the U.S. Geological Survey talking about drought research in the western states. The water conference includes a poster session on Friday morning, where students, faculty, agency personnel, and private sector presenters will showcase their research. Visit the institute’s website for the program, which includes speaker biographies and brief abstracts on their planned presentations: http://2015.wrri.nmsu.edu/ or call the NM WRRI at 575-646-4337. You can register online via the conference website. Regular registration is $125 and $50 for full-time students. The registration fee includes both lunches. The New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute is a nonprofit organization that funds water-related projects at all of New Mexico's universities. Press may attend the conference free of charge. - 30 - Follow NMSU News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nmsunews Follow NMSU News on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NMSUNews

NMSU extension faculty to host annual Extension Disaster Education Network meeting

NMSU extension faculty to host annual Extension Disaster Education Network meeting DATE: 10/02/2015 WRITER: Adriana M. Chavez, 575-646-1957, adchavez@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Sonja Koukel, 575-646-3006, sdkoukel@nmsu.edu About 70 representatives from the national Extension Disaster Education Network will meet in Las Cruces next week for their annual meeting Oct. 6-9 at Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces. The gathering will feature a tour of the New Mexico Border Authority Port in Santa Teresa. “We won the bid two years ago to host this meeting,” said Sonja Koukel, NMSU faculty in the Cooperative Extension Service Family and Consumer Sciences department and co-director of the Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center. “The EDEN Annual Session is hosted by different states where the delegates visit areas that have either experienced disasters or are thinking about pending disasters in order to document them and be ready to respond at the national level.” Tour attendees will visit the Santa Teresa Port of Entry to learn about the passage of people between Mexico and the US. The tour will also include the Santa Teresa Cattle Crossing, the state’s largest and most efficient livestock import and export facility on the Mexican Border, and the Union Pacific intermodal rail yard facility to get a glimpse of local agriculture production and its extensive rail system. Koukel has served as EDEN’s point of contact for NMSU for three years. NMSU also has three delegates: Cindy Davies, NMSU Bernalillo County Extension director; Tom Dean, NMSU Southwest Extension District director; and Rick Griffiths, NMSU San Juan County Extension home economist. Tribal representatives have been invited to attend the meeting, which includes presentations such as “Identifying and Addressing the Needs of At-Risk Populations in Planning for Disasters,” “Collaborative Partnerships for and Expanded National Youth Preparedness Education Model: Utilizing Land-Grant Universities as Catalysts” and “Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse: Using Popular Youth Culture to Teach Concept Development.” “The New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service is excited to host the 2015 Extension Disaster Education Network Annual Session. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase some of our Extension programs to assist New Mexicans in preparation, response and recovery from disasters such as the Gold King Mine spill,” said Jon Boren, associate dean in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and director of the Cooperative Extension Service. “The conference is also an excellent opportunity for Extension faculty at our land-grant universities across the nation to share best practices, develop collaborations and coordinate national efforts to better prepare our citizens, communities and states cope with future disasters.” To learn more about EDEN, visit http://eden.lsu.edu/.

2016 Upland Cotton Marketing Assistance Loan Rate Announced

2016 Upland Cotton Marketing Assistance Loan Rate Announced 10/01/2015 02:07 PM EDT 2016 Upland Cotton Marketing Assistance Loan Rate Announced WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2015 – Commodity Credit Corporation Executive Vice President Val Dolcini today announced the marketing assistance loan rate for 2016-crop base quality upland cotton. Base quality upland cotton has the following characteristics: color grade 41, leaf grade 4, staple length 1-1/16 inches, micronaire 3.5-3.6 and 4.3-4.9, strength 26.0-28.9 grams per tex, and length uniformity of 80.0-81.9 percent. The 2014 Farm Bill sets the base quality marketing assistance loan rate for upland cotton at the simple average of the adjusted prevailing world price for the two immediately preceding marketing years, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture and announced Oct. 1, before the next domestic plantings. The marketing assistance loan rate cannot be less than 45 cents per pound or greater than 52 cents per pound. Because the calculation exceeded the maximum allowed level, the 2016-crop marketing assistance loan rate for upland cotton is set at 52 cents per pound. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

New NMSU Cooperative Extension Service agent returns home to serve Carlsbad

New NMSU Cooperative Extension Service agent returns home to serve Carlsbad DATE: 09/29/2015 WRITER: Darrell J. Pehr, 575-646-3223, pehr@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Woods Houghton, 575-887-6595, whoughto@nmsu.edu New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service office in Eddy County has a new home economist, who, as a native of Carlsbad, is eager to get people of all ages excited about various programs Extension has to offer. Jennah McKinley joins a staff of three who provide Extension services to the county through 4-H youth programs, nutrition education programs and agriculture expertise. Her main focus for adults in the county will include diabetes awareness, nutrition and life skills. With a population in the county of about 54,000, some 12.8 percent are below the poverty level. Low income levels often indicate low educational achievements. In Eddy County, 32 percent of all those 25 years of age and older have obtained less than a high school level of education, and over 7 percent have less than a ninth grade level of education. McKinley said these low income and low educational groups can improve their health through basic nutrition, food safety, food preparation and food resource management education. Eddy County youth have the potential to be influenced by negative indicators such as crime, poverty, teen birth rate and single parent families. Basic life skills are imperative in the development of knowledgeable and productive citizens for the future of Eddy County, McKinley said. Home economics subject matter projects such as consumerism, nutrition, personal development and creative arts provide stepping stones in the development process. McKinley is excited to get started on developing various workshops to educate the community on various topics that the community has needed for a long time. Workshops will be advertised in the local newspaper; however, the Eddy County Extension also has a new Facebook page that will display upcoming events and workshops. Besides coordinating nutrition and family consumer science programs in the county, she will work with 4-H agent Allison Leimer to develop youth programs. “I really enjoy working with kids,” McKinley said. “It’s an honor to watch them develop life skills as they grow into young adults.” McKinley has three years of experience working as a teacher in the Carlsbad Municipal School District. She said the home economist position will enable her to extend her expertise to people of all ages in the community. McKinley’s goals for Eddy County programs include developing the 4-H home economics program by teaching nutrition, cooking and other life skills workshops and having youth participate in various home economics contests. She would like to have the 4-H youth work with adults in the Carlsbad and Artesia homemakers clubs in hopes of increasing membership in those groups. McKinley earned a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences education and a master’s in education from NMSU in 2011 and 2015. While in college, she served as president of NMSU’s Association of Family and Consumer Sciences for three terms, as well as vice president for the New Mexico Association of Family and Consumer Sciences for one term. She has acquired several distinguishing awards including the New Mexico Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Student of the Year and New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Outstanding Student Award for the Class of 2011. She encourages the community to come visit with her at 1304 W. Stevens in Carlsbad.

The USDA said on Friday that it has started analyzing for the first time data it has collected on the impact that wild pigs

The USDA said on Friday that it has started analyzing for the first time data it has collected on the impact that wild pigs have on U.S. farmers' crop and livestock operations. It is estimated by federal and state agricultural officials that there are more than 5 million wild pigs in at least 35 states, with the largest populations in California, Florida, Oklahoma and Texas. According to Agriculture Department estimates, it costs more than $1.5 billion annually in damages and measures to control feral hogs. The agency said its National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has surveyed more than 10,800 farmers in 11 states, asking if they had seen signs of feral swine in and around their farms and if any crop or livestock losses have been caused by the animals. The Agriculture Department said in a statement that researchers at its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – Wildlife Services were evaluating the data to determine what actions are needed to address problems caused by feral swine. Wild pigs have also been found to carry diseases that can be transferred to livestock, humans, pets, and other animals in the wild. (Reporting by P.J. Huffstutter; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

NMSU ranked #6 in the nation for agricultureal colleges in the United States.

Hey everyone, Thought I would share some good news for this morning. (I think being in the top 10 agricultural colleges in the country is pretty good!) Check out #6! http://www.collegevaluesonline.com/rankings/best-value-agriculture-colleges/ Go Aggies!