Summit takes in depth look at water practices June 29, 2016

Summit takes in depth look at water practices June 29, 2016 By Douglas Clark Staff writer dclark@cnjonline.com Deemed by organizers as the launch point for future action on local water sustainability, Wednesday’s Eastern New Mexico Water Conservation Summit offered an in depth look at present practices with an eye toward potential sourcing options. The day-long effort, comprised of guest presenters and a pair of panel discussions, was held at the Clovis Civic Center and sponsored by the City of Clovis, the Clovis Industrial Development Corporation, Curry County, the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority and EPCOR Water. “This issue is something that has always been very dear to me,” said Curry County rancher and Clovis Water Policy Advisory committee member Vincent DeMaio, who addressed the assembly Wednesday. “At the end of the day, the gorilla in the room is agriculture. We (agriculture industry) are the 80 percent user, so we have to be leaders in determining how we got to this point, managing where we are now and planning to address the issues that lie ahead. We actually have a reclamation system in place right here. We’ve got the filters. These playa lakes we’ve got are significant assets — so we have an opportunity to reclaim water in an efficient, beneficial way that allows us to be great stewards of the land.” New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources Senior Field Geologist Geoffrey Rawling also served as a presenter. “Something I think would be very useful for this area that has been done in Kansas and Texas is the concept of the aquifer lifetime map,” he said. “It’s basically lading a map showing expected lifetime of the aquifer until it’s unusable and basically the criteria is the saturated thickness you need to operate large irrigation wells, preferably 30 to 40 feet. If you know the thickness of the aquifer and have water level data from time dropping or changing, you can do a calculation and there is enough data here to execute this.” New Mexico State Engineer Tom Blaine said calculating the amount of water currently provides a a point of origin as it relates to gauging what is available. “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” he said. “Measuring water in New Mexico is extremely important. We’ve started a program measuring all of the surface water and we have many basins completed with surface water aversion and metering. All of the metering comes back to the central office and we publish it on the website.” Blaine said its time to broaden the scope of thought as it relates to water conservation. “I recently spoke with the head of the Texas Water Development Board,” he said. “And one of the things we talked about is looking at this as a regional problem and not as a state problem. We need to expand our solutions to include the regional problem. New Mexico is on the western fringe of the Ogallala formation. We need to change the way we think sometimes.” Other presenters included Daniel B. Stephens & Associates Hedrogeologist Amy Ewing, Common Ground Capital, Inc. Chief Project Officer Stephanie Manes and New Mexico Land Conservancy Conservation Director Beth Mills. Officials said summit attendees would receive electronic copies of each of the presentations as an informational resource in line with the end goal of securing water sustainability.

Lehnhoff joins NMSU as weed ecologist

Lehnhoff joins NMSU as weed ecologist DATE: 06/16/2016 WRITER: Kristie Garcia, 575-646-4211, kmgarcia@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Erik Lehnhoff, 575-646-2328, lehnhoff@nmsu.edu Erik Lehnhoff was once an environmental engineer, but working with plants led him to his current career as a weed ecologist at New Mexico State University. After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Clemson University and a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from Tennessee Technological University, Lehnhoff spent time as an environmental consultant. His interest in plants and weeds grew, and he eventually earned a doctorate in ecology and environmental science from Montana State University. “As an environmental consultant, most of the work had to do with solid and hazardous waste remediation, and it involved cleaning up sites where there had been chemical spills of some sort,” Lehnhoff said. “We had to revegetate sites after removing the waste or treating the waste, and there were always weed problems when we tried to revegetate the sites. That’s what prompted me to go back to school and learn more about plant ecology in general, but focusing on weeds and weed management.” Lehnhoff just completed his second semester as an assistant professor of weed ecology in the NMSU Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science. In addition to teaching several lectures in EPPWS 100, a freshmen introduction class that provides an overview of the entire department, Lehnhoff assisted with EPPWS 447, which is the senior and graduate student seminar class that focuses on organization and techniques for theoral presentation of research information. And Lehnhoff is no stranger to research. His research at NMSU involves both crops and rangeland invasive weeds. “My general focus is trying to understand the drivers of plant invasions for one, and then their impacts on the native ecosystem and impacts on our uses of the ecosystem,” he said. One of his current projects involves salt cedar, which affects water usage. Lehnhoff and other researchers are working on integrated pest management of salt cedar at the Caballo Reservoir. “From the cropping side of things, I’m interested in very applied research on what herbicide programs we can use to help chile growers, for instance,” he said. “I’d like to determine what quick and easy studies we can do to help growers improve their product and their yields.” What Lehnhoff has enjoyed most at NMSU thus far is the willingness of everyone to collaborate across departments and that there are not any barriers to working with other people. Among others, he is working with extension entomologist Carol Sutherland on the salt cedar project, assistant professor of weed physiology Brian Schutte on the herbicide and chile studies and assistant professor of soil microbiology Nicole Pietrasiak regarding biotic and abiotic drivers of Lehmann lovegrass invasions at Jornada Experimental Range.

Providing Shelter: EMI Technologies helps protect the equipment that protects lives

Providing Shelter: EMI Technologies helps protect the equipment that protects lives DATE: 06/17/2016 WRITER: Adriana M. Chavez, 575-646-1957, adchavez@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Joe Alvarez , 575-532-9190, JoeA@emitechnologies.com CONTACT: Brenda Alvarez, 575-532-9190, alvarez.b@emitechnologies.com Growing up on a farm in La Union, N.M., Joe Alvarez dreamed of earning a degree in physics from New Mexico State University to become an astronomer and escape all the dirty jobs he had to do. Little did he know that 20 years later, the multi-million-dollar company he and his wife built from humble beginnings would provide first-class mobile missile tracking and missile support equipment to protect the lives of troops in the field during both Gulf Wars. Alvarez and his wife, Brenda, own EMI Technologies, a Las Cruces-based company that has had a global impact, specializing in the engineering and fabrication of customized mobile shelters used by the U.S. military. Although the impact of EMI is felt across the globe, the two have maintained a strong commitment to providing jobs for the Las Cruces community that contribute to the vitality of the local economy. The company currently has contracts with the U.S. military, L3, Lockheed and Raytheon, among other agencies. Recently, the company expanded its headquarters from 31,000 square feet to 56,000 square feet, allowing additional room for storage and large projects. They’ve maintained contracts with White Sands Missile Range for the past 25 years, and often send employees around the world, including South Korea and Saudi Arabia, to help with any necessary modifications and other customer needs. Their commitment to customer service has earned them a positive global reputation and they recently earned their ISO 9000-2008 certification, which recognizes the company’s efforts in quality management. “We listen to their needs and build them what they need. Our prices are very fair and very competitive,” Brenda says. EMI stands for electromagnetic interference, which consists of radio waves, microwaves and other sources that can affect communications. The company builds shielded containers that help protect the integrity of the electronics inside the shelter from that electromagnetic interference. “We build a really unique product,” Joe says. “Most of the companies that do what we’re doing last only about six or seven years. We’ve been able to do what we’re doing for 30 years. Not getting away from our main focus, we concentrate on one specific area of missile track- ing equipment and we’ve been able to perfect it.” A view of the main EMI Technologies project work space at the company’s North Telshor Boulevard facility in Las Cruces. The company also builds specialty vehicles, including chemical testing labs, medical and dormitory vans, nuclear hazard detection equipment shelters, fiber optic cable repair trailers, antenna and optical equipment transporters, high voltage transmission equipment test trailers and assay vans. Joe graduated from NMSU with a bachelor’s degree in physics in May 1978 and originally intended to pursue a doctorate in astronomy. He now dabbles in amateur astrophotography. “At the time, astronomy was and is a Ph.D. program, and you had to get your bachelor’s in physics first,” Joe says. “That was my intent, to be an astronomer, so I got my degree in physics. I did a lot of work with the research center running the telescopes and working on the Voyager Spaceship program to Jupiter with Reta and Herb Beebe, Clyde Tombaugh and others.” After graduating, Joe moved into an apartment not far from campus. In August 1978, Brenda moved in next door and they were introduced by a mutual friend. Brenda, who is originally from Santa Fe, graduated from NMSU in May 1981 with a degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting. The couple married that summer. Brenda Alvarez ’81 is a 2016 inductee in the College of Business Hall of Fame. Tombaugh helped Joe get a job at White Sands Missile Range. He was the optical mechanical engineer for Lockheed for six years, and then worked for another company in a similar position for two years. Eventually, Joe’s government counterparts recommended he start his own business based on his work. At the time, Brenda worked with a small defense contractor and knew how to manage con- tracts and bill the government. Together, they’ve built a solid marriage and a solid business partnership. “I think that, at the end of the day, the science product that we produce is pretty spectacular, but the business end of it has its own challenges,” Joe says. “She has a lot of stress handling the money and the daily business. My job is to get the next job, so I do a lot of proposal writing and the bidding. The hard work of our employees has also helped us be a success and get repeat business from our customers.” EMI Technologies is now a company with about 50 employees, most of whom are NMSU graduates. Their right-hand men, Joe Granados, who started with EMI in 1997, and Mark Bielcik, who started in 1991, are both NMSU graduates. The Alvarezes work with NMSU’s College of Engineering and Doña Ana Community College’s welding program to hire additional graduates and interns as needed. They also believe in providing opportunities for students through their financial support and have established scholarship endowments in the College of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences. The Alvarezes’ NMSU roots run deep. Their son Adam, who earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from NMSU, works in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Department of Energy. Their daughter, Nicole, who earned her bachelor’s degree in market- ing from NMSU in 2010, works in Albuquerque. And their youngest daughter, Kaitlyn, earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from NMSU in 2013 and now works in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Joe and Brenda’s parents, their siblings and several aunts, uncles and cousins are also Aggies.

Upgrades of NMSU nematode lab to help local growers

Upgrades of NMSU nematode lab to help local growers DATE: 06/21/2016 WRITER: Kristie Garcia, 575-646-4211, kmgarcia@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Steve Thomas, 575-646-2321, stthomas@nmsu.edu Thanks to funding from the United States Department of Agriculture, the New Mexico State University Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science has made considerable upgrades to its nematode containment facility in Skeen Hall. “The lab is a resource for Southwest producers, to provide them with the certification of sites being free of nematodes,” NMSU Distinguished Professor Steve Thomas said. “It’s a way to work with any pests introduced at any time.” Nematodes are worms – most of which are microscopic – that are parasites living in animals, plants, soil or water. The lab in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at NMSU became one of three certified nematode containment facilities west of the Mississippi River in April 2012. The other two are in Nebraska and California. The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded two $50,000 grants to NMSU for upgrades to the nematode containment facility. APHIS is responsible for ensuring both imported and exported agricultural products are in compliance and free of certain pests. The facility is especially important to the agriculture community in Las Cruces and the Southwest, because three new nematodes have been discovered in the area in the past year: the alfalfa stem or stem and bulb nematode, the Columbia root-knot nematode and a general root-knot nematode. These discoveries could have a direct impact on New Mexico and Southwest regional producers, as the invasive pests can primarily affect alfalfa and onions. But with the upgraded containment facility at NMSU, researchers are able to inspect the onions during production, as opposed to the produce being inspected during export at international border crossings, which is very difficult. NMSU Agricultural Research Scientist Jacki Beacham is one of the researchers responsible for receiving and processing soil and plant samples. “My job is to ensure that none of the nematodes associated with those samples escape,” Beacham said. “Once I get them under the microscope, I look at their morphology and determine whether or not they need to be quarantined.” Beacham uses an elutriator – a machine used to separate particles based on weight – to extract nematodes from soil samples. Another important piece of equipment is the mist chamber. Along with the elutriator, the mist chamber was previously used by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture but had since been decommissioned. However, part of the USDA APHIS funding was used to modify and upgrade both machines to meet the standards of an approved quarantine facility for plant parasitic nematodes. The mist chamber is used to help nematodes migrate out of plant roots and plant leaves by providing a water mist every minute or two for 20 seconds in order to force the nematodes out. If the facility is able to successfully accommodate and inspect a large amount of plant samples at one time, Thomas said one objective of the grant will have been achieved. “The first objective of the grant is to increase the through-put capacity of the lab, to be able to handle large volumes of samples from the region, whenever such a situation becomes necessary,” he said. “The second objective is working at improving molecular characterization skills for plant parasitic nematodes of regulatory concern.” Associate professor of molecular plant pathology Steve Hanson is the co-investigator on the grant. Part of the funding was used for new equipment, which has improved the molecular characterization of nematodes, and therefore, allows the process to be more rapid and definitive. Thomas said Hanson is currently working on improving those molecular characterization techniques. “Of the top 10 most widely regulated plant parasitic nematodes internationally, two of them are very well characterized and the other eight have much more limited characterization, so we’ve been working on one of those other eight that is a potential problem in the Southwest,” Thomas said. NMSU is in its second year of working on facility upgrades, which should be completed by the end of August.

Eddy County is holding public meetings as part of the adoption process for the proposed Eddy County Manufactured Home Placement Permit Ordinance

Notice of Public Meeting: Eddy County is holding public meetings as part of the adoption process for the proposed Eddy County Manufactured Home Placement Permit Ordinance. These meetings will be facilitated by Eddy County and will include discussion with the community. This discussion will be to gather input from Eddy County residents and move forward with these comments to the Eddy County Board of Commissioners for possible final approval of the Ordinance. Public Meetings will be held at two separate locations within Eddy County. Citizens of Eddy County are encouraged to attend these meetings and provide public comment. These meetings will be available through live stream on the internet as well. • The first public meeting will be held on Wednesday June 29, 2016 from 5:30pm to 6:30pm in Artesia, NM at the Eddy County North Road Department, 2611 S. 13th Street. • The second public meeting will be held on Wednesday July 6, 2016 from 5:30pm to 6:30pm in Carlsbad at the Eddy County Commission Chambers on the 2nd floor of the Eddy County Administration Building, 101 W. Greene Street. • The meetings will be live streamed and available for viewing at https://livestream.com/rrv/ManufacturedHomeOrdinance Please contact Steve McCroskey, Eddy County Planner, at 575-628-5462 with any questions. A Spanish language interpreter will be available upon specific request at least 24 hours prior to each meeting

NMSU ranch camp helps youth appreciate the ‘why’ behind ranching

NMSU ranch camp helps youth appreciate the ‘why’ behind ranching DATE: 07/01/2016 WRITER: Jane Moorman, 505-249-0527, jmoorman@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Jack Blandford, 575-546-8806, jbland@nmsu.edu CIMARRON – Going to camp was a life-changing experience this summer for 27 New Mexico youth. They didn’t participate in recreational activities and crafts, but received college-level instruction in managing a ranch. During New Mexico Youth Ranch Management Camp, the high school-age students were introduced to the many aspects of running a ranch, from financial statements and marketing strategies to producing quality beef and managing natural resources and wildlife. “We are proud to offer this one-of-a-kind program for the future cattle producers of our state,” said Jon Boren, NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences associate dean and director of the Cooperative Extension Service. “The collaboration between our Extension specialists, county Extension agents and members of the ranching industry has provided an opportunity for the youth to learn about the many aspects of ranching.” College-level hands-on curriculum provided the campers with information to develop a ranch management plan for a scenario similar to the host ranch. For the first time in five years, the camp was held on the CS Cattle Company’s 130,000-acre ranch at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range near Cimarron. Members of the Les and Linda Davis family shared information regarding running the ranch, with its award-winning horse breeding program. “This unique camp is the best of any program I know of in the United States,” said Dennis Braden, general manager of Swenson Land & Cattle Company in Stamford, Texas. “Texas Christian University’s ranch management program is exactly the same format, except they have nine months to gain the information and put the plan together. These youth receive the bulk of the information in four days and build a plan.” Through the camp activities, the youth gain an understanding of the “why” behind ranching. “What we are finding from the more than 100 youth who have participated in past ranch camps is that they have gained a greater appreciation of the science and opportunities in agriculture,” Boren said. “It is also a win-win for our aging agricultural industry with more young people having interest in going into this type of work.” Attending the 2016 camp were Lawrence Armenta, of Santa Fe; Cooper Autrey, of Willard; Austin Beard, of Carlsbad; Hettar Best, of Laguna; Wyatt Bishop, of Tucumcari; Kyler Bowerman, of Hope; Maeve Brown, of Floyd; Contessa Cain, of Mountainair; Jacquelynn Chavez, of Albuquerque; Miranda Cisneros, of Las Cruces; Ian Czmyrid, of Santa Fe; Spring Flowers, of Mosquero; Ben Goebel, of Maxwell; Robert Guerrero, of Anthony; Tristine Henio, of Crownpoint; Harrison James, of Taos; Sam Jameson, of Weed; Clara Maxam, of Corrales; Richard Powdrell, of Bernalillo; Michael Purdy, of San Juan; Hayden Randall, of Taos; Miguel Romero, of Arroyo Hondo; Benjamin Sanchez, of Cuba; Koler Seaton, of Grenville; Kalei Towner, of Datil; Brooke Wade, of Rio Rancho; and Raquel Weatherley, of Las Cruces. On the final day of camp, five teams present their ranch management plans before three judges representing the ranching profession. The 2016 winning team members were Randall, Autrey, Maxam, Weatherly and Flowers. The runner-up team consisted of Purdy, Sanchez, Wade, Chavez, Bowerman and Guerrero. A “Top Hand” was selected each day by the instructors for showing exceptional interest in the topics. Receiving Top Hand award buckles were Autrey on All Things Beef Day, James on Marketing Day, Maxam on Natural Resources & Wildlife Day, and Beard on Range Day. Top Hand runners-up received engraved knives. They were Brown, Purdy, Randall and Bishop. “If these young people are a demonstration of what is in store for our industry, the future looks bright,” said Dina Chacon-Reitzel, executive director of the New Mexico Beef Council, one of the camp sponsors. - 30 - Follow NMSU News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nmsunews Follow NMSU News on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NMSUNews

USDA Announces No Actions Under Feedstock Flexibility Program

USDA Announces No Actions Under Feedstock Flexibility Program 07/01/2016 11:03 AM EDT WASHINGTON, July 1, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announced today that it does not expect to purchase sugar under the Feedstock Flexibility Program in the third quarter of 2016. CCC is required by law to announce quarterly estimates of sugar to be purchased for the Feedstock Flexibility Program based on crop and consumption forecasts.