USDA Invests $2.5 Billion in Rural Electric Infrastructure

USDA Invests $2.5 Billion in Rural Electric Infrastructure Loans Will Help Create Jobs and Spur Business Growth in 27 States WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2017 – Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today that USDA is investing $2.5 billion in rural electric infrastructure improvements to help create jobs and support economic development in 27 states. “These significant investments will help develop and maintain modern, reliable electric infrastructure that businesses and rural communities need in a 21st Century economy,” Perdue said. “The loans I am announcing today will help utilities and cooperatives build new transmission and distribution lines, upgrade networks and facilities, and better manage the power grid.” The funding will support infrastructure improvements in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The loans are being provided through USDA Rural Development’s Electric Program, which is the successor to the Rural Electrification Administration. “We are extremely pleased that USDA is making such a major investment in rural development and infrastructure through new loans to America’s electric cooperatives,” said Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “USDA is an important partner helping us illuminate rural America and empower the communities we serve. That partnership is critical to co-ops’ ability to maintain, expand and improve rural electric infrastructure.” One of the USDA awards is an $18.3 million loan to the Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative (Espanola, N.M.) to build 58 miles, improve 28 miles of line and make other system improvements. Jemez will use $7 million for smart grid improvements. In Oregon, the Harney Electric Cooperative is receiving an $11.7 million USDA loan to build 53 miles of line and make other system improvements. The Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative in Portola, Calif., will receive a $14.2 million loan to improve 44 miles of transmission and distribution line, build one mile and make other system improvements. The Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative in Dade City, Fla., is receiving a $130 million loan to build 297 miles, improve 66 miles of line and make other system improvements. The loan includes $1.4 million for smart grid projects. Smart grid includes technological enhancements such as metering, substation automation, computer applications, two-way communications and geospatial information systems to help utilities increase the reliability and efficiency of electric power systems. Today’s loans include $127 million for smart grid projects. Three North Carolina companies – Gamble Solar, LLC; Wadesboro Solar; and Salisbury Solar – are receiving a total of $14.1 million to build solar photovoltaic energy farms in various parts of the state. Today’s announcement comes as another electric project that USDA helped support nears completion. Later this month, O2 emc, a North Carolina firm, will complete a solar project that has provided a local investment of more than $6 million in rural, southwest Virginia. The project has been a significant boost to the area’s economy, particularly for the local steel fabrication company. More than 80 percent of people who work at the 16-acre solar project live within a 30-mile radius. Many workers have acquired new skills that will allow them to create careers in the rapidly expanding solar energy industry. The project created work for more than 100 area residents during its construction phase. By early next year, it will create enough electricity to power more than 500 homes. USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; homeownership; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

27 members to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2017 - Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today announced the appointment of 27 members to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board. Twenty-five of the appointees will serve three-year terms. Two appointees will serve the remaining one-year portion of vacant positions. • Bruce T. Jackson, Lockesburg, Ark. • J. Kent Bamford, Haxton, Colo. • Cliff W. Coddington, Bradenton, Fla. • Jared Brackett, Filer, Idaho • Phil Perry, Oskaloosa, Kan. • Trista Brown Priest, Satanta, Kan. • Ryan Miller, Bardstown, Ky. • Leon James, Hurdland, Mo. • Turk Stovall, Billings, Mont. • Katie Cooper, Willow Creek, Mont. • Bill Baldwin, Mitchell, Neb. • Jim Eschliman, Ericson, Neb. • Raymond Erbele, Streeter, N.D. • Blayne Arthur, Stillwater, Okla. • Jimmy Taylor, Cheyenne, Okla. • Dick McElhaney, Hookstown, Pa. • Bill Slovek, Philip, S.D. • Jackie White Means, Van Horn, Texas • Jason Peeler, Floresville, Texas • Michael Wayne White, Vernon, Texas • Sean P. Jones, Massey, Md., Mid-Atlantic Unit • Rob Von Der Lieth, Copperopolis, Calif., Southwest Unit • Laurie Bryant, Burke, Va., Importer • Rob Williams, Chase, Md., Importer • Jeffrey Isenmann, Rochester Hills, Mich., Importer • Nicholas Brander, Wilmette, Ill., Importer (1-year term) • Steven Hobbs, Larkspur, Colo., Importer (1-year term) “The Cattlemen's Beef Board works to build demand for beef by helping to maintain and expand markets through their research, promotion, and information sharing efforts,” said Perdue. “Their work represents all segments of the beef industry and I know that the agricultural sector will be well served by them." The Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board is composed of 99 members, all of whom are beef producers or importers of cattle, beef or beef products. The board is authorized by the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985. Since 1966, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 industry-funded research and promotion boards. They empower farmers and ranchers to leverage their own resources to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity for participating stakeholders. A list of board members is available on the AMS Cattlemen's Beef Board webpage. More information can also be found on the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board’s website.

USDA, Department of Defense, and Interior partner to protect natural resources, enhance habitat and military training

USDA, Department of Defense, and Interior partner to protect natural resources, enhance habitat and military training 12/19/2017 04:00 PM EST Washington, D.C., Dec. 19 2017 – The Departments of Agriculture, Defense and Interior have designated southern Georgia as the newest Sentinel Landscape designed to protect natural resources, enhance habitat for several key species, and maintain military readiness. Through this partnership, more than 20 federal, state and local partners with similar goals work together to sustain working farms and forests, protect vital habitat for several important species and enhance military readiness. Building on a legacy of successful, collaborative land protection in Georgia, diverse partners have identified about 1.3 million acres as critical to helping the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership.

Guide B-231: Estimating Water Intake for Range Beef Cattle

Guide B-231: Estimating Water Intake for Range Beef Cattle Marcy A. Ward (Extension Livestock Specialist, Dept. of Extension Animal Sci. and Natural Resources) Nicholas K. Ashcroft (Extension Range Mgmt. Specialist, Dept. of Extension Animal Sci. and Natural Resources) Eric J. Scholljegerdes (Associate Professor, Dept. of Animal and Range Sciences) Samuel T. Smallidge (Associate Professor/Extension Wildlife Specialist, Dept. of Extension Animal Sci. and Natural Resources) PDF: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_b/B231.pdf HTML: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_b/B231/welcome.html

Southeastern New Mexico is facing water scarcity issues,

Southeastern New Mexico is facing water scarcity issues, and with an increased demand for freshwater, there is a need for alternative water sources in Eddy and Lea counties. New Mexico State University researchers are studying produced water quality spatial variability and analyzing alternative-source water in the Permian Basin. This site map shows the study area in Southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. (Image courtesy Kenneth “KC” Carroll) New Mexico State University researchers are studying produced water quality spatial variability and analyzing alternative-source water in the Permian Basin in Southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. This map shows the location of sample points in the three geo-structural regions of the Permian Basin. (Image courtesy Kenneth “KC” Carroll) Faculty and staff from New Mexico State University and the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute teamed up with researchers from around the state for a feasibility study on the reuse of produced water last year. One of the most relevant findings from the study is that the most feasible use of produced water generated from the oil and gas industry is for that industry to reuse its own produced water, as opposed to using fresh water. Robert Sabie Jr., a geographic information systems analyst for NM WRRI, said this cost-effective solution would allow freshwater to be reserved for drinking water. “The focus of the project was to understand the opportunities for reusing treated produced water, both in and out of the oil and gas industry, in order to preserve the freshwater aquifers. Different water uses require different levels of treatment to attain an appropriate water quality. If the produced water is reused within the oil and gas industry, or for other uses with lower water quality standards, then we can use the cleaner, fresh aquifer water for drinking,” Sabie said. Kenneth “KC” Carroll, an associate professor of water resource management in the NMSU Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, said the oil and gas industry in West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico produces large amounts of water. “One of the things we found is that the water produced with oil and gas can be up to 10 times the volume of oil and gas,” Carroll said. “It could be one-to-one, and sometimes no water is produced, but sometimes it’s a lot more.” With water shortages in the southeastern part of the state, it’s important that researchers identify alternatives to purchasing fresh water from farmers and to reinjecting produced water into the subsurface as a wastewater. “Southeastern New Mexico is an area that has water shortage issues and a threatened viability of agriculture,” Carroll said. “Although produced water is a wastewater, it is a large source of available water in a region where water scarcity is impacting agriculture.” Sabie said treatment technology is improving and it is becoming more common for the oil and gas industry to reuse its produced water. It behooves the industry to do so, as there are high costs associated with transporting, treating and injecting the water into designated injection wells. By reusing their own produced water, companies are able to use less costly and semi-mobile regulated treatment plants closer to the oil and gas extraction areas. Sabie was the project manager for the feasibility study, and NM WRRI Director Sam Fernald was the principal investigator. NMSU collaborators included Carroll, as well as Pei Xu, an associate professor of environmental engineering in the NMSU Department of Civil Engineering. “I’m interested in the environmental engineering aspects of produced water,” Xu said. “We need to find an engineering solution to solve the problem. Produced water is such an important topic for the industry, engineering, municipalities and regulatory agencies. The goal is to treat the water.” Xu said the feasibility study was made up of a large team, with each person working on a different aspect of the research. “My job was to investigate the treatment technologies and the cost to treat the water,” she said. “This is an ongoing project. Right now I’m working Dr. Yanyan Zhang, and we are evaluating the environmental toxicity of the produced water and the level of treatment needed to reduce the toxicity of that water. Our goal is to ensure the safe reuse of that produced water.” Carroll’s contributions included looking into how the hydrogeologic or geologic formation variability – how deep and which rocks the water comes from – will affect the produced water quality. He also researched the spatial variability of the produced water quality. “We mapped the salinity of the produced water across most of the Permian Basin at various depths,” Carroll said. “We found that not all produced waters are the same. Water in some areas can have salinity as low as approximately 10 grams per liter, but produced water salinity in some areas can be higher than 350 grams per liter. And seawater average salinity is approximately 35 grams per liter.” Carroll took the lead on studying the produced water geochemistry, which is the chemical composition of water in the Permian Basin formations that is being pumped to the surface. “In addition to salinity variations, we found quite a bit of variability in the type of salts dissolved in the waters,” he said. “We also discovered that a significant amount of water migrated deep into the Basin from the land surface, which enhances our understanding of the water flow behavior in deep subsurface basins like the Permian.” More details about the project can be found at https://nmwrri.nmsu.edu/produced-water/ The feasibility study resulted in several accomplishments. “Our biggest accomplishment was establishing a clearer picture on the regulatory framework,” Sabie said. “There are three state agencies in charge of regulating water – the Office of the State Engineer, the New Mexico Environment Department and the Oil Conservation Division. So, we got those agencies together and developed hypothetical use cases for produced water to characterize the ownership, jurisdiction agency for New Mexico, holder of liability, and permitting requirements.” The feasibility study also included researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department. Funding was provided by the Environmental Protection Agency through the New Mexico Environment Department.

2018 GRAPEVINE PRUNING WORKSHOP…In Las Cruces

2018 GRAPEVINE PRUNING WORKSHOP… tools and techniques How to prune grapevines in a commercial setting to maximize crop and quality. When, how and why to use cane versus spur pruning? Which pruning method is best suited to individual varieties and New Mexico’s climate? How can pruning mitigate spring frost damage? Learn which tools work best. Observe several pruning techniques. Practice “hands-on” pruning in the vineyard. LOCATION: January 27th @ Fabian Garcia ASC, Las Cruces, NM Located at: Fabian Garcia ASC – 113 W. University Ave. Las Cruces, NM 88005 February 3rd @ Jaramillo Vineyard, Belen, NM Located at: 30 Cam Nopales, Belen, NM 87002 Limited openings – for February 3rd session: RSVP to: Gill Giese ggiese@nmsu.edu 505-865-7340 for January 27th session, RSVP to: Daniel Goodrich goodrich@nmsu.edu 505-929-3942 AGENDA 8:30 Sign-in 9:00 Introduction Background and orientation: Why prune grapevines? Impact of pruning on vine growth, yield and berry composition. Tools and safety. -- Gill Giese, Viticulture Extension Specialist, NMSU 9:30 -12:00 Practice pruning in the vineyard 12:00 Questions, Discussion, Adjourn

PECAN WEEVIL INFORMATION FOR HOMEOWNERS

PECAN WEEVIL INFORMATION FOR HOMEOWNERS I have received a number of calls from people asking about the Pecan Weevil restrictions. So here are a few of them. Q. Can I sell my pecans? A: Yes, anywhere the pecan weevil currently is. So local accumulator can buy them but you cannot take them in the four far west Texas counties, including El Paso by Texas Department of Agriculture Regulations, or any counties that produce pecans west of Eddy, Chaves counties. Q. Can I still eat or use my pecans. A. Yes, if it has the Pecan weevil in it you will see it and not want to eat it or use it. Q. The local pecan buyer want my ID why? A. The current emergency pecan weevil quarantine requires pecan buyers and accumulators to obtain specific information from individuals selling their pecans. The primary reason for this requirements is to help identify pecan weevil infested areas. Eradication has three C’s or principles, one Contain find where they are and keep them from spreading; two Control, use integrated pest management to kill off the existing population that are known; and third C is Clean up, find the few that may have survived but monitor to make sure they don’t come back. An indirect consequence of requesting identification is that it may help reduce pecan theft. Q. Can I send pecans to my relatives? A. Yes, you can send them out of the shell to anywhere in the US. If you want to send pecan in the shell they can only go East, or North to non-pecan producing States, like Idaho. In shell pecans cannot go to Arizona, or California or any county to the west of Eddy or Chaves or the four far west Texas counties to the south. Q. How do I treat to prevent them in my yard tree? A. The adult female weevil is a beetle-like insect that emerges from the ground in early August each year. She crawls or flies up into the tree and drills a hole through the shuck and into the nut, where she lays eggs. The grubs that hatch afterwards feed on the nut interior. Some escape through a hole they bore in the shell while others remain inside. It’s impossible for a homeowner to spray insecticide over an entire tree in most cases, but there are some strategies that might help control the weevils. First, pick up and destroy all damaged nuts each year. You can put them into to plastic bags and in the dumpster, or burn them if allowed by local ordnance. Do call the extension office or NMDA so we can work on that first C of eradication, contain. Second, apply in late July a foot-wide band of sticky material like Tanglefoot, it is similar to the fly stick traps, around the trunk six feet above ground. This will catch weevils that crawl up the trunk into the tree. To keep the material from staining the bark, wrap wide masking tape around the trunk before spreading it, if that is of concern. Third, if you have not been included in a state approved eradication program, homeowners can spray insecticide that contains carbaryl, as high as you can reach in the tree beginning the first week of August and repeating every 10 – 14 days until shucks begin to open. Be sure and read the label of each product to ensure it is legal and used safely. Follow all label requirements for your protection. The best thing you can do this time of year is pickup your pecans, don’t leave them on the ground. Q. What will the local buyer do with my pecans? A. They will clean, and sort your pecans then it depends on where they are shipping them for sale. If they are going into existing pecan weevil areas, they are supper sacked by size and grade and shipped. If they are going to the South or West, they are sorted and sacked as above but placed in a sealed semi-trailer; and shipped to a cold storage facility to be stored. Or they can cold treat in a certified facility before shipping. It may surprise you but the largest buyer for U. S. Pecans is China. Q. What if I don’t follow the rules and take my pecan to some other location? A. Buyer’s in non-weevil areas are also asking for ID and if you are coming from an infested area they will not buy your pecans, they could call NMDA and your pecans may be subject to seizure. But more importantly you may be responsible for spreading this pest to non-infested area of a multi-million-dollar industry. Q. What if I receive pecans in the shell from East of Eddy County that has pecan weevil. A. If you know that they are coming ask the person shipping them to freeze them for a week or so before they ship. If you don’t know they are coming and you get a package you can freeze them for a week or so. If you find weevils in pecan shipped to you put them in to two plastic bags and send them to the landfill or burn them. Don’t throw them out for the birds. Subscribe to Eddy County Ag news at: http://nmsueddyag.blogspot.com/ Eddy County Extension Service, New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. All programs are available to everyone regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. New Mexico State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Eddy County Government Cooperating.