Texas AgriLife Blackland Research and Extension Center

Belton ISD fourth-graders take hands-on approach to science

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:34:08 GMT

BY JEFF OSBORNE | TELEGRAM STAFF

Saturday, Oct 6, 2012

Fourth-grade students from Belton ISD's Tyler Elementary got a chance to experience the outdoors in a new way and learn about the work of scientists during a field trip Friday to Friar's Creek Park in Temple.

Rehanon Pampell, project coordinator for the Blackland Research & Extension Center in Temple, asked the students what science was and why it is important.

"Science helps us study stuff," she said. "Why do we study stuff? We're curious. … You need curiosity to look at one tree and see how it's different from another tree, and to find out why and how things work. Being a scientist is not all about being in a lab with test tubes."

The students were sent on an eco scavenger hunt to help spark their interest in the world around them.

They were asked to find three kinds of rocks, three unusually shaped leaves, different textures, different odors or smells, three objects with different colors, evidence that animals were around and evidence that people were around.

They also were asked to find something that depends on something else, something that is good at hiding, something that spreads seeds, natural patterns or designs, a natural warning, something that can't be replaced once it is used up and something extraordinary.

Master naturalists accompanied the students on the scavenger hunt.

"Write down what you see today, and you'll get a good look at what it's like to be a scientist," Pampell said.

Tyler students visited the Blackland Research Center during the previous school year, and Pampell said this year, representatives of the center wanted to give the students a chance to get outside to a more natural area and give them a chance to do some field research.

The goal was to use their observation skills to better understand the world around them, and to learn what environmental scientists do.

Some of the evidence of people included litter in the park's creek.

"It takes thousands of years for that to disintegrate," master naturalist Darla Menking told the students.

They also observed large green horse apples - also known as Osage oranges - fruit from the bodark or Bois d'arc trees, and how they floated on water because they were buoyant - and water is heavier than the fruit.

The students learned how the vines with purple flowers in the park wrap themselves around stronger plants for support, and grow toward sunlight.

When observing ditches, Menking explained that soil erosion caused by water causes dirt to slide away, creating cracks and ditches.

She said plant life is important to prevent soil erosion, because the roots of plants give soil more stability.

Evidence of animals being presented included duck tracks, the sounds of birds singing, leaves being eaten from a tree by insects, and small fish and crawfish being observed in the creek.

The students also were able to observe snails with spiral patterns on their shells.

"What do snails eat?" Menking asked the students. "They're notorious for eating the soft petals of flowers and plants, so we don't like them in our gardens. They don't do it to be mean, that's just what they eat."

The students observed how webworms devour leaves and can harm trees, and they watched dragonflies and damsel flies flitter about at the park.

Dr. June Wolfe, a research scientist who studies biology and water quality, talked to students about his job.

"Bio means life, so biology is the study of life," he said. "What things are alive? Plants, animals, people, bacteria …

"I like to study things that live in water. What lives in water? Insects and plants - lots of things live in water.

He held up a large container filled with algae and insects, and said that was an ecosystem, because things were living in it. He said that eco is the Greek word for home or house.

"Water is really, really important, and it's good to understand watersheds," Wolfe said.

He said that a watershed is an area where runoff occurs, and that it's important to keep watersheds clean and free from pollution.

"It's really important to think about watersheds and the quality of water," Wolfe said. "What is water quality? It's how good the water is for supporting life and for people to drink."

He had the students measure an area of the park which he defined as a watershed, and told them that one cubic foot of space holds 7.5 gallons of water, so during heavy rains, there was a lot of water pouring from a watershed.

"It can change the shape of land as it goes across an area," Wolfe said. "Hydrology is the study of where water goes and how it moves across the landscape.

Dr. Jim Kiniry, a research agronomist who studies plant and soil science, talked to students about the importance of biofuel, and how material from plants can help power vehicles and other machines.

He showed students the towering stalk of an energy sorghum plant, which helps provide material that is turned into fuel.

He also showed them how to use a light sensor, a device that measures the amount of light being captured by plants, which drives their growth.

One of the plants students observed was Johnson grass, a plant that was imported to America to provide food for livestock, but which spread quickly and is known as an invasive species, because it competes with native plants for resources.

Billie Bennett, a Tyler student, said she enjoyed "exploring nature" at the park.

"It was awesome," she said.

Anthony Conway, another student, said he enjoyed seeing the horse apples in the trees, the snails and different types of leaves.

Student Leo Martinez said he enjoyed getting to enjoy nature as well.

"We got to see lots of plants that are growing here and learned about what animals eat," he said, adding that he enjoyed seeing tadpoles in the creek.

osborne@tdtnews.com

Blackland hosts delegation from Mali

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:31:28 GMT

By Geoff West
TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

In America, livestock producers have near instantaneous access and information on market prices and sources of feed or water. They bundle livestock in trailers and drive down the highway.

In Mali, livestock producers - known as pastoralists, or simply herders - walk their withering cattle, sheep, goats and camels hundreds of miles across an often-barren landlocked West African country, surviving the occasional catastrophic drought and sometimes trekking days to a watering hole that dried up weeks or months ago.

The modern challenges of Mali herding, a vital cog in its economy, spawned the Mali Livestock and Pastoralist Initiative, a 2006 U.S.-funded project to assist Mali in developing and using 21st century technology to improve the productivity and incomes of livestock producers.

Finding sources of water during the dry season is often hit-and-miss, to the detriment of herders and their stock, Dr. Mamadou Dougakoro Coulibaly, an advisor to the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, said Tuesday while visiting the Blackland Research and Extension Center with a delegation of Mali scientists.

The Blackland Research and Extension Center, along with other initiative-affiliated research institutions across the country, previously helped Mali integrate text-messaging technology into their livestock marketplace.

Using their cell phones, producers can now receive current market price information from a central Mali database according to an animal's kind, breed, and grade.

The cell phone technology - and everybody has a cell hone in Mali, where minutes are Mali pennies on the U.S. dollar - has empowered livestock producers in his country since being introduced in 2008, Coulibaly said.

Now, Blackland researchers and others involved with the initiative have moved on to developing a similar text-messaging system to give herders current information about sources of water, vital on cross-country treks, often during the dry season, which is treacherous for herders, Coulibaly said, in his second language of English.

Crossing lands where the soil is as dry as a tabletop, herders have little knowledge of what's ahead, he said.

"There may be rain here, or over there…," said Coulibaly, pointing at a map of his country, "but they don't know what's there. They're hoping there will be enough water…because in the dry season, there's nothing."

Funding available, Blackland researchers and others in the initiative hope to have the technology available to Mali pastoralists within two years, said Dr. Jay P. Angerer, local project leader with the Blackland Research and Extension Center.

Mali delegates believe the technology will benefit the reality for local herders, who long spend countless hours wasted on a simple search of water.

"Any herder can call and say, 'Hello, I'm here and I want to go this way. What is the situation?' - before he moves," Coulibaly said.

gwest@tdtnews.com

Come drought or high-water...

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:35:09 GMT

...automated flood system phones home

TEMPLE - Taking precautions for flooding during the worst drought in Texas history may seem unrealistic, but for a reality check, all you have to do is look at what happened in the Temple/Belton area in 2010.

Dr. June Wolfe, a Texas Agrilife Research scientist based in Temple, was been asked to do just that by local city officials after the flood. The result an automated weather station that sends text alerts to authorities to possible flooding of low-water crossings and danger to local communities.


Dr. June Wolfe, Texas AgriLife Research scientist (left) and Tony Owen, AgriLife Research associate, check placement of a sensor for an automated floodmonitoring system on Nolan Creek, about 6 miles west of Belton. At the time of a flash flood in the fall of 2010, the creek level rose to above the bridge behind them in a matter of hours. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Robert Burns)

"Fort Hood and the Temple area are in what's known as Flash Flood Alley," Wolfe said. "The result was flooding that not only submerged low-water crossings, it flooded bridges and downtown Belton."

Local communities were reminded of this in September 2010, when Tropical Storm Hermine brought from 7 to 8 inches of rain in less than 12 hours. No lives were lost during the 2010 flood, but Nolan Creek, which runs through Belton, turned into Nolan River.

The newspaper of record, the Belton Journal, reported on Oct. 1, 2010, that "a total of 289 total structures were impacted in some way. Of that figure, 29 residences were destroyed, 45 sustained major damage, 56 had minimum damage and 149 were affected."

Those figures didn't include submerged cars, and damage done to parks and streets. One report posited that the reason there weren't more vehicles lost - or lives - was that the flood occurred in the early morning when there weren't many people on the roads.

When approached by Belton city officials, Wolfe and his research assistant, Tony Owen, had years of experience dealing with automated flood-monitoring on the Fort Hood reservations. The Flash Flood Alley region stretches from San Antonio through Austin and to Dallas, also includes the Fort Hood military base, Wolfe said.

Fort Hood comprises more than 300 square miles of Central Texas, and it has many unimproved low water crossings. The U.S. Army was concerned about the historic loss of equipment and lives, both by civilian employees and military personnel on "tactical and paved" roads during flash floods.

Young recruits might feel invulnerable in a 70-ton Abrams tank, but the tanks don't float in 10 feet of water, Wolfe said.

Wolfe's work with flood monitoring occurred serendipitously in 2002, when he was project manager for a water-quality study at the fort. The region is prone to severe soil erosion, and purpose of the study was to monitor sediment levels in rivers and streams with data logging devices. When a military team was inspecting the loss of a tank and crew at a low-water crossing, they learned that Wolfe's sediment data loggers also had records of stream depth and flow at the time the accident. Consequently, Wolfe began working with, Jerry Paruzinski, a program director at the for, to develop a warning system.

The result was a linking of cell phone technology to existing sediment monitoring systems at major watershed overflow points throughout the reservation, he said.

"We simply installed cell phones in dataloggers at three low-water crossings and programmed them to call when the stream depth was unsafe to cross," he said. "When water began to rise, the automated system would send voice alarms to range control officers," Wolfe said.

The system worked but had limitations because it was piggybacked on the sediment-monitoring program, and due to the cell phone technology of the time, according to Wolfe.

The problem was that the analog phones and data loggers only issued a recorded, "robot-like, message stating 'alarm at site 3; please acknowledge,"' Wolfe said.

Everything still worked if range control personnel understood who or what was calling them, where site 1, 2, or 3 was, and were trained to acknowledge the alarm by entering a code, according to Wolfe.

"This worked well enough if you could keep the soldiers on-duty at range control briefed about the system," he said. "Another problem, they frequently rotated personnel, as the military likes to do."

In 2007, digital cellular phones became available, he said. The new phone systems were more reliable, made real-time monitoring possible, and communicated with Range Control is a much less cryptic manner, Wolfe said.

"(Today,) the digital system continuously measures water level at six low-water crossings on three major streams," Wolfe said. "At 10-minute intervals, data is uploaded to a College Station server for display and delivery.

When the programming determines flood conditions are eminent, text alerts are relayed to a list of range control personnel. The Range Control officers can then immediately warn units on maneuvers or civilian traffic control officers of dangerous stream conditions.

"The dual reporting nature, both web-based and via text alerts, gives increased reliability," Wolfe said.

Real-time water level measurements for all six Fort Hood sites can be found at /decision-aids/flood-alert-system.

Plans for future expansion include flood prediction monitoring, adding more more monitoring locations and perhaps automated warning lights at high-risk areas.

"It all depends upon funding, of course," Wolfe said. "But when you figure the cost compared to the loss of an Abrams tank - not to mention the loss of a life - it's very economical."

The system Wolfe installed for the City of Belton is basically a scaled-down version of the Fort Hood network. Because of limited funds, it currently only uses one monitoring site on Nolan Creek about 6 miles west of Belton. Similarly to the Fort Hood system, monitoring system data is updated every 10 minutes to the Internet server, and alerts are sent to local officials and emergency personnel if flooding is eminent. Like the military stations, the website is available to the public and can be found at http://fthoodflood.tamu.edu/NolanCreek.jpg

Wolfe said field hardware costs from $3,500 to $4,000 per station. Software accounts for another $1,000 to $1,500. Cellular service costs us $15 per month, per station, on a university contract, he said.

There's also the cost for maintaining a server, but the one for Belton is gratis on another project.

"The real cost is in salary for the person installing and maintaining the system," Wolfe said.

For more information on the flood-monitor systems, contact Wolfe at 254-774-6016, jwolfe@brc.tamus.edu.

PESTMAN Pest tool aids in management decisions

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:25:51 GMT

Pestman team member Loren Naylor said the management

tool program has logged about 3,500 visitors since December of 2009.

--Staff photo by Coppedge

Anyone who has ever wondered how agriculture scientists and range management specialists come up with some of their facts, figures and recommendations for such matters as brush control can at least get a taste of the process with a program called Pestman, which sounds like it might be a superhero - or villain - but is actually a free decision support tool that helps landowners manage villainous species of weeds, plants and trees on their property.

Available only in Texas and New Mexico, Pestman allows the user to select the pest plant, state and plant density and then look up the recommendations for that plant. The recommendations include a list of management control options along with how much each of those options will cost. Treatment costs are upgrade annually, to reflect fluctuating costs.

Wayne Hamilton, an AgriLife Research range scientist and one of the Pestman developers, said the program is designed to help landowners two ways - by listing the method of control and calculating the costs. The user is first taken to a USDA website that identifies the weed and lists the various control options.

"It first allows the user to identify the appropriate technology, whether it's mechanical or chemical, of dealing with the problem," he said. "You can stop at that point or you can go to the next step, which is an economic analysis program. That will calculate the value of the treatment against the investment."

In a year like this one, when brush is about the only thing making a go of it in the state's pastures - and some of those are in hiding this year, too - brush control can also help rid the pasture of plants that are robbing the scant forage that is available of valuable moisture. Hamilton said that brush control is one of the most pervasive problems that landowners and operators face.

"We take a lot of surveys to find out what issues landowners are most concerned with, and brush control is identified as one of the top four or five issues in all cases," he said.

Pestman combines two existing programs, EXSEL and GAAT, to make its recommendations and access the costs. EXSEL (Expert System for Brush and Weed Control Technology Selection) was designed in the 1980s to help AgriLife Research and Extension personnel and land managers with brush and weed management decisions. GAAT (Grazingland Alternative Analysis Tool) is of about the same vintage and was designed to help producers predict the economic tradeoffs of various brush management grazing practices.

Richard Conner, with the Department of Agricultural Economics and another of the Pestman developers, said each of the old programs was effective in their time, but their time passed when new web-based technologies came along.

"Pestman is basically an update of the two earlier tools. EXSEL was a Doss program, before the Web. So was GAAT," he said. "With Pestman, we basically put the two programs together with updated technology."

The program was tested extensively before it was offered to the public. Texas A&M University and New Mexico State University were the primary academic researchers, collaborating with the USDA Risk Management Agency (which provided funding for research and development), Texas AgriLife Research and private industry, including Grazingland Management Systems, Inc. and AgForce consulting companies.

Loren Naylor, also a member of the Pestman team, said the program has logged about 3,500 visitors and 1,500 repeat customers since December of 2009. "That tells us that a lot of them are coming back to use the site again, which is a good sign," he said. "A lot of NRCS field agents and extension agents use it, and now we're seeing more private landowners use it."

Naylor added that the chemical costs associated with treatment options are updated regularly. Mechanical costs are due to be updated, and he hopes to add an enhancement to the tool that more specifically targets cost to that individual producer.

"The costs are measured now as general regional costs," he said. "If we can get the funding, we'd like to add an enhancement that breaks it down to your own individual cost, what you would pay for it from a local supplier. This would help get it as accurate as possible."

Pestman also includes "forage response curves" which predicts how long it will take the treatments to work and how much forage will be saved as a result of the practices. The program analyzes profit from increased forages following treatment compared to the amount of forage that would be produced without the treatment. Hamilton recommends that producers use extra care when calculating the response curve.

"The treatments and the price of treatments - those really have to be weighed heavily by the user," he said. "Or, if they don't have enough knowledge to be comfortable with that part of the program, they might want to contact an expert for help from their extension agent, a range management specialist or an NRCS field agent."

To for more information and to access the tool, go to pestman.tamu.edu.

GANLAB Program provides science-based results

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 07:26:51 GMT

Stephen Prince, a researcher at Blackland Research and Extension Center, examines the light reflectance signatures from a scan of manure.--Photo by Center for Natural Resource Information Technology, Blackland Research and Extension Center

By CLAY COPPEDGE, Country World staff writer

May 26, 2011 - Hunters, trackers and outdoors people from all over have long known the value of droppings (manure) to determine what an animal has been eating. Technology has taken that notion a step further with a software program known as the Grazing Animal Nutrition Lab, or GAN Lab, for short.

The Grazing Animal Nutrition Lab (GAN Lab) at the Blackland Research Center in Temple uses a technology called near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to analyze fecal samples and make recommendations based on results that shows dietary crude protein, digestible organic matter and other nutritinal factors in a cow's diet..

Stephen Prince, director of the lab, said the technology uses NIRS to create a nutritional profile of free range livestock.

"We help determine the quality of a pasture by using manure samples and analyzing them," he said. "Feed costs and grazing costs are two big factors in any livestock operation. Controlling those costs is important to making money with livestock. This is another tool to help with those decisions."

The GAN Lab began in 1988 strictly as a research based operation to study animal nutrition and monitor grazing behavior. Dr. Jerry Stuth, GAN Lab founder, added a nutritional balance profile (NUTBAL Pro) software program and the NIRS system of fecal analysis was offered to the public in 1994. The GAN Lab has profiled the nutrition of cattle, goats, sheep, bison and wildlife like elk and deer for a variety of users.

"The NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) is the biggest customer for this," Prince said. "They use it as part of the cost- share for some of their programs. Farmers, ranchers, researchers and government agencies here and abroad all use it."

Users of the program are asked for information regarding animal attributes, environmental conditions, pasture conditions and feeding programs. The NUTBAL Pro software then determines if the animals are getting enough nutrition as well as their daily weight gain or loss and the most effective feeding option if supplementation is needed.

The program produces two reports. One describes nutritional intake requirements and balance. The second report, the Mediation Report, offers the most efficient feed alternatives, including the cost of that alternative per day. It is available on CD-Rom, which also includes electronic copies of training materials and sampling instructions.

"The fecal sample you send us should have been in the pasture at least 48 hours before the sample is taken," Prince said. He added that the sample should be as "pristine" as possible, meaning that the sample needs to be free of dirt, grass and insects. For ranchers who are rotating cattle from one pasture to another, producers should choose a sample with the highest correlation to what the animal was eating 36 hours previously. The producer should take five to 10 fresh fecal pies or a composite sample.

The user is expected to provide two zip-lock or freezer bags, plastic gloves, a disposable spoon, ink marker, mailing labels and tape or masking tape. The lab will provide a cardboard mailing box, Styrofoam cooler, gel pack and a sample form. The pack is frozen overnight and the Styrofoam lid is labeled with the customer's address and the address of the GAN Lab. Results will be emailed or faxed to the customer about four days later.

"This can tell you when you need to pull a cow off a pasture or when you need to supplement and what kind of supplement is recommended," Price said. "It helps take the guesswork out of the nutritional management of your herd."

Price said that lab technicians want to know the health of the whole herd and so recommends getting samples that represent one herd and one pasture. While the lab focuses on nutritional factors such as protein and energy, research is now under way to address livestock issues such as minerals, parasites and soil analysis.

For more information, go to the GAN Lab website at cnrit.tamu.edu/ganlab or call (254) 774-6134.

--Reprinted with permission of Country World Central Texas

Journey comes to an end in Temple after 111 years

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:48:56 GMT

by Patricia Benoit
Telegram Staff Writer

When it comes to protecting Texas terra firma, the "last acre" is only the beginning.

About 200 dignitaries from Washington, D.C., and throughout Texas converged Wednesday on a patch behind the USDA-ARS Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory to mark the final soil mapping of the state's 172 million acres.

They also dedicated a granite monolith recognizing the state, federal and local entities that united to finish the job over the past 111 years.

No one was more proud of the day's activities than retired soil scientist Wilson Moon, 99. He started working on soil surveys in 1935 as part of the former Soil Erosion Service. He and his wife, Dorothy, were honored guests.

When Moon started working, he used rudimentary tools such as shovels and plane tables. The work was speeded up in recent decades by advanced technology from sophisticated interrelated software, satellite imagery and geographic information systems.

The Texas maps are part of a program to analyze every acre in the nation. The program is about 95 percent complete. California, some Rocky Mountain states, Hawaii and Alaska have yet to be completed.

Although the actual last acre is in Hudspeth County, this local plot of Bell County Blackland was designated as the symbolic end to the project that began in 1899. Temple is the state headquarters for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The celebration coincided with the 75th anniversary of NRCS's founding in 1935.

The 12 speakers sharing keynoting honors reiterated the same theme: The mapping may be over, but the real work of conserving precious soil and water resources has only begun.

"Soil is the 'golden goose' for our country," said Salvador Salinas, NRCS acting state conservationist. Our lives depend on soil ... We're not celebrating the last soil survey; we're celebrating our future."

The speakers emphasized that soil and water are the basic building blocks of industry, quality of life and human survival. Understanding and conserving natural resources are essential. The nation's security, industry and economic stability depend on that.

Agriculture is "the only essential industry. We couldn't do other things we do without it," added Dr. Craig Nessler, director of Texas AgriLife Research.

Seconding him was Dr. Edward Smith, director of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

"Every bit of research is based on these soil surveys," he said. "Everything depends on it - from community planning to agriculture. Back in the 1970s, we kept those books on our desks at all times. We called it 'the bible.' They were essential."

Now that all the Texas survey has been loaded onto the Internet in a versatile, multi-dimensional format, the thick books are passé. Anyone in the world can pinpoint soil types in any plot of land in the state, Smith said.

Micheal Golden, national soil survey director for NRCS in Washington, outlined the next steps as mandated by Congress to the secretary of agriculture: keep the soil surveys relevant and current; make sure the information is useful and available to everyone; and promote it.

Golden was a former Texas state soil scientist, based in Temple, who worked on the state mapping for many years before moving to the national post.

The group reassembled at a nearby site to shovel the last bit of dirt into a test hole. Dignitaries used chrome-plated, engraved shovels, called "sharp-shooters," for the ceremonial dig.

Afterward, the public was invited to view various research projects at the Grassland lab, NRCS and Texas AgriLife Research, Blackland Research and Extension Center. The displays emphasized the cooperation of state, federal and local entities to finish the massive project.

Texas' soil survey program is led by the NRCS, with other USDA agencies, Texas AgriLife Extension and Research, various Texas universities, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and local soil and water conservation districts providing funding, personnel, soil analysis and research.

"The soil survey of Texas is a perfect example of how much more can be accomplished with a cooperative effort," said Dennis Williamson, Texas state soil scientist with NRCS. "Without the superb cooperation of local, state and federal entities in Texas, our initial soil survey would be a long way from completion."

Williamson said work will continue, using modern technology, to refine Texas' soil surveys and to provide more assistance to landowners and natural resource agencies so that they can better manage land under their care.

pbenoit@tdtnews.com

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

After 111 years, soil survey complete

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:21:13 GMT

Last acre ceremony is Wednesday

by Patricia Benoit
Telegram Staff Writer

For more than a century, scientists have trod the sod - 172 million acres over 254 counties. The final hole has been dug, analyzed, inventoried and made available online. The first phase of Texas' soil survey that started 111 years ago is complete. Temple will be the site of the state's symbolic "final shovelful."

What began in 1899 in Montgomery County as the first soil survey in Texas will culminate in a symbolic "last acre" ceremony hosted by the Natural Resources Conservation Service on Wednesday. Several hundred dignitaries will converge in Temple for the ceremony and open house. A monument will be dedicated at the "last acre" ceremony.

Completion of all 254 counties is a tremendous milestone, said Dennis Williamson, Texas state soil scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's NRCS for Texas, headquartered in Temple. At the center of the massive soil survey project is Williamson, who oversees 60 soil scientists stationed in nine regional offices throughout the state.

Formerly called the Soil Conservation Service, NRCS is the federal agency that works with land users to help protect, conserve and manage natural resources, such as soil, water, air plants and animals.

NRCS left no stone unturned in Texas. The state's soil survey is part of a nationwide project initiated to sample, document and catalogue every acre in the nation. About 95 percent of the nation is completed. Even the grounds of the White House in Washington, D.C., have been analyzed.

Texas is one of the largest and most challenging states for soil scientists with 1,300 different soil types. Central and East Texas soils are generally more diverse and complex than West Texas' expanses.

Soil is the basic staff of life for a multitude of personal, business and agricultural enterprises. Soil surveys are used by city planners, farmers, ranchers, developers, construction companies, teachers, realtors - even homeowners and backyard gardeners.

Soil survey maps have been available for many decades. The first Texas survey was published in 1902 in a U.S. Department of Agriculture report. It consisted of 12 pages of text and five mapping units within an area of 137,000 acres.

In earlier times, the maps were printed on large sheets about the size of a card table top. The Temple Public Library has several published over the past century. Those early maps are gold mines of historical information about long-dissolved communities, rural cemeteries and land features now disguised by urbanization.

However, information gleaned from them was cursory because early 20th-century knowledge and survey tools were primitive. "A lot of those early surveys were done on the ground with guys setting up plane tables in a pasture," Williamson added.

Early soil scientists measured the ground with a horse-drawn buggy. They would tie something to the spoke of the wheel and count the revolutions to obtain an accurate measurement. First automobiles, introduced into the field work in 1919, lacked odometers. So, the soil scientists would pull the buggy behind the automobile to measure the land. Then, they tried mounting the buggy wheel onto the side of the auto. This was fairly successful unless the automobile made sharp turns and skidded. Finally, the scientists added newly developed odometers to the autos.

The survey continued over the next century, in stops and starts as funding was available and technology improved.

In recent decades, the soil scientists' work was enhanced by a host of technological wizardry - high-resolution aerial photography, global positioning satellites, interactive software and computer-assisted drawing.

Survey crews in the beginning targeted the more populated counties or regions with strong agricultural economies. Bell and surrounding counties were among the earliest studied. The least populated counties, such as sparsely populated areas in West Texas, were the last to be surveyed. The actual "last acre" is on private land between Van Horn and Dell City in Hudspeth County, population 3,115 and located immediately east of El Paso.

"It's not that those counties weren't important," Williamson said. "It's just that, at the time, the primary land use was not as intensive and the counties were sparsely populated."

In all cases, soil scientists take general inventories of each county. They contact the landowner for permission to dig samples and map the soil. The scientists take numerous samples because not all soils are alike; one pasture can contain several different soil types.

"Normally you'll find 40 to 50 different soil types in every county," Williamson said. "Using aerial photography, we record where the different soils occur on the land. Then we take all the information, send samples to the laboratory or test it locally. We analyze how much sand or clay is in the soil, also the amount of lime and the pH, or acidity, of the soil," he added.

As they walked or drove vast expanses of the state, soil scientists described and sampled soils, then sent them to the Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University Soil Laboratories as well as the NRCS National Soil Survey Laboratory for further analysis.

Once those analyses are finished, soil scientists draw conclusions from the results found in the test site, creating a crazy quilt of polygons and swirling shapes across the map's terrain. This aggregate yields a mother lode of information.

"We can determine soil capability for septic tank systems or building homes. These maps are helpful to determine the best location for roads or buildings, planting gardens or deciding what type of crops to plant and how productive the land will be. Ranchers use the maps to decide how many head of cattle they can run on their acreage, depending on the soils productivity," Williamson said.

"The soil resource is worth billions and billions of dollars. In recent years, maps have been digitized and put on the web where everyone has free access. Think how important soil resources are! This year alone, Texas soil produced $25 billion in agricultural products," Williamson said.

"Even though Texas' soil maps are finished, NRCS will continue to maintain, update and refine the survey areas in the coming years," Williamson said. The information obtained from the fieldwork is available to the public.

NRCS makes soil surveys and maps available on compact disks or on the Internet.

NRCS soil scientists were aided by other USDA agencies, Texas Agri-Life Extension and Research, several Texas universities, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and local soil and water conservation districts that provided funding, personnel, soil analysis and research along the way.

pbenoit@tdtnews.com

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Saving the soil

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:44:24 GMT

AgriLife units work to improve training terrain

Story by Melanie Orth

Heavy tanks and armored vehicles that have continually rolled over the 67,000-acre West Range at Fort Hood

for the past 60 years have accelerated soil erosion. Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored post in the U.S. Armed Services and located near Killeen in central Texas, uses the range as the primary training and maneuver area for two armored divisions.

The Texas Water Resources Institute and Texas AgriLife Blackland Research and Extension Center are working to improve the training terrain. The units are collaborating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Fort Hood's Integrated Training Management and Directorate of Public Works on two projects: the Fort Hood Range Revegetation Pilot Project and the Fort Hood Training Lands Restoration and Maintenance Project.

Dr. Bill Fox, assistant professor at Blackland, said the main objectives of these projects are to help maintain quality training lands for soldiers and other military personnel, maintain and improve the natural resource base, protect the surrounding watersheds, and improve the water quality of supply reservoirs.

The revegetation project began in 2003, and project members started evaluating the addition of composted dairy manure to primary training areas as a management practice. Compost enhances soil quality and promotes vegetative growth, Fox said. Thus far, about 25,000 tons of composted dairy manure from the impaired North Bosque River Watershed have been applied to more than 2,000 acres of training lands at Fort Hood.

Taking compost out of the Bosque River watershed helps relieve that watershed of excess phosphorus found in the manure, Fox said. "Excessive nutrients in one watershed are being used to fertilize nutrient-starved soil in another," he said. "We have also determined that nutrients in dairy compost under recommended rates do not pose a threat to the water quality of protected watersheds within Fort Hood."

The project also uses compost in coordination with contour ripping practices. Placing compost and grass seeds over the contour rips helps establish vegetation buffers and reduces runoff and erosion, Fox said. Both the contour ripping and revegetation have reduced stormwater discharge by about 50 percent compared to untreated areas.

The restoration and maintenance project was federally funded in 2007 and works on developing best management practices that effectively control compaction, runoff, erosion, woody species management, tank trail management, and sedimentation. Applying these practices on a representative watershed has reduced erosion by up to 90 percent and stormwater runoff by more than 60 percent, Fox said.

Through both projects, Fort Hood is integrating sound environmental stewardship and improving training conditions for soldiers.

"The U.S. Department of the Army and the U.S. Department of Defense have placed special importance on improving environmental factors that affect these training facilities," he said. Visit twri.tamu.edu/txH2O to read more about these projects.

Righting the river

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:24:06 GMT

by Harper Scott Clark
Telegram Staff Writer

Unlike critters, rivers don't appear on the endangered species list if they get into ecological trouble. They are said to be impaired.

Brad Ware, who owns 2 miles of riverfront on his property in Killeen, stands in the Lampasas River as he picks up some algae that has formed.

In 2008, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality listed the Lampasas River as impaired. Testing showed elevated bacteria concentrations, making it unsuitable for recreational use.

It wasn't news to the landowners along the winding stretch of the Lampasas. In 2004 a TCEQ report showed a similar finding.

Two major groups have reached out helping hands. The Blackland Research and Extension Center in partnership with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board began a project in May 2009 to return water quality. They named it the Lampasas River Watershed Assessment and Protection Plan.

In June of that same year, landowners in the Lampasas valley formed Save the Lampasas River Inc. to protect the fragile river environment. The first is grant funded through the Environmental Protection Agency. The second is a stakeholders association. Many of its members participate in the watershed protection project.

Lisa Prcin, a research assistant at Blackland, said the approach has been one of placing the stakeholders in the Lampasas watershed into the decision-making process. She said a regulatory stance was ruled out. "A watershed protection plan simply asks for their input," she said. "The key word is voluntary."

Pamela Casebolt with the Soil and Water Conservation Board said stakeholder groups involved in the project are proactive and knowledgeable. "They've lived here a majority of their lives and they truly care about the Lampasas and its quality," she said. "They have seen the area's land use change and know it continues to change. They want to insure the quality and beauty."

Part of that change is urbanization - particularly near Copperas Cove and south Killeen where the river passes from a rural into an urban landscape. What had been 500-acre farms are now subdivisions with high population density.

Prcin said wildlife, livestock, septic systems not up to standard or wastewater treatment plants not operating properly can also cause high bacteria counts in the river. Other pollution comes from fertilizer and chemicals. For farming and ranching, she said some possible solutions are terracing to keep runoff out of the river, installing filter strips, grazing management and using alternative water sources to draw farm animals away from the river.

LAMPASAS STACKHOLDER

Judy Parker, a member of Save the Lampasas, lives on the south bank of the river below Killeen. She also serves on the 19-member steering committee for the Watershed Protection Plan.

"What I see is a lot of erosion," she said. "Within the last three years for some reason it's gotten worse. We've had a lot of bank failures on the other side of the river on the north side where the river turns." Parker said she's talked to many up and down the river and nobody has any answers.

"We're in Texas Hill Country even though the people in the Hill Country don't want to include us," she said. "This is the Balcones Escarpment. When we get heavy rains it goes into flood stage almost immediately."

As to pollutants, she said she thought many ranchers and farmers have been using methods that diminish runoff of chemicals and livestock waste for a long time. She sees a problem in the many subdivisions that have gobbled up farmland in south Killeen in recent years.

"People are tending their lawns and think the more fertilizer and pesticide you put the faster and better it will grow. What they don't realize is it can only absorb a certain amount of the nutrients you put on it. The rest washes off into drainage ditches and storm drains into the river."

She said dog owners are not cleaning up after their pets and that is washing into the river, too. "It's not that they are doing this on purpose," she said. "It's an education issue we need to address."

FARMER AND RANCHER

Bradley Ware is the fourth generation owner of a 296-acre farm south of Killeen that dates back to 1874. It has two miles of Lampasas riverfront.

"I think it's a natural progression as a result of population increase," Ware said. He said he also has an issue with the way some of the tests were run. He said he believes there were cases where scientists took samples from under bridges where hundreds of swallows nested.

"And you don't go to a still pool so stagnant it will be high in nitrogen and low in oxygen," he said. "Where the river is running it will be high in oxygen. Where it's still it will be high in nitrogen."

But Ware said landowners along the river accept the fact there is a problem and it will only get worse. "We are smart enough as a group to know we should stay together," Ware said. "No one is trying to point a finger at any one group. It's a combination of everyone and if everyone would do a little to help we would get the river back up."

There are solutions, he said. "We can terrace our land," Ware said. "You see that berm I built there where my field runs along the river? It keeps runoff from spilling into the river."

He said it's possible to control wildlife. "Wild hogs will wallow in the river and leave their feces," he said. "But Texas Parks and Wildlife could authorize a bounty on feral hogs and coyotes and increase the limit on deer."

Ware held up a handful of green algae from the river's surface. He said it's not an indication of pollution per se. "Sunlight makes algae grow. But I've seen it so thick you could walk across the river on it. And other times I've seen algae kills where it turns black. That could be from a city sewer plant that has dumped chemicals. Or it could be a spill upstream of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer."

WHERE IT'S HEADED

Prcin said a steering committee meeting in Lampasas on Thursday saw stakeholders agree on data to go into a computer model that will eventually manage the watershed. It included the numbers of feral hogs and other wildlife, livestock and septic systems.

The entire watershed records 11,000 households. She said the early stages of the project were the data gathering and analysis phase. The project is now in the developmental stage networking with stakeholders and getting their input on problems and solutions.

The final stage will be implementation of the final plan, she said. At that point the project can apply for grants.

"Once we have a plan developed we will have a document that is a toolbox of practices to restore water quality," Prcin said.

Casebolt said the finished document would be a road map for the next 10 years.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Year of new challenges

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:29:33 GMT

Travis Science Academy offers students new class choices

by Chris Derrett
Telegram Staff Writer

Travis Science Academy students cannot yet go to college, but that will not stop colleges from going to them. The students at principal Eddy McNamara's school should have plenty to look forward to in 2010 - even years before potentially earning an associate degree upon graduating high school.

Known as Travis Middle School until last year, Travis Science Academy's health science program launches its second year of operation with a new health science class for seventh graders. The 2011-12 year will finalize the full program as its inaugural graduating class leaves the academy prepared for professional-level courses.

If academy students take the seventh grade Principles of Health Science class and Health Science the subsequent year, they enter ninth grade with two high school credits. Following the health science route at Temple High School through dual credit courses yields the associate degree in health science.

"Our goal is to show kids that they can get careers without four more years of college," McNamara said. "Our focus is to show kids what they can do in Temple."

Temple houses several health and science facilities, including Scott & White Memorial Hospital, the Olin E. Teague Veterans' Center and Blackland Research and Extension Center. Employees of all three organizations shared time with Travis Science Academy sixth-graders last year. Although speakers and dates are not finalized, both sixth- and seventh-graders can expect more of the same in 2010-11.

All incoming sixth-graders also will receive a CPR dummy kit to borrow at home and earn CPR certification, something Travis Science Academy ensures for each student.

Students received either instruction or hands-on experience nearly every day last year in their health and science class. Career fields represented included, but were not limited to, pharmacology, paramedicine, radiology and X-ray technology.

Several non-medical fields taught students as well. For example, Dr. June Wolfe from Blackland Research and Extension Center reminded students of career possibilities available because of Temple's natural environment.

"Showing kids that science can be fun and interesting is really important," said Zoe Roscoe, Blackland Research program manager. "Certainly with technology and our fast paced world we will need more and more folks working in science field, more that are multitalented."

At the end of Blackland Research and Extension Center's week at Travis Science Academy, students took part in a scavenger hunt at a local creek.

Regardless of the field, McNamara ensures students get the most out of each perspective offered throughout the semesters. It is part of the school's plan, especially given the lack of opportunity with which some of the students' families must live.

Many families, McNamara explained, do not have the money to afford a four-year university. But through the right decisions and available education, "You can still have a career and do well and support yourself and a family. We're trying to get out of generational poverty," McNamara said.

For students pursuing medical school, McNamara added that Travis Science Academy's speakers and classes expose those aspiring doctors to plenty of relevant material.

More than 85 percent of seventh-graders signed up for this year's Principles of Health Science, proving that no matter where Travis Science Academy students go in the future, most will gladly take the head start.

cderrett@tdtnews.com

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Genetic crops now widely accepted

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:49:19 GMT

By Carroll Wilson- Published July 7, 2010
TELEGRAM MANAGING EDITOR

Almost all the cotton and corn produced in the United States is genetically engineered, according to a report just released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In Texas, 90 percent of both crops fall in that category.

And it's likely the same in the Bell County or Central Texas area, said Dr. Thomas J. Gerik, resident director of the Texas AgriLife Research, Blacklands Research and Extension Center in Temple.

The USDA statistics show that genetically engineered crops have been widely adopted "notwithstanding uncertainty about consumer acceptance and economic and environmental impacts."

About 46 percent of the cotton planted in Texas in 2000 was modified. By this year, the amount had soared to 91 percent.

The latest data for corn shows that in 2005, about 72 percent of Texas acreage was modified. Today, the acreage is 85 percent.

Last year, Texas farmers planted 2.35 million acres of corn and harvested about 2.1 million acres, with a yield of about 130 bushels per acre.

In 2008, they planted about 250,000 fewer acres and harvested about as much as was planted at a value of $1.2 billion. USDA records show that production per acre has increased substantially since 1996.

In general, the large companies that sell seed to U.S. farmers have genetically altered the seed to be pest resistant and herbicide resistant, Gerik said.

Farmers use genetically modified seed "largely because it's cost-effective to do that," Gerik said. "It saves them time and money."

And in the case of corn, it keeps them from having a crop infected with a toxic cancer- causing agent called aflotoxin, he said.

Bottom line is the bottom line: higher yields, more food for U.S. families and low to stable prices.

Gerik said he's familiar with arguments against the use of genetically modified seed, particularly economic arguments about the growth of a handful of giant corporations that can provide the seed and what that might ultimately mean to pricing and availability.

"I can't say if it's good or bad," he said. "Without consolidation of these companies you don't have the resources necessary to do the research. On the other hand, there are limitations to development of these technologies."

In 2010, the large agri-business companies are set to release a corn seed that is drought-tolerant, Gerik said. The companies say the seed will increase yields by 15 percent.

"Then, a few years later another set of genes will extend that drought protection longer, and increase yields by 30 percent," he said.

"All projections show increased demand for corn and cereal grains," he said.

cwilson@tdtnews.com

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Studying Little River

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:55:15 GMT

Japanese hydrologist is part of exchange program at Blackland

By Harper Scott Clark- Published June 17, 2010
TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

The Little River watershed is providing scientific data that will help a visiting hydrologist manage a watershed in his native Japan.

Dr. Hiroaki Somura, 34, is working with Dr. Dennis Hoffman of the Texas A&M Blackland Research and Extension Center and Dr. Jeff Arnold with the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of an international exchange program.

The project they monitor has a long name - Analysis on Influences of Agricultural Activities in the Little River Watershed to a Downstream Lake Water Environment Under Global Warming Conditions.

Somura, who goes by the nickname Hiro among his colleagues, said as part of his work he collects water samples from the major lakes, rivers and streams that flow into the Little River watershed. He analyzes them for nutrient and sediment concentration along with information regarding crop production and animal production.

A Soil and Water Analysis Tool computer model (called SWAT for short) has been established to conduct the study, he said.

Among the project's goals are determining current agricultural practices and hydrologic conditions in the Little River watershed and estimating the impact of climatic shifts on river quantity and quality.

Somura, who is an assistant professor at Shimane University in Japan, first came to the Blackland Research Center five years ago to work on the project in its infancy. He liked what he saw. So he applied for a return visit on a grant through an agency of the Japanese government.

The Little River study is complex, Somura said. It involves the effects on the Little River watershed of two lakes - Stillhouse Reservoir and Lake Belton - two rivers - the Leon River and the Lampasas River - and Salado Creek.

Somura said when he returns home he will apply the SWAT model developed here to his own community around Matsue City. Two lakes there straddle the city - Lake Shinji to the west and Lake Nakaumi to the east. The region borders the Sea of Japan.

Somura said Lake Nakaumi, which is fed by the ocean, is salty - about 50 percent saline. And Lake Shinji is brackish, about 10 percent saline. A narrow channel connects the two.

To the south, the Ibi River runs out of the mountains and flows into Lake Shinji. Along the river where it cuts through the mountains, locals have been farming in terraced rice paddies for centuries. In the flat lowlands near Matsue rice paddies are even more abundant.

The similarities between Bell County and Shimane are evident, but the differences place them worlds apart in topography and the type of farming. Rice paddies hold water. Farms and ranches shed water.

The SWAT model Somura will take home from Texas will work in managing the watershed to maintain water quantity and quality, he said.

One of the main concerns for quality is to protect the Shijimi clam that resides in Lake Shinji and is a great delicacy in Japan. Forty percent of the Shijimi clams sold in Japan come from Lake Shinji, so it is vital to maintain salinity levels and water quality.

Somura's wife, Chikako (Chika for short), accompanied Somura on this visit. She is a biologist by training. He said the two met at Shimane University five years ago and were drawn together by their mutual love and respect for science.

Dr. Thomas Gerik, director for the Blackland Research Center, said a group of scientists from Temple have been sent to Japan as part of the exchange program.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Club planting seeds of self-reliance

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:17:02 GMT

By Harper Scott Clark- Published June 17, 2010
TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

Ten happy kids in bright yellow T-shirts scampered among the vegetable rows Wednesday, wetting down the thirsty seedlings coming up out of the soil.

They carried a long hose from a portable water tank on wheels supplied by the Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory.

The children, all chirping at each other like so many happy crickets, are part of a club called Un-included. They are learning self-reliance, self-identity and practical skills so as not to follow a pack mentality that gets some young people into trouble, club leader Garfield Hawk III said.

Un-included is Hawk's brainchild. He coined the term and secured a Web domain to promote it. Then he had yellow T-shirts printed that say, "I want to be Un-included when it comes to drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy and gang violence."

Hawk is helping to raise kids who might otherwise be turned loose on the streets in his neighborhood on Avenue D. And for anyone who challenges him about broaching such controversial subjects because they are too young, Hawk has a ready answer.

"By the time they are 12 or 13 they are learning it on the streets."

During the summer, Hawk keeps the neighborhood busy with field trips.

"We had 10 kids out today," he said. "We had 20 yesterday. This morning we went to a movie, then at noon came to water the garden."

He said they went to see "The Karate Kid." "It had some positive messages for them," he said.

Dr. Mari-Vaughn Johnson, a research agronomist in charge of educational outreach for the USDA Agricultural Research Service, said she first talked to Hawk about contributing her time working with the children as an individual doing community service.

"Then we talked about a garden and I thought, 'Hey, part of our mission is agricultural outreach.'"

She said she got authorization for the kids to grow a garden on a plot of federal land across from the Blackland and Grasslands Research Center.

"We wanted to get them involved in what agriculture is really about, what it is, what it does and how much a part of everyday life it really is," she said.

"So many people think an apple just comes from Walmart," she said, laughing. "It's more than that."

Hawk said the break it gives the kids is unique.

"It's not always about how much money you can contribute," he said. "This is about an opportunity for the kids that is positive. It teaches them teamwork. And it teaches them where vegetables really come from. They don't just come out of a bag from the H.E.B."

Hawk said the children would work on a float today that they will ride in the Juneteenth Parade on Saturday.

"The parade begins on Martin Luther King Boulevard and ends at Ferguson Park at 24^th Street and Adams," he said.

"That will be a positive atmosphere with lots of people getting together for barbecue."

Renita Naylor, a volunteer, said the planned activities are so much better than sitting in front of a television or computer.

"And it's being able to get them near nature that God has given us," she said.

Johnson said she watched the children working in the garden Tuesday and noticed a level of communication between them that amazed her.

"They are more functional than a lot of families because they work together," she said. "I felt like I had been to a party yesterday morning. It was so much fun. I felt good all day long."

Johnson said the garden project is something she hopes will not just grow over one season but that will continue to grow over time.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Granger Lake losing capacity to sedimentation

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:26:31 GMT

State agencies are studying the lake, trying to protect Williamson County's at-risk supply of drinking water.

By Fred Afflerbach - Telegram Staff Writer

GRANGER LAKE - When thunderstorms wake up those sleepy tributaries that fill Granger Lake they bring more than water. They bring mud.

Thirty miles south of Temple, this lake has grown significantly more shallow since it filled three decades ago. Compared to topographical maps taken in 1980 when the lake first started catching water, the most recent surveys show sediment was filling the lake bottom at a disturbing rate for 15 years, but later tapered off.

Although the rate of sedimentation has slowed, losing capacity means less drinking water for a growing and thirsty Williamson County.

Jason McAlister of the Blackland Research Center sets up his global positioning satelite antenna on a pontoon boat at Granger lake last week. McAlister is mapping the sedimentation history of the lake floor.

According to the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Granger Lake today supplies drinking water for 20,000 Williamson County residents. In the next five to 10 years the public drinking water demands on the lake are expected to exceed 100,000 residents.

With more people in the next decade expected to rely on a shrinking lake, two state agencies - the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Brazos River Authority - have teamed up to study where the sediment is coming from, how fast the lake is filling in and how to slow it down.

Determining the rate of sedimentation is the job of Jason McAlister, a researcher at the Blackland Research Center in Temple. McAlister is mapping the lake floor using a dual-frequency sonar - a fancy fish finder as McAlister calls it. Comparing the lake bottom in 2010 to a similar survey he performed in 2007 should help scientists understand if the changes in nearby agricultural practices have reduced the rate of sedimentation.

"If we can look at that and say it filled in this much over a three-year period, then we can figure out an annual amount of deposition," McAlister said. "Now if that is less or more than what they had previously calculated up to (the year) 2000, what they thought was the sedimentation rate, then you either have success or maybe you need to have some more conservation."

Those conservation practices include farmers building terraces to reduce runoff and planting grass in waterways to mitigate runoff and reduce erosion. Called a water quality management plan, landowners and others have already implemented these methods on almost 15,000 acres in the Granger Lake watershed.

Mapping the lake bottom would also reveal which tributaries are carrying the most sediment, a good starting point to learn where the soil is coming from.

Granger Lake sedimentation is a concern to the Brazos River Authority because it is the state agency responsible for selling water to cities and utilities across a large swath of Texas.

"We're supposed to ensure areas have adequate water supplies. If you start losing that much acreage, that much water from an important reservoir, in one of the highest growth areas in the state, then it raises eyebrows," said Jay Bragg, Authority spokesman.

Agriculture producers aren't the only group suspected of contributing to the erosion that causes sedimentation.

The state agencies working on this project say other problem spots are construction sites and the land around the lake owned by the federal government and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Bragg said two additional ways to increase the holding capacity at Granger Lake - dredging and raising the pool elevation - could happen at a later date, but there is nothing in the works now.

The Texas Soil and Water Conservation Board, headquartered in Temple, coordinates soil and water conservation programs regarding water runoff pollution from sources that are not clearly identified.

The Granger Lake project is made possible through an $814,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Turtle time at Blackland for summer campers

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:14:19 GMT

BY CARROLL WILSON
Telegram Staff Writer

For this group of Temple youngsters, two turtles were the stars of this exhibit displayed by members of the staff at the Blackland Research and Extension Center on June 9th. The center sponsored several outdoor-related activities for children participating in the city's summer camp program, which continues daily through August. Even though the morning was rainy, the center staff set up displays indoors.

The turtles were handled by Dr. Patrick Baker and his son, Collin, left.

Other presentations included a lesson on composting by Dr. June Wolfe. Students learned about the steps of composting and saw first hand the insects that help turn household trash into compost that can be used to grow flowers and vegetables.

Dr. Todd Marek demonstrated the properties of different soil textures. The students learned how to determine the amount of sand, silt and clay present in a soil sample by feeling the soil both when wet and dry. Students also learned about soil particle size and how that relates to infiltration rate.

Karen Sears and Diane Taylor along with Holland 4-H members, Erin and Clara Steglich, showed the students the difference between various tree and shrub leaves. The students then used the different leaf types to make leaf rubbing notecards.

Students also learned about the parts of a flower in a fifth session given by Evelyn Steglich. Students learned the importance of bees and insects and how they transport pollen from one plant to another. They learned how the seeds develop. Each of the students was able to dissect a flower to see the parts up close. They were also each presented with a packet of poppy seeds collected from the field of poppies grown by Dr. Dennis Hoffman at the Blackland Research Center.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Things are Poppy-ing Up at Blackland

Wed, 05 May 2010 14:01:59 GMT

PHOTO BY HARPER SCOTT CLARK
Telegram Staff Writer

Thousands of poppies blossomed over the last week along East Blackland Road near South Fifth Street west of the Blackland Research and Extension Center. The profusion of the flowers gone wild is part of Blackland's native prairie project.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Blackland Center celebrates centennial

Wed, 05 May 2010 13:52:42 GMT

BY HARPER SCOTT CLARK
Telegram Staff Writer

Nearly 100 guests helped blow out the candles at a birthday party for an esteemed Temple institution Monday.

Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Temple, commonly called Blackland Center, celebrated its 100^th year with an open house.

Visitors toured a dozen exhibits and visited with scientists who explained their ongoing research projects and programs.

The center's projects improve water quality through monitoring and analysis, restore training lands at Fort Hood, monitor water quality and flooding at Fort Hood, and use computer simulation to improve land and water management for local farmers and ranchers as well as for the international community.

Also nearing the century mark was rancher Wilson Moon, 98, of Temple. The oldest person at Monday's event, Moon said it felt great to be a part of the celebration.

He said while he was in high school in the 1920s he attended competition events at Blackland Center.

Then his first job was at Blackland after earning his bachelor's degree in agricultural science at Texas A&M in 1935.

"I worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service in Temple," Moon said. "I was assigned to a project at Blackland when Dr. Geid was the superintendent."

Moon said he used a shovel to throw soil that had run off the terraced fields. Then he measured the runoff.

"Runoff would collect in a vat," he said. "The project was to measure the effects of terracing to control erosion."

During his 40-year career, the Soil Conservation Service sent him to Indiana, Iowa and 13 other states where he worked with projects in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Moon said.

Moon said he still actively ranches at a spread down in Holland.

Zoe Rascoe, spokeswoman for Blackland, said it was chartered in 1909. Temple was selected as the site in 1910. Groundbreaking began in 1911 and the center opened in 1912.

"We have a broad spectrum here and a lot of people translating the research into practical applications," she said.

Among the things the center monitors are effects of agricultural practices on natural resources and the environment, monitoring and management of rangeland drought, managing urban storm water and developing watershed protection for healthy rivers and streams.

Representatives of foreign countries are frequent visitors to Blackland Center to learn soil and water conservation techniques.

"We are better known internationally than we are here locally," Rascoe said. "People come here from all over the world."

Moon said the results of research shared with local farmers and ranchers have been invaluable to them. "It's not that highly publicized, but they do pick up on these ideas."

hclark@tdtnews.com

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Timeline of Texas AgriLife, Blackland

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:21:55 GMT

1887: Congress approves the Hatch Act creating federally supported experiment stations as part of state land-grant colleges. The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station opens to research all phases of the state’s crop and livestock operations.

1909: The Texas Legislature creates the Blackland Experiment Station, Substation No. 5, part of Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (affiliated with Texas A&M University).

1912: The Blackland Station officially opens. First superintendent is A.K. Short.

1927: The station moves to its present site of 542 acres on Temple’s southeast edge. Hybrid corn breeding becomes an important part of the center’s research.

1929: U.S. Department of Agriculture places soil and water researchers at the Blackland Center.

1933: The Elm Creek Project, one of 10 demonstration projects in the U.S., attracts about 11,000 visitors.

1934: The first Texas projects under the Soil Erosion Service (later Soil Conservation Service) begin at Temple and Lindale.

1950s: Researchers focus on conservation and weather. They also expand mechanization.

1953: Agriculture Research Service (ARS), USDA’s research branch, opens next to the Blackland Center.

1972-73: Part of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, the Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory in Temple is funded in 1972 and opens the next year.

1977: Spurred by the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act (RCA), Blackland researchers begin work on computer models to study conservation.

1990s: The Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory becomes a world leader in controlling undesirable plants on rangelands and developing new strains of grasses.

1992: The Water Resources Assessment Team moves to the Temple laboratory.

1995: BellNET countywide computer network begins as a joint venture with Bell County government to serve schools, hospitals and emergency services.

2005: Texas Agricultural Extension Service locates its two youth programs serving children of military parents — Military 4-H and Operation: Military Kids — at Blackland.

2008: The station is renamed Texas AgriLife Research.

Timeline compiled by Telegram staff writer Patricia Benoit.

pbenoit@tdtnews.com

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

A bumpy beginning for the Blackland Experiment Station

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:39:33 GMT

By Patricia Benoit - Telegram Staff Writer

Acrimony between cities? Backroom deals? Blatant commercial boosterism? Cold cash upping the ante? Oh, and then there was the matter of $2,500 bonus money.

The story of how Blackland Experiment Station came to be located in Temple in 1909 involves a year of wrangling and dealing lubricated with financial incentives.

Despite it all, in the end, goodwill and camaraderie prevailed, and thus was born the Blackland Experiment Station, Substation No. 5, part of Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (now called the Texas AgriLife Research affiliated with the Texas A&M University System).

In November 1908, Judge Edward Reeves Kone (1848-1938) became the new director of the Texas Department of Agriculture with stern expectations from the Legislature. According to a 1914 biography, Kone was told, “unless the department met expectations, it would be abolished at the next session of the Legislature’s declining to make an appropriation for its support.”

Texas had three experiment stations — College Station, Troupe and Beeville. However, the Legislature appropriated fewer funds each year to keep the stations going. Kone plunged into the job with “a vigorous, courageous and determined exertion.” Beginning with the opening legislative session in January 1909, he buttonholed politicians to increase allocations. Working with key legislators, Kone proposed a network of state agricultural experiment stations in strategic locations. An agricultural board would be given wide latitude to create and govern the sites. By April, the Legislature approved the plan and allocated nearly twice the funds than previous years. The agriculture board announced it would approve four stations. By February 1909, legislators announced five stations would be opened: the Blackland belt, the East Texas sandy belt, the Panhandle, Central-West Texas and West Texas.

Seeing financial boons, more than a dozen cities began vying, including Temple. The state required that each city/county would present proposals, secure the land and offer cash advances to start building the stations.

Many cities dropped out of contention because they couldn’t secure the money or the land. By September 1909, the other sites had been determined, but members remained deadlocked over the five cities seeking the Blackland station.

Debates and meetings continued until Dec. 6, 1909, when the committee announced the two Blackland finalist cities were Temple and Denton. Each city’s business and political leaders launched intense campaigning during the Christmas season.

The agriculture committee gathered again on New Year’s Day 1910 in Austin for the final decision. Denton and Temple newspapers covered the event in full.

Temple sent a delegation of prestigious citizens to plead their case, which included 100-acre tract about 1.5 miles north of downtown and a $5,000 bonus above the earnest money to set up the station.

Kone and the lieutenant governor were committed to Temple. Denton upped the ante to $7,500 bonus outright, “whereas Temple and the board looked a bit blank,” the Denton Record-Chronicle reported.

Kone waffled, saying the proposal could seal the deal in Denton’s favor. When Kone stepped out of the room, the board decided to accept both cities and their cash offers.

However, the deal was far from done. The victorious Denton delegation complained. “It was not fair, they urged, for the board to discriminate and charge Denton $7,500 for the same thing that Temple was getting for $5,000,” the Denton paper reported.

In a goodwill gesture, the board agreed that each city would pay a $5,000 bonus.

But the arguing was not over. By the next month, the city of Belton objected to the station site in north Temple. Belton citizens wanted the station to be located south and midway between the cities. By late May 1910, a site was secured along what is now Midway Drive and construction began.

Early in 1911, representatives from each city’s commercial clubs (early names for Chambers of Commerce) held a joint fundraiser to raise the $5,000. The Temple Daily Telegram was effusive in its description of the meeting: “This will be the first time in the history of the two towns that such a move has reached the point of acceptance, and such a session of these two clubs will inure to the benefit of both towns and Bell County.”

By February 1911, the two cities kissed and made up, in a municipal sort of way. “Hatchet Is Buried and Peace Prevails Between Two Towns,” proclaimed the Feb. 25 issue. The Telegram reported, “What was probably the greatest ‘love feast’ ever participated in between Temple and Belton people was pulled off last night, under the auspices of the Temple Commercial Club …"

Ultimately, Temple, Belton, Denton and the state were winners in the deal. Kone became the hero of Texas agriculture. “The funds [to establish stations] were so wisely handled that the people were given twice the number, resulting in a great benefit to every part of the state,” according to his 1914 biography.

pbenoit@tdtnews.com

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Blackland: Who, what and how much?

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:29:18 GMT

By Fred Afflerbach - Telegram Staff Writer

Research, innovation and employment--Three things the Blackland Research Center has provided in Temple for more than 100 years. The center, and a few satellite operations affiliated with it, provide about 90 jobs that range in annual salary from $27,000 to $138,000. Total annual salary: $2.74 million.

Center employees are split between:
«     Texas AgriLife — 52.
«     U.S. Department of Agriculture — 35.
«     Environmental Protection Agency — 1.

The center also brings in on average about $2.7 million in goods and services. This includes visiting scientists from the United States and across the globe who spend up to one year working with Blackland scientists.

Funding comes from two places:

« Contracts and grants from such agencies as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense and the Texas Soil and Water Conservation Board: 3.8 million in 2009.

« General revenue from the Texas Legislature in 2009 totaled $1.2 million. But the impact Blackland has on the community cannot always be measured in dollars and cents. Workers at all agencies volunteer to conduct tours, host school events and make presentations with a focus on attracting school children to science.

Significant achievements

So, what are those scientists and researchers who use everything from computers to tractors actually doing?

« AgriLife scientists have partnered with Fort Hood and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to help restore 67,000 acres on Fort Hood’s west range which reduced erosion into Lake Belton by 98 percent.

« AgriLife scientists have developed and implemented a round-the-clock, web-based stream monitoring and warning system on Fort Hood to provide immediate warnings to soldiers at critical crossing points susceptible to flash-flooding.

« AgriLife and USDA scientists developed and maintained a soil and water assessment tool and an erosion calculator that is widely accepted in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Central and South America. These tools are used to assess the impacts of agricultural and land management practices on water supply and quality and crop productivity.

« AgriLife and USDA researchers plan to finish by December 2010 a report on current conservation practices applied to cropland in major U.S. watersheds. The report would shape future USDA conservation farm policy.

« Working with other researchers, AgriLife scientists developed and implemented a livestock early warning system. The system uses cell phone technology in Mongolia and Africa to provide nomadic herders with current grazing conditions and market prices.

Source: Tom Gerik, Blackland Research Center director

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

100 years of research, agricultural innovation

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:17:04 GMT

By Fred Afflerbach - Telegram Staff Writer

The Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Temple, also known as the Blackland Center, will hold its centennial celebration Monday, organizers said.

The daylong event was originally scheduled last for October, but was postponed. The public is invited to an open house from 10 a.m. to noon to visit with scientists and specialists about ongoing research and programs, said Dr. Tom Gerik, the center's director.

"The Blackland center has a long and distinguished history serving the residents of our region," Gerik said. "We're proud to be able to celebrate the center's civic contributions and scientific accomplishments amassed over more than 100 years."

Created in 1909, the center is one of 13 AgriLife Research and Extension facilities around the state that are part of the Texas A&M System.

Some of the center's high-profile projects include: performing national assessments on the effects of conservation practices for USDA; promoting healthy rivers and streams; Fort Hood revegetation and training lands restoration; agricultural and natural resource risk management; and rangeland drought monitoring and management.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Where buffalo roamed: Blackland Center project restoring native prairie grasses

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:22:15 GMT

By Fred Afflerbach - Telegram Staff Writer

The Blackland Research & Extension Center in Temple has planted the seeds for a new program that celebrates the legacy of native prairie grasses here in Central Texas and cultivates a dozen varieties in test plots.

Dr. Tracy Baker addressed 40 folks at the center on Friday, including a couple of master naturalists and several members of the Temple Farm and Ranch Club. Baker said urban sprawl is the biggest threat to the shrinking Blackland Prairie, a belt of rich soil once covered with knee- and waist-high native grasses.

``It's one of the most endangered ecosystems in all of America, and less than 1 percent remains . . . in my view, a rural-urban interface issue that's the disappearing landscape here in Texas,'' she said.

In January, staff at the center planted a dozen varieties of native grasses in a two-acre plot. Baker said plans are under way to publish a brochure, install signs and a trail to the demonstration plot, and maybe put together a small educational seed packet for students who would one day visit an exhibit there.

``A lot of these kids, that might be the best exposure they get to this landscape,'' Baker said. ``I really see this as a start for something fantastic here at Blackland.''

Baker said she got the idea from a county extension agent who said he fielded numerous calls from folks wanting to restore property to native habitat. And in this part of Texas that means grasses such as little bluestem, alamo switchgrass and Indian grass.

Since restoring overgrazed and farmed-out pastures isn't as easy as tossing seeds on the ground, the Blackland Prairie restoration program would be a starting point for people with little agricultural experience.

Like these native grasses that send roots deep into soil over time, Blackland director Tom Gerik said this program would be a sustainable, long-term project. The center has ample room to grow the program, both as a research and demonstration center.

Pointing out that highways and subdivisions are gobbling up more and more Central Texas rural property, Gerik emphasized the important role native grasses play in the environment.

``How we manage that landscape and that land is going to be critical to our natural resources - water quality as well as storm events, erosion,'' Gerik said.

James Alderson, program director for the non-profit Native Prairies Association of Texas, sat on the front row at Friday's meeting. He expanded on Gerik's thought. He says losing these native grasses has endangered certain sparrows and the bobwhite quail.

``The reason they're endangered is because all the prairie is gone. It's either in farms, or cities or roads, or they've been converted to non-native grasses,'' Alderson said.

Alderson believes programs like the one the research center is growing can meet a demand for a growing number of folks moving onto small and large tracts of rural property. Rather than farming, they enjoy watching wildlife. And native grasses attract these animals.

``They really aren't farmers, and they are interested in putting it (the land) back to what it ought to be,'' Alderson said. ``They don't want to be constantly fertilizing and baling hay. They just want something they can enjoy.''

Looking ahead at what the nascent program could accomplish, Baker said she hoped users could take away from it what fits their needs or goals.

``We would like to show you there are many different values (of native prairie grass): water conservation, erosion, aesthetics, wildlife, livestock.''

Blackland researchers plan to plant several more acres in early fall. It will be a demonstration event in which people could learn how to get started growing native prairie grasses.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Blackland celebrates with 100th birthday party

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:39:58 GMT

Omkar Kannan, 14 months, sits on his mother, Rajani Srinivasan's lap while he plays with balloons at the Blackland Research and Extension Center's 100th birthday party. Srinivasan is an AgriLife research scientist at Blackland, which was created in 1909 as part of Texas AgriLife Research (formerly Texas Agricultural Experiment Station), the state research agency affiliated with the Texas A&M System. It is one of 13 off-campus research and extension centers that performs research and delivers education programs to ensure a safe and affordable food supply; save and restore the environment; and strengthen the economy, according to its Web site.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Watershed events: Riesel research station draws worldwide interest

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:31:07 GMT

by Patricia Benoit - Telegram Writer

RIESEL - This modest McLennan County farm town of 2,600, just 35 minutes from Temple, holds some key solutions to quenching a parched planet.

Located just 2½ miles from the town’s center is the 840-acre Agricultural Research Service experimental watershed facility nicknamed the Riesel Watersheds. The facility is world-renowned for its research in hydrology and water quality - the study of water, its use and its conservation. Throughout its 72-year operation, it has been divided into smaller watersheds in the Brushy Creek watershed for research purposes.

The site manager is Dr. Daren Harmel, agricultural engineer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) at the Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory in Temple. ARS - USDA’s chief scientific research agency - owns and operates the Riesel Watersheds but works closely with Texas AgriLife Research.

“As farmers’ and ranchers’ needs change and weather patterns shift, the research emphasis changes to meet those needs,” Harmel said.

Currently, Harmel’s research focuses on keeping applied fertilizer on crop and pasture land and out of nearby streams.

“We’re constantly considering what issues we can address at Riesel. Right now, we’re trying to optimize fertilizer use. We want farmers to put out exactly what the crop needs, and nothing more, to maximize their profits,” Harmel said. “If farmers put out too much fertilizer or apply at the wrong time, the crops can’t utilize it and they have wasted money. In addition, excess fertilizers can get into streams and rivers, which is bad environmentally. Excess fertilizer in water can stimulate growth of undesirable aquatic plants, degrading wildlife habitat and increasing water treatment costs.”

In this cooperative project with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Harmel and Dr. Rick Haney are using this world-class research farm to solve real-life agricultural production problems and to protect the environment.

Harmel’s research at Riesel and other sites has led to national attention. Recently, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers named Harmel winner of one of its most prestigious honors, the New Holland Young Researcher Award. He was honored for his outstanding achievements and contributions to agricultural hydrology and water quality research.

Harmel conceived and developed improved methods for sampling water quality on small watersheds. Federal, state and local agencies, universities and consulting firms are using his research for everything from project implementation and product design to writing regulations.

Harmel’s research is even affecting gas well drilling in North Texas. The city of Denton, sitting on the gas-rich Barnett Shale, contacted him for an economical, accurate method of measuring water quality from the ever-growing number of gas production sites.

At Riesel, Harmel and his team of technicians oversees 13 water-monitoring stations and 15 rain gauges that measure rainfall, runoff and water quality on the various kinds of lands found in Central Texas - native prairie, improved pasture and cultivated cropland.

“The Riesel Watersheds facility is an excellent site for visitors to learn about state-of-the-art hydrologic and water quality instrumentation,” Harmel said. “That’s because very few sites have the type and amount of instrumentation and infrastructure we have to measure hydrologic processes on actual landscapes.”

As a result, the Grassland Research Lab in Temple and the Riesel Watersheds have attracted scientists from throughout the world - Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, Pakistan and the United Kingdom - as well as the United States.

The black waxy soil of Central Texas intrigues foreign visitors.

“This soil is infamous for its shrinking and swelling, which causes considerable soil movement and damage to building and road foundations,” Harmel added.

The USDA opened the Riesel Watersheds in 1937 as part of the New Deal’s attempt to pull farmers out of the deep economic doldrums and to prevent massive erosion losses as occurred in the Dust Bowl. The facility was established on the heels of the Great Depression in the 1930s, when droughts, dust storms, plant diseases and general economic malaise seemed like unsolvable problems.

“In the 1930s, the USDA realized the importance of understanding hydrologic processes on agricultural fields and watersheds,” Harmel said. “It established three experimental watersheds. Of the three, the Riesel Watersheds and the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed in Ohio are still operating.”

Thousands of acres of fertile farmlands literally “blew away” in dust storms, prompted by droughts. For example, an Oklahoma agronomist estimated that a 100,000-square-mile dust storm was enough dirt in the air to cover 5 million acres 1 foot deep during the 1930s drought, according to “Dust Bowl” by Donald Wooster.

The Riesel facility has dovetailed well into the Temple-based Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory of the Agricultural Research Service, a leader in controlling undesirable plants that compete with grasses on rangelands.

The Grassland Lab has developed new strains of pasture and range grasses and pioneered efforts to develop computer simulation of agricultural processes. Many of its projects focus on computer models and databases used for soil and water testing, geographic-information systems, and other projects based on large sets of data on soils, water and other natural resources throughout Texas and the world.

Dollar for dollar, Agricultural Research Service research nets big returns for the U.S. population, Harmel said. For example, Research Service scientists developed a technique that eradicated the screwworm from the U.S. and Central America. Now a problem of the past, this parasite once infected livestock, wildlife and humans - costing untold dollars and many lives.

“This one ARS accomplishment continues to save the U.S. beef industry millions of dollars, and there are countless other examples like this.” Harmel said. “If a hot topic comes up, ARS can snap its fingers and immediately dispatch scientists to work on it. No other agency can do that. As scientists we’re told here’s the problem, you solve it for the American people. What a great opportunity and responsibility.”

pbenoit@temple-telegram.com

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Researcher examines soil testing methods

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:51:57 GMT

By CLAY COPPEDGE, Country World staff writer

July 16, 2009 - Soil testing is widely recommended to farmers and ranchers who have to make decisions on how much fertilizer to apply to their fields or pastures, but an Agriculture Research Service researcher believes that the plant itself can be a more accurate analysis than a traditional soil test.

Speaking to producers at a recent Central Texas crops tour, ARS soil scientist Rick Haney said that not fertilizing is not an option, but over-fertilizing can be just as damaging to the producers' bottom line and the land itself. Finding just the right amount of fertilizer to apply is the key, he said.

"Every corn plant is its own soil test," Haney said. "We know how much nutrient uptake we need to grow a bushel of wheat, corn, or sorghum. Using that as a base, you can figure out your own fertilizer needs."

On test plots at the Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory in Temple and on various farms in Central Texas, Haney has established test plots of between two and five acres. The plots are treated the same as the rest of the field except for two things: they do not receive fertilizer and they are harvested separately.

Using the results of a soil test that Haney has developed that checks levels of ammonium nitrate, phosphate and one-day CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels, Haney makes fertilizer recommendations for the field. By comparing the results from the fertilized and non-fertilized fields, it's easy to see how many nutrients it takes to grow a crop, he said.

Noting that farmers usually put out about 22,000 seeds per acre to produce their annual yield, Haney said, "You use the yield from this field plot to calculate the nutrients removed by the crop. In other words, this calculation is essentially the plant nutrients that will be available for the growing season.

"It's sort of like taking 22,000 soil samples per acre but only better because it eliminates all the steps necessary to analyze the soil and the margin of error associated with the analysis. It's more exact, more precise."

Using statistics from the 2007 Texas Agricultural Statistics Service, Haney estimates that producers from District 31, which includes about 813,000 cultivated acres, could have saved at least 35 pounds of nitrogen per acre.

"That's also nitrogen fertilizer that isn't applied to the soil, which reduces nitrogen loss from runoff that otherwise would end up in our lakes, streams and groundwater," he added.

Much of Haney's work for ARS is aimed at helping producers save money during a time of volatile fertilizer prices and uncertain markets. Even before input costs skyrocketed, Haney advocated using nutrients already available in the soil to save money on fertilizer.

"We can't afford to over-fertilize, or to use a certain amount of fertilizer for no other reason than that's how we've always done it or it's how our fathers did it," he said. "These have been some tough times, but it has taught us to be more efficient."

Another tip Haney has for producers is in the calculation of liquid fertilizer, namely whether it should be applied by the gallon or by weight.

"Most liquid fertilizer concentrates weigh 10 to 11 pounds per gallon," he said. "That means it makes about nine gallons of liquid to compare to 100 pounds of dry fertilizer. If the dry fertilizer costs nine dollars per hundred, you should be on guard if the liquid fertilizer of the same formulation costs more than a dollar per gallon."

Fertilizers of the same grade, formulation, placement and rates give nearly identical responses whether liquid or dry, he said.

Producers interested in learning more about Haney's soil-testing methods or those interested in having Haney conduct a test for them can contact him at (254) 770-6503 or at rick.haney@ars.usda.gov .

Visitor in the Capital--Message from Ralph Sheffield

Mon, 25 May 2009 09:52:00 GMT

More information...

Blackland Center presented Joint Resolution from Legislature

Fri, 15 May 2009 09:58:13 GMT

On May 12, 2009 the Texas AgriLife Blackland Research and Extension Center was recognized in a Joint Resolution by the Texas State Legislature for 100 years of the Center's effort in working to strengthen the economy and quality of life in central Texas. The resolution was presented by Rep. Ralph Sheffield.

House Resolution for Blackland Research Center

Representatives of the Blackland Research Center are presented a Joint Resolution by Rep. Ralph Sheffield in the Texas Legislature.

Attendees of the presentation of the Joint Resolution to the Blackland Research Center. Front row (l-r) Judy Cheatham, Zoe Rascoe, Bill Dugas (Interim Director Texas AgriLife Research); second row (l-r) Earnest Janacek, Cookie Sparrow, Nancy Sammons, Rep. Ralph Sheffield; third row (l-r) Jodi Thomas, Nora Gonzales, Georgie Mitchell; back row (l-r) Judge Jon Burrows, Tom Gerik (BREC Resident Director), Jeff Arnold (ARS Temple Lab Director)

Riesel: A Local Treasure

Mon, 04 May 2009 14:23:38 GMT

By Daren Harmel
USDA-ARS ENGINEER

Did you know that there’s a world-famous outdoor research facility right here in central Texas? It’s located about 2-1/2 miles east of Riesel, and while it’s officially called the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, it’s commonly known as the Riesel Watersheds. The facility was established in 1937 as the Blacklands Experimental Watershed and is operated by ARS—the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture—in cooperation with Texas AgriLIFE Research.

The USDA-ARS Riesel Watersheds have provided valuable information to the water resource community for more than 70 years, making it one of the longest continuously monitored hydrologic research sites in the country. Long-term data sets are very rare, thus the 70 year data record from Riesel is extremely valuable for management of water supply, water quality, and flood impacts and for optimal design of culverts, bridges, detention basins and reservoirs. The information produced at Riesel is continually used by university, federal and state agency, and private consulting firms in hydraulic design, flood analysis, and infrastructure planning.

Currently, 13 water monitoring stations and 15 rain gauges are in operation to measure rainfall, runoff, and water quality on native prairie, improved pasture, and cultivated cropland. In addition to the active “edge- of-field” runoff sites, several larger stations located on Brushy Creek were monitored in the past.

Visitors from across the United States and around the world come to Riesel to see the research site. In the last few years, we’ve given tours to scientists from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Pakistan and the United Kingdom, as well as professors and students from several universities, including Purdue, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa State, Texas A&M, North Texas, Baylor, Louisiana State, and UT-San Antonio.

Baylor University Geology Department professor Peter Allen says his department uses the Riesel Watersheds for senior and graduate classes in hydrology “because Riesel is an excellent example of a world-class hydrologic field lab with examples of instrumentation from weather stations to weirs.”

The Riesel Watersheds facility is an excellent site for visitors to learn about state-of-the-art hydrologic and water quality instrumentation. That’s because very few sites have the type and amount of instrumentation we have to measure rainfall, runoff, and water quality from small agricultural watersheds. Visitors also come to site the see the Texas State Soil, which is Houston Black Clay. This soil is infamous for its shrinking and swelling, which causes considerable soil movement and damage to building and road foundations.

Another valuable feature at the Riesel Watersheds is a remnant (native) prairie site, which provides a valuable baseline (natural background) view of water quality in the Texas Blackland Prairie.

The site is managed as a typical Central Texas farm and ranch operation and is designed to provide field-scale, real-world information, which is a real plus for Riesel. In a recently published a paper on the history of the Riesel Watersheds, I noted that in the mid-1930s USDA realized the importance of understanding hydrologic processes on agricultural fields and watersheds and established three experimental watersheds. Of the three, the Riesel Watersheds and the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed near Coshocton, Ohio, are still operating.

Because water supply shortage, flood occurrence, and water quality degradation will increasingly affect the environment and future generations, watershed-based studies continue to be needed to solve these problems. With the Riesel Watersheds and ARS scientific expertise, we are here ready and willing to attack these new challenging questions and develop effective, economical solutions.

If you have questions or would like a tour of the site, please contact me at 254-770-6521 (daren.harmel@ars.usda.gov).

Scientist in training

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:31:29 GMT

by Janice Gibbs- Telegram Medical Writer

Erin Witherington spent part of her 11-week internship with the Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory knee deep in sludge taking soil samples. She was happy to do it.

Witherington is finishing her degree in the Biotechnology Program of the Texas Bioscience Institute. Thursday she will give her internship presentation on “The Role of Biotechnology in Agroecology.”

The two-year associate degree in applied science prepares students to work in the biotechnology field, including medical research, forensics and agriculture research.

The Temple area is rich in resources for medical and clinical research, said Katie Burrows, chair of the department of associate of applied science in biotechnology.

It’s no surprise that many of the students choose to focus on medical and clinical research, but Witherington had different preferences.

“Erin liked the molecular research work, but she was also interested in environmental issues - remediation and biofuels,” Burrows said.

She contacted USDA Agriculture Research Service and Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory in Temple to see if they would be willing to take Witherington as an intern.

Witherington works with Dr. Virginia Jin, ecologist, and Dr. Mari-Vaughn Johnson, research agronomist, both with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service and Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory.

Jin and Johnson are working on a grant with the Hornsby Bends Biosolids Project - where Austin’s sewage and yard trimmings are recycled and turned into biosolids applied to land or turned into Dillo Dirt, a natural compost.

Soil samples are collected to ascertain nitrogen and carbon content. Soil chemistry analysis looks at trace metal content to determine if it’s in an acceptable range, because the land is used to grow hay for farm animals.

Since Hornsby Bends is close to the Colorado River, runoff is a concern. It’s also a bird habitat and that has to be considered when looking at the health of the land.

When Witherington began her internship, she was able to hit the ground running and start collecting soil samples, Johnson said.

Witherington has been processing the core samples taken at different areas in the Hornsby Bends site.

The cores are cut into small pieces, dried out, then tested to see what’s getting down into the soil, depending on the amount of waste applied in that area.

Witherington also works with Jim Kiniry on biofuels research.

“We try to make it as dynamic as we can for the intern,” Johnson said. “Erin has been exposed to all types of work - in the lab, field and greenhouse. We’ve been very impressed with her work, and Jim Kiniry has been able to extend her internship through the summer.”

This internship is great for young potential scientists, because they can get their feet wet, she said. They can find out what it’s really like to get out and take soil cores samples filled with municipal waste.

“I’ve smelled worse,” Witherington said.

The research community is losing soil scientists, losing people who might be interested, Johnson said.

“It may be a disconnect in the school between students and the environment,” she said. “You ask a kid where his shirt came from and the answer will be Wal-Mart rather than cotton.”

Students in the biotechnology program take the typical science and math classes required during the first year of most allied health classes. In the second year, the classes include laboratory instrumentation, laboratory methods and techniques, cell culture techniques.

Students who complete the biotechnology program are likely to continue their education.

“It’s a rigorous course load,” Burrows said. “It teaches really good skills. Researchers who have worked with the biotechnology students appreciate that the students know how to use the equipment. Our goal is to have the students well prepared for the frontline basics of working in a research lab.”

No matter what direction the students go, the same methodologies, techniques, basic skills and instruments are used, she said.

Biotechnology students have had internships at Scott & White, A&M College of Medicine and the VA.

One of the interns, Burrows said, is pursuing a four-year degree, one was hired in the lab where they had been working and another is now working at the Institute of Regenerative Medicine.

Witherington, who will move to Kentucky when her husband returns from Afghanistan, has been looking at what jobs are available there.

She was working on a bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science when she moved to Texas.

“I visited TC and they sent me to the Texas Bioscience Institute,” Witherington said. “They worked with me to get financial aid and here I am.”

Her goal is to get her master’s degree. “Even if I did leave the biotechnology field I’ve learned a lot,” she said.

The internships are where the students get their feet in the door and receive real-world experience, Burrows said. The classroom is good, but it can’t take the place of hands on activity.

“If Mrs. Burrows has another student who is interested in doing ecological or agronomic research, we’re certainly willing to host that person.” Jin said “It’s worked out fabulous for us.”

The Texas Bioscience Institute, its middle college for high school students and its college level programs, are a reality because the business community, Temple College, Scott & White, the VA and area school districts worked together to make it happen, Burrows said.

As biotechnology industry expands in Temple and startup companies move here, it will be possible for the Texas Bioscience Institute to tailor instruction to meet their needs, she said.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Local farmers trying alternative crop

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:46:42 GMT

by Fred Afflerbach - Telegram Business Writer

Driving along FM 320 outside Westphalia, you may wonder how that waist-high patch of weedy plants survived the county’s mowing machines.

Longtime farmer Curtis Kahlig said a few motorists have pulled over and asked if the elongated seed pods are edible. Not exactly.

Kahlig and his 26-year-old son, Derek, are growing a 30-acre experimental plot of rapeseed.

The plant is grown in Canada and the northern United States to make a cooking oil called canola. It’s also refined into biodiesel.

Kahlig said he’s growing rapeseed because it could work well in rotation, breaking up the yearly corn crop that has dominated farming in Bell and Falls counties the last several years.

Planted around Halloween, Kahlig’s plants suffered from a dry winter. Spring rains have recently coaxed a bright, yellow flower from the woody stalks. But that rain may do more harm than good.

The tiny seeds grow inside an elongated shell that looks like a skinny pea pod. With uneven rainfall, new pods are forming while old ones are maturing. During spring harvest, the older, dry pods will burst and spill on the ground, and the green ones will gum up the harvesting machine.

Research scientist Rick Haney has experienced this dilemma first-hand. He’s growing his second rapeseed crop over at the Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory in Temple.

“There’s a window of opportunity in there. Some of the seeds will be ripe . . . and the pod just opens and the seeds go flying out. You want to get it right before then,” Haney said. “If it’s real dry, as soon as your combine header hits it - BAM - it pops the seeds out. It’s just tricky.”

Haney said northern farmers have used two harvesting methods with success: Push the plant over mechanically, or cut it off at the ground, and let it dry for a short time to gain seedpod uniformity.

“They just take it and chop it . . . pile it up like you’re getting ready to bale it,” Haney said. “And they run that through a special combine.”

Because Central Texas has received sparse rainfall the last two winters, neither man knows what yield could be expected under optimum growing conditions.

But Haney said canola oil makes good fuel for diesel engines with few side effects. He’s experimented with canola, soybean and sunflower oil. Even though canola produces the lowest yield, the center’s Ford tractor and Chevrolet pickup both run best on biodiesel made from canola.

Over at Zabcikville, seed dealer Glenn Marek said Monsanto Corp. furnished free seed to farmers such as Kahlig because they, too, want to see how it would perform in Texas.

Marek said it is a good rotational crop because of a deep taproot.

“It really is good for your soil because it goes down pretty deep and it has a big root system underneath there,” Marek said. “This crop is probably a pretty good soil builder. A good rotation is following a tap root with a shallow root crop.”

Sometime next month Kahlig will have to determine how he will harvest his 30 acres. When he does, trucks will probably haul it to Oklahoma because there are no nearby processing facilities.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Solutions around the bend

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:59:42 GMT

by Fred Afflerbach - Telegram Staff Writer

The latest Lampasas River checkup says the 75-mile waterway needs to go on a diet and get to the gym more often.

That’s how Steve Potter, a research scientist at the Blackland Research & Extension Center in Temple, described the river.

“It’s more like you go to the doctor … and you don’t need a triple bypass, but you need to lose a little weight, you need to watch your eating and you need to start exercising,” Potter said. “You need to take care of those little things now, and in 15 years we’ll be OK.”

In 2004, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rated the Lampasas River “impaired.” This means it has elevated bacteria levels, nutrient problems in isolated areas, and low oxygen in at least one location.

Potter is piloting this joint effort among several Texas AgriLife departments, and other environmental and water districts and authorities. He’s employing an all-inclusive approach, looking for input from city and county officials, outdoorsmen and landowners.

One such landowner, Bradley Ware, can trace his roots along the Lampasas back to the 1870s. Today, the family property includes two miles of river frontage. His father once drank freely from the clear-running water, but today, the son won’t. Ware says he’s seen too much foamy water flowing past - and too many old tires, water heaters and old refrigerators - to feel comfortable ingesting Lampasas River water in the 21st century.

Cleaning up the river is like swimming upstream, he said.

“If we can stabilize it where it’s at, we’ll be doing good. From my perspective, from the old way, it’s urban development coming in (causing problems). When I was a kid, places were being divided up in 200 and 500-acre places. Now, they’re being divided up into five and 20 acres. So we got that many more people in here,” Ware said.

With more people, comes more discharge from water treatment plants, and a higher number of septic systems, which could leak into the watershed. Another concern is domestic and wild animal feces.

A former Brazos River Authority board member, Horace Grace, monitors water issues through his role as Clearwater Underground Water Conservation District president. Although the district is responsible for managing aquifer and well water, river water quality is a concern because the systems are connected. Contaminated river water seeps in the ground and could affect well water.

Regarding the Lampasas, Grace says it’s important to bring all parties to the table, from the lone angler or swimmer, to landowners like Ware, to cities that depend on Stillhouse Hollow water for drinking.

“There is an answer, but you got to have fair-minded people, sitting down at the table, stakeholders discussing how can we resolve these issues,” Grace said. “Because we are going to be the ones who suffer, if there is some degradation, or if there is an outbreak of some disease. We need to look at the science.”

Interested parties all say this is a long-term project. Research scientist Potter believes these type projects often fail because people don’t follow through.

“We developed this plan, but we’ve also developed the next step,” Potter said. “We’re going to look at this thing on a longer term than three years. You have to do it forever. It’s a permanent thing.”

The Lampasas meanders from the upper reaches of Hamilton County, through Stillhouse Hollow Lake and empties into the Little River in Central Bell County.

River study funding comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and Texas AgriLife Research.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

New model projects potential bioenergy sorghum production

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:39:01 GMT

By BLAIR FANNIN, Extension Communications

A simulation model developed by Texas AgriLife Research scientists will aid in predicting bioenergy sorghum crop yields, according to researchers.

Dr. Armen Kemanian, an AgriLife Research scientist at the Texas AgriLife Blackland Research and Extension Center in Temple, leads a team applying the Erosion Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model to assess potential yield of biomass sorghum.

The model uses soil, weather and management data to obtain yield estimates.

"One critical issue is to provide a fair assessment of how much biomass can be produced in a particular region," Kemanian said.

"This production will vary from year to year. In particular, a biomass processing plant will require certain biomass supply to operate and therefore they need an estimate of the supply available and its inter-annual variability (weather changes) in a given area."

The project applies the EPIC model developed by AgriLife Research scientist Dr. Jimmy Williams. This as well as a sister model, the Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender, allows researchers to simulate crop growth and hydrological processes in watersheds.

Processing the input data, the model EPIC can estimate biomass yield, nitrogen and phosphorus extraction and irrigation requirements, as well as nitrogen, phosphorus and temperature stress of biomass sorghum in Texas.

For example, the model suggests crops well supplied with nitrogen and water can produce significantly more than 8 tons per acre without major weather events (like hail), he said. In dryland conditions, average yields can be about 50 percent to 60 percent of irrigated crops, but weather variations also can affect yields in the dry regions of the state.

"Of course, the simulations cannot be better than the input data," he said. "Used with expertise and good judgement, the simulation model gives you good answers quickly and economically when the more desired field experiments are years away from providing hard data."

The AgriLife Research simulation project is receiving $4 million in state funding as part of the agency's bioenergy initiative. The results of the project will be available through a Web accessible database.

--Reprinted with permission of Country World Central Texas

Local Woman Receives National Parks Award

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:41:25 GMT

Zoe Rascoe will be awarded the 2009 Individual Citation Award by the Southwest Region of the National Recreation and Parks Association this month - an honor that has never before been given to a Temple resident.

“We were so excited to receive the call from the National Parks and Recreation Association,” Temple Parks & Leisure Services director Ken Cicora said. “Our department nominated Zoe earlier this year, and the association could not have selected a more deserving recipient.”

Zoe Rascoe, a local volunteer and activist, is the recipient of the 2009 Individual Citation Award by the Southwest Region of the National Recreation and Parks Association. An avid mountain biker, Rascoe also enjoys photography, snow skiing, kayaking, rock climbing, scuba diving and most any adventure that takes her outside.

The citation “is awarded to individual citizens and organizations or groups who have made an outstanding contribution to the recreation, park and conservation movement,” according to the association.

Rascoe, who serves as a volunteer, will be presented the award during the opening ceremony of the Texas Recreation and Parks Society’s annual institute in Austin at 4 p.m. on Feb. 25.

“I think the Parks and Leisure Services Department gives me too much credit,” Rascoe said. “Temple is blessed with a great many volunteers who help to make our city special - and all of them deserve as much or more credit than I do. I just hope this gets Temple Parks some well-deserved recognition. They do a great job for our city.

“It does make me smile, though,” Rascoe said. “Looking back on all the great projects we’ve worked on the last couple of years. I really feel the community has accomplished a lot just by working together.”

Rascoe has been instrumental in a number of parks projects, Cicora said, including initiating the city’s efforts to get Temple recognized as a Tree City, USA community. She also played a major role in organizing and mobilizing the Citizens for Parks group that advocated the passage of the 2007 Temple Parks Bond, he said.

To receive the Citation Award, nominees had to have prepared or sponsored legislation, supported and promoted the parks movement, served on committees, boards and councils, or helped secure the approval of a bond issue.

“Zoe has really been active in each of those ways,” Cicora said. “For a long time, she has been one of the department’s best friends and fiercest advocates. I think it is safe to say we might not have been able to serve the community the way we do today without her involvement.”

Rascoe, who works at Blackland Research Center, volunteers with a number of community non-profit organizations, serving on the boards of Keep Temple Beautiful, the Cultural Activities Center, the Medical Alliance of Bell County, City Federation of Women and the Central Texas Council of Government’s Solid Waste Advisory Council. She is a certified Master Naturalist, a docent and tour guide for the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, and assists with the Central Texas Astronomy Society’s star parties.

James Stafford, marketing coordinator for the parks department, said Rascoe didn’t find out about the nomination until after it was submitted.

“I can’t imagine anyone more deserving of this kind of recognition,” he said. “She’s so active and so involved in so many ways in our community. She’s a huge asset for Temple.”

The association’s Southwest Regional Council covers five states: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

--Reprinted with permission of the Temple Daily Telegram

Research Center Hosts 2nd Annual Soil Festival for TISD Fifth Grade Gifted and Talented

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:06:23 GMT

On February 4, 2009 over 50 fifth-grade gifted and talented Temple ISD students visited the Grassland, Soil, and Water Research Lab and Blackland Research Center for the 2^nd Annual Soil Festival. While at the research station, students learned about many aspects of soil including soil formation, soil texture, the compost cycle, water quality, the soil food web and agricultural equipment used for tilling the soil. Scientists from the center presented the students with information about the soil, and students were given the opportunity for hands-on learning at each of the learning stations.

At the Soil Formation learning station presented by Dr. Virginia Jin, students learned about the nine different soil orders which can be found across Texas. Students were able to view cross-sections of the nine soil profiles and compare the soil similarities and differences . The factors of soil formation were discussed in relation to climate, parent material, topography, biology and time.

At the Soil Texture learning station presented by Evelyn Steglich and Todd Marek, students learned how to determine the type of soil by sieving soils through graduated sieves and estimating the percent of sand and clay present in the soil.

From this estimate they used a Soil Texture Triangle to determine what type of soil the sample was. Students also learned how to determine in the field whether a soil contains more sand or clay by ribboning the soil sample. Each student was given the opportunity to practice ribboning a soil sample and determine if the soil contained more clay or sand.

Students learn about items found in their homes which can be used for composting.

Students examine organisms which help in creating the compost.

At the Compost Cycle learning station presented by Dr. Dennis Hoffman, Dr. June Wolfe and Steve Potter, students learned what type of items from their homes could be used to create compost material which could then be used in the garden. Students were able to feel and examine compost at different stages as well as examine the organisms helping to create the compost.

At the Water Quality learning station presented by Dr. Daren Harmel and Anne Gibson, students learned about the importance of soil-water interactions. Students tested water samples from Salado Creek, the Middle Bosque River and tap water and determined the pH, turbidity and dissolved oxygen in each sample.

Dr. Rick Haney shows a group of fifth graders the equipment used in agricultural research.

At the Agricultural Equipment learning station presented by Dr. Rick Haney and Ron Whitis, students learned about the equipment needed for tillage and care of the soil as well as other equipment used in agricultural research. Students learned the importance of tillage and its role in maintaining a good seed bed for successful crop growth.

At the Soil Food Web learning station presented by Dr. Wayne Polley and Dr. Phil Fay, students learned about the diversity of life in soils. Students were able to view soil samples from a wheat field and from a never-plowed native prairie. From these samples, students could visualize the differences in soil color and texture, and examine different numbers and types of organisms present in the two soils.

Dr. Jeff Arnold, scientist and director of lab, addresses students' questions about soils and research in general.

Students received frisbees for answering Dr. Arnold's questions.

After participating in the learning stations, students gathered for a question and answer session where they were given the opportunity to ask questions to the scientists relating to the individual learning stations as well as research and science in general. Overall, the students and teachers enjoyed the demonstrations and hands-on opportunities and seemed eager to implement the information in their classroom activities.

Fort Hood Training Lands Restoration and Management Program Team wins award

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:55:03 GMT

The 2009 Texas A&M AgriLife Conference brought several awards to individuals and teams for their efforts on water-related research, education, or projects.

The Fort Hood Training Lands Restoration and Management Program Team won the 2008 Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for the Industry/Agency/University/Association category. The team consists of Dr. William Fox of Texas AgriLife Blackland Research and Extension Center at Temple and the Texas Water Resources Institute, Brian Hays of the Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, Dr. Dennis Hoffman of the Texas AgriLife Blackland Research and Extension Center at Temple, Jerry Paruzinski of Fort Hood Integrated Training Area Management and Robert Ziehr of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The team won for its ongoing multi-agency contributions to the sustainability of Fort Hood’s training lands and the management of its natural resources; including water, soils, vegetation, and endangered species.

Blackland's flood warning system protects soldiers

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:50:15 GMT

More information...

Combating soil erosion: AgriLIFE scientists discovering what works for Fort Hood

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:46:39 GMT

More information...

Dyke leads stateside support team for Texas National Guard Agribusiness Development team

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:31:27 GMT

Recently the Texas National Guard Agribusiness Development team #2 came to the

Blackland Research and Extension Center and Texas AgriLife Research to receive training and develop a stateside support team. Dr. Paul Dyke, a research scientist, at Blackland Research and Extension Center, Temple will lead the support team.

The team members include Major John Ploch, First Lieutenant Brad Clark, Sergeant Major Harlan Hardy, Sergeant Todd Plybon, and Specialist Gabriel Greene. The Texas National Guard team with supporting staff will have a total of about 65 members and will deploy to Afghanistan early in 2009 for a 8-13 month tour of duty there.

The team’s mission will be to provide basic agricultural education and services, assist with improving agricultural infrastructure and conduct stability operations for the people of Ghazni Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Their purpose is to identify, develop, and implement a comprehensive and sustainable agribusiness development strategy with clear measures for effectiveness for improving the agriculture industry in the Ghazni Province.

Dr. Dyke became a part of this mission because he has been involved with a USAID Project in Afghanistan and has traveled to Afghanistan and has had experience with agriculture in Afghanistan over the past several years. The National Guard team hopes to interface and gain assistance with the project from a Texas AgriLife Research staff already in Afghanistan.

Blackland Research and Extension Center Scientists Team up with Italian Scientists

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:35:48 GMT

A year ago this past October, six scientists from different parts of Italy journeyed to Temple, Texas for two weeks to learn the ins and outs of the WinEPIC and EPIC

crop simulation models. EPIC is a field-scale crop simulation model designed to simulate the interaction of natural resources (soil, water and climate) and crop management practices to estimate impacts on harvested crop yield, soil properties, soil erosion, profitability and nutrient/pesticide fate. WinEPIC is a Windows interface to the EPIC model designed to help agricultural practitioners optimize crop management and maximize production and profit, to identify limitations to crop yield, to assist growers in replant decisions, and to identify best management practices that minimize impact of agriculture on soil erosion and water quality. During their two-week stay at the research center, the scientists focused their attention on the simulation of corn, sunflowers, grapes and grassland production as well as the effects of climate change on these cropping systems.

That one visit has blossomed into a working relationship between the Blackland Research Center and agricultural research centers across Italy from Sassari to Rome to Ancona to Foggia. In the past year scientists from Temple have worked with scientists from the various parts of Italy to simulate crop growth of sunflowers, corn, durum wheat and various grassland/pasture scenarios. Luca Doro, a scientist from Sassari, has been using the WinEPIC model as part of his doctoral dissertation in which he is simulating the long term changes in soil carbon for grassland and pasture scenarios being grazed by dairy sheep. He will also use the model to simulate the effects of climate change on these cropping systems.

This past September Dr. Jimmy Williams, hydrologist and agricultural engineer, and Evelyn Steglich, agronomist, from the Blackland Research and Extension Center, Temple were invited to spend two weeks at the University of Sassari, Italy as part of a “Visiting Scientist” program available through the University of Sassari. While at the university, Williams and Steglich presented three lectures to graduate students and faculty of the university’s agronomy department. These lectures described the various features of the EPIC model and served as a demonstration of select features of the WinEPIC model interface. Also while at the university, Williams and Steglich worked with graduate students and faculty using the model for dissertation work to assist them in better simulating their measured data.

Beginning in January 2009 Dr. Luca Doro and Dr. Roberto Orsini from Sassari, Italy and Ancona, Italy, respectively will be spending six months at the Blackland Research and Extension Center as part of a program called “Master and Back” funded by the University of Sassari. While here they will work with Jimmy Williams, Evelyn Steglich and Armen Kemanian to gain a more in-depth understanding of the EPIC model as well as work with the Temple scientists to improve the grazing aspects of the model. Dr. Roberto Orsini from Ancona will also be using the APEX model, a small watershed model similar to EPIC also developed by Dr. Williams, to simulate an extensive 10-year water erosion study near Ancona, Italy. He will be simulating nitrate and phosphorus runoff as well as soil losses due to water erosion. Once he has calibrated the model using his measured data, he will use the model to simulate climate change scenarios on current cropping systems and adaptation strategies and/or prescriptions for agro-environment systems.

It is the hopes of all involved that this collaboration will continue to grow and benefit the scientists of both countries.

Study looks at impact of conservation

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:41:47 GMT

Dr. Bill Fox, assistant professor with the Blackland Research and Extension Center in Temple, will participate in a study that examines the effects of conservation practices within the Cowhouse Creek watershed in Central Texas.

According to the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in College Station, a three-year $647,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant will enable researchers to examine how specific conservation practices affect the watershed's overall health and landscape.

"Results from this project will provide agencies and landowners with an understanding of how alternative conservation practices impact grazing lands and assist in achieving watershed health goals, " Dr. Fox said.

The research team includes scientists from College Station, Temple and Stephenville.

Cowhouse Creek begins in Mills County, about 90 miles northwest of Temple, and runs through Hamilton, Coryell and Bell counties where it eventually drains into Lake Belton.

--Reprinted with permission of the Temple Daily Telegram

Special Issue SWAT: A Review of Advances in Ecohydrological Modelling with SWAT

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:39:24 GMT

By Valentina Krysanova & Jeffrey G. Arnold - Published October, 2008

This Special Issue on Advances in Ecohydrological Modelling with SWAT results from the Model Developers Workshop held in Potsdam, Germany in October 2006. The Workshop was organized following three international SWAT conferences (in Giessen, Germany in 2001, in Bari, Italy in 2003 and in Zürich, Switzerland in 2005), and brought together people involved in the SWAT model development. The Workshop aimed to: (a) summarize the state-of-the-art of model development for the following: landscape processes, channel processes, plant growth, nutrients, carbon, bacteria, and the model interface tools; (b) determine the directions for further model development; (c) coordinate further model development steps and decide on how to test model alterations; and (d) conduct a version control training seminar to improve communication and collaboration. The newest SWAT model developments and outlines further research needs are presented herein.

Hydrological Sciences Journal

Journal des sciences hydrologiques

Volume 53, number 5, October 2008

Special issue : Advances in Ecohydrological Modelling with SWAT

CONTENTS:

Valentina Krysanova & Jeffrey G. Arnold

Advances in ecohydrological modelling with SWAT—a review (Full Text), 939-947

Scientific papers

J. R. Williams, J. G. Arnold, J. R. Kiniry, P. W. Gassman & C. H. Green

History of model development at Temple, Texas, 948-960

Etienne Lévesque, François Anctil, Ann Van Griensven & Nicolas Beauchamp

Evaluation of SWAT model’s streamflow simulation for two small watersheds under snowmelt and rainfall, 961-976

Rokhsare Rostamian, Aazam Jaleh, Majid Afyuni, Seyed Farhad Mousavi, Manouchehr Heidarpour, Ahmad Jalalian & Karim C. Abbaspour

Application of a SWAT model for estimating runoff and sediment in two mountainous watersheds in central Iran, 977-988

Britta Schmalz, Filipa Tavares & Nicola Fohrer

Modelling hydrological processes in mesoscale lowland river basins with SWAT—capabilities and challenges, 989-1000

Fred F. Hattermann, Valentina Krysanova & Cornelia Hesse

Modelling wetland processes in regional applications, 1001-1012

P. M. Allen , J. G. Arnold & W. Skipwith

Prediction of channel degradation rates in urbanizing watersheds, 1013-1029

J. R. Kiniry, J. D. MacDonald, Armen R. Kemanian, Brett Watson, Gordon Putz & Ellie E. Prepas

Plant growth simulation for landscapescale hydrological modelling, 1030-1042

Joachim Post, Tobias Conradt, Felicitas Suckow, Valentina Krysanova, Frank Wechsung & Fred F. Hattermann

Integrated assessment of cropland soil carbon sensitivity to recent and future climate in the Elbe River basin, 1043-1058

Lutz Breuer, Kellie B. Vaché, Stefan Julich & HansGeorg Frede

Current concepts in nitrogen dynamics for mesoscale catchments (Full Text), 1059-1074

Veerle Gevaert, Ann van Griensven, Katrijn Holvoet, Piet Seuntjens & Peter A. Vanrolleghem

SWAT developments and recommendations for modelling agricultural pesticide mitigation measures in river basins, 1075-1089

A. van Griensven, T. Meixner, R. Srinivasan & S. Grunwald

Fit for purpose analysis of uncertainty using splitsampling evaluations (Full Text), 1090-1103

Forthcoming papers, 1104

A dirty job but someone gets to do it: Grassland lab receives $400,000 grant to study biosolid fertilizer

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:22:38 GMT

By Fred Afflerbach- Published September 17, 2008
TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

Two members of a local research group aren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty. Or a little smelly.

Scientists from the Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory in Temple are taking a close look at how the environment could be affected by using biosolids for fertilizer in agriculture.

The research is possible because of a $400,000 grant recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The two scientists, Dr. Mari-Vaughn Johnson and Dr. Virginia L. Jin, will take back to their laboratory soil samples from two Central Texas locations where for years biosolids have been applied to hay fields.

“For thousands of years we’ve been using them (biosolids) to grow crops with. The point of this research is to better understand. So we can use it responsibly,” Dr. Johnson said. “It makes people a little squeamish and a little uncomfortable to talk about it, but it’s something - as our population continues to grow - we’re really going to have to figure out what to do with it.”

The scientists are focusing on a group of chemicals called endocrine disrupting compounds that are often found in human waste, and how they could affect plants, animals and humans after significant rainfall. In the lab, they will use adjustable showerheads to manipulate weather conditions.

These chemicals begin innocently in human waste.

“Every time you take aspirin, your body uses what it can, and it expels the rest. Vitamins, birth control, all of it,” said Dr. Johnson. “You are getting rid of that and it is going into these biosolids and it’s being land applied and right now there’s not a management protocol for pharmaceuticals in waste.”

Working with a local rancher and the city of Austin, the researchers will extract soil samples from several different pastures.

“We’ll actually bring back cores, probably a foot in diameter. We’ll jam a PVC pipe into the ground and dig it out so that core of solid is undisturbed in the center. It’s intact. It’s much more realistic to do it that way,” Dr. Jin said.

The researchers plan to extract some of these samples from the Grandy Ranch, a sprawling patchwork of green fields in western Bell County near Nolanville.

Over the course of three decades, Glen Grandy has slowly turned several hundred acres of hard scrabble into pastures thick with coastal bermuda. The grass keeps 150 cattle fed and provides income through hay sales. Grandy forgoes the popular commercial fertilizers that are sold by the ton and measured by their mineral composition. He applies biosolids from septic tanks and municipal waste plants.

Grandy said he is happy to provide the researchers with access to his ranch. Although he already submits to mandatory state testing, he said this is a good idea.

“That’s not something that we test for, but we should be concerned about,” Grandy said, regarding the possibility of pharmaceuticals leaching into the soil. “And the USDA’s testing process is to find out is this something we should be concerned about. I’m very much interested in that too, because I want to be a good steward of the land. We’re not out here as a dump site, we’re a beneficial site.”

The researchers also are working in Austin at the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant. The plant basically applies the same methods as Grandy, but on a larger scale - 1,200 acres.

The research will last about 2½ years. Depending on funding, it could continue longer.

--Reprinted with permission of the Temple Daily Telegram

Leon River 'impaired' upstream

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:58:44 GMT

By Victoria Marie S. Bongat - Published August 17, 2008
TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

AND Tammy Leytham
TELEGRAM METRO EDITOR

Boaters, swimmers and anglers have enjoyed the waters of Lake Belton during the summer, but the Leon River continues its flow south of the Belton Dam with little activity.

Travel that portion of the meandering river that flows through Belton and you'll see a few rotting trot lines hanging from low tree limbs. Little else - save an occasional turtle - stirs the water.

The upper portion of the river near Hamilton and Lake Proctor has been designated ``impaired'' due to the level of bacteria found during water quality monitoring.

However, the river south of Belton Dam has good water quality, based on results of water samples taken by the Brazos River Authority in July.

Those samples show ``concentrations (of fecal coliform or other bacteria) at all locations were well below the state's water quality criterion for single grab samples,'' Jay Bragg of the Authority said in an e-mail.

Bragg said the testing result ``indicates good water quality at the time they were taken.''

This includes the area where the Temple Waste Water Treatment plant is located, though swimming and boating are prohibited at that site.

Most of the land along the river is privately owned and decks dot the banks along the route. Miller Springs Park and Heritage Park are located along the river, but public access is limited.

Still, if you catch a fish in the portion of the river south of the Belton Dam, it should be safe to eat, as long as the fish are cleaned, cooked and prepared properly, Bragg said.

For swimmers, there are always some risks associated with swimming in lakes and streams, Bragg said. ``However, there are certainly elevated risks associated with swimming in the portion of the river listed as `impaired,''' which is the upper portion above Belton Lake.

``The lower sections, however, have been determined to contain a sufficient flow for recreational use almost any time,'' according to Tim Dybala, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Water Resources Assessment Team.

According to Dybala, water quality in Lake Belton is excellent based on the testing done by the Brazos River Authority.

There are reasons to be cautious.

``In recent years, authority data indicates a slight increase trend in nutrient concentrations, specifically nitrate plus nitrate nitrogen,'' he wrote in an e-mail.

Suspected sources of the increased nutrient loadings are related to increased development activities around the lake such as lawn fertilizers and increased use of septic systems, Dybala said.

Nolan Creek also had ``bacteria impairment,'' according to data collected by the Authority. Nolan Creek flows through Belton, Killeen, Harker Heights and Fort Hood.

``Population growth is expanding rapidly in this region, resulting in roughly 600 new permits for on-site wastewater systems in the area each year,'' Dybala wrote. ``High levels of bacteria, E. coli, have been found in Nolan Creek, as well as a growing concern for nutrients.''

Municipal discharges, stormwater runoff, poorly functioning on-site sewage systems, and agriculture and livestock waste are also potential sources for nutrient and bacteria issues, he wrote.

Upper portion

The high levels of bacteria that have impaired the upper portion of the Leon River do not impact Lake Belton, said Dickie Clary, a Hamilton County commissioner.

``Bacteria is a live organism. It dies within a certain amount of days. Any bacteria that originate here is dead long before it gets to the lake,'' he said.

It's important to note, he said, that 41 percent of the bacteria in the upper portion of the river comes from nature - primarily wildlife - while 18 percent is human and 14 percent is from cattle.

There's a combined effort under way to protect all the bodies of water. ``The folks I've visited with in and around the Belton Lake area understand that we share this resource,'' he said.

The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board is working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Brazos River Authority in developing a Leon River Watershed Protection Plan, with local stakeholders taking an active role in developing land management strategies to reduce bacteria levels.

A Watershed Protection Plan is a coordinated framework for implementing strategies that holistically protect and restore the quality of water resources, said Pamela Casebolt of the Soil and Water Conservation Board.

``We're still working with small focus groups in order to understand the concerns of area residents and to develop preliminary strategies that seem to be feasible for the Leon River watershed,'' she said. ``We intend to expand the public participation process as we ask citizens and municipalities to make decisions on how they will protect and restore their water resources.''

That effort deals mainly with the upper portion of the river that flows through Hamilton, Comanche and Coryell counties.

Clary sees progress in bringing together landowners, dairy farmers and officials at the state and local levels to determine ``how we can go about improving the water.

``It makes sense to me to bring these people who will have to make the changes to the table - they are given the opportunity voluntarily to put measures in place,'' he said.

Once the plan is completed and implemented, Clary believes there will be a positive outcome.

``I'm highly optimistic that the process will have a significant impact with a minimal cost,'' he said.

Because of the cooperation between all the communities within the watershed, and with an approved management plan, he said there would be a chance to see measurable improvement in water quality within three to five years.

tleytham@temple-telegram.com

--Reprinted with permission of the Temple Daily Telegram

Riesel Watershed Provides Real-World Information

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:02:30 GMT

More information...

Stream Team works to keep the land from washing away

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:03:38 GMT

by Fred Afflerbach - Telegram Staff Writer

Years of Central Texas thunderstorms have spawned recent brainstorms regarding waterway erosion. Earlier this week, a group of state and federal biologists and engineers called the Stream Team witnessed stark evidence from years of flooding on the San Gabriel, the Little River, and on a branch of Salado Creek. Caved banks, washed out backyards, and tree trunks scattered like toothpicks provide a grim reminder what can happen when the heavens quickly open and once placid waterways turn destructive.

“We all agree that there’s a problem going on within the watershed and it’s not disconnected,” said Jason McAlister, a research assistant at the Blackland Research Center in Temple. “Do not pretend for one minute that you’re isolated from your neighbor downstream. Whatever you do has an impact and whatever they do might have an impact on you.”

With the July sun bearing down like a celestial heat lamp, it’s hard to imagine the slow trickle of the South Branch of Salado Creek could wreak such destruction.

But last May, Salina Brown watched terrified as floodwaters washed out her backyard and lapped up inside her home.

“It happens fast,” said Brown, standing under an elm tree waving her hands in a churning motion. “This is boiling up right here. We had a hole where we’re standing about 10 feet deep.”

After floods twice washed out their backyard, the Browns took out a loan to cover repair costs - about $10,000. Brown said before they bought the house county engineers informed them they were not in the floodplain. So they didn’t buy flood insurance.

Salado alderwoman Carol Walls said the creek flooded several backyards in the neighborhood last May. One man opened his front and back door, and watched helplessly as water gushed through his house. Another house had floodwater come in through the front window. And one man built a brick retaining wall to keep the floodwaters at bay.

Stream Team members discussed solutions such as building diversion ponds and planting riverbank vegetation to prevent erosion. But they work in an advisory capacity only, a sort of riverbank brainstorming session.

McAlister said repairing flood damage to riverbanks is comprehensive. All parties involved need to be on board, or time and money may be wasted. Band-Aids don’t work.

“You have to think in terms of the big picture. Some people don’t like to get in the middle of big political things and I can understand that,” said McAlister. “But if you can, the right communication going in can be beneficial in so many ways.”

Ms. Walls said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was conducting a study regarding the flooding.

Over in Milam County, Kit Worley has built a campground and live music venue on the banks of the San Gabriel River, land that has been in his family for more than 100 years.

Worley has done some riverbank restoration on his own. He’s converted one steep cliff into a grassy slope. And in another spot he’s stabilized the bank with large chunks of concrete salvaged from a demolition project. But he has more work to do, and by all accounts the work is expensive.

“We have losses. How would we start the process to get some money in here to help plant these grasses and do some streambank restoration?”

Standing near a doomed sycamore clinging precariously to the riverbank, Environmental Protection Agency wetland biologist Jim Herrington offered a possible starting point. He said a development program through the EPA is available if the individual works through a government entity.

The Stream Team also visited an organic pecan farm on the Little River near Texas Highway 95. Members discussed clearing a logjam created by washed out cottonwood and pecan trees. Repairing steep sandbanks, a result of decades of erosion, posed a more difficult problem.

The group also advised one landowner about proactive measures. A landowner on Boggy Creek, in south Temple, has little erosion today, but was seeking feedback regarding preventive measures.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Arnold named Purdue’s 2008 Distinguished Agricultural Alumni

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:00:33 GMT

Dr. Jeffery Arnold, research leader of the Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service in Temple, was recently recognized as Purdue University’s 2008 Distinguished Agricultural Alumni. This title is given to individuals in recognition of outstanding accomplishments and significant contributions to their profession and society. Arnold earned a doctorate degree from Purdue University’s Agriculture and Biological Engineering department in 1992. As a Purdue doctoral student, he worked to develop the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT).

Arnold has published more than 235 articles and chapters and has reported at nearly 50 national and international meetings. In the United States, his work plays a key role in USDA’s conservation policy and the Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental policy.

This article was reprinted with permission of the Texas Water Resources Institute

Broken river: What’s around the bend?

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:25:16 GMT

By Fred Afflerbach - Telegram Staff Writer

Published May 29, 2008

On a hot and humid May afternoon, 11 men crowded into U.S. Rep. John Carter’s Temple office. Carter’s deputy chief of staff, Jonas Miller, arranged armchairs in a horseshoe, their backs against the wall.

Landowners with photographs of river erosion, a county judge, a sheriff and four U.S. Army Corps of Engineer officials with stacks of folders tucked under their arms sat elbow-to-elbow. Someone cracked a joke about the pistol strapped to Milam County Sheriff David Greene’s hip - an icebreaker to ease possible tension between the groups.

Seated behind his desk, Miller addressed the men.

“I know these are emotional issues,” Miller said. “It’s important to get everybody in the same room all at once and have open discussion.”

For about two hours, the conversation meandered like a river with multiple tributaries. The men weighed in on riverbank restoration, eminent domain and the Corps’ methodology for releasing lake water.

Representing the Corps, chief of reservoir control Paul Rodman explained their decision-making process. He said they coordinate information from upstream and downstream to gauge when and what rate they release water.

“We look at the historical record and we look at the channel capacity downstream to decide what kind of releases we can make,” Rodman said. “We have a staged release pattern to limit the releases to 3,000 cubic feet per second.”

Kit Worley owns land on the San Gabriel River in Milam County and was invited to the meeting because he is having similar problems at his property. He introduced himself as an eighth-generation landowner, affected by similar circumstances due to his location downstream from Lake Granger, also managed by the Corps.

“I know we can’t turn back the hands of time, but there needs to be some sort of mitigation,” Worley said. “I hate to make the calculations on what’s been lost.”

He said losing riverfront property to erosion was like having land condemned to make way for a new highway.

Under eminent domain they have to make things right, Worley said. “I don’t know why we wouldn’t fall under that umbrella.”

Bell County landowner Sidney Kacir said researchers have extensively studied stream bank restoration. It’s nothing new. He planted Alamo switchgrass and grama grass along a washed-out riverbank at his pecan orchard. But after the vegetation had taken hold, water released from dams upstream submerged it.

“Once you totally immerse the vegetation for an extended period of time it kills it,” Kacir said.

Rodman, who works with the Corps division in Fort Worth, said he could look into changing when and how long they opened the floodgates. During the 2007 flood, releases reached 10,000 cubic feet per second, a rate that all parties agree causes significant erosion.

“The real critical problem - if it is coming from the way we make releases - we can look at alternatives,” Rodman said. “If we can cut back … increase flow discharge and put some breaks in there … maybe some plants can get oxygen.”

Rodman said there is a possible downside to this idea.

“But, are we going to flood some people with higher releases?”

Keeping the lakes at a lower level so they can catch more floodwater, and then be more slowly released, was not discussed. In fact, the trend has been in the opposite direction. Some lakes have added to their conservation level, including Lake Belton in 1973, to supply a thirsty state with more water to facilitate a mushrooming population.

With the urging of mediator Jonas Miller, discussion returned to stream bank restoration. Representing the Corps, Rodman said he would try to get experts from their waterways experiment station in Vicksburg, Miss., to make a trip to Texas to see if they could help.

Milam County Judge Frank Summers suggested someone should take charge and see the project through to fruition. He called for another, “bigger” meeting, which would include members of the Brazos River Authority.

“Whoever is going to be involved, needs to be involved,” Summers said. “So many times with these governmental agencies, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.”

Judi Pearce, spokeswoman with the Brazos River Authority, said they were aware of the meeting, but not invited.

A few days after the meeting, a member of the Central Texas Stream Team visited Kacir’s organic pecan orchard on the Little River.

The Stream Team was launched last March by AgriLife Research, a part of the Texas A&M system, and located in Temple’s Blackland Research Center. With mosquitoes buzzing overhead, research assistant Jason McAlister scrambled down a sandy embankment, took pictures and field notes. He suggested using spur dikes, old cedar trees rammed into the bank pointing upstream.

“You’re trying to slow down the water flow, the velocity, by creating a little more turbulence with those branches. The concept is catching that flow and redirecting it,” McAlister said.

But, the work would be for naught, if the river continues to run at a high level for prolonged periods.

“You need to stabilize the system. It’s policy first that needs to be addressed,” McAlister said. “Until they do that, all the stuff in the world will get washed out.”

Looking for a change, Kacir and two other landowners have written the Brazos G Water Planning Group this spring petitioning them to consider changes. They have suggested installing more pipelines, keeping the lake at a lower level and repairing damaged riverbanks. Two of their letters are posted on the Brazos G Web site.

After the meeting, Kacir, said he agreed with Kit Worley’s comments about eminent domain.

“We have both constitutional and statutory provisions when your property has been taken,” the Temple attorney said. “So many good things only happen after litigation. I hope it’s not necessary. We may have to get some senators and representatives who are willing to carry the ball to authorize the litigation.”

Regarding stream bank restoration, Kacir said he saw “a little spark of hope.”

Before dams on the Leon and Lampasas rivers were built, the erosion problem that landowners and officials are grappling with in Central Texas was addressed in the book, “The Flood Control Controversy.”

Sponsored by the Conservation Foundation, the book’s two authors seemed to have a crystal ball.

“In many locations the erection of dams may lead to severe erosion problems in the alluvial valleys below them, with the final result that much more bank protective work will have to be undertaken in the future than is anticipated at the present time.”

The book was published in 1954.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Experimental energy plant will bring 200 jobs to Killeen

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:21:39 GMT

By Bryan Kirk - Telegram Staff Writer

Published May 29, 2008

KILLEEN - State Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, will join with Bell County leaders at a news conference at 11 a.m. today to announce the possibility of an
experimental energy plant that is expected to be built in Killeen.

“There are no other plants like this one in the world,” Aycock said.

The announcement, which will be made at Killeen City Hall, will announce the arrival of a prototype energy conversion plant, funded by an estimated $300 million in private investments that will help create 200 jobs in Killeen, Aycock said.

“This won’t cost the taxpayers anything,” said Council-man Billy Workman, who serves as the chairman of the city’s solid waste committee. “This will bring revenue into the city.”

Workman, who has long been the lone advocate on the council for cleaner forms of energy conversion, such as wind and solar power, said this can only be good for the city and county.

“I have been talking about this for a long time,” Workman said.

The first such plant, know as a ZERO, is projected to be built in Killeen, but will also include participation from Fort Hood, Copperas Cove, Harker Heights and Bell County, Aycock said.

“We are excited to be the proposed site for this leading edge technology that will convert solid waste to energy and other marketable byproducts,” says Killeen City Manager Connie Green. “The new facility will present an opportunity for regional savings in solid waste hauling and landfill disposal costs in an environmentally responsible way.”

The plant, which was designed at Texas A&M University by Dr. Allen Jones, who was formerly part of the Blackland Research Station in Temple, will convert garbage into a usable energy source.

“We are hoping that this is a big deal,” Aycock said. “This is truly new and untested research.”

The plant would use an oxygenated system to convert as much as 300,000 tons of garbage annually into energy with zero emissions.

Aycock said he hopes this new system planned for Killeen would be used to generate electricity, with the possibility of alternative forms of fuel later on.

Aycock said the interest of having such a prototype in Bell County is because of the interest expressed by the Department of Defense and Fort Hood, in particular.

And even though the first plant isn’t even official, Aycock said he anticipates that if this one is as successful as he hopes, a second plant will be built in Bell County.

“Temple is in the running for that one,” Aycock said.

Despite the excitement of an alternative source of energy and the possibility of a stronger economic development future, nothing is yet certain, Aycock said.

“The i’s still have to be dotted and the t’s still need to be crossed,” he said.

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Blackland Research Center Scientist Helping to Make Temple Greener with Tree Planting

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:28:10 GMT

The city Parks and Leisure Services and community groups will sponsor a tree planting ceremony in honor of W. Goodrich Jones, a Temple resident and the founder of Texas Arbor Day, at noon today in Jones Park at 1102 W. Avenue H.

The park is named for Jones, who held the first ever Arbor Day celebration in Temple in 1889. He also established the Texas Forestry Association, which later developed into the Texas Forest Service.

Participating in the Arbor Day program will be Mayor pro tem Patsy Luna, Parks and Leisure services officials and representatives from Keep Temple Beautiful, the city Tree Advisory Board and the Nan Brown Garden Club.

Speakers for the Arbor Day program will include Zoe Rascoe, vice chairwoman of Keep Temple Beautiful; Val Romming, city arborist; Carol Koster, president of the Nan Brown Garden Club; and Dr. Dennis Hoffman, a member of the Temple Tree Advisory Board.

“Temple Parks and Leisure Services is proud to have sponsored the city’s application to become a Tree City,” Parks and Leisure Services Director Ken Cicora said.

“One of the important responsibilities of being a Tree City USA is to educate our citizens about the importance of trees, “ Ms. Rascoe said. “Arbor Day is a great opportunity to do that because people are already in that frame of mind.”

--Reprinted with permission of Temple Daily Telegram

Arbor Day Tree Planting

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:25:38 GMT

More information...

Journal of Environmental Quality Names Outstanding Associate Editor, Reviewers

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:18:01 GMT

Fien Degryse, K.U. Leuven, Belgium, has been named the 2007 Outstanding Associate Editor for the Journal of Environmental Quality (JEQ). This annual award is presented to one associate editor in recognition of outstanding professional contributions in the handling of papers submitted for publication. Dr. Degryse was selected from nominations provided by the journal’s technical editors.

Six individuals have also been named recipients of the 2007 Editor’s Citation for Excellence in Manuscript Review for JEQ. Awardees are:

Bas Bouman, CGIAR, IRRI Crop, Soil, and Water Sciences;
Armen Kemanian, Blackland Research and Extension Center, Texas AgriLife Research;
Nathan Nelson, Kansas State University;
Andreas Papritz, ETH Zurich, Switzerland;
Alan Steinman, Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University; and
Andreas Voegelin, ETH Zurich, Switzerland;

All journals published by ASA–CSSA–SSSA depend on the commitment and dedication of volunteer reviewers to maintain the high level of quality in the papers that are published. These six individuals provided particularly noteworthy reviews for JEQ during 2007. If you are interested in reviewing manuscripts, volunteer by contacting the JEQ editor, Dr. Dennis Corwin (dcorwin@ussl.ars.usda.gov) with your contact information and your areas of expertise. You can also indicate your willingness to assist authors whose first language is not English.

The man behind the models: Engineer spends career building programs to help producers

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:30:23 GMT

By CLAY COPPEDGE, Country World staff writer

March 20, 2008 - In the “don’t judge a book by its cover” category is Jimmy Williams, a research scientist at the Blackland Research Center in Temple. If there is such a thing as your typical Ph.D., Williams flies in the face of that stereotype.

Though he is respected by his peers across the nation as a leader in agriculture research, primarily because of his pioneering work with computer modeling programs, Williams remains close to his roots, both professionally and geographically. He grew up on a farm in Falls County and still lives on a farm there, where he raises cattle.

“My dad was basically a cotton farmer until the drought of the 50s sort of put us out of business and we went more into cattle,” he said. “I was involved with FFA and all that kind of stuff.”

Today, when he isn’t troubleshooting some of the computer models he helped develop or assisting other researchers with their work, Williams, 67, can still be found working his Falls County land. He worked for the Agriculture Research Service for 31 years. He retired from that agency on a Friday and went to work the following Monday for what is now known as Texas AgriLife Extension.

“If I stay on until 2012, I will have been in this for 50 years,” he said, adding, “I don’t know that I will.”

Williams said he wasn’t sure he would stay involved with agriculture or agriculture research his whole life but he knew from a young age that he would attend Texas A&M University. He took all the math and science courses that he could in high school but wasn’t sure what he would study until the decision was more or less made for him.

“When I got into high school and FFA, I went to the Houston Livestock Show with some calves I was showing down there that I had won in a calf scramble,” he said. “They had a contest with record-keeping and all that kind of stuff, and I had to write an essay. I won a scholarship for $2,500 to A&M. That money had to be used to study some part of agriculture. So that narrowed my decision down quite a bit and I decided to go into agriculture engineering.”

After graduating from A&M in 1963, Williams took a job with Soil Conservation Service (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS), where he had worked as a trainee between his junior and senior years of college. He went to the experiment station at Riesel in 1965.

Williams worked in the areas of hydrological development, sedimentation, and flood routing at Riesel, working with data that had been collected at the station since 1938. The studies were begun at Riesel in reaction to the soil erosion crisis of the 30s.

At Riesel, Williams started working with what would evolve into the modeling systems that are so extensively used today. The original focus of his work was to compare two watersheds; one with the best conservation practices that could be applied and one with no conservation practices applied.

All of Williams’ work at Riesel in the early days was done with a calculator and a slide rule. Researchers were using a computer even then, but there was only one computer available to him and that was on the A&M campus. Williams was taking post-graduate courses at A&M when he started working on that old computer. He didn’t know it at the time but he was on the ground floor of the technology boom.

Williams transferred to Temple in 1973 where the computer modeling programs blossomed from single event models to the comprehensive models of today.

The models currently supported at Temple are best known by their acronyms (SWAT, ALMANAC, EPIC and APEX) and work on spatial scales that range from individual fields to entire river basins. The work has come a long way from calculators and slide rules.

Passage of the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act in 1977 directed the secretary of agriculture to appraise soil, water and related resources and their conservation on agriculture land as a tool in policy decisions and as a way to protect natural resources. The EPIC (Erosion-Productivity Impact Calculator) was developed as a result of that initiative.

The original EPIC components included weather simulation, hydrology, erosion-sedimentation, nutrient cycling, plant growth, tillage, soil temperatures, economics and management. Today the model has been expanded to solve a wide range of agriculture management problems and is also used in studies of global climate change and carbon sequestration.

As the technology has developed, one model has led to another with more capabilities and different objectives. Today many of those models are used to justify conservation practices included in the farm bill and to assess troubled watersheds.

Williams believes that ag producers can benefit from the models by using them to make management decisions such as determining land use and fertilizer rates but, he said, the models will help producers the most with longterm decisions.

When asked about the most satisfying part of his four decades of research, Williams said he likes the fact that the models are being ran and put to use.

“You can work your whole career in these tools and nobody uses them then that’s not very satisfying,” he said. He added that working closely with NRCS has helped put the computer models and conservation practices he and other researchers have worked on to use.

“I think we will see more and more of the computer analysis. I think farmers and ranchers will become more sophisticated in terms of the decisions they make,” he said. “Right now there’s the biofuels thing with producers selecting different energy crops and trying to decide whether or not to go that route. There’s a lot of different decisions that farmers and ranchers will have to make that these models can help.”

-- Reprinted with permission of Country World Central Texas

Scientists: Change won't affect crops

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:52:17 GMT

By Carroll Wilson - Published January 13, 2008
TELEGRAM MANAGING EDITOR

Daily high temperatures are dropping in Temple, and daily lows are rising, according to numbers crunched by a senior research scientist here.

Dr. Jimmy Williams of the Blackland Research Center pulled the data out of weather information he’s compiled from the last 95 years.

“I’ve been in touch with a colleague in Maryland - they’re experts in climate change - and he concluded the same thing we did,” Williams said.

Over the last nearly 100 years, the daily highs have dropped roughly 4 degrees Fahrenheit and daily lows have risen by about the same amount, according to Williams’ data.

Williams said the trend might or might not continue.

He said, though, he never foresees a time when the highs and lows will converge.

“If we’re getting warmer minimum temps, we could see a longer growing season,” Williams said. “The cooler maxes may be better for the summer crops.”

Regardless, he said, the fluctuations should have no real effect on corn, the top crop in this part of Texas.

Dr. Jim Kiniry, a fellow researcher at the Grassland Soil and Water Research lab, said if one variety of corn reacts strongly to climate change, farmers can simply find a variety that grows well under the prevailing conditions.

Another Grassland scientist, Dr. Wayne Polley, who said he doesn’t completely buy the hypothesis of global warming, suggested that a rise in minimum temperatures could lead to a new mix of insects as those that like warm weather extend their range.

Williams said he’d be reluctant to speculate on whether the changes are related to global warming.

Dr. John W. Nielsen-Gammon, who is the official state climatologist, said that, “in general changes in temperature as you describe are too large to be attributed to global-scale processes like global warming.”

Instead, he said, one possible cause might be irrigation.

“Increases in irrigation over the past century would lead to cooler days because with more water available to be evaporated, less of the solar energy goes into heating the ground,” he said. “At night, the increased moisture and higher dew points would lead to higher nighttime temperatures.

“If this is the correct explanation, it is unlikely the trends would continue, because irrigation is on the decline in Texas. Also, the effect would be smaller at locations farther from irrigated farmland.”

On the other hand, Dr. Mark Tjoelker of Texas A&M University, said, “An increase in daily minimum temperatures at night is entirely consistent with warming trends from increased concentrations of greenhouse gasses (such as carbon dioxide).”

Tjoelker is an associate professor in forest ecology, physiological ecology and global change.

Warming daily temperature minimums “is consistent with the evidence of human-caused warming,” he said.

Tjoelker said that if the trends continue, they could change the area’s ecosystem.

“Warmer temperatures may directly negatively impact crop and native plant growth by increasing nighttime losses of carbon,” he said. “However, warmer temperatures in springtime may promote earlier growth. Climate extremes in drought or high temperatures may impact both natural and managed ecosystems and services they provide for us.”

However, Tjoelker warned that a number of challenges face scientists as they try to learn more about climate change, its causes and its effects.

Several research projects are under way in Texas to directly manipulate temperature, water and other global change factors, he said, so experts can better understand what’s happening to the overall environment.

Williams’ research include plotting temperature variations by year and by decade. He found that the daily average has risen only slightly over the 95-year period.

His records show that the highest sustained daily temperatures in Temple were during the drought of the early to mid-1950s.

Sustained cooler highs were recorded in the early to mid-1980s.

Telegram photographer Scott Gaulin contributed to this report.

--Reprinted with permission of the Temple Daily Telegram

Conservationist says state's role still important

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:46:53 GMT

By CLAY COPPEDGE, Country World staff writer

April 3, 2008 - When what is now known as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) was founded in the 1930s as the Soil Conservation Service, the first order of business was helping farmers and ranchers manage their land in a sustainable way in the midst and aftermath of the Dust Bowl. Families were leaving rural America in droves, defeated by the wind and dust and a dreadful farm economy.

Today people are moving into rural parts of the state and country in droves. Many of the issues and practices developed as a response to the Dust Bowl are still with us, but a burgeoning rural population brings new challenges for the NRCS and for people who make their living from the land.

Don Gohmert, 61, is the state conservationist for Texas. With the state's population expected to double by the year 2050, he believes the NRCS has a vital if challenging role to play in the state's populous future.

From Gohmert's perspective, the future holds pitfalls for ag producers and newcomers alike. Land fragmentation, water issues, diminishing wildlife habitat and the challenge of feeding a growing state and country from farm and ranch land that is being reduced by the state's increasing urbanization are some of the issues looming large in Texas' future, he said.

"There's probably more need today for the kind of assistance we provide than there was in the 30s," Gohmert said last week at his office in Temple. "I say that because in the 30s farmers didn't necessarily understand overgrazing. They didn't necessarily understand the impact of livestock on riparian areas. There was no agriculture technology for land conservation."

While technology and the results of long scientific study are available today for landowners, many people moving to the country for the first time aren't aware of it, Gohmert said.

"There are a lot of people moving to the country today who haven't made their living off the land. They don't know the conservation techniques or the technology that's available to them," he said.

"In a lot of cases they've just acquired the land. They have a lot of money. They think they want to build a lake out there so they go find a bulldozer, and they can do more damage to the land in one day than those farmers did in a lifetime.

"They don't know that we as an agency exist to help them understand that the lake they want to build is impossible to build because it all sandy land. It won't hold water; or it's too erosive or the watershed is too big.

"Regardless, they end up with a dry hole out there. Then what do you do with something like that?" A simple call to the NRCS could have averted that scenario, he said.

"The real challenge that we see coming for us is the new folks moving from the city to the rural areas, becoming new landowners and not necessarily understanding the land and not knowing that there is assistance there for them at their request."

The NRCS offers technical and cost-share assistance for landowners who want to use the best practices available to sustain and conserve their land. The technical assistance is free and, like all NRCS programs, voluntary.

Landowners who want to accelerate conservation practices on their land can participate in a cost-share program that pays a portion of the cost of implementing the practices. The landowner pays the rest.

One of the NRCS' most popular cost-share programs is the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) which is set up to provide a voluntary conservation program for farmers and ranchers. The NRCS wrote more than 28,000 EQIP contracts with producers statewide last year, Gohmert said.

The NRCS works with more than 200 local soil and water conservation districts across the state on soil and water conservation practices for local producers. Farmers and ranchers contact their local conservation districts for technical or financial assistance.

"We don't have an office in every county in the state, but we have a presence in every county in the state," Gohmert said. "No one should feel like they can't contact us. We are not a regulatory agency. That's not why we're here. We're a voluntary agency and we're available to landowners at their request."

Gohmert said that one thing landowners may be requesting more of in the future is water, but there may not be enough of it to go around if measures aren't taken now to prepare for the water needs of a rapidly expanding population.

"Water is definitely something we're going to be fighting over," he said. "There is not going to be enough of it to go around if we don't start planning for it now -- not only planning for it, but doing something about it."

Gohmert, a native Texan from Cuero, has spent most of his career with NRCS in Arizona and Louisiana. He was Louisiana's state conservationist when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated much of that state.

"The devastation from Katrina and Rita was so utter and so complete, and not just what you saw in New Orleans either," he said. "Katrina wiped out whole towns and settlements. There was nothing left. No homes, no churches, no schools, no roads, no gas stations, no ice, very little law enforcement. There was nothing left."

Gohmert took over as Texas' state conservationist in June of 2007, not long before historic floods ravaged North and Central Texas. Looking at the big picture, he said the state was growing and that the amount of productive farm and ranch land was diminishing in direct proportion to that growth.

"We have vast agriculture resources, not just the land but the people we have in the research field, in the mechanization field and in the producers that we have," he said. "We can feed 120-140 people with one farmer. But we're losing the one ingredient that we have to have - the land. Urbanization is taking the best of the land, the prime farm land in this country."

--Reprinted with permission of Country World Central Texas