Monthly Archives: May 2017

Floyd is a horticulturist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service. He can be reached at 498-4071 in Ector County or 686-4700 in Midland County or by email at Jeff.Floyd@ag.tamu.edu

Floyd is an Agri-Life Extension agent for Ector and Midland counties. To learn more, call the Ector County Extension office at 432-498-4072, or the Midland County Extension office at 432-686-4700, or email jeff.floyd@ag.tamu.edu.

Posted: Sunday, May 28, 2017 3:00 am

GARDENING: What makes a tree, a tree? By Jeff Floyd Odessa American

What is a tree and why is it so unique among plants?

On the surface, asking what a tree is appears to be a silly question but you might be surprised how often horticulturists argue about the precise definition of a tree. While most generally agree that trees are woody plants that live for many years, not all can agree whether multiple trunks should be called trees. Another point of contention is their height. Is there a minimum height necessary for classifying a plant as a tree?

Perhaps the most useful definition was offered by the late U.S. forest pathologist Alex Shigo who described trees as ....woody, long-lived, compartmentalizing perennials. Shigos definition of a tree embraces both single-trunk Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) sometimes towering more than three-hundred feet above the humid coastal forest floor of Northern California, and multi-trunk Havard oaks (Quercus havardii) which scarcely rise more than five feet above the parched Southwestern sands of Texas, New Mexico and, Arizona.

If we didnt use this more flexible standard, we wouldnt be able to call many small to medium sized multi-trunk species trees. For example, popular Texas landscape specimen such as crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) and Texas mountain laurel (Dermatophyllum secundiflorum, syn. Sophora secundiflora) among others would otherwise be considered shrubs and in fact many horticulturists argue that these are shrubs. Botanists are a more precise bunch and usually argue less than horticulturists. They often set the minimum height for classifying a woody plant as a tree at sixteen feet.

If youre wondering whether that is a tree or shrub in your landscape, contact the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office at 498-4071 or email jeff.floyd@ag.tamu.edu and well bring along a botanist to argue the point. All youll need to do is sit back and enjoy the show.

Posted in Gardening on Sunday, May 28, 2017 3:00 am. | Tags: Texas A&m Agrilife Extension Office, Jeff Floyd, Pecans, Pruning, Prune, Soft Landscape Materials, Landscape, Gardening, Gardener, Food, Integra, Repeat Applications, West Texas

Original post:

GARDENING: What makes a tree, a tree? - Odessa American

COLLEGE STATION Texas cotton is in a varied state of production, but one thing is common for most producers, especially dryland growers: Rain is needed to improve soil moisture levels, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts said.

Seth Byrd, an AgriLife Extension agronomist in Lubbock, said cotton producers around the state experienced favorable weather patterns last year but there is some concern 2017 could be problematic, especially for dryland producers. Some cotton fields are yet to be planted, while others are flowering, according to regional reports.

John Nielsen-Gammon, state climatologist in College Station, said long-term forecasts show conditions could be drier and warmer than normal and many areas in the state are relatively dry for this time of year.

Byrd said cotton acres in the region will rise as producers switch from corn and sorghum for a more favorable market option. Cotton is also a more drought-tolerant planting option.

Other options arent out there because of the state of the markets, he said. Theres always a risk no matter what you plant, but cotton looks less risky.

Regional cotton fields are about 50 percent dryland and 50 percent irrigated, though additional irrigated acreage in the northern part of the region historically dedicated to corn and sorghum will be planted in cotton, he said.

Conditions were good two weeks ago, he said, so some producers took advantage and planted.

But soil moisture levels, especially the first 3 inches of topsoil, dried significantly due to high temperatures and windy conditions in the region, he said. The region has not received rain in almost two weeks, though some was expected.

There is some dry planting going on, he said. Its not ideal, but the seed is not going to swell and rot. Theyre counting on the rain in the forecast.

In the Coastal Bend and Rio Grande Valley, Dr. Joshua McGinty, Agri Life Extension agronomist, Corpus Christi, said most dryland fields needed a good rain within the next few weeks or cotton could be in trouble.

Most fields were planted in February and March and were already flowering and looked OK for now, he said.

McGinty said the past few years were easy as fields received adequate rain and required little to no irrigation and faced few pest and disease issues. This year, the soil profile was not as accommodating, and producers decision to stick with cotton rather than rotate to corn or sorghum led to an increase in disease pressure, including nematodes, which are atypical for the region.

Usually if you start with a good soil moisture profile you can make a crop, he said. This year weve had enough moisture to get the crop started, but we need a good rain in the next few weeks or the cotton crop could be in trouble. The profile is dry to 2 feet or more in some areas and it wont be long before roots cant access moisture.

McGinty said producers in the Rio Grande Valley were irrigating heavily this year due to arid, windy conditions, but the water is salty and of poor quality. A good rain is needed to improve soil moisture levels and flush the salt out of fields.

Cotton is the only thing growers think they could make a profit on, he said. The last few years we got lucky, but then a few years before that it was bad in some areas, so it is hit-or-miss. It all depends on the rain.

AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:

Small amounts of rain as well as severe thunderstorms, high winds, tornadoes and hail were common. More rain was expected and needed because the area was becoming very dry. Pasture conditions should improve. Wheat harvests were underway. Hay was baled, and cotton was re-planted in some areas. Sorghum and corn crops were doing better than average. Cattle and other livestock were in good condition. Stocker calf producers were shipping cattle off winter grazing pastures. Daily temperatures continued to warm, and cool-season annuals such as ryegrass continued to dry down and offer less grazing. With fertilizer, Bermuda grass pastures will green up after rainfalls. Counties were reporting good soil moisture. Most counties reported good overall crop, livestock and rangeland and pasture conditions.

Rain fell across parts of the district with amounts varying from a trace to more than 3 inches. Some hail was reported but no reports of significant damage. Wheat harvests were underway before the rain. Cotton planting started, and a high percent of cotton was expected to be planted after wheat harvests end. Some producers planted cover crops behind wheat, and more was planned. Canola was ready or was harvested with one county reporting disappointing yields. Livestock were in good condition. Rangeland and pastures were in good condition.

Rain was needed in most areas, other than the northern portion of the reporting area. All crops, other than cotton, were showing signs of stress due to lack of moisture. Early planted cornfields were nearing dent stage. Fleahoppers caused some damage in cotton. Sugarcane aphid pressure was apparent in many sorghum fields and treatments were being applied. Producers started flooding rice fields. Livestock were mostly in good condition. Beef producers began marketing younger calves due to declining pasture conditions. Rain was in the forecast, and some producers applied fertilizer to forage and hay pastures in anticipation.

The region continued to receive rainfall although amounts varied. San Augustine County received very little rain while Upshur County reported large amounts. Warm-season forage growth remained slow due to cool nighttime temperatures. Anderson County reported large amounts of weeds in pastures and hay meadows. Producers were fertilizing hay meadows. Pastures around the region were in good condition. Subsoil and topsoil remained in mostly adequate condition. Ryegrass was cut and baled. Cherokee County hay production was in full swing. Shelby County was harvesting its first cutting of hay. Wild pig activity was up. Anderson County reported an active timber harvest. Vegetable crops were looking good. Harvest of onions, tomatoes, potatoes, plums, peaches, pea, sweet corn, squash and watermelons started. All cotton was planted in Anderson and Jasper counties. Oat conditions in Jasper County were good. Livestock were in good condition.

Topsoil and subsoil moisture levels ranged from mostly adequate to short. Daytime temperatures were in the 80s, and nighttime temperatures were in the low 60s. Some rain was received over the weekend with amounts ranging from about 0.25-1 inch but more was needed. Corn looked very good and was rapidly growing. Most other crops including cotton, grain sorghum and soybeans were planted and emerged. Pastures also looked very good. Ryegrass hay was harvested, and meadows were prepared for Bermuda grass. Wheat harvests started with about 15-20 percent completed. Fly numbers increased on cattle

.

Temperatures and conditions were seasonable early in the reporting period with isolated storms, heavy rainfall, winds and hail reported later in the reporting period. More rain was needed in all areas. Stock ponds were drying out as high temperatures and high winds reduced soil moisture levels. Wheat harvests were underway in most areas with average and below-average yields reported. Some producers worked at full speed to get wheat out before rains arrived. Farmers have Sudan up and growing for summer grazing and hay production. Irrigated corn and sorghum were doing very well. Dryland sorghum was off to a slow start but should pick up after the rains. Cotton planting was delayed due to dry conditions. Planting was expected to begin in the next few weeks following the rains. Rains helped pastures and Coastal Bermuda grass grow. Rangeland and pasture conditions remained fair to good, but were showing signs of moisture stress. Most cool-season annuals matured and played out. Recent rainfall should help pastures achieve good growth. Livestock remained in fair to good condition. The cattle market was active and holding steady.

In Chambers County, organic rice fields were being planted. A little conventional rice was left to plant, as well. Most fields were dry and required extra water to be pumped onto them to prevent rice from getting too dry. Weekend rains helped conditions and more rain was in the forecast. Pastures declined significantly over the past two weeks and needed the moisture. Brazos County experienced heavy rains. Some creeks flooded. Soil moisture conditions in Montgomery County were very poor until light showers were received, with more than half an inch in some areas. Overall conditions were good for the moment. Soil-moisture levels throughout the region ranged from short to very short. Rangeland and pasture ratings varied from fair to poor with fair ratings being most common.

Temperatures continued to rise throughout the district, continuously reducing soil moisture and browning rangeland and pastures. Most areas remained dry. Scattered rain was received in some areas, and heavy rainfall with localized flooding from heavy downpours of 3-5 inches was reported in the southwest corner of Jim Hogg County near the Starr, Zapata county line. Temperatures were warm with high winds throughout most of the district.

Gardeners continued to harvest potatoes and corn. Cornfields were in the silking stage and sorghum was in the heading stage. All cotton fields emerged throughout the district. Irrigation continued where needed. Peanut planting started. Pasture and rangeland conditions continued to dry out in most areas due to strong winds and lack of rainfall.

Go here to read the rest:

Moisture levels a concern for some cotton producers - Waco Tribune-Herald

On Tuesday, May 23, the Trump administration released its Fiscal Year 2018 (FY2018) budget request. I am doing a three-part analysis of the National Nuclear Security Administrations budget. That agency, a part of the Department of Energy, is responsible for developing and maintaining US nuclear weapons. Yesterday we focused on The Good, today we have The Bad, and The Ugly is still to come.

The NNSAs most important task is to ensure that the weapons in the US nuclear arsenal are safe, secure and effective. As part of that work, the NNSA is simultaneously undertaking four different programs to extend the lives of four different warheads in the US stockpile: the W76 warhead deployed on submarines, the B61 bomb deployed on aircraft, the W88 warhead deployed on submarines and the W80 warhead for the proposed new air-launched cruise missile. The NNSA has not had such a confluence of work in decades.

That leads many observers to worry about how well the NNSA will manage such a heavy workload, especially when it is also trying to build one major new facility for uranium metal work and ramp up the new approach to dispose of excess plutonium.

Those concerns are only increased when a new president comes in talking about the need to greatly strengthenand expand the US nuclear capability. As described in The Good, this budget does not hint at any such effort.

Trumps budget does, however, reveal rising costs for the existing warhead life extension programs initiated under the Obama administration. For the B61 and the W88, the Trump budget requests significantly more than what the Obama administration projected would be required for FY2018. For the B61, the Obama administration projected in the FY2017 budget that $728 million would be required in FY2018, an already large 15 percent increase above the FY2017 request. But the Trump administrations request is $789 million, a 22 percent increase above FY2017. For the W88, a planned decrease of $30 million to $255 million (a 9 percent cut) became a $50 millionor 15 percentincrease, to $332 million.

The FY18 budget request offers relatively mundane explanations for these rising costs, including unexplained increases. They are particularly troubling, however, when considered in tandem with a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the life extension programs.

That report cites internal NNSA cost estimates showing the B61 will cost $10 billion, or $2.6 billion more than the NNSA currently predicts, and take an extra two years to produce the first new B61-12. Another internal NNSA estimate found that the W88 update could cost $1 billion more than previously expected. The GAO report also cites yet another internal NNSA estimate that the W80-4 warhead, being developed for the proposed new nuclear-armed cruise missile, may be underfunded by $1 billion, while a proposal to update the warheads secondary could add another $250-300 million to the total cost. That could bring the W88 program to over $10 billion as well.

Cost increases like that will mean increasing trouble for the NNSA. The Weapons Activities budget line, which funds all work on nuclear warheads, has already benefited from eight straight years of rising budgets averaging over 5% annually. The Trump budget seeks a 10% increase above the final level of funding Congress approved in the FY17 omnibus appropriations bill. If the numbers the GAO cites are correct, even larger increases will be needed in the future.

Another complicating factor is very tight timelines. The GAO notes the W80-4 is operating on an accelerated, compressed schedule, while officials have said the B61 may no longer meet certification requirements if there are any further delays producing new bombs. It looks more and more like the intersection of multiple warhead life extension programs, rising costs, and rushed production schedules could lead to a train wreck for NNSA.

And that is before the NNSA even starts work on its most far-reaching plan to develop a suite of new warheads to replace the existing ballistic missile warheads (but more on that in The Ugly).

In its final budget, the Obama administration proposed a modest increase in fundingfrom $52 million in FY2016 to $69 million in FY2017for dismantling warheads that have been retired from the US nuclear stockpile. The result would be that the long line of weapons already in the queue for dismantlement would be taken apart more quickly, thus allowing the warheads retired under the New START agreement with Russia to be dismantled sooner as well.

Those in Congress who supported the Obama administration proposal pointed out that increasing dismantlement in the near term actually benefits life extension programs in the mid-term. Bringing on new employees and training them to dismantle warheads will help prepare them for the coming work on the B61 and the W88, which will entail dismantling the warheads, replacing aged components and reassembling them.

Led by the House Armed Services Committee, however, Congress ended up rejecting most of the increase, allowing only an additional $4 million in FY2017. For the House, anything proposed by the Obama administration that smacked of disarmament was too much, even if it was only taking apart weapons that have already been retired.

And now the Trump administration has dumped any thought of dismantling weapons sooner, noting in the FY18 budget that it is eliminating the planned acceleration stated in the FY 2017 budget request.

Posted in: Nuclear Weapons Tags: arms control, budget, dismantlement, missiles, nuclear disarmament, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons budget, obama administration

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Th Bad: Post #2 on the NNSA's FY2018 Budget Request - All Things Nuclear