Henderson County Agriview
by Rick Hirsch County Extension Agent
Private Applicator

Training/Testing

March 20th

Area agricultural producers will have the opportunity to complete training and testing to meet the requirements for obtaining a private applicator license at a program scheduled for Tuesday, March 20th at the Trinity Valley Community College Ranch Management Building in Athens. The training will begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by the testing.

Producers interested in the program should call the Extension office at 903-675-6130 by 5:00 p.m., Friday, March 16 to pre-register.

To become a licensed private applicator, a producer must attend a Texas Cooperative Extension private applicator training program, make a passing score on a Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Private Applicator examination and submit an application to TDA, along with a required $60 fee. The TDA private applicator license is valid for 5 years.

Class participants are strongly urged to purchase a Private Applicator License Training manual. The manual and study worksheets are available at the County Extension office for $20.00.

For further information about the program, contact Rick Hirsch, Henderson County Extension Agent at 903-675-6130.

In an effort to aid in "Homeland Security" TDA requires license candidates to provide proof of identification before examinations will be administered. Acceptable forms of ID are valid Drivers Licenses, official military identification, or state ID cards.

AGRIVIEW

Muddy water is often a problem in East Texas farm ponds because it inhibits the growth of natural fish foods and is not aesthetically pleasing. In addition, the reduced visibility in muddy ponds limits the ability of sight-feeding predators, such as large-mouth bass, to feed on forage populations effectively.

The first step in clearing ponds is to inspect the watershed and shoreline for signs of erosion. Grass sod should be established on bare areas. Rocks or other rip-rap material should be placed on shorelines of larger ponds if eroded by wave action.

Many ponds become temporarily muddy following heavy rains, but clearing usually occurs in a few days. Abundant bullhead catfish and/or common carp populations may also cause muddy conditions and should be eliminated.

If heavy rainfall or undesirable fish are not causing muddy conditions, the cause is negatively charged clay particles causing coagulation precipitation of clay particles.

A good compound recommended for clearing ponds is agricultural limestone.

Early spring is a good time to start a management program for ponds and small lakes. If managed correctly, these ponds or lakes can be a source of recreation and food for your family. Let's look at some management tips to get started.

The first area to look at managing a farm pond is to know the pH in the water. Liming is a critical step that is often overlooked by landowners. Just like pastures, ponds have an optimum pH level that enhances fish growth by keeping the food chain in balance. When pH dips below 20 parts per million, it is time to lime. Ponds in East Texas should be tested just like you test a hay meadow. It is very important to test before you begin a stocking program.

Late winter to early spring is the best time to lime a pond. We recently acquired the material to provide an alkalinity and pH test here at the office. You need to call ahead to make sure we are available to run the water sample before you bring it by.

What lime source is needed? Agricultural limestone just like is used in pasturees and hay fields is an adequate material for correcting water pH. DO NOT use hydrated lime as it can change the pH too quickly and cause a fish kill.

Alkalinity and hardness are important in providing adequate natural food and in maintaining a healthy fish population. The pH of the pond cycles daily because of respiration and photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide released from respiration reacts with water, producing carbonic acid. The pH scale measures the acidity; therefore, as carbonic acid is formed the pH is lowered or the pond becomes temporarily more acidic. Algae use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis during daylight hours and the pond water becomes less acidic with the decline of carbonic acid. Because of this, a pond pH normally fluctuates between 6.5 and 9. If the pH drops below 5, as it does in ponds that receive acid runoff, or rises above 10, as in low alkalinity ponds with excessive algae blooms, fish will be stressed and can die. The only practical method to manage for abnormal pH changes is to increase the alkalinity of the pond.

Alkalinity is a measure of bases in the water. Bases react to neutralize acids and, therefore, directly influence pH. As bases react with the hydrogen ions present, they buffer or suppress pH changes. Some alkalinity is necessary for good algae production. An alkalinity of 20 ppm or more is necessary for proper algae growth and therefore, good fish production.

Hardness is a measure of calcium and magnesium ions. Hardness concentrations are usually similar to alkalinity (if derived from limestone) but can be different, especially in coastal areas. A lack of hardness can reduce plankton production and cause muddiness.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Severe weather and rising feed costs delivered a one-two sucker punch to U.S. cattle inventory in January, and also accounted for a significant decrease in the number of cattle placed in feedlots during the same period, according to data from USDA and the American Farm Bureau.

On a monthly basis, Feb. 1st marked the first time cattle and calves on feed for slaughter in U.S. feedlots with capacity of 1,000 head or more were below year-earlier levels since October 2005. The 3 percent drop was the largest yearover year fall since 2003.

Placements in feedlots during January totaled 1.69 million, 23 percent below 2006 and 10 percent below 2005. Net placements were 1.59 million head, which is the second lowest placement for the month of January since USDA began keeping cattle-on-feed records in 1996.

In other beef news, saying the prevalence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the U.S. cattle herd is "extraordinarily low" and doesn't warrant ongoing costly testing and tracking programs, USDA shuttered the Pacific Northwest's only BSE testing laboratory on March 1st.

The Washington State University lab opened after the nation's first BSE case was discovered in nearby Yakima Valley in December 2003, but only two other infected cows have been found, even after the testing of 759,000 animals, including 45,000 in the Northwest.

USDA reported the lack of additional cases spurred the agency's decision to downsize the program and target only 40,000 animals per year. The government plans to close the WSU facility and several others as part of a plan to cut testing by more than 90 percent.

IMPORTANT DATES:

March 19 - Sandyland Vegetable Conference - Brownsboro High School Ag Dept., 6:00 p.m.

March 20 - Private Pesticide Applicator Training & Testing, Trinity Valley Community College Ranch Management Bldg., 8:30 a.m.

March 22 - Cow-Calf Clinic, Henderson County Fair Park Complex, 3:00 p.m., $8.00/person, 1.5 CEUs.

March 26-31 - Henderson County Livestock Show, Henderson County Fair Park Complex, Athens.

Rick Hirsch is the Henderson County Extension Agent-Agriculture for Texas Cooperative Extension. Visit his web page at http:// henderson-co.tamu.edu.