2003 ANNUAL REPORT

AGRICULTURAL COMPLEX

FOR

ADVANCED RESEARCH

AND

EXTENSION SYSTEMS

(AG-CARES)

AND OTHER

DAWSON COUNTY

AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS

IN COOPERATION WITH

LAMESA COTTON GROWERS

TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICE

TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

This report for AG-CARES marks the fourteenth year of a partnership between Lamesa Cotton Growers, the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, and Texas Cooperative Extension. Those working in the Agriculture Program of the Texas A&M System on the Southern High Plains continue to rely on this location as a premier site to develop, demonstrate, and deliver agricultural technology and information to producers in this area.

Profitable and sustainable farming systems for the area continues to receive the major emphasis at AG-CARES. AG-CARES allows us to leverage funds provided by producers groups, commodities, state agencies, and industries to meet and address agricultural needs of producers in the area. Major funding sources include Lamesa Cotton Growers, Texas State Support Committee for Cotton, Cotton Incorporated, Texas Peanut Producers Board, and several businesses in Lamesa. Our federal, state and county elected officials continue to provide strong support for the success of AG-CARES.

Long term results under the varied weather conditions experienced in the region continue to be compiled for your reference. Conservation tillage methods for wind protection are compared with conventional tillage programs. Water conservation remains a major focus of programs for all crops. Precision Agriculture (site specific farming) studies have been underway for six years. Our scientists, like their counterparts across the U.S., are finding that accurate and dependable information is very time consuming and expensive to collect. Results indicate that deep soil sampling (greater than 6 inches) may reduce nitrogen fertilizer inputs. We continue to look at the use of management zones to see if economic returns can be increased.

Strong leadership and direction for our programs are provided by Ronnie Thornton, Eddie Herm, and John Farris (Lamesa Cotton Growers), Dr. Randy Boman (TCE), and Drs. Wayne Keeling and Mike Schubert (TAES). Danny Carmichael serves as the site manager. We are indebted to all those mentioned above as well as the many staff members of the Lubbock Research and Extension Center and the Dawson County Extension Office who provided support at this site.

FOREWARD