IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED JAN 17, 2003:

1. MONITORING RANGELANDS
2. CUT INSECTICIDE USE AND STILL PROTECT COTTON AND OTHER CROPS
3. VETERINARY LAB WORKS TO PREVENT AGROTERRORISM
4. CAREERS FOR DIETITIANS
5. SAGUARO DISEASE
6. REJUVENATING PECAN ORCHARDS
7. ARIZONA'S SATELLITE RANCHERS
8. SOLVING PROBLEMS IN THE VEGETABLE INDUSTRY
9. AG-VENTURES AT THE FARM
10. FATHERS AND FAMILIES
11. SEPTIC TANK SAVVY
12. AWARDS, EVENTS, GRANTS

1 MONITORING RANGELANDS

More than 85% of Arizona land is classified as rangeland, which includes grasslands, shrub lands, and savannas. Domestic animals share that land with wildlife. Rangelands belong to diverse owners--tribal, private, and state and federal agencies.

Concerns about public land grazing, clean water, and endangered species increase the need to carefully monitor rangeland quality. Is the land being overgrazed? Are native plant species being forced out by invasive intruders? Are plants returning to once barren land?

Rangeland monitoring shows changes that occur over time. It provides the hard data that land managers need to work toward practices that will sustain the land's future. In fact rangeland monitoring has become a necessity for most ranches in Arizona.

Cooperative Extension faculty use workshops to teach natural resource managers about range monitoring. The classes provide objective answers so managers can make educated decisions about land use.

George Ruyle, School of Renewable Natural Resources
To learn more: cals.arizona.edu/extension/drought/rangeland.html

Cotton and other crops take a beating from insects in Arizona. Insects can breed most of the year in our warm climate, and they move from crop to crop. Control calls for a program of careful planning and coordinated efforts among all growers.

It's called Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and it has worked miracles. In 1992, growers had a disaster with whiteflies in cotton, but by 1996 a solid, research-based pest management program relegated the whitefly to minor pest status.

In 1998, Lygus bugs caused $28 million in cotton crop losses statewide. Now the cotton Lygus IPM program has resulted in growers applying the lowest number of sprays in 25 years, while still controlling the pest.

Statewide, growers average between one and three sprays for all cotton pests, for a long-season crop that's planted in March and harvested in October. The changes came about when Cooperative Extension organized meetings, workshops, field demonstrations and applied research to educate growers.

Satellite crop maps already can show how much Lygus bug risk a particular grower faces and identify where to concentrate control efforts. In the future, GIS mapping will help growers of other crops coordinate more effectively.

To adapt to a competitive global economy, growers in the desert Western U.S. already plant a wider variety of crops to take advantage of niche markets. Unfortunately, greater insect problems also show up. Cooperative Extension has organized a cross-commodity research and outreach program to help find inter-crop and interdisciplinary solutions.

Peter Ellsworth, Maricopa Agricultural Center
To learn more: cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2002/

The Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (AzVDL) is one of 12 state diagnostic laboratories helping develop a network of laboratories that are beginning to test for foreign animal diseases and possible agricultural bioterrorism. Some of these diseases are also human pathogens such as the West Nile Virus.

The lab's initial emphasis focused on surveillance and reporting. However, outreach and education are considered just as important. Serious animal diseases threaten the state's economy, and knowing how to handle or prevent disease outbreaks can make a vital difference.

AzVDL is concerned with more than domestic livestock and companion animals--as important as they undoubtedly are. Wildlife diseases are included in the lab's surveillance as are diseases that can be transported through the Mexican border.

The laboratory's goal is protecting Arizona by identifying the presence of any potentially dangerous animal disease, whether or not it was intentionally introduced.

Robert Glock, Department of Veterinary Sciences and Microbiology
To learn more: cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2002/

The U.S. public is more interested in general nutrition, disease prevention, and the health of older people. As a result, the demand for registered, credentialed dietitians has increased, and will continue to do so.

The Department of Nutritional Sciences offers an accredited program that includes a bachelor's degree program and a supervised internship program. In 2002, 99% of UA dietetics graduates successfully took the national registered dietitian exam.

Graduates are qualified to work in health care facilities, sports nutrition and corporate wellness programs, for nutrition-related industries, at universities and medical centers, and in research.

Wanda Howell, Department of Nutritional Sciences
To learn more: cals.arizona.edu/NSC/business/underg.htm

Look at the trunk or branches of your favorite saguaro. If you see round, black soft patches, the saguaro may be suffering from a bacteria-caused disease: soft-rotting Erwinia.

The infected area may crack or break open, leaking a dark odorous material. Under favorable conditions, the cactus can confine the disease to a pocket of protective callus.

Control the disease by removing and cleaning the infected area with household bleach and detergent solution. If the lesion is large enough to weaken an arm of the saguaro--or even the entire plant--removing the entire arm or the saguaro itself may be the only answer.

Mary Olsen, Department of Plant Pathology, "Diseases of Urban Plants in Arizona"
To learn more: cals.arizona.edu/pubs/diseases/az1124.pdf

In southern Arizona, commercial pecan trees need 6 acre-inches of water a year to produce a profitable crop. Occasionally for economic reasons, orchard owners reduce irrigation and take the trees out of production.

Pecans are resilient and survive, thanks to a deep root system. CALS scientists recently tested several methods of quickly returning orchards in Pinal County to profitability.

For example, growers could simply resume irrigating and fertilizing. The researchers compared the resulting yield to crops harvested after trees were subjected to two different pruning methods.

After four years, the collected data suggests that normal irrigation and fertilization by themselves will return neglected, water-stressed trees to normal production just as early as the labor-intensive tree pruning.

Mike Kilby, Department of Plant Sciences (retired) and Richard Gibson, Pinal County Cooperative Extension, "2001 Citrus and Deciduous Fruit and Nut Research Report"
To learn more: cals.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1275

It's obvious. Ranchers must know the condition of the rangeland where their cattle feed. Up until now, monitoring rangeland meant riding out on horseback, or climbing into a truck or ATV, checking frequently.

In the future, satellite imagery and other geospatial information will tell ranchers what they need to know to manage their land. Satellite observations from the NASA Earth Observing System record images of the earth's surface. Analyzing the resulting maps can show the amount of vegetation, for example. Comparing images over time can tell whether it's a wet or dry year.

Ranchers who are used to keeping detailed notes on their rangeland can use this technology to get a birds-eye view of their land.

Workshops held at Cooperative Extension offices will encourage practical applications of this technology. A CD-ROM will take the information to areas of Arizona where Internet connections are inadequate. RangeView, developed by CALS scientists, includes interactive tools to help people understand vegetation dynamics and the relationships among cattle, wildlife, and forage.

Stuart Marsh, Arizona Remote Sensing Center, and Barron Orr, Cooperative Extension
To learn more: rangeview.arizona.edu

Every year Yuma's vegetable industry sells nearly $500 million in produce. In addition, more than 200 vegetable-related agribusinesses add to the area's economy. Vegetables are also grown commercially in other Arizona areas.

However, the industry remains highly risky for growers. Bad weather and fluctuating markets take their inevitable toll. Diseases, insects, and weeds are problems that never disappear entirely despite the continuing efforts of agrichemical companies and CALS plant pathologists, entomologists, and weed specialists.

The agrichemical industry produces new compounds regularly to keep up with insects developing resistance to existing controls and other problems. Most of today's chemicals are more environmentally friendly--safer to handle and apply.

They still need to be tested to discover how they will work most effectively in Arizona's various climates. CALS vegetable researchers have once again collected their results in the "2002 Vegetable Report." The compilation covers herbicides, insect controls, plant growth regulators, plant pathogens, and weeds.

David N. Byrne, Department of Entomology, "2002 Vegetable Report"
To learn more: cals.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1292

"I don't want to leave, but I hope we can come back again," said an 11-year-old visiting from the city. He was enthusiastically talking about his Ag-Ventures at the Farm school tour at the Maricopa Agricultural Center (MAC).

MAC is a University of Arizona working farm and research center located between Phoenix and Tucson. Ag-Ventures promotes agricultural literacy for kindergarten and elementary school children through up-close, hands-on, child-friendly experiences "down on the farm."

Their motto is "If you eat, you're involved in agriculture." And everyone needs to know that agriculture involves more than just a drive to the nearest supermarket.

Victor Jimenez, 4-H Youth Development Cooperative Extension agent, Maricopa Agricultural Center
To learn more: cals.arizona.edu/aes/mac/ag-ventures.htm

The way we think about a father's role in his family has changed. Fathers used to be considered primarily breadwinners and disciplinarians; now they're recognized as active and nuturing participants in all facets of raising their children.

Exactly how important are fathers to their children? How do fathers change as a result of their "new" roles?

Until recently, the importance of fathers to children and families had been neglected in both academic research and community programs. The Division of Family Studies and Human Development has launched a "Fathers and Families Initiative" to contribute to an understanding of the roles fathers play and then to identify strategies to help them "navigate the fatherhood labyrinth."

"Good fathering doesn't just happen--it takes practice, practice, practice" is one of the primary messages being delivered as part of the Initiative's social marketing campaign. Last year, a televised Public Service Announcement was broadcast throughout the baseball season.

Although the importance of fathers in child development is generally recognized today, many men still struggle with adjusting their roles. Since most men don't seek help from self-help books or parenting workshops, the Initiative must find innovative ways to teach fathers.

David A. McDonald, Institute for Children, Youth, and Families
To learn more: cals.arizona.edu/icyf/fatherhood/

If you live in the city, your home is probably connected to a public sewer system. However in Arizona, much of the wastewater goes through a septic tank. Fortunately, properly designed, constructed, and maintained septic tanks are an efficient and economical alternative to public sewer systems.

The opposite is also true. Improperly installed or maintained septic tanks can contaminate groundwater and cause health problems. Unfortunately, most homeowners just want their wastewater to go away as cheaply as possible.

Basically, homeowners need education; Cooperative Extension provides an Onsite Wastewater Treatment Education program that now operates statewide. The website offers innovative teaching tools, ranging from fact sheets and books to displays, physical models, and videos.

Septic systems should be designed to fit individual sites, but most systems are based on the same principles. Alternatives are available for areas where, for example, shallow soils can't absorb the sewage. There's always an onsite solution for non-polluting wastewater treatment.

Kitt Farrell-Poe, Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering
To learn more: cals.arizona.edu/waterquality/WaterQualityIndex.htm

Awards:

CALS A+ Advisor Award: Jennifer Bowers, Department of Nutritional Sciences and Libby Davison, Department of Plant Sciences

USDA Food and Agriculture Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award: Jack Elliot, Department of Agricultural EducationL

CALS Faculty Teaching Award: Michael Riggs, Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology

North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Award: Mark Riley, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Outstanding Staff in Instruction: Sue Scalero, Department of Agricultural Education

Events:

Vegetable Seed Production Short Course, January 14 & January 28, Cooperative Extension Auditorium, Yuma

18th Annual Arizona Agribusiness Forum, March 7, Arizona Ballroom B, UA Campus, cals.arizona.edu/arec/dept/events.html

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