By Mark Marsalis Farmers in eastern New Mexico have received little or no precipitation since fall of 2010. In addition, irrigation quantity and seasonal availability are becoming severely limited in the region with each passing year. Consequently, local dryland farmers are facing a no-plant situation for grain crops and irrigated farmers are not sure if […]
Sorghum hay options for limited irrigation, rain-fed conditions in New Mexico
February 1, 2010
By Leonard Lauriault: AgSense Sorghum forages are an integral part of livestock systems in New Mexico and other semiarid subtropical environments. Currently, three types of annual sorghum forages are available. Forage sorghum is typically planted as a row crop and harvested for single-cut silage, but occasionally it is drilled in closer rows and harvested for […]
Ag sense: Sorghum-based intercropping system viable option
June 1, 2009
The increasing demand for good quality forages by the dairy industry, and the declining water resources, are threatening the sustainability of highly productive irrigated agriculture in the southern High Plains. Corn and alfalfa are the predominant forages in the region. However, the declining water resources cannot support their production for long. Lower water needs of […]
AgSense: Need will grow for more forage crops to meet demand for ethanol
June 30, 2008
By Leonard Lauriault: Guest columnist Federal expectations are to provide for 38 percent of ethanol needs from cellulosic sources, such as crop residue, wood, specialty crops, like kenaf, and traditional forage crops without interfering with projected food and fiber needs. Crop residue is not viable because removing greater than 25 percent is detrimental to soil […]
Free dairy software available
November 5, 2007
By Victor Cabrera: Ag Sense Dairy producers, farmers, consultants and government personnel now have access to some new computer applications that could help them in their daily work and assessments. All the applications (Alfalfa Yield Predictor, Grazing-N, NM-Manure and DyNoFlo) at the New Mexico Dairy Extension Program are Excel spreadsheet files containing macros. These applications […]
Ag Sense: Dairies efficient water users
September 5, 2006
By Victor Cabrera: Guest Columnist There seems to be a misconception about how much water dairy farms actually utilize and their efficiency with this precious resource. According to officials at the Office of the State Engineer, dairies account for only 1.3 percent of the state’s water usage. Yet, dairying in New Mexico produces more cash […]
