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Weekly News 1999
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December 27, 1999. Since August 1996, Hank Mayland and cooperators have tested and shown that afternoon-harvested forage contained higher concentrations of soluble sugars than morning- harvested hay, that ruminants preferred the afternoon-harvested hay, and that they would eat more of it. An update of these results was presented at the December 1999 California/Nevada Alfalfa Growers meeting and a mini-questionnaire distributed asking about their familiarity and adoption of afternoon harvesting strategies. A summary of 50 alfalfa grower respondents (representing 80,000 Acres) from California and five other states indicated that 94% were aware of afternoon harvest benefits to forage quality, 58% had cut during PM in 1999, and 80% were planning to cut during PM in 2000. This represented 58% of acreage in 1999 and 86% in 2000. (KIM19991229N1)

December 27, 1999. Dwight Gilbert of Powell, Wyoming, is one of a dozen seed growers inquiring of Hank Mayland about HiMag tall fescue. They became aware of this new grass through the Kiplinger Agricultural Newsletter. (KIM19991229N2)

December 17, 1999. 'Forage to Make Taste Buds Tingle' article prepared by Marcia Wood, ARS-IS, appeared in Dairy World, Nov.- Dec. 1999, p 15. It discusses plant cues used by ruminants and the benefits of afternoon harvesting of forage for optimum feed value. This release was prepared following a series of exchanges with Hank Mayland. (KIM19991222N1)

December 6-9, 1999. Rick Lentz and Dave Bjorneberg attended the U.S.-China Bilateral Workshop on Sediment Management in Agricultural Watersheds at Oxford, Mississippi. Approximately 40 people attended the workshop including 10 Chinese scientists. The workshop included presentations about erosion and sedimentation problems and research in both the United States and China and current status of erosion models for agricultural watersheds. Dr. Lentz co-chaired a workshop session and made a presentation entitled "Polymer charge and molecular weight effects on treated irrigation furrow processes." Dr. Bjorneberg gave a presentation entitled "Unique aspects of modeling irrigation-induced soil erosion." Papers written for this meeting will be published in a special issue of the International Journal of Sediment Research. Participants also toured the National Sedimentation Lab and visited erosion control and channel stabilization research sites. The Chinese delegation was very interested in establishing contacts for future research collaboration. (KIM19991216N1)

November 30-December 4, 1999. Hank Mayland participated in the ARS team writing the NP-205 action plan for �Rangelands, Pastures, and Forages.� While there, he attended the seminar of Dr. Evert Byington, candidate for National Program Staff, NP-205. He also visited with Drs. Alan Lefcourt, Laura McConnell, and Jim Reeves about measurement of volatiles and midrange infra-red scanning spectroscopy. (KIM19991209N1)

December 7, 1999. Jim Wright and Gary Lehrsch met with representatives of the Idaho potato processing industry, State of Idaho Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ), State of Washington Department of Ecology, University of Idaho, Washington State University, and environmental consultants. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss principles of land application of wastewater and to review recent research on applying wastewater to land during the non-growing season. In the meeting, Gary and Jim noted difficulties often encountered when measuring water flow and nutrient transport within and below crop root zones. Additional meetings between ARS scientists and meeting attendees will be held to identify appropriate methods to measure and characterize water and nutrient movement beneath land application sites throughout Idaho and in surrounding states. Computer models of cropping systems, nutrient management, and/or waste disposal will likely be used to extend field research findings to locations not yet studied in detail. (KIM19991209N2)

December 8, 1999. The ARS-NWISRL Scientists met with Ron Jones, Magic Valley Farmer/Banker and Louis Licht, Ecolotree, Inc., Iowa, to discuss Dr. Licht's experiences using poplar tree for phytoremediation of landfills and other hazardous waste sites. Dr. Licht indicated that the function of using poplar trees for this purpose is in many cases much more important than the product being produced. Irrigated agriculture, Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and processing plants have circumstances where this technology if properly applied could avoid potential future environmental problems. (KIM19991209N3)

November 22, 1999. Hank Mayland hosted Dr. Suguru Saiga for the last month. Suguru is professor of grassland science at the University of Iwate located in Morioka, Japan. This nine week sabbatical, included four weeks in England and one week in Portland/Corvallis, Oregon. His research involves mineral uptake by forage plants and their impact on grass tetany of grazing animals. The visit may result in a cooperative project to use EDX and SEM instrumentation to track K, Mg, and Ca movement from roots to tops of high- and low-Mg absorbing perennial ryegrass, tall festuca, and orchardgrass. Results should provide insight into the interaction of K and Mg transport from grass roots to tops. (KIM19991124N1)

November 22, 1999. Hank Mayland, after clearance from Sandra Hays, ARS Information Services, was interviewed by Guy Gugliotta of the Washington Post. He was following up on articles released by ARS describing animal preference for PM-harvested vs AM-harvested forage. The material will appear in the November 29 issue of the Washington Post. (KIM19991124N2)

November 7-9, 1999. Bob Sojka attended the Irrigation Association's fiftieth annual technical meeting and show. He presented two papers: "Polyacrylamide (PAM) - A One Million Acre Progress Report" and "Polyacrylamide Application to Soil Reduces the Movement of Microorganisms in Water." On Wednesday Sojka was one of several observers at the International Standards Organization (ISO) committee meeting on irrigation, which was scheduled to take advantage of the Irrigation Association's schedule and venue. The ISO committee develops international standards for manufactured goods used by the irrigation industry. (KIM19991118N1)

November 8-9, 1999. Dennis Flanagan met with Dennis Kincaid and Dave Bjorneberg at the NWISRL to discuss evaluation work that has been done and needs to be completed for irrigation components of the water erosion prediction project (WEPP) model. Flanagan is the WEPP project leader from the National Soil Erosion Lab in West Lafayette, Indiana. Flanagan and Kincaid discussed sprinkler irrigation erosion and how the model could be applied to center pivot irrigation. It was concluded that for center pivots, the model in its present form could only be used to evaluate small, critical or representative slope sections within a field, but this may be sufficient for most purposes. (KIM19991118N2)

Flanagan provided altered versions of the WEPP model so additional parameters were output and hydraulic shear and transport capacity could be input for furrow irrigation erosion evaluation. After running some test simulations, Flanagan and Bjorneberg concluded that the model could simulate furrow erosion once input parameters were adjusted so runoff and soil detachment were accurately predicted and transport capacity was decreased so deposition was predicted. This means the fundamental relationships in the model should be adequate, but the way parameters are calculated and adjusted needs to be changed for furrow irrigation. However, specific changes cannot be recommended until the model is more thoroughly evaluated on other soil types. (KIM19991118N3)

November 10, 1999. Gary Lehrsch met with Dr. Neal Christensen, Regional Agronomist with Farmland Industries, Lincoln, Nebraska, and an accompanying visitor. Gary discussed with them the potential for furrow irrigation management in combination with banded N fertilizer placement to produce corn and protect groundwater in both west-central and southern Idaho. After discussing N credits from crops grown the previous year, Gary provided Neal with reprints on related topics. (KIM19991118N4)

November 10, 1999. Dale Westermann met with 18 College of Southern Idaho students enrolled in a beginning soils class taught by Anne Poole. The students were presently analyzing soil samples in their classroom lab. Different kinds of hand tools used to take soil samples for nutrient and environmental analysis were demonstrated in the field. All of the students had an opportunity to use each of the tools, including a bucket-auger set up to sample to 16 feet. (KIM19991118N5)

November 15, 1999. The 1999 Fall Dairy & Hay Grower's Guide carried an article 'Scientists Sleuth Forage Secrets' (p. 9). Information on grazing cues and animal preference for afternoon harvested hay was picked up from ARS News Service. A second article (p. 2) from the University of Idaho service, discussed cooperative research supporting wider hay-windrow widths to facilitate drying and retention of higher forage feed value. Both articles highlight cooperative research among USDA-ARS scientists Mayland, Fisher, and Burns and University of Idaho extension forage specialist Glenn Shewmaker. (KIM19991118N6)

October 31, 1999. Hank Mayland participated in a day-long Agricultural Ethics Workshop in Salt Lake City, Utah. The session covered ethical theory and practical application. Cases were developed and discussed relating to issues in the ag-sciences arena. (KIM19991109N1)

November 1-4, 1999. Presentations by NWISRL personnel at the 91st Annual American Society of Agronomy Meetings in Salt Lake City, Utah, included:

Jim Wright presented a poster paper entitled "Annual evapotranspiration of irrigated lands in southern Idaho."

Gary Lehrsch presented a poster paper with co-authors Bob Sojka and Dale Westermann entitled �Profile nitrate-N as affected by irrigated-furrow positioning and N placement.�

Rick Lentz presented an oral paper with co-author Dave Bjorneberg entitled �Water temperature effects on infiltration and importance for furrow irrigation.�

Rick Lentz also presented a poster paper with co-author Dale Westermann entitled �Phosphorus leaching from furrow-irrigated calcareous soils.�

Dave Bjorneberg presented a poster paper with co-authors Dale Westermann and Kris Aase entitled �Phosphorus dynamics in furrow irrigation water.�

Hank Mayland and coauthors presented two poster papers titled �Diurnal harvest timing and ruminant preference for switchgrass hay� and �Carbohydrate accumulation rates in tall fescue.�

Kris Aase and co-authors Dave Bjorneberg and Dale Westermann presented a poster paper titled �Straw- polyacrylamide comparisons for control of runoff, erosion, and phosphorus losses.

Jim Entry and co-authors R. K. Hubbard, J. E. Thies, and J. J. Furhman presented a poster paper titled �Influence of vegetation in riparian filterstrips on coliform bacteria: movement and survival in surface flow and groundwater.�

Bob Sojka presented an oral paper with co-author Jim Entry entitled �The influence of polyacrylamide application to soil on movement of microorganisms in water.�

Bob Sojka also presented a poster paper with co-authors Dave Bjorneberg and Kris Aase titled �The instantaneous wetting effect on erosion from irrigated furrows.�

Dale Westermann and co-authors Dave Bjorneberg, Kris Aase and Chuck Robbins presented a poster paper entitled �Soil P effects on P losses during furrow irrigation.�

Dale Westermann also presented a poster paper with co-authors C. Falen, J. C. Stark, and T. A. Tindall entitled �Dairy compost effects on crop production and soil quality.� (KIM19991109N2)

November 5, 1999. Hank Mayland hosted Neal Martin, Director of the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center at Madison, Wisconsin. Nine consumers met for 2-3 hours with Martin and Mayland to discussion concerns about establishment, maintenance, harvest, storage, testing, and utilization of alfalfa hay and silage from alfalfa and corn forages. Participants included spokesmen for forage producers, brokers, testers, consultants, and dairy men. Martin, Mayland, and Saiga (Japanese grassland scientist) visited a dairy facility under construction for 2,500 cows and then an operating dairy of 1,000 head. They also visited the intense dairy area where 250,000 cows exist on Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) of about 18,000 acres southwest of Jerome, Idaho. (KIM19991109N3)

October 15, 1999. Hank Mayland was interviewed by Linda Robinson about PM-harvesting benefits to forage quality and animal response. Linda was writing articles for 'Farm Times,' 'Progressive Dairyman,' and 'Dairy and Hay Guide.' (KIM19991028N1)

October 21, 1999. Hank Mayland critiqued an article prepared by Joe Funk, editor of 'Seed Today.' The article 'AM-PM Forage Differences' discusses information gathered in a previous telephone conversation and an article in 'Agricultural Research.' Seed Today is read by seed industry people in North America. (KIM19991028N2)

Bob Sojka represented the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory (NWISRL) at the Global Change National Program workshop held by the ARS in Denver, Colorado, October 4-7, 1999. The NWISRL research related to global change was displayed in a poster and handouts. The importance of cool climate arid zone irrigation to potential carbon sequestration was emphasized as the potential research focus of the Kimberly, Idaho, lab. Research to capitalize on irrigation's ability to optimize the balance of yield, profit, carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission-reduction through advanced irrigation scheduling and soil water management was also noted. The need for research that accounts for inorganic carbon cycling, important in irrigated systems, was also emphasized. (KIM19991021N1)

October 7, 1999. ARS Agricultural Engineer Dave Bjorneberg and University of Idaho Extension Specialists Glenn Shewmaker and Don Morishita met with ten K-12 science teachers from the Kimberly school system to discuss what science skills should be taught in school. Dave, Glenn and Don shared some educational and professional skills that they thought were important in their careers. The group also discussed employment opportunities for students and teachers and possible science projects or learning activities for students. (KIM19991021N2)

October 12-14, 1999. Hank Mayland presented an invited paper on 'Plant nutrient content and animal health issues' to the 34th Pacific Northwest Animal Nutrition Conference in Portland, Oregon. The conference was attended by approximately 120 consulting nutritionists, feed formulators, industry representatives and some academic types. Mayland emphasized the role of increasing potassium concentrations in feeds on subsequent magnesium bioavailability to livestock and the intensification of this problem in dairying areas in the United States. (KIM19991021N3)

Kimberly ARS research and recommendations is the focus of a four- part series on the use of polyacrylamide (PAM) to hault irrigation- induced erosion. The coverage has come from Dr. James Bauder, Extension Agent, Montana State University (MSU) at Bozeman, who writes a weekly "Agronomy Notes" series distributed on email by list serve. In the four-part series Bauder synthesized and comprehensively covered the essential aspects of the PAM erosion technology, drawing heavily on Kimberly ARS published literature and website information. The MSU list serve series provides information directly to farmers, field men, consultants, Natural Resources Conservation Service personnel, agribusiness representatives, extension agents, and other scientists. (KIM19991021N4)

October 16, 1999. The Times-News AG WEEKLY, featured ARS- University of Idaho sugarbeet harvest activities on a dairy compost study being conducted by University of Idaho and ARS. This is the fourth year of a study being supported by the Idaho compost industry and the United Dairymen of Idaho. There was a positive yield response to a fall compost application at a reduced spring nitrogen application rate. There is increasing interest to compost the dairy manure with the tare dirt and `fly ash' waste from the sugarbeet processing facilities and then to apply this product to the irrigated land in southern Idaho. ARS research showed that crop productivity can be restored on the eroded irrigated land by a dairy manure application. (KIM19991021N5)

October 20, 1999. Bob Sojka and Dale Westermann met with 21 College of Southern Idaho students enrolled in a beginning soils class taught by Anne Poole. The application of PAM technology to control soil erosion in irrigated agriculture, and the use of soil sampling and testing methodology to predict fertilization needs for crop production and off- site water quality concerns. Another visit was scheduled for the class to follow a soil sample from field sampling through laboratory analysis. (KIM19991021N6)

"Gleanings," the newsletter of the Twin Falls and Snake River Soil and Water Conservation Districts devoted almost its entire Fall 1999 newsletter to coverage of polyacrylamide (PAM) use in the Snake River Plain with articles entitled "PAM use keeps growing", "Here's some tips to help you get the most from your PAM", and "10 Tips for using PAM." (KIM19991007N1)

As of October 1, 1999, the NWISRL PAM website ( PAM Page) has logged nearly 5,000 hits, and the frequency of hits is continuing to increase. (KIM19991007N2)

September 29, 1999. An ARS News Service article prepared by Marcia Wood on Hank Mayland's "PM-harvested hay" was also released in a Spanish language format. The Spanish News Service provides an additional format for reaching a growing audience here and abroad. (KIM19991007N3)

09/13-17/99. Hank Mayland participated in the ARS National Program Planning Workshop for NP-205, 'Rangelands, Pastures, and Forages' section within the Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems division of ARS. About 60 ARS and 100 customers participated is this successful activity. Customers identified needs and priorities. ARS participants identified six research component programs to which the customer needs could be assigned. The proposed components include: 1) Understanding and Managing Ecosystems, 2) Plant Resources, 3) Forage Management, 4) Grazing and the Environment, 5) Integrated Pest Management, and 6) Integrated Systems. Hank will coordinate the development and writing of the Forage Management component. (KIM19990930N1)

09/23/99. Jim Entry, Gary Lehrsch, Rick Lentz, Dale Westermann, and Jim Wright met with representatives of the Idaho potato processing industry, State of Idaho Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ), University of Idaho, and environmental consultants. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss land applying potato processing wastewater during the non-growing season. DEQ personnel are developing guidelines to insure that groundwater and the environment are protected during year-round wastewater land application. In the meeting, Rick Lentz described instruments used to sample the soil solution moving downward through soil profiles while Jim Wright presented estimates of wintertime evaporation and measurements of water and nutrients percolating through the soil during a three-year study. ARS personnel recommended approaches that could be used to measure and characterize water and nutrient movement beneath land application sites throughout Idaho and in surrounding states. (KIM19990930N2)

09/28/99. Joe Funk of SeedsMan magazine in Tallahassee, Florida, telephoned Hank Mayland about the physical and chemical factors of forage plants that animals use as selection cues. Hank noted that ruminant animals prefer afternoon forage because of greater nonstructural carbohydrate (sugars) content. Increased dry matter intake and milk production were also discussed. Hank noted that forage plant breeders should consider sugar concentrations as one of the criterion of selection and forage plant selection and subsequent seed production. (KIM19990930N3)

September 10, 1999. Gary Rawlings, Editor, Potato Grower Magazine, contacted Dennis Kincaid for information on new water and energy saving technology used with center pivot irrigation for use in an upcoming article. (KIM19990916N1)

September 1-6, 1999. ARS-NWISRL personnel participated in staffing the Magic Valley's Irrigators Water Quality Committee booth at the Twin Falls County Fair held in Filer, Idaho. This year's booth emphasis combined the efforts of the seven interest groups who make up the watershed advisory group for the Mid-Snake TMDL. Public interest was high in the group's ongoing efforts to identify the amount and source of E-coli contamination in Rock creek, a tributary to the Mid-Snake. Total attendance at this fair exceeds 100,000 people. (KIM19990916N2)

August 25-27, 1999. The Idaho Water Users Association sponsored a tour for Sara Bittleman, Congressional Aide to Senator Ron Wyden, Oregon; Shaun Parkin, Congressional Aide to Senator Robert Bennett, Utah; Andrew Wheeler, Congressional Aide to Senator James Inhofe, Oklahoma; Christine Russell, Congressional Aide to Senator Bob Smith, New Hampshire; Kenneth Flanz, Congressional Aide to Senator Mike Crapo, Idaho; and Tracy Henke, Congressional Aide to Senator Christopher Bond, Missouri. Dave Bjorneberg, NWISRL Agricultural Engineer, and Glen Gier, a cooperating farmer, conducted a brief polyacrylamide (PAM) demonstration. Bjorneberg explained how PAM is applied to control erosion and enhance infiltration for both furrow and sprinkler irrigation and conducted demonstrations that showed how PAM stabilizes and flocculates soil. He also explained that PAM binds to soil so very little flows with water off a field, and it does not leach down through soil. PAM was applied to several irrigation furrows so the congressional aides could see how it worked in the field. They also learned how to irrigate with siphon tubes, which seemed to be a highlight of their day. (KIM19990902N1)

August 27, 1999. Dave Bjorneberg and Jim Wright met with a group of irrigation engineering graduate students from Utah State University (USU). The students visited Kimberly as part of an irrigation tour of South-Central Idaho. The tour sponsor was Professor Gaylord Skogerboe, USU, and the tour organizer was Professor Rick Allen, University of Idaho. The students received presentations in the research center conference room and were taken to field research plots. Dr. Bjorneberg discussed research on the use of polyacrylamide (PAM) to control soil erosion under furrow irrigation. Dr. Wright discussed research on the movement of solutes below the crop root zone with irrigation and evapotranspiration during the nongrowing season. The students were able to observe a PAM experiment in progress as part of Dr. Rick Lentz's research. The students reported that they were exposed to several new and enlightening concepts and appreciated the opportunity to see research in progress. (KIM19990902N2)

August 12, 1999. Dale Westermann was invited to give a presentation on the role of nitrogen and phosphorus in photosynthesis and plant physiology as related to management practices at the 1999 crop production luncheons. The luncheons are attended by area extension personnel, crop consultants, and field men for fertilizer companies and specific crops produced in southern Idaho. (KIM19990826N3)

August 19, 1999. Rick Lentz and Dale Westermann met with Dave Ferguson (SCC), Bill Moore (RC&D) and Ralph Fisher (NRCS) to discuss the potential of applying for a SARE grant to study the use of hybrid poplars to filter surface runoff and drainage water from irrigated land where animal manure was applied. Dissolved ortho- phosphorus is a major contributor to water quality eutrophication problems in the Boise River watershed. Relatively high concentrations are found in surface and subsurface drainage water, and drain concentrations increase during the non-irrigation season. (KIM19990826N1)

August 19-21, 1999. Hank Mayland's observations and personal visits with forage growers in central and eastern Idaho and central Wyoming indicated their awareness of PM-forage-harvest technology and its adoption by many growers. (KIM19990826N2)

August 24, 1999. Dave Bjorneberg, Jim Entry and Dale Westermann were invited to discuss NWISRL research activities and needs with U.S. Representative Mike Simpson and his Agricultural Liaison, Charles Barnes. One research project discussed will compare the use of hybrid poplars in agricultural production systems with irrigated crops to capture nutrients and microorganisms from dairy lagoon water and manure applications. This project was initially proposed for study by the Idaho Dairymen Association and the Idaho NRCS. Richard Yankey, District Conservationist at the NRCS Twin Falls Service Center, also attended the meeting. The research staff needed at the NWISRL in order to fulfill its mission were also discussed with Congressman Simpson. (KIM19990826N4)

August 8-11, 1999. Gary Lehrsch and Rick Lentz were invited to give oral presentations at the 1999 Annual Conference of the Soil and Water Conservation Society in Biloxi, Mississippi. Dr. Lehrsch presented a paper entitled "Irrigated furrow positioning and N placement to increase N uptake and protect water quality," and Dr. Lentz presented a paper entitled " Use of PAM in surface irrigation to increase nutrient use efficiency and protect soil and water quality." Dr. Lehrsch also presented a second paper entitled "Soil organic C effects on aggregate stability before and after simulated irrigation." This international conference was attended by more than 1,500 customers, shareholders, and partners gathered from across North America. (KIM19990819N1)

Brian Womack from the Idaho Press-Tribune in Nampa, Idaho, contacted Dave Bjorneberg on August 4, 1999. He wanted information about reduced tillage research at Kimberly and in particular strip tillage. (KIM19990812N1)

August 2-6, 1999. Rick Lentz and Dale Westermann, as representatives of the NWISRL, attended an ARS workshop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to formulate a National ARS Research Program on water quality. This meeting was attended by about 60 shareholders, customers, and partners, and by a similar number of ARS personnel. The customers, shareholders and partners identified a wide range of critical water problems. These were nutrients, synthetic organic compounds, pathogens, sediment, metals, model development and evaluation, and risk assessment. ARS personnel are presently in the process of preparing a draft statement covering the research to be done on the problem areas in water quality. This document will eventually become the National ARS Research Program in water quality. (KIM19990812N2)

July 19, 1999. Rick Lentz attended the 1999 ASAE/CSAE-SCGR Annual International Meeting, Toronto, Canada, where he gave a presentation entitled �Applying polymers to irrigation water: Evaluating strategies for furrow erosion control.� This paper summarized several years results from polymer experiments done in southern Idaho and described how polyacrylamide (PAM) application strategies can be used to maximize erosion control or furrow infiltration, while minimizing PAM costs. (KIM19990728N1)

July 19, 1999. Dennis Kincaid presented papers titled �Relative performance of sprinkler and drip irrigation in southern Idaho� and �The WEPP model for runoff and erosion prediction under sprinkler irrigation� at the ASAE Annual International Meeting in Toronto, Canada. (KIM19990728N2)

July 23, 1999. The June 3, 1999, issue of Canada's "Western Producer" magazine carried an article 'Making hay in the afternoon.' A highlighted quote from Hank Mayland of NWISRL was "The lack of cost involved in producing the higher quality product should be very attractive to farmers." A copy of the article was faxed to Dr. Mayland this past week. (KIM19990728N3)

July 26, 1999. The Idaho R.N. Irving Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society visited the ARS-NWISRL to learn more about the research programs being conducted. While there, they toured the physical facilities at both the main headquarters and south farm, and visited with scientists at several field research studies. The studies were a comparison of drip and sprinkler irrigation systems, PAM effects on deep percolation of water, nutrients, and herbicides under furrow irrigation, the effects of PAM- amended irrigation water on erosion and infiltration in straw-mulched furrows, surge irrigation with PAM, subsoil reclamation with agricultural products, runoff and erosion studies under rainfall simulation, and conservation tillage practices under furrow irrigation. The Irving Chapter membership includes individuals from state and federal governmental agencies, soil conservation commissions, soil and water conservation districts, as well as interested individuals. (KIM19990728N4)

July 15, 1999. Roger Brown and Shane Swafford were notified that they passed the examination for classification as "Very Small Water System" operators in the State of Idaho in conjunction with the "Certification Program for Water Operators" as jointly administered by the Association of Idaho Cities, the Idaho State Department of Health and Welfare, and the American Water Works Association. With this classification Mr. Brown and Mr. Swafford are certified to maintain NWISRL's domestic water system in compliance with Idaho rules and regulations. (KIM19990721N1)

July 19, 1999. The July issue of "Drovers," a magazine for applied livestock management, carried an article entitled 'Hay's best harvest time.' It highlighted Hank Mayland's work on PM- versus AM- harvesting for improved forage quality and animal preference and performance. (KIM19990721N2)

Bob Sojka was interviewed by phone on July 9, 1999, by Chet Peterson, a writer for Crop Production Magazine and Successful Farming Magazine. Chet will be preparing stories following up on the current direction of PAM research. Sojka provided background information on how PAM-use in soil came about and its spread to agriculture, and in the last several years to irrigated agriculture for erosion control and infiltration enhancement. The latter half of the interview concentrated on the spread of the technology to one million acres of treated irrigated land in the U.S., and inroads of the technology to construction site erosion control and for retention pond clarification. Sojka also explained recent findings of microorganism and weed seed sequestration and the potential magnitude of positive environmental impact that these new findings could have for reduced need of pesticides and herbicides. (KIM19990714N1)

Over the last two years, Dennis Kincaid and Dave Bjorneberg, Agricultural Engineers at the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Lab (NWISRL), Kimberly, ID, have assisted Burke Scholer, Hydrologist with the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR), with calibrating and testing ultrasonic water flowmeters used in IDWR's water measurement program. The ultrasonic flowmeters are used in the field to calibrate water meters on irrigation wells and check irrigation pump efficiency. Using the Hydraulics Building at the NWISRL has allowed IDWR to identify flowmeters that meet their accuracy specifications before purchasing and to check accuracy of existing flowmeters to ensure accurate data collection. Nineteen different flowmeters were checked in 1999. (KIM19990714N2)

Bob Sojka and Dave Bjorneberg presented information about using polyacrylamide (PAM) with furrow and sprinkler irrigation during two field days on July 13 and 14, 1999. The field days were sponsored by the Twin Falls and Snake River Conservation Districts through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) educational assistance program, and lunch was provided by the Twin Falls Canal Company. This was the third consecutive year that the canal company and conservation districts sponsored PAM field days or workshops. Thirty-seven farmers attended the July 13 field day on a farm on the west end of the Twin Falls Irrigation District. Approximately 25 farmers attended the second field day held at the south research farm of the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Lab. Those attending realize the importance of PAM in meeting total maximum daily load (TMDL) goals for irrigation return flow. Several people stated they would not furrow irrigate without PAM. (KIM19990714N1)

July 7, 1999. Dale Westermann met with a water quality task committee being organized by the Idaho Dairymen's Association. This committee was set up to evaluate the effect of dairy operations in Idaho on nitrate-nitrogen leaching losses. Areas of concern are confined animal feeding facilities and agricultural fields where manure or lagoon waters are being applied. The meeting was attended by personnel from the University of Idaho, Idaho Department of Agriculture, Idaho Dairymen Association, individual dairy operations, a consulting company, and the Idaho State Senate. Recent data published by USGS and others indicates that nitrate-nitrogen concentrations are slowly increasing in Idaho's ground water. The committee recommended that a research proposal be jointly developed by those present to address this growing concern for production agriculture. (KIM19990708N1)

June 28, 1999. Hank Mayland was interviewed by Susan Littlefield about HiMag tall fescue and grass tetany. Susan works for Farm News Network, a radio broadcast system in Columbus, Nebraska, reaching farmers in a four-state area. Hank also discussed PM/AM- harvesting effects on forage quality, animal preference, and animal production. He gave Ms. Littlefield information about the polyacrylamide (PAM) research conducted at this location. (KIM19990630N1)

June 21, 1999. Bob Sojka presented the invited paper "Edaphic Platonism and Reality: Problems with Institutionalized Soil Quality Indexing" at the Western Soil Science Society and Pacific Division of The American Association for the Advancement of Science meetings in San Francisco. The paper was part of a symposium on Soil Quality sponsored by the University of California Kearney Foundation for Soil Science. Sojka and ARS coauthors Dan Upchurch, Jim Entry and Ted Zobeck cautioned against the difficulties of creating a soil quality index that must simultaneously weigh the impact of soils on many competing, and often opposing, uses. Often soil properties favoring crop production can have negative environmental impacts. These and many other points were noted with a caution against overly hasty institutionalization of the concept in view of its numerous unresolved scientific questions. (KIM19990630N2)

June 1-11, 1999. Bob Sojka worked with the Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural System program staff at ARS Headquarters in Beltsville, Maryland, revising the Soil Resource Management National Program. The SRM NP is being shaped as the result of input from about 90 customers, stakeholders, and cooperators obtained at a national workshop held in Denver, Colorado, in February 1999. Their input, together with insights from 60 ARS scientists in attendance, led to the formation of five program components. Sojka led the component writing team for the Soil Water component of the SRM NP. The final version of the SRM NP will appear on the ARS National Program website for public comment before the end of summer. (KIM19990616N1)

June 11, 1999. Dr. Marshall J. McFarland, Texas A&M University, and his brother, Mr. Don McFarland, McFarland Farms, Twin Falls, Idaho, visited with Jim Wright. Discussions concerned irrigation research, TMDL's, and the use of remote sensing to determine crop growth and water use. Dr. Wright in cooperation with Dr. Christopher Neale of Utah State University will probably use some of the McFarland Farms' fields irrigated with center pivots to study field variability of potato growth and water use with the Utah State University remote sensing aircraft along with other fields being studied near Kimberly. (KIM19990616N2)

June 14, 1999. Dale Westermann was contacted by Jamie Brackett, Agricultural Liaison of Idaho's Senator Larry Craig. This contact was to request information on the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory's inability to replace retiring soil chemist C.W. Robbins and its effect on the research program at the laboratory. Ongoing and future research programs in animal waste and byproducts utilization and management, and phosphorus threshold relationships under irrigation as they affect nutrient management, including support for TMDL's, will be reduced or terminated unless the position is filled. The position can only be filled if new additional funds are appropriated or captured from other retirements at the Laboratory. (KIM19990616N3)

June 15 & 17, 1999. Dale Westermann met with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), State of Idaho Department of Agriculture and University of Idaho personnel to continue development of a nutrient management planning module to be used under Idaho's One Plan web page. The objective of the module is to help guide the producer or consultant in developing an initial nutrient management plan for an animal/cropping system. A key component of this module is the new NRCS nutrient management standard, Code 590, being considered for adoption in Idaho. Idaho's dairies already have to develop mandatory nutrient management plans. (KIM19990616N4)

May 23-26, 1999. Rick Lentz and Dave Bjorneberg attended the 10th Conference of the International Soil Conservation Organization at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, where Lentz gave an oral presentation on the topic of �Influence of Irrigation Water Properties on Furrow Infiltration� and Bjorneberg gave an oral presentation on the topic of �Evaluating WEPP Predicted On-field Furrow Irrigation Erosion.� In addition, Lentz entered into extensive discussions with soil scientist, Xiaobin Wang, from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences � Soil and Fertilizer Institute, Peoples Republic of China. Lentz provided information about the use of polyacrylamide as an erosion control soil amendment. This meeting may lead to future collaborative research opportunities in China. (KIM19990602N1)

May 25-26, 1999. Jim Wright participated in a committee meeting in Denver, Colorado. The meeting sponsored by the ASCE Committee on Evapotranspiration and Hydrology was held to discuss and select Benchmark ET equations. The equations will be used to characterize the evaporative demand under widely ranging conditions to provide some standardization of the process of computing reference ET values from meteorological data. The Irrigation Association (IA) requested that the ASCE committee help establish and define benchmark reference equations to bring commonality to the various ET equations now in use. The proposed benchmark equations would be ones that would be accepted by the United States scientific community, water engineers, courts of law, policy makers and irrigators. The meeting was attended by about 20 researchers, engineers and irrigation consultants from several federal, state and private agencies. An equation was selected for a short reference crop and for a tall reference crop. The proposed equations and accompanying documentation will be drafted and sent out for review with the goal of having standardized procedures in effect within a year. (KIM19990602N2)

May 26, 1999. Bob Sojka was interviewed on the telephone by Judy Taggert, a writer for "The Runoff Report." The interview discussed the history and current status of the PAM technology developed for prevention of irrigation induced erosion and water quality protection. The PAM technology saw practical development for use in irrigated agriculture through team investigative efforts conducted from 1991 to the present at the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory. PAM now inexpensively protects about 1 million acres annually from irrigation induced erosion while aiding infiltration and protecting surface water quality from unwanted nutrients, pesticides, BOD-raising dissolved organics, weed seed and microorganisms carried to surface riparian waters by irrigation return flows. (KIM19990602N3)

June 1, 1999. Bob Ohlensehlen, Kristin Keith and Dean Falk, University of Idaho, Clarence Prestwich and Jim Wood, NRCS, and Mike Mitchell and Jeni Beddoes, Idaho Department of Agriculture, and Larry Freeborn and Dale Westermann, ARS, met to discuss a project to develop an automated nutrient management planning module to be used as a stand-alone tool and as a part of the Idaho One Plan. It will be a user-friendly, expert program that can be used to design a nutrient management plan for confined animal feeding operations, as well as for general crop production. It will include components on soils, cropping, nutrient sources, facility sizing, irrigation, and environmental risk assessment. Eventually it may also include an animal ration component. The outcome of this project will simplify nutrient management compliance by the dairy industry, stimulate awareness and action by other agricultural producers towards nutrient management, and provide an opportunity to educate the general public on what agriculture is doing to protect water quality and the environment. Additional information on this project may be obtained from Jim Wood, NRCS, (jwood@agri.state.id.us). (KIM19990602N4)

May 10-15, 1999. Dave Bjorneberg traveled to Spain with Bert Clemmens and Theodor Strelkoff from the ARS-Water Conservation Lab in Phoenix, Tom Trout from the ARS-Water Management Research Lab in Fresno, and Tom Spofford from the NRCS-National Water and Climate Center in Portland. The main purpose of the trip was to discuss surface irrigation erosion modeling, developing erosion databases, and future cooperative research with Luciano Mateos and others from the Sustainable Agriculture Institute of the Scientific Research Council. While in Spain, they also visited several irrigation districts and discussed water management problems. The trip was funded through a competitive grant from the U.S.-Spain Science and Technology program. (KIM19990526N1)

May 14, 1999. ARS forage breeders Kevin Jensen and Kay Asay of Logan Utah, consulted with Hank Mayland. Based on Mayland�s research results on forage quality parameters, Jensen and Asay are going to start using soluble carbohydrate concentrations in forages as one of their selection criterion. The group discussed various methodologies to accomplish this. (KIM19990526N2)

May 20, 1999. Hank Mayland was interviewed via telephone by Mike Raine of the Canadian Western Producer Magazine on PM/AM- cutting of hay. Mike is a journalist working in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. (KIM19990526N3)

May 10-11, 1999. Dr. Art Schipper, PWA Associate Director, and Larry Rolle, PWA Budget and Fiscal Officer, visited the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory. While at the Laboratory, Dr. Schipper and Mr. Rolle reviewed the Laboratory's annual resource management plan for fiscal year 2000. They also used this opportunity to became aquainted with the research activities of the individual scientists and the physcial facilities at the NWISRL. (KIM19990512N1)

April 21, 1999. Jim Wright and Gary Lehrsch met with Dan Bruner, a geologist at the Pocatello, Idaho, office of Cascade Earth Sciences, Ltd. (CES). CES, an environmental consulting firm that serves Northwest industries and municipalities, is presently helping Idaho potato processors safely apply processing wastewater to irrigated vegetated disposal sites. CES personnel design the irrigation systems to comply with Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) standards and guidelines, developed in part using ARS research from Kimberly. Dan was particularly interested in ARS research on wintertime evaporation and research on leaching of bromide and nitrate. With DEQ's approval, CES personnel will collect data from a few instrumented disposal sites throughout a three-year period to determine the appropriateness of the guidelines. Dan asked ARS to help review their proposal/work plan and to take part in quarterly meetings to review progress. ARS researchers from Kimberly agreed to assist CES as requested. In the future, CES may also help support related ARS research. Additional meetings between ARS scientists and CES personnel are likely. (KIM19990505N1)

April 26-29, 1999. Earl Morris, Kara Vander Linden and Dale Westermann attended the ARS Pacific West Area (PWA) Leadership Conference in Berkeley, California. The theme of the conference was `Leading Change,' and the purposes were to become better acquainted with others in PWA leadership positions and to review critical areas affecting the research and administrative programs, and personnel of ARS. Also during the conference, several PWA individuals were formally recognized for their outstanding contributions in research and administration. (KIM19990505N2)

April 27, 1999. Jim Wright and Kris Aase presented a poster showing ongoing research at the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory and provided information on ARS research and career opportunities at the College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, Agriculture Career Fair. (KIM19990505N3)

April 29-30, 1999. Hank Mayland, invited Goddard Lecturer at University of Tennessee, presented seminars on 'Plant attributes affecting livestock selection and intake' and 'Ruminant animal preferences for afternoon vs. morning forages' to about 80 faculty and students. Numerous discussions were held with small groups and visits were made to several tall fescue forage and grazing experiments. (KIM19990505N4)

May 3, 1999. Jim Wright was interviewed by KMVT news personnel in preparation for a TV series that will be presented mid-May. The series is intended to help educate home owners and irrigation farmers on the basic factors involved in evaporation of water from lawns and irrigated land. Idaho Power Company, the City of Twin Falls, and Twin Falls Canal Company are promoting the effort as a means of conserving water while also reducing peak demands for electricity and water. After the educational series of discussions, plans are for the daily weather reports presented by the KMVT television station to contain information on evapotranspiration from lawns for use by home owners in scheduling irrigation of lawns and perhaps a reference evapotranspiration value for use by farmers in scheduling irrigation of crops. The source of the daily evapotranspiration data will be the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's AgriMet network. The AgriMet network is based on principles developed by ARS at the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory (NWISRL), Kimberly. An AgriMet weather station is located at and cooperatively supported by ARS at the NWISRL. (KIM19990505N5)

May 3, 1999. George Vandemark, Research Leader, Prosser, Washington, visited the lab and gave a seminar entitled 'Assessment of genetic diversity among agave species using AFLPs and RAPDs.' George joined ARS at Prosser in August 1998. His research assignment is 'genetic improvement in alfalfa.' The visit allowed him an opportunity to get acquainted with Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory staff, resources, and interests. (KIM19990505N6)

Dr. Bob Sojka, USDA-ARS Soil Scientist, Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory, Kimberly, Idaho, was invited by the Editor in Chief of the American Society of Agronomy, Dr. Jerry Hatfield, to serve as co-editor for the upcoming revision of the ASA monograph on Irrigation. Dr. Sojka will co-edit the monograph revision with Dr. Robert Loscano of Texas A & M University. The monograph is one of the most comprehensive source materials in use world-wide for delivering fundamental information on the practice of irrigated agriculture in all its forms. It considers the entire spectrum of important issues affecting irrigation in a single comprehensive volume. The revision is expected to proceed along an approximate three year timetable, with consideration for revision of existing material and subject matter as well as addition of new topics and new technologies not previously included. (KIM19990505N7)

April 10-11, 1999. Hank Mayland was invited to present a paper at a meeting on �Emerging Techniques for Studying the Nutrition of Free- ranging Herbivores� in San Antonio, Texas. His invited paper was on �Techniques to Quantify Plant Physical and Chemical Factors Used as Cues by Ruminants.� This two-day satellite meeting was attended by about 100 international scientists. The PM/AM- harvesting of forage was discussed and a five-minute video of the steer preference trial received excellent response from the participants. (KIM19990422N1)

April 12-16, 1999. Hank Mayland participated in the Fifth International meeting on the Nutrition of Herbivores. Over 200 scientists were registered for this meeting. Each of the nine half-day sessions began with two plenary papers and were followed by a break, related posters, and a discussion on the session topic. PM/AM cycling of forage quality and subsequent animal response was mentioned in eight of the nine discussions. Plans were discussed with Canadian researchers at Brandon, Manitoba for them to evaluate beef cattle production on PM/AM-harvested and conditioned alfalfa. Several requests were made for copies of the �preference� video. (KIM19990422N2)

April 13-14, 1999. Dr. Floyd Horn, ARS Administrator, was informed of the PM/AM forage quality research and accompanying technology transfer by ARS by Dr. Hank Mayland, Soil Scientist. Dr. Horn was very interested in the concept and results and encouraged continued pursuit of the cooperative research. (KIM19990422N3)

April 20, 1999. Mr. Cyril Collin, Project Manager-Agriculture Division of SNF Floerger, France, and Mr. Jerry Raman, Business Director- Customer Support and Marketing of Chemtall, Inc., Georgia, visited with Kimberly ARS researchers David Bjorneberg, Jim Entry, Rick Lentz, and Bob Sojka. SNF is one of the world's largest producers of polymers, including polyacrylamides used in agriculture. Several environmental and production-related problems facing the domestic and international agriculture industry were discussed. In particular, what was the potential use of PAM to provide solutions for these problems? The SNF-ARS discussions may lead to development of one or more cooperative research projects. (KIM19990422N4)

April 5-7, 1999. Dale Westermann attended a committee meeting in Beltsville, Maryland, planning the ARS National Water Quality workshop to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 3-6, 1999. The purpose of the workshop is to obtain input from customers, partners and shareholders on critical issues that ARS research should address. ARS will then develop a national research program that addresses these issues. Additional information on this workshop and other ARS National Programs may be obtained at the ARS website address http://www.ars.usda.gov/. While in Beltsville, he also consulted with Drs. Al Dedrick, Dale Bucks and Bob Wright on research and program issues affecting the NWISRL. (KIM19990415N1)

April 6-7, 1999. Andrew Mutziger met with Drs. Scott Yates, Fred Ernst, and Jay Gan of the USDA-ARS Salinity Laboratory Pesticide Unit, Riverside, California. Dr. Ernst showed Andrew two automated systems he has developed to monitor fumigant concentrations/transport in soil and charcoal columns. The system uses a auto-sampling GC for the monitoring and solenoid valves for switching positions within a column and for switching between columns. This work will be presented at the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meetings, October 31 - November 4, 1999. (KIM19990415N2)

April 9, 1999. Dave Bjorneberg, Jim Entry, Sheryl Ver Wey and Dale Westermann attended a meeting with members of the NRCS, and Idaho Division of Environmental Quality and Department of Agriculture to discuss an agro-forestry project to utilize dairy wastes. This project is being expanded and has potential to become a viable research project. Hybrid populars are being considered as an alternative crop to capture dairy wastes and to reduce the land area necessary for waste utilization without affecting water quality or the environment. (KIM19990415N3)

March 23-24, 1999. Hank Mayland participated in the 28th Annual Pacific Northwest Grazing Symposium at the University of Idaho, Moscow. Dr. Mayland was invited to present an oral and written paper on "Plant Attributes Affecting Grazing Behavior." He also promoted the benefits of PM- vs AM-harvest management on animal preference, performance, and production. About 250 ranchers, researchers, students, and information people were present from northwestern United States, Canada, and Australia. (KIM19990401N1)

March 17, 1999. Bob Sojka and Dave Bjorneberg met with Neil King and the staff of the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument to discuss problems and solution approaches to controlling water seepage from irrigation above the fossil beds. Water seepage occurs from irrigation supply ditches and storage ponds in the 19,000 acres currently under irrigation on the agricultural plateau above the monument. The seepage is channeled to cliff faces along the Snake River by underlying rock and gravel strata. The channeled water has been linked to several landslides in the last two decades. These landslides threaten the integrity of the fossil sites at the monument. Sojka and Bjorneberg were asked by the Monument's head ranger, Neil King, to explore the possibility of research linkages with ARS for helping to develop a strategy to elimate or manage the water seepage from the irrigation project. A presentation by the monument staff to the NWISRL science staff is scheduled for late March or early April with continued contact and possible cooperation as the goal. (KIM19990325N1)

March 18, 1999. Michael S. Mathews, Regional Director for Idaho U.S. Senator Larry Craig, visited Dale Westermann, NWISRL Director, about the ARS research program at NWISRL. The general organization of ARS on a national, regional and local scale, how individual research projects are selected, the mission of the NWISRL, and how research is organized into CRIS projects and National ARS programs were discussed. Each of the current research projects being conducted at NWISRL under each of the three CRIS projects and how they impact the shareholder/user was presented. Mr. Mathews also toured the physical facilities while at the NWISRL. (KIM19990325N2

March 16-18, 1999. Chuck Robbins spent two and one-half days on the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Farm and Ranch Enterprise Irrigation Development Project. They are about 70% through developing 7,634 acres of center pivot irrigated lands using about 109 center pivots of various sizes. These previously unirrigated lands have moderately high soluble salts and some localized sodic spots. Dr. Robbins was asked to select three sites based on first year corn yield reductions, supervise digging soil pits and then during the field tour portion of the two-day symposium, describe to the group the salinity and sodicity effects on crop remedies for the problem areas. He also spent one- half day with Ben Pintor and Nicholas Murietta of the Tohono O'odham Tribe Farming Authority on salt and sodium problems expected on lands they plan to start irrigating for cotton production in southwestern Arizona. (KIM19990325N3

March 6, 1999. Hank Mayland met with Hussein Hussein, Animal Nutritionist, at University of Nevada-Reno. They discussed progress on cooperative program to assess energy and protein fermentation of PM/AM harvested alfalfa hay. (KIM19990318N1)

March 8-12, 1999. Hank Mayland successfully conducted tensile breaking force measurements on grass leaves using equipment located at the USDA-ARS, WRRC, Albany, California. Kay Sue Gregorski, WRRC chemist, demonstrated use of the instrumentation. This project on physical strength of forage grasses is in cooperation with Jennifer MacAdams, Utah State University, Logan. (KIM19990318N2)

March 8, 1999. Hank Mayland discussed the PM- vs AM-harvest effects on forage quality and showed the 'preference video' to Art Schipper, Associate Director, and Andy Hammond, Assistant Director for the Pacific West Area. Both were interested in the technology transfer effort and encouraged continuation of such as being a part of our mission. (KIM19990318N3)

March 8, 1999. Hank Mayland met with WRRC Jim Roitman and Gloria Merrill, Research Chemists, at WRRC, Albany, California, about characterizing volatiles in PM/AM harvested hay. Volatiles from one pair of PM/AM hay had been scanned by GC-MS. An intense examination of the volatile profiles will be necessary before conclusions about possible cues can be drawn. Trapping of volatiles from each of the alfalfa hays (6 from the 1997 Preference Study and 18 from 1998) is progressing and will be followed by GC-MS. (KIM19990318N4)

March 11, 1999. Gary Lehrsch was invited by Linda Baird, Community Relations Director for the Twin Falls School District, to present information on careers in environmental science at the 1999 Twin Falls High School Career Day. About 78 students, primarily sophomores, attended to learn the major duties of soil scientists, agricultural engineers, and other related environmental scientists. Gary recommended courses to be scheduled in both high school and college, distributed career literature, and discussed opportunities for summer employment in the area with interested students. (KIM19990318N5)

March 3, 1999. James Wright was invited to participate at the Idaho Hay Association 1999 Annual Convention and present a discussion on "Irrigation Management of Alfalfa." The conference session was organized to promote the basics of quality hay production. About 90 hay producers, company and university specialists and other interested individuals attended the session. (KIM19990311N1)

March 3, 1999. Dale Westermann attended the annual meeting of the WCC-103 Western Nutrient Management committee in Salt Lake City, Utah. The purpose of this committee is to improve nutrient management recommendations and to improve the use of soil, water and plant analysis for environmentally sound crop production practices. Representatives from each of the thirteen western states, commerical companies and governmental agencies attended, as well as guests from Canada and Mexico. (KIM19990311N2)

March 4-5, 1999. Dale Westermann attended the Third Western Nutrient Management Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. He presented an invited oral paper entitled `Phosphorus Losses from Irrigated Calcareous Soils,' which was coauthored by Chuck Robbins, Mel Brown, Rick Lentz, Dave Bjorneberg and Kris Aase, all scientists at the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory (NWISRL). Over 30 oral and poster papers on plant nutrition and soil fertility issues were presented and published in a conference proceedings. Conference themes included heavy metals in fertilizers, nitrogen mineralization and management, and phosphorus management concerns. Dale Westermann co-chaired the conference for the third time with Terry Tindall, Chief Agronomist for J.R. Simplot. The conference is sponsored by the WCC-103 Western Nutrient Management committee and meets biannually. Kara Vander Linden and Mary Ann Kay, employees at the NWISRL, helped with registration. (KIM19990311N3)

March 5, 1999. James Wright was invited to participate in a discussion with the KMVT television station news director in Twin Falls, Idaho, on the potential for including evapotranspiration (ET) information in the evening weather report. If this does become a reality, the source of the daily data will likely be the U. S. Bureau of Reclamations AgriMet service which is based on procedures and functional relationships developed at the Kimberly ARS Laboratory. Others in attendance at the discussion were representatives of Idaho Power Company, Twin Falls City, Twin Falls Canal Company, and a local representative of a turf irrigation equipment supply company. The vision of the project is to educate the public on the relationship of daily weather to water use by lawns and agricultural crops and to provide specific daily ET data so that irrigators can more nearly match irrigations to plant water needs. This will help reduce electrical power demands, city and canal company water demands and reduce run-off from irrigated lawns and fields which in turn will help reduce chemical loading of receiving streams. (KIM19990311N4)

February 19, 1999. Hank Mayland presented an invited seminar and follow-up discussion at the University of Wyoming, Laramie. The topic was 'Advantages of Afternoon vs Morning Harvesting on Forage Quality and Animal Eating Behaviour.' About 40 students and faculty attended. (KIM19990302N1)

February 21-25, 1999. Hank Mayland participated in a joint meeting of Society for Range Management and American Forage and Grassland Council held in Omaha, Nebraska. He presented an invited paper on 'Anti-quality of Forage Associated with Minerals'. At other times he promoted the concept of how afternoon harvesting favors forage quality, ruminant preference, and milk production by dairy cows. (KIM19990302N2)

February 22-25, 1999. Robert Sojka, Gary Lehrsch, and J. Kristian Aase, by invitation, attended the National Program Workshop on Soil Resource Assessment and Management held in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Sojka was also a member of the planning team for the workshop. People in attendance represented a cross section of ARS scientists and administrators from across the nation and a compliment of representatives from industry, universities, non-ARS government agencies, and farmers. Our representatives participated in discussion groups and in general discussion sessions. Several scientists from Kimberly will participate in the final writing of the National Program. (KIM19990302N3)

February 26, 1999. Hank Mayland participated in the USDA-ARS Grazing Lands Management National Program Planning. Three break out groups identified 5 to 8 elements for inclusion. Program title was revised to 'Rangeland, Pastures, and Forages. Bob Masters, Doug Johnson, Herman Mayeux and 5 other ARS scientists were identified to summarize comments into working document for component workshops to be scheduled for September or October. Suggested Elements were:

1. Water, Watershed Management, Environmental Quality

2. Grazing Land Ecosystem Processes

3. Develop, Improve, Evaluate Germplasm for Forage/Conservation

4. Forage Management and Improvement

5. Vegetation and Grazing Land Management

6. Integrated Production Systems

7. Stewardship of Grazing Land Resources

8. Grazing Lands Pest Management (KIM19990302N4)

The Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory's work developing practical use of polyacrylamide (PAM) to control irrigation- induced soil erosion was prominently featured in the March 1999 issue of "Erosion Control," the official journal of the International Erosion Control Association. The article cited the halting of a million tons of sediment loss in 1995, the first year of PAM commercialization for irrigation-induced erosion control. This prevention was associated with PAM-use on 50,000 acres in 1995. Industry estimates placed PAM-use at about a million acres in 1998. (KIM19990302N5)

March 1, 1999. Mark Nelson of Agri-Concepts International, stopped by the lab to visit Hank Mayland about PM- vs AM-harvesting technology. This was a follow-up to Mr. Nelson�s having accessed information on our home page. Mr. Nelson is a rancher in north central Nebraska and dealer for direct-fed and ensiling microbials. (KIM19990302N6) February 15-18, 1999. Rick Lentz and Dave Bjorneberg were invited by James Valiant to participate in Colorado State University's (CSU) 1999 PAM (polyacrylamide) Workshop tour. The workshops were sponsored by CSU Cooperative Extension and US-EPA in cooperation with the USDA-NRCS, and held at four different locations (Lamar, Sterling, Greeley and Delta). They were organized to provide producers and land managers in Colorado and the surrounding states with the latest PAM application technology and to provide a venue for discussions of environmental concerns. Dr. Lentz discussed appropriate PAM application techniques under surface irrigation and the environmental ramifications associated with PAM use, and Dr. Bjorneberg presented information about applying PAM through sprinkler irrigation systems. PAM technology is increasingly being used in Colorado and other western states to conserve soil and water resources. (KIM19990225N1)

February 23, 1999. Dale Westermann was invited by the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) Ag-Forum Student group to present a seminar on agricultural research careers. About 60 students attended the noon seminar from several different agricultural majors to learn about the wide variety of agricultural research careers available today, what agricultural research activities will be like in the future, and the career opportunities available in ARS. CSI is a two year school and offers selected four year degrees in cooperation with University of Idaho, Moscow. (KIM19990225N2)

Febuary 17, 1999. Dale Westermann participated in a general production potato workshop with about 30 potato growers from Malheur County, Ontario, Oregon. He discussed phosphorus and potassium fertilization practices for potato production and the use of petiole nutrient concentrations to determine nutrient sufficencies. The workshop was organized by Lynn Jensen, Malheur County Extension Specialist. (KIM19990219N1)

Febuary 17, 1999. Chuck Robbins and Dale Westermann were visited by Jim Woods, Idaho NRCS Water Quality Specialist, to discuss phosphorus loading concerns on the lower Boise River. This stream segment is on the 303(d) list, for which a TMDL is being developed. Phosphorus is high during both the summer and winter months. About 70-80% of the total phosphorus load is present as ortho-phosphorus. Historial data shows that ortho-phosphorus concentrations in the groundwater of the lower Boise Valley are usually greater than 0.15 mg/L. Several ideas were outlined to help identify the source(s) of phosphorus entering the Boise River from drains and natural streams. (KIM19990219N2)

February 2-3, 1999. Hank Mayland presented 'Harvesting Time Effects on Forage Quality' to about 400 producers at the Mid America Alfalfa Expo held at Hastings, Nebraska. Information on 'PM- vs AM-harvesting effects on forage quality' was well received. Attendees were from a 10 state area. Round bales predominate in this area and buyers depend on relative feed value indices of hay quality. (KIM19990211N1)

February 4-5, 1999. Hank Mayland discussed results of PM/AM harvesting effects on quality, intake, and lactation by ruminants with 140 alfalfa producers at the New Mexico Alfalfa Association meeting in Albuquerque. Attendees were from New Mexico and west Texas. These hay producers have challenges similar to those of those in southern California where high day and night temperatures occur. Big Bales predominate in this production area. (KIM19990211N2)

February 3, 1999. Hank Mayland was interviewed about the PM/AM- forage harvesting technology on KRVN 880 Farm Radio in Lexington, Nebraska. (KIM19990211N3)

February 9, 1999. The PM/AM-forage harvesting technology was included in nationally syndicated radio news by Paul Harvey's News and Commentary. (KIM19990211N4)

February 4-12. Bob Sojka traveled to Palmerston, North New Zealand as an invited guest and keynote speaker of the New Zealand Lime and Fertilizer Institute's 1999 annual conference and workshop. He presented the paper entitled "Challenges for identifying management principles--Integrating emerging modern technologies and philosophies." The paper was co-authored with Dr. Dan Upchurch, director of the ARS Cropping Systems Research Laboratory, Lubbock, Texas. In addition to the conference, Dr. Sojka spent the week working with collaborators in New Zealand which has also resulted in visits and exchanges of New Zealand scientists with the NWISRL at Kimberly. (KIM19990211N5)

January 20-30, 1999. Hank Mayland presented results of 'Morning and afternoon harvesting effects on forage quality' and 'Animal preference and lactation response to morning and harvested forage' at the Central Oregon Forage Conference and Trade Show, Redmond, Oregon. The recommended PM vs AM harvesting, while adding another level of complexity to the producer's already busy schedule, was reinforced by the visual evidence of animal preference for PM- vs AM-harvested hay shown in the time-lapse video. Producers enjoyed the presentation as evidenced by immediate and followup questions. About 50 copies of the USDA-ARS-NWISRL Station Note 99-01 'Optimize forage quality by afternoon haravesting' were picked up by attendees. (KIM19990203N1)

January 26, 1999. Rick Lentz and Jim Entry met with University of Idaho researcher Joel Green to discuss the potential use of polyacrylamide for reducing y phosphorus loading in aquaculture waste waters. There is considerable interest in the development of a technology that effectively and rapidly removes solid fish wastes from raceway waters, as this would greatly reduce P-loadings in aquaculture return flows. (KIM19990203N2)

January 26-27, 1999. Hank Mayland participated in the Washington State Hay Growers Association 1999 annual hay conference and trade show in Pasco, Washington. Using videoplayer and LCD projector and slides, he shared the developing technology about "The Effects of Morning and Evening Harvesting on Forage Quality, Animal Preference, and Production." There was much interest among the 200 registered forage producers, many of whom were from the Columbia Basin. About 100 copies of USDA-ARS-NWISRL Station Note 99-01 'Optimize forage quality by afternoon harvesting' were picked up by participants. (KIM19990203N3)

January 27-29, 1999. Five USDA-ARS scientists from the NWISRL attended and presented research papers at the "Water Quality Beyond 2000: Meeting our TMDL Challenge" conference held in Boise, Idaho. A wide range of over 250 state and federal regulatory and service agency personnel, and representatives from grower/producer organizations attended the conference. ARS papers presented were `Efficacy of polyacrylamide mixtures to filter nutrients and bacteria pollutants from wastewater� - Jim Entry; `Best management practices of grazing to meet TMDLs� - Glenn Shewmaker; `Comparing deep percolation soil water and solute losses from conventional vs PAM-managed furrow irrigation� - Rick Lentz; `Phosphorus relationships in irrigated soils� - Dale Westermann; and `N placement and furrow irrigation management to increase N uptake by corn and minimize nitrate leaching� - Gary Lehrsch. There was high interest in all sessions as Idaho is in the process of developing TMDLs for over 700 stream segments listed on the 303(d) list. (KIM19990203N4)

January 21, 1999. D.T. Westermann and Jeff Stark, UI, led a workshop at the 1999 University of Idaho Potato Conference and Eastern Idaho Ag Expo held in Pocatello, Idaho. The workshop was on interpreting tissue tests for macro- and micronutrients for use in fertigation of potatoes during tuber growth. Idaho's potato school is attended by over 1000 growers, consultants and extension personnel from over 15 states. It is considered the premiere production focused potato school in the U.S. (KIM19990128N1)

January 16, 1999. In an article entitled "Twin Falls Canal Company honors 7 at annual meeting," the Magic Valley Ag Weekly reported this year's winners of farmer environmental awards for protecting water quality. All seven award recipients cited use of polyacrylamide (PAM) as a key element in their soil conservation and return-flow water quality protection program. The practical field technology for use of PAMs for erosion control in irrigated agriculture was developed by scientists of the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory (NWISRL) in work that has been ongoing since 1991. About a million acres of irrigated land are now estimated to benefit from PAM's erosion reducing and infiltration enhancing properties. Research continues on several aspects of PAM use, with four technical articles appearing in scientific journals in the last month on the topic authored by NWISRL scientists. Among new finding are interactions of PAM use with furrow traffic, retention of weed seed and sequestration of microorganisms in furrow irrigation water treated with PAM. As new aspects of PAM management continue to be discovered, its potential for irrigation management and environmental benefit seem even greater than originally anticipated. (KIM19990121N1)

The 1999 special forage issue of John Deere's "The Furrow" magazine carried the following under the headline of 'A.M. versus P.M. Cutting:'

In a recent test, cattle, sheep, and goats all preferred afternoon-cut grass hay over morning-cut hay from the same field. In fact, the animals ate all of the p.m. hay before they ate any of the a.m. hay, according to Hank Mayland, a USDA scientist at ... Kimberly, Idaho. The afternoon-cut hay gave the animals more energy, and it was much easier to digest, Mayland says. He explains that plants produce carbohydrates while the sun shines, but they consume some of the carbohydrates during the night, lowering the energy content of forage cut in the morning. (KIM19990121N2)

January 12, 1999. Dennis Kincaid and Andrew Mutziger visited with Kelvin Jones at his 400+ acre farm north of Jerome, Idaho. Mr. Jones has three pivots that typically run simultaneously off of one well with an average flow of 2250 gpm. The lower pivot has too much pressure. Measurements were taken for installation of a 6" test version of Dr. Kincaid's patented, pressure regulating butterfly valve. (KIM19990121N3)

January 6-7, 1999. Jim Wright and Dave Bjorneberg conducted technical seminars at the 1999 Idaho irrigation Equipment Show in Burley, Idaho. Dr. Bjorneberg presented information about using PAM with surface and sprinkler irrigation to reduce erosion and improve infiltration. Dr. Wright discussed cooling effects of sprinkler irrigation. Twenty-five to thirty-five people attended their seminars. (KIM19990113N1)

January 7, 1999. Dale Westermann and Hank Mayland visited with Lex Gregory, Burley High School Vocational Agriculture and Biology Teacher, at our lab. Mr. Gregory toured the facility, was informed of overall research programs and our web site, introduced to various farm projects that his students might consider, given employment options for students at least 18 years of age and told about ARS's science teacher internships. (KIM19990113N2)

January 11, 1999. Jeff Cline, Laboratory Specialist, from Rocky Mountain Resource Labs in Jerome, Idaho visited ARS soil scientists, Chuck Robbins and Dale Westermann. They discussed various laboratory procedures to use when analyzing soils for plant available nitrate- and ammonium- nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The Rocky Mountain Resource Labs do animal feed and milk quality analyses for the Magic Valley's dairy and livestock industries. (KIM19990113N3)

January 5-6, 1999. Dale Westermann was a panel member in a one- half day potato production workshop at the winter meeting of the Idaho Crop Production Association 26th Annual Fertilizer and Chemical Conference held in Jackpot, Nevada. He also gave a 30- minute oral paper on methods to enhance nutrient uptake by irrigated crops. Over 650 fertilizer and chemical dealers and fieldmen from Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Nevada attended this educational conference. (KIM19990107N1)

December 18, 1998. Bob Sojka journeyed to the Department of Plant and Natural Resource Sciences at Montana State University (MSU) to present a seminar entitled "Reinventing Irrigation with PAM." The seminar summarized the past seven years of research from Kimberly's NWISRL using PAM to halt irrigation-induced erosion and manage infiltration. The seminar was at the behest of Dr. James Bauder of MSU who extended an invitation to participate in several demonstrations and research projects for which the PAM technology might be adapted in Montana. While there, Dr. Sojka turned over his Technical Editorship of Soil Science Society of America Journal Division S-6 -- Soil and Water Conservation -- and several boxes of related files to Dr. Bauder who will take over that post beginning in January. Dr. Sojka served in the Technical Editorship for Division S-6 for two three-year terms. (KIM19990107N2)