Archives for January 2002

Donley County has gotten an extension for Emergency Grazing for certain Conservation Reserve Program acres.

The required payment reduction is 25 percent of the per acre annual rental payment rate times the number of acres actually grazed. This authorization is in effect from now until February 28, 2002.

Additional guidelines include:

• Temporary cover or dead litter crops are not eligible for this program.

• Only fields established to permanent cover will be eligible.

• You must contact FSA and NRCS before any grazing takes place.

• CRP may be leased to an eligible livestock producer located in an approved county.

• CRP participants must leave at least 25 percent of each field ungrazed for wildlife.

For more information, call 874-3561. This extension is for grazing only.

AUSTIN — Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs last week announced that 10 groups, including the local groundwater district, have received matching grants from the Texas Department of Agriculture to conduct weather modification or precipitation enhancement over almost one-third of Texas, covering 51 million acres from the High Plains to the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

The Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District, which includes Donley County and is based in White Deer, was awarded $183,412.

Precipitation enhancement, also known as cloud-seeding, stimulates clouds to generate more rainfall than normally produced. Rainfall is maximized from clouds through the introduction of seeding agents, such as silver iodide. The 77th Legislature moved the grant portion of the weather modification program from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission to TDA on Sept. 1. The program’s permitting and licensing section, which authorizes political subdivisions to conduct cloud seeding, was also moved Sept. 1 from TNRCC to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

“Precipitation enhancement is an integral part of the state’s long-term water management plan,” Combs said.

“Many districts involved in precipitation enhancement have seen positive results. For example, the Colorado River Municipal Water District in Big Spring has compared seeded years with unseeded years from 1971 to 1990 and found rainfall totals to be 2 ½ to 4 inches above normal during seeded years. During this same time frame, cotton yields were 64 percent above normal during seeded years.

“In addition to higher crop yields, precipitation enhancement can improve grazing conditions for livestock, reduce irrigation costs, and improve water quality. The practice also helps to increase rainfall runoff into reservoirs and aquifers.

“The High Plains Water District has estimated that increased crop yields resulting from one inch of extra rain at the right time on major crops in the area could have a market value of about $81 million with a regional economic impact of about $284 million,” Combs said.

TDA has awarded 10 grants totaling $1,933,197 for fiscal year 2002 to the following programs, which match the grants dollar-for-dollar:

•  Val Verde County Commissioner’s Court in Del Rio — $151,504.

•  Colorado River Municipal Water District in Big Spring — $89,658.

•  Edwards Aquifer Authority in Hondo — $254,874.

•  Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District in Pleasanton — $154,523.

•  High Plains Underground Water Conservation District in Littlefield — $240,000.

•  Irion County Water Conservation District in San Angelo — $224,936.

•  North Plains Groundwater Conservation District in Dumas — $186,700.

•  Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District in White Deer — $183,412.

•  West Central Texas Council of Governments in Abilene — $222,159.

•  Wintergarden Groundwater Conservation District in Cotulla — $225,431.

Internet users in and near Clarendon now have the opportunity to enjoy high-speed connections thanks to an Amarillo company now doing business here.

AMA Wireless began hooking up customers here last week to a broadband service that boasts download speeds up to 50 times faster than ordinary phone lines. Local agents are already signing up customers for the service.

Wireless Internet operates from a microwave signal beamed continuously by towers, then directly into the home or office. A small “patch” antenna – about the size of an adult hand – is mounted outside the home or office. The signal is then carried to a subscriber’s computer via coaxial cable, a wireless modem, and a CAT 5 computer cable. The system does not require a phone line, meaning customers can save money by eliminating their second phone line or can free up their existing line.

With the wireless service, files download faster, Web pages pull up faster, and productivity is increased.

AMA’s service costs as little as $44.95 per month for residential customers and $59.90 per month for businesses. Installation fees vary from nothing for residential customers who will sign up for three years to $150. Customers will also need a network card installed in their computer, and those can be purchased separately or from AMA.

“This new service will be a great benefit to local people engaged in e-commerce and businesses that communicate via e-mail as well as casual surfers,” said local AMA agent and newspaper publisher Roger Estlack. “It will also be an asset to our community in general to have this service available when trying to attract new residents and businesses.”

The Clarendon Enterprise was the first local business hooked up to the service followed by Knorpp Insurance Agency and The Donley County State Bank.

Fed up with slow Internet connections, the Enterprise contacted AMA Online several months ago to see if that company would come to Donley County.

“This is something we’ve been working on since early June,” said Estlack. “We spent a lot of time on the phone with AMA and gathered names of prospective customers for them. E. Wayne Barbee at Clarendon Insurance also helped us gather some names together. Now all that work has paid off.

“Like many people, we were very frustrated by busy signals, poor connections, and no connections when trying to get online. Now, we feel like we’re actually living in the modern world for a change.”

Estlack said the new wireless service is the most important development in local communications capability since Expanded Local Calling (ELC) eliminated long distance charges to Amarillo and Pampa five years ago.

“ELC helped make getting on the Internet in Clarendon affordable. Now AMA Wireless has made it fast, reliable, and modern while still being affordable for most people.”

Internet users can sign up for the new service at The Clarendon Enterprise, Knorpp Insurance Agency, or The Donley County State Bank.

Clarendon seventh grader Kelsea Hoeltzel has been named the first place winner of the local VFW Patriotic Youth Essay contest by Donley County VFW Post 7782.

Local eighth grader Faith Lockhart and seventh grader Jon McGlaun placed second and third in the contest, which was open to seventh and eighth grade students in Clarendon, Hedley, Claude, and Memphis schools. Clarendon Junior High submitted 51 essays for judging.

“Is Freedom Really Free?” was the theme of this year’s contest.

The three Clarendon students will represent Donley County in the district level of judging. Hoeltzel, Lockhart, and McGlaun will each receive a $50 Savings Bond from the VFW Post 7782 Ladies Auxiliary and will have a chance to win the top national prize of a $10,000 Savings Bond.

All students participating in the contest receive a VFW Youth Essay Certificate of Merit for being an Outstanding Spokesman for the Future.

The members of the VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary appreciate the writers and commend Mr. Marvin Elam and Mrs. Jamie Ward for making the contest a success.

Other students participating in the contest were Katie Askew, Joshua Aguirre, Audrey Bennett, Kate Bennett, Will Betts, Michael Bruce, LaDez Captain, Bret Carter, Haley Carter, Holly Cornell, Chris Cox, Keana Daughtry, Erica Depew, Tyler Drackley, Will Drackley, Tomas Elliott, Lauren Floyd, Stephen Ford, Caitlan Hall, Carmen Hamilton, Robert Harris, Michael Henderson, Chelsea Hoeltzel, Tamera Holland, Kaitlyn Howard, Jeremy Jeffers, Melanie Johnson, Courtney Judd, Jessica Krumwiede, Regan Lemley, Kristin McAfee, Daniel Milburn, Shaunda Moody, Megan Morris, Ryan Petty, Andy Roberts, Morgan Robinson, Jesse Rodriguez, Tiffany Salcido, Cody Scrivner, Sarah Scrivner, Bradley Sell, Haley Shelton, Ben Smith, Chrystal Smith, Chase Thornberry, Kimberly Tolbert, and John Vaught.