Archives for September 2009

COLLEGE STATION – With more people eating at home as a result of the recession, an improved economy could encourage consumers to spend more money eating out in the coming months, which could be good news for cattle producers later this year and into 2010, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service livestock economist.

“Do you think a new trend has been started with fewer people eating out and more eating at home?,” asked Dr. David Anderson, AgriLife Extension Service livestock marketing economist at the recent 55th Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course. “Some of my colleagues think so. If the economy rebounds, I think not. That’s going to lead to higher cattle prices when taking into consideration fewer overall cow inventory numbers.”

Cattle prices will continue to their seasonal lows this summer, an expected pattern as producers sell off calf crops. But there’s higher volume at auction markets in certain parts of the state due to drought. From Austin extending throughout South Central Texas, ranchers are coping with one of the worst droughts ever, Anderson said.

The southern region of the country is in the most extreme drought area, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and accounts for 6 percent of the nation’s total beef supply (more than 2 million beef cows are in the area) as ranchers further reduce herds, Anderson said.

AgriLife Extension economists have estimated $3.6 billion in losses, and that number could eclipse the $4.1 billion mark set in 2006. The only alternatives for ranchers who don’t have grass is either to move animals to rented pasture where forage is sufficient or sell herds that have taken years to assemble.

With ongoing drought, Texas beef cow numbers continue to decrease. Nationally, that’s having an effect on the overall U.S. beef cow inventory, Anderson said.
“We’re producing fewer cows and consequently less beef,” Anderson said.

Dairy producers are also taking a hit. The average producer cost for milk is $16 per hundredweight and income is $11 per hundredweight. When you factor in the woes of both the dairy and beef industry, it doesn’t paint a bright picture on the supply side.

“I’m projecting fewer beef cows for next year and on into 2011,” he said.

He expects cattle prices to move upward in 2010 if the current cow slaughter continues. That, coupled with an improved economy, could “trend calf prices even higher,” Anderson said.

For more information about the beef short course, visit http://beef.tamu.edu .

Bigger and better than its first year, the second annual Saints’ Roost Buck’N Blowout Rodeo far surpassed its inaugural attendance count last Saturday at the
Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association’s Arena.

The number of people through the gate more than doubled from 734 last year to an estimated 1,500 this year. Adding in 32 pre-paid box seats brings total paid attendance to 1,692 compared to 926 last year.
Co-organizer Heather King said the event was a lot of work but was well worth it.  “It was better than last year,” she said. “It went really, really well.”

King said it was impossible to get a count of the number who packed the dance featuring Country & Western recording legend Gene Watson following the rodeo.
“That was the most people I had ever seen on that dance floor,” she said.

The numbers in nearly every category improved for the event that started last year with hopes of drawing 500 people. In addition to the bigger audience, the rodeo also drew more contestants. This year featured eight bareback riders, 22 saddle bronc riders, and 13 double mugging teams. Only bull riding had fewer participants with 20 making the attempt this year.

Official results were as follows:
Bare Back Riding: 1st, Monty Goodwin of Canyon; 2nd, Brian Leddy of Rall, Okla.; and 3rd, Justin Henderson of Canyon.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1st, Casey Sisk of Corona, New Mexico; 2nd, Tol Cawley of Stephenville; and 3rd, Leland Wood of Silverton.

Double Muggin: 1st, Jeff Anderberg and Bob Spillers of Clarendon; and 2nd, Rodi Wilson and Jesse Valdez of Canyon.

None of the bull riders were able to hold on for the eight seconds needed to qualify.

The barbecue before the rodeo served 710.
King said the Buck’n Blowout board is already talking about plans for next year.

AUSTIN – Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples is encouraging families to apply for the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Family Land Heritage program. The program recognizes and celebrates farms and ranches that have been in continuous agricultural production by the same family for at least 100 years or more.

“Texas has a rich heritage of land ownership and stewardship,” Commissioner Staples said. “Patriots fought hard for our land, and generation after generation endured many hardships to ensure the soil stayed in the family. It is my privilege to honor these special Texans who understand agriculture is not a career, it’s a calling.”

Applications, which are due Sept. 15, will be accepted for farms or ranches established in 1909 or earlier that are still owned and operated by the descendants of the founder, either through blood, marriage or adoption. The land must also fit the U.S. Census definition of a farm: 10 acres or more with agricultural sales of $50 or more a year; or if fewer than 10 acres, sales of at least $250 a year.

The owners must reside in Texas and actively manage the everyday operation of the farm or ranch. If all the land has ever been rented or leased to someone outside of the family, it will not qualify. If only a portion was leased, and as much as 10 acres were retained in the family for agricultural production with sales of at least $50 annually, the property will still qualify. There is no cost to apply for the recognition.

The application can be downloaded at www.TexasAgriculture.gov by clicking on the Family Land Heritage link. For more information, contact Lance Williams at (512) 463-3285.

Tonya and Alan Fletcher of Clarendon teamed with Gary J. Fletcher of Amarillo to capture the world champion team penning title at the American Quarter Horse Association Bayer Select World Championship Show in Amarillo last Thursday, September 3.

This show is open exclusively to amateur exhibitors age 50 and over.

Tonya was riding Salt Fork Bonita, a sorrel mare she bred and raised. Alan was riding Salt Fork Smart Too, a chestnut gelding he bred and raised. Gary was riding Roamin Playboy, a gray gelding he owns with his wife J’Melle. Gary is the past president of the U.S. Team Penning Association and was inducted into the Tri-State Fair’s Western Heritage Hall of Fame in 2008. Gary and Alan are brothers.

In addition to the title, each team member won a prize package that included a Montana Silversmiths sterling silver buckle with 14-karat gold overlay, a neck wreath, custom designed gold-tone trophy, Cripple Creek Jacket with World Champion patch, and a Tex Tan product as well as a cash prize.

The 2009 Bayer Select World Championship Show offered exciting competition for American Quarter Horse Association Amateur Select members August 31-September 6 at the Amarillo National Center. The Bayer Select World Show is the world’s largest, single-breed world championship horse show open exclusively to amateur exhibitors age 50 and older. This is the pinnacle event for Amateur Select competitors around the world who must qualify for the event by earning a predetermined number of points to secure a spot in each of the 41 classes representing English, western and halter disciplines. More than 1,200 entries from the United States and Canada competed at this year’s event.

The American Quarter Horse Journal will be providing extensive online coverage including special feature stories, interviews and photos of the world champions and all the latest news about the show.

A complete wrap-up of the show will be featured in the November issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal.
For more news from the Bayer Select World, visit www.aqha.com/showing/shows/selectshow/index.html.

The Bayer Select World Championship Show is made possible by Bayer, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bank of America, Farnam, John Deere, Markel, Merial, Montana Silversmiths, Nutrena, SmartPak and Sooner.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, at its quarterly meeting in July approved the allocation of Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act funds to the state’s community, state, and technical colleges and Tech Prep Consortia for the 2009-2010 program year.

Clarendon College was awarded $50,000 in Perkins Basic Grant Reserve Allocations.

The awards to Texas institutions of Higher Education totaled $26,326,643 from the Title I funding stream for Basic Grants, Reserve Grants, and Leadership Projects.

An additional amount of $7,971,885 from the Title II funding stream was awarded for Tech Prep Grants.
The federal Perkins funds support programs that help students with career exploration, opportunities to earn college credit in high school, and the development and enhancement of career and technical programs that lead to high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand careers.

Title I funds are used to support rigorous academic and career technical education standards, industry standards, applied learning strategies, instructional programs, and to improve access and success of special populations, including students entering non-traditional occupations.

Title II funds support the state’s Tech Prep educational programs that create a secondary-to-postsecondary pathway that lead to an Associate of Applied Science degree and that provide a means by which students can earn college credit while in high school.

The Associated Ambulance Authority hopes to receive a brand new ambulance soon through a Local Project grant received from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The grant, which was applied for in May, is for $35,000, the maximum amount that can be received for an ambulance.

The Ambulance Authority currently has three Basic Life Support and Mobile Intensive Care Unit Capability Ambulances, but one of these vehicles has proven to be quite troublesome.

According to Donley County Hospital District Administrator Anna Howard, a 2004 model Ford Ambulance has had multiple mechanical problems that have cost $13,000 in repairs, and it still isn’t working properly.

“The closest hospitals are about an hour away from Clarendon, and all three of our ambulances have over 100,000 miles on them, which is a lot,” Howard said.
Howard says an ambulance usually costs between $100,000 and $150,000.

The grant will cover some of that cost, but the purchase will require additional money that the Ambulance Authority has saved. The Ambulance Authority will continue to seek low interest loans and any other grants available towards a new ambulance.

Any donations towards the new ambulance are asked to be taken to the Associated Ambulance Authority.
“We’re running approximately 800 calls a year, and we feel that it’s very important to the community to have mechanically sound and safe ambulances to provide the best pre-hospital care to Donley County,” said Howard.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen reached an agreement during a called meeting last Tuesday to pay the Donley County Sheriff’s Department $130,000 for law enforcement services for the coming year.
The contract must still be formally approved at next week’s regular city meeting. It maintains the price of the current contract, but two key elements of the contract will be changed.

“All Class C fines will go to justice of the peace court, and I’ve cut the ordinance enforcement part totally,” Sheriff Butch Blackburn said. “But the citizens of Clarendon won’t have to worry. We’ll be there 24 hours a day.”

City Administrator John Webb said he was unsure how much moving Class C violations from municipal court to the county system would cost the city.

“Our estimation is that it is about $4,200,” Webb said. “The municipal court will still handle hot check cases, city ordinance fines, and minor thefts.”

City officials and Sheriff Butch Blackburn had been at odds over the contract last month when the sheriff asked for his department’s contract to be increased to $140,000 but the city had proposed it be cut to $61,500.

Ordinance enforcement for years had been a point of contention when the contract came up for renewal. City officials complained the sheriff’s department did not do enough in that area, and the sheriff maintained that criminal cases were his top priority. Enforcement of ordinances will now be the primary responsibility of City Hall and the city administrator.

Blackburn said County Judge Jack Hall has already signed off on the new contract, and it will be presented to Clarendon Aldermen for the mayor’s signature next week.

The City of Clarendon has proposed a $1.7 million budget for fiscal year 2010 that will keep the current tax rate and the current level of fees if approved.

City Administrator John Webb said the balanced budget includes no money to build reserves and no money for new equipment, but it does include raises for employees and $130,000 for the contract with the Donley County Sheriff’s Office.

The budget is up slightly from the current budget of $1.3 million with one of the major differences in the two budgets being the inclusion of part-time salaries that were left out of the 2008-2009 budget.

“Those expenses were somehow left out last year, but they cover the part-time help we have during the summer months,” Webb said.

The budget also includes about $62,000 in new money for projects related to water and sewer improvements. New fire hydrants are expected to cost the city $5,000, and removal of the old west water tower is figured to cost $12,000.

Webb said he would also like to demolish and remove a concrete water storage tank and related equipment near the City Barn. Those facilities have been unused for decades and are deteriorating terribly. Clearing that area is budgeted for $25,000.

Webb also said he intended to apply for a sewer grant to replace some sewer lines and improve guttering in some areas. That project could cost as much as $200,000, and the proposed budget includes $20,000 for what would be the city’s ten percent match if that grant were to come through.

The city will also apply for drainage improvement grants that would include much needed curbs and sidewalks in some areas, but Webb said that grant, if successful, would not come through until the 2011 budget year.
“We need streets with gutters to help control this drainage and keep our streets intact,” Webb said.

Another new line item is $6,000 for heating and cooling systems at the Burton Memorial Library. Webb said this is for systems already installed but for which the county did not contribute as it was expected to.

The budget also includes $50,000 for possible fines from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Webb said the city has been notified of violations regarding illegal dumping north of the city’s recycling center.

“A citizen turned us in to TCEQ after someone dumped illegally on our property,” Webb said. “It doesn’t matter that we didn’t do it. It’s on our property, and we’re being held responsible.”

The exact amount of the fine and the steps necessary for remediation are not known at this point, but the budget is prepared with this possibility. The budget also includes more than $1,600 to fence that area in and hopefully prevent this from happening in the future.

Aldermen are planning to keep the city’s ad valorem tax rate at the current $0.65 per $100 valuation to support this budget. Fees for city services are also unchanged.

A budget hearing and a tax rate hearing will be held next Tuesday, September 8, at 7 p.m. in City Hall.