Monthly Archives: June 2023
Guar Contracting Resumes in Texas
Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., Professor & Extension Agronomist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Guar Resources, Brownfield, TX suspended new crop production of guar after the 2020 cropping season. A long-time interest in guar in the Rolling Plains and South Plains is this legume’s heat and drought tolerance. The bubble in world guar gum prices burst after 2012 (up to $12/lb. when historical prices were about $2/lb.). Guar gum imports in the Port of Houston are still near $1/lb. An oil and gas… Read More →
Possible Land Purchase Depreciation of High Residual Soil Nutrients
Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., Professor & Extension Agronomist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu I contribute to a monthly “Ask the Agronomist” question-and-answer column published in the Wheat Farmer/Row Crop Farmer newsletter from 34Star Publishing in Kansas. This topic from the May edition is little known in Texas and originates mostly from the U.S. Corn Belt. Residual (Excess) Soil Fertility Tax Deduction Question: In order to deduct the value of excess fertilizer on newly purchased or inherited land, what is the best… Read More →
Soil Testing Principles–Part 3 of 8, Texas A&M AgriLife
Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., Professor & Extension Agronomist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Residual (Excess) Soil Fertility Tax Deduction: In order to deduct excess fertilizer on newly purchased or inherited land, what is the best way to compute and document that deduction? Necessary background: On 2/23/2023 Kansas State University Dept. of Agricultural Economics reprinted as an Extension publication a commentary from a law professor blog published on 2/21/2023. This document and the references therein outline a legal means where residual soil fertily at… Read More →
Agronomic Considerations for Growing Fiber Hemp in Central Texas
Plant Information Fiber hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), an annual crop, is grown for bast and hurd fibers. Some are dual-purpose grown for grain and fiber, but the focus of this article is hemp for fiber production. Bast fibers are produced from the outside of the stalk, while hurd fibers are from the interior wood core. Most of the current fiber hemp varieties are photoperiod sensitive and flower according to day length. Fiber hemp has separate male and female plants, which are typically mixed in a seed bag. Figure… Read More →