Nueces Agriculture “ IMPROVING FOOD & FIBER PRODUCTION” Volume 12, Issue 1 February 2019

Nueces County has begun the 2019 growing season. Some corn has started to make its way into the ground and by all accounts into wet soil conditions. In fact, field work has been a challenge Inside this Issue: throughout the fallow period across the county due to consistently wet weather. After WPS and Private Applicator 1 Training an extremely wet fall, most of the Coastal Bend was as weedy as it has been in quite a while. In spite of this challenge, fields Industrial 2 have been worked into shape, fertilizer has been applied, and the Auxin Applicator Training 3 majority of fields are in good condition going into spring planting. This has set the county up for a good start to the 2019 Texas Cattlewomen 4-5 growing season. Women in Ranching

Coastal Bend Landscape 6 Conference PRIVATE APPLICATOR TRAINING When: Tuesday, 3/5 Pre-Registration Required……(361)767-5223 General Information about 7 Time …..……8:00 am—11:30 am Where.……………..…A&M AgriLife Ext. Office, Glyphosate 710 E. Main, Robstown, TX Fee: $50.00 (Includes study manuals)

A Private Applicator is defined by law as a person who uses or supervises the use of a

restricted -use or state-limited use pesticide for the purpose of producing an agricultural commodity.

FARM WORKER PROTECTION SAFETY TRAINING When……….2/8/19 Time ………..……….9:00 –11:00 am Where …………………………………….. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office Find us on Facebook at

@NuecesCountyAgriculture Pesticide handlers and workers must be trained every year unless they are certified applicators. All participants in this training will be issued cards verifying they have successfully completed the required training and given a copy of the sign-in roster for their employer’s files.

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Industrial Hemp

Of the many provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill that became law on December 20, 2018, the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 contained within the bill has garnered its fair share of attention. This has prompted many questions about hemp production in the last few months. Therefore, below are a few important points the public should be aware of.

The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 was a proposed law to remove hemp (defined as with less than 0.3% THC) from Schedule I controlled substances and making it an ordinary agricultural commodity. Its provisions were incorporated in the 2018 United States Farm Bill that became law on December 20, 2018. However, it is still illegal to grow hemp in Texas.

Texas remains one of 11 states still prohibiting hemp production, an industry that is estimated to be worth $1 billion by 2020. Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, Sid Miller, has recommended passage of hemp legislation by the 2019 Texas Legislature. The bill would not allow for commercial to be grown in Texas.

Agronomically, hemp can be grown in cotton, corn, or wheat agricultural regions with conventional equipment. Hemp requires 1/3 the water needed for cotton with little herbicide/pesticide required. Hemp can be imported into Texas and manufactured into retail goods sold in the US, but Texas growers are prohibited from its cultivation. In the United States, 39 states allow the cultivation of hemp for commercial, research or pilot programs. Texas is not one of those states though.

Historically, hemp has been grown in nearly every state at one time or another, including California, Kentucky New York, Oregon, Utah, Texas, Virginia, Massachusetts, Louisiana, and Missouri. It has been in North America likely since the 16th century. It may be the earliest plant cultivated for textile fiber. Archaeologists found a remnant of hemp cloth in ancient Mesopotamia (currently Iran and Iraq) dating to 8,000 BC. However, hemp production was eventually overshadowed by cotton.

To the detriment of the industrial hemp it was equated with marijuana, however, there are differences between marijuana and hemp. Marijuana and hemp derive from the same family of Cannabis plants but have different biological structures and specific distinctions. A lot of the confusion around hemp and marijuana products seems to stem from two major compounds in both crops; THC and CBD. Marijuana has a high THC content. THC is illegal and is what causes the psychoactive sensation of “getting high”. Hemp has a low THC content; therefore, you can’t get high from hemp. CBD is found in both crops but does not produce any psychoactive sensations. There is on- going research and discussion about the value and various uses of CBD, including uses in medical treatments.

There is a Texas Hemp Industries Association in this state. Their website is https://www.txhia.org/. It contains a good deal of information on hemp. AgriLife Extension has a long and successful history of teaching agricultural producers to adopt best management practices for a number of crops across the state, however, until hemp is legal to grow in Texas AgriLife Extension will not offer educational programming on this specific crop.

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General Information About Glyphosate Scott Nolte-Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; Peter Dotray-Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension; Muthu Bagavathiannan-Texas A&M AgriLife Research

What is glyphosate Glyphosate is an herbicide used to control a wide range of undesirable plants in lawns and gardens, row crops, pastures, aquatics, road sides, rights-of-way, and other managed areas. First introduced for use in 1974, glyphosate is now one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States. Today, there are over 750 products that contain this active ingredient for agronomic, commercial, and home use.

How does it work Glyphosate kills a wide range of annual and perennial plants (grasses, broadleaves, and sedges) by preventing them from making 3 essential aromatic amino acids. It does this by inhibiting a specific enzyme, EPSP synthase, only found in plants and many bacteria. Is it likely that glyphosate can cause cancer Regulatory agencies charged with the risk assessment of substances and their impact to the public including Health Canada, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, World Health Organization (WHO), and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA), all released findings of their assessments later in 2015, 2016 and 2018. Based on the most currently available research, these agencies have all concluded that glyphosate was unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is a non-regulatory working group that considers current published research to determine if substances are potential carcinogens. In March 2015, IARC classified glyphosate as Group 2a “probably causes cancer”. IARC only assesses the potential carcinogenicity of a substance and does not consider exposure or conduct risk assessment.

Concerns about glyphosate in food Pesticides undergo rigorous testing and risk assessment by regulatory agencies to evaluate the potential for harm to humans, wildlife, fish, and other non-target organisms. Human health risks are evaluated rigorously, including considerations for sensitive groups such as children and immune-suppressed individuals. Regulatory agencies such as the U.S. EPA have carefully reviewed existing data on risks caused by exposure through residues in food, water, residential uses, and occupational risks to those applying the product. A baseline exposure dose is identified using experimentally determined metrics defined as the lowest dose at which adverse effects are seen (LOAEL) or the dose at which no adverse effects are seen (NOAEL). The U.S. EPA then sets daily exposure limits at least 100 times below the NOAEL established in these safety studies. An important part of the regulatory process involves setting tolerances, which are the maximum amount of pesticides that may legally remain on or in food and animal feed. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for ensuring that chemical residues on or in domestic and imported foods do not exceed the limits established by the U.S. EPA. In 2016, the FDA began testing for glyphosate residues and preliminary results showed no pesticide residue violations in all four commodities tested (soybean, corn, milk, and eggs).

How to make an informed decision Consider the source of information and what their credibility is for providing accurate and un-biased information. Remember that risk is a function of both the toxicity and exposure to a substance. A substance can be extremely toxic and yet presents low risk if you have little to no exposure to it. In the same way, a substance that you are exposed to every day may pose little to no risk, if it has low toxicity. Glyphosate containing products as well as other herbicides are low risk to use when you follow the directions provided in the federal pesticide labels, which include using appropriate rates and wearing proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). Based on current research, glyphosate has been shown to pose no appreciable health risk when consuming a normal diet.

Reprinted from Extension publication SCS-2018-11 “General Information About Glyphosate.”

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78380 TX Robstown,

1 Ste. St., Main E.

710 County Nueces

Visit us online! http://nueces.agrilife.org/

Disclaimer - the information herein is for informational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service is implied.

The members of Texas A&M AgriLife will provide equal opportunities in programs and activities, education, and employment to all persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity and will strive to achieve full and equal employment opportunity throughout Texas A&M AgriLife.

Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid, service, or accommodation in order to participate in any Extension event are encouraged to contact their County Extension Office at Jason P. Ott, CEA 361-767-5223 at least one week in advance of the program in order for proper arrangements to Ag/Natural Resources be made. 710 E. Main St., Suite 1 In the event of a name, address or phone number change please contact the office at: Robstown, TX 78380 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Ph: 361.767.5223 710 E. Main, Suite 1 Attn: Ag/NR Fax: 361.767.5248 Robstown, Texas 78380 (361) 767-5223 Email: [email protected]

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