7/17 Agriculture Digest

Food safety workshop in Clovis

Fruit growers and farmer’s market vegetable growers can improve their knowledge of food safety and sanitation July 26 during a good agricultural practices workshop in Clovis. The day-long training at New Mexico State University’s Curry County Extension office, 818 Main St., will cover use of compost and manure, animal issues, worker hygiene, water use, harvest sanitation and safe produce handling. Experts with NMSU and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture will present the training. Lunch will be provided. The workshop fee is $20.

Information: Roy Pennock at 646-3588.

Field day set for Aug. 2 in Clovis

An evening field day on water-conserving crops will take place Aug. 2 at New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center, located 13 miles north of Clovis on State Road 288. Registration is at 5 p.m., and a field tour starts at 7 p.m.

Topics to be discussed: Warm-season annual grass studies, insect management, peanut breeding program, alfalfa variety trials, sunflower variety trials and cotton variety trials.

Information: Mark Marsalis at 985-2292 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Field day set for Aug. 4 in Tucumcari

Eastern New Mexico’s agricultural diversity will take the spotlight during an evening field day Aug. 4 at New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center near Tucumcari. The program will focus on turf research, animal identification, forage production and weed management.

The free program begins with registration at 5 p.m. at NMSU’s Tucumcari science center, located 3 miles northeast of Tucumcari on Highway 54. A walking tour of the center’s turfgrass trials will be followed by dinner at 5:40 p.m. The field tour starts at 7 p.m.

Information: Rex Kirksey at 461-1620 or via e-mail [email protected].

Crop assistance available through FSA

ALBUQUERQUE — Producers who suffered crop loss from damaging weather in 2003, 2004 and certain 2005 crop losses are eligible for assistance, according to a press release from the Farm Service Agency.

The sign-up deadline is Sept. 9 for the 2003 and 2004 crop years.

Producers suffering a greater than 35-percent production loss and/or more than a 20-percent quality loss are eligible. The payment rate for CDP has been increased to 65 percent of the established commodity price for insured crops and noninsured crops, and 60 percent of the price for uninsured commodities.

Information: Visit the USDA’s Web site at

http://www.disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

Agriculture Digest is complied by CNJ staff writer Leslie Radford. Contact her at 763-6991 or by e-mail at: [email protected]