I have been working on starting this blog for quite awhile now, and I'm finally ready to publish my first edition. Below you will find articles of interest for our Agricultural Community. Please feel free to comment, criticize and/or praise. All comments are welcome, but try to be polite. Thanks, Ralph Davis CEA/Ag Kaufman County
January 25, 2011 - Texas crop, weather for Jan. 25, 2011
By Robert Burns (903-834-6191)
COLLEGE STATION -- Eastern Texas received rain in the last week, somewhat
alleviating the drought conditions that have been the rule for the last
several months, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel.
According to the Palmer Drought Index, much of East Texas remains in a
moderate drought situation. The Palmer Drought Index is based on
precipitation, temperature and historic data, and is the main drought index
used by the U.S.
government.
Conditions varied county-to-county, according to AgriLife Extension county
agent reports.
"We are getting some rain. Wood County got 1.5 to 3 inches this past week,"
said Clint Perkins, AgriLife Extension agent for the county, located north of
Tyler.
"It has helped. We are still short from last year's deficit, but on track for
this year."
"Cold temperatures again," said Chad Gulley, AgriLife Extension agent for
Nacogdoches County, north of Lufkin. "Soil moisture has improved with the cold
fronts bringing rain lately, but we are still not out of the drought. Winter
forage is growing with the recent rains."
"Cattle are beginning to show the effects of hay shortages and colder
temperatures," said Aaron Low, AgriLife Extension agent for Cherokee County,
south of Tyler. "Recent rainfall has helped improve the drought conditions
some."
"We've had some timely rains in north central Texas, but it's still falling
well below what we should get this time of this year," said Mark Fox,
climatologist with the National Weather Service, Dallas/Ft. Worth region.
But considering it's a La Niña year, precipitation has been "right on target"
with what is expected, he said.
However, a La Niña year also usually means a warmer-than-normal winter, and
that has not been the case this year, Fox said.
There is a lot of conjecture as to what's causing the colder than normal
temperatures for a La Niña year, Fox said, but it's just that - conjecture.
But as far as the droughty winter, "we've seen this pattern many times
before,"
he said.
"The temperatures start to cool down out in the Pacific Ocean, and this gives
us a lot less precipitation across Texas. Pretty much right now, it's falling
right in line with what we would see with a normal La Niña year."
Fox noted that precipitation patterns are already starting to return to
normal.
"We're definitely going to be looking at a wetter pattern coming up March,
April and May," he said.
AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:
Central: The pecan harvest wound down. Corn, cotton and sorghum growers were
preparing and fertilizing fields for spring plantings. December rains caused
some ryegrass, wheat and oats to emerge. Winter feeding of cattle was in full
swing as cold, wet weather increased the need for supplementation.
Coastal Bend: Soil-moisture levels greatly improved, and winter pastures
improved in response. Cattlemen continued to feed hay and supplements. Field
work was slowed because of wet conditions. Farmers were pre-ordering seed and
planning cropping systems.
East: Although rain -- as much as 4.5 inches in some counties -- improved
soil-moisture levels, the area remained in a moderate to severe drought. Rain
helped existing winter pastures, and it was hoped it would jump start those
that have been slow to grow. Hay and supplemental feeding increased due to
cold, wet conditions. Hay supplies were short. Without winter pastures, some
producers were at risk of not having enough hay to get through the winter.
Some producers were buying alfalfa from other areas. Cattle and livestock were
in good to fair condition. One exception noted was in Henderson County where
there was an increase in respiratory disease in young calves. Stock-pond
levels improved, but were still low in most areas. In areas where conditions
allowed, farmers were preparing fields to plant spring vegetables, fruit trees
and other crops.
Far West: Very dry conditions with high fire danger persisted. Fall-planted
onions came out of dormancy and re-initiated growth. Alfalfa was still
dormant.
Growers were pruning pecan trees. Farmers were preparing fields for spring
planting of cotton and chiles, and shredding cotton stalks.
North: Soil-moisture levels were mostly adequate. Cold weather continued, and
snow and rain left most fields much too wet for any field work. The
precipitation raised topsoil moisture levels, but it came too late for most
winter pastures. Some pastures did perk up, however. Livestock ponds were
recharged by the rains; some were almost full. Despite stress from cold, wet
weather, livestock were in fair to good condition. Wet fields made winter
feeding of cattle difficult. Some producers were looking for hay to buy. The
pecan harvest was completed. Winter wheat was in fair to good condition.
Rangeland and pastures were in very poor to good condition. Feral hogs
continued to be a major problem.
Panhandle: The region was dry and windy with isolated reports of snow. Soil
moisture was mostly short. Producers were preparing for spring plantings.
Wheat varied from very poor to good with most reporting fair to poor.
Rangeland and pasture were in very poor to good condition, with most counties
reporting poor condition. Cattle were in fair to good condition. Temperature
swings stressed animals. Livestock producers continued supplemental feeding.
The danger of wildfire remained high.
Rolling Plains: The region remained extremely dry. Temperatures warmed up in
the middle of the reporting period but cooled off at the end. The cotton
harvest was completed with good yields and high prices reported. Many
producers kept busy shredding stalks and plowing fields. Small-grain fields
needed moisture. Despite the cold conditions, greenbug populations were
building in some counties.
Livestock were in fair to good condition as ranchers were providing
supplemental feed daily and weaning calves earlier than usual, hoping to take
some stress off mother cows. Stock-tank levels continued to drop. Wildfire
danger was very high.
Feral hogs in Dickens County were targeted by plane and helicopter.
Approximately 200 head were killed.
South: The region received from 2 to 4 inches of rain, replenishing soil
moisture for rangeland and pastures. Reports of adequate soil moisture
conditions came in from counties in the northern, eastern and southern parts
of the region, while the western counties still reported short to very short
levels. With the rain came cold weather, which continued to suppress forage
production in many areas. Frio County reported a hard freeze but with no crop
damage. Winter wheat and oats were responding well. In the western parts of
the region, young spinach got a slight case of tip burn due to a hard freeze,
but it was expected to recover. Also in that area, harvesting of spinach,
fresh-market spinach and cabbage continued. Onions, wheat and oats were
progressing well.
Livestock producers were steadily supplying supplemental feed, and cattle
remained in fair condition.
South Plains: Dry conditions continued across the region with brisk winds and
low temperatures. The region has had no measurable precipitation since
October.
Soil moisture was very short to short. Because of low soil-moisture
conditions, there has been limited field work done to prepare land for spring
planting.
Winter wheat was in poor to fair condition and continued to struggle due to
lack of moisture. Pastures and rangeland were in poor to fair condition.
Livestock were in mostly good condition and supplemental feeding continues.
Southeast: In some areas, showers improved winter annual grasses in pastures,
but low temperatures hindered substantial growth.
Southwest: The region received about 0.5-1 inch of much-needed rain during the
last four weeks, but it remains very dry with cumulative rainfall since Aug. 1
of about 50 percent of the long-term average for the same period. Cold weather
helped to conserve the limited moisture available, but high, dry, northerly
winds created dust clouds, drying soils and sand- blasting young, tender
spinach, cabbage, onions and other winter vegetables. Growers had dryland
fields ready for early spring planting, but more rain was needed soon to make
that possible. Pastures and rangeland were in winter dormancy, and forage
availability was below average. The cabbage and spinach harvests were ongoing.
West Central: Most of the region had very windy conditions and was colder The
cotton harvest was complete. Extremely dry conditions continued to take a toll
on wheat and oats. There was very little field activity due to dry soils. Some
producers were shredding cotton stalks or plowing fields. Producers increased
supplemental feeding of livestock. Cows were calving, and lambs and goats were
kidding. The pecan harvest was nearly completed.
January 25, 2011 - Resistance seen among certain common herbicides,
prescription drugs
By Blair Fannin (979.845.2259)
COLLEGE STATION – It’s an alarming pattern affecting both agriculture and
human medicine, say two experts.
On one hand, farmers are left scratching their heads wondering why certain
weeds have become resistant to common herbicides, while medical physicians
across the U.S. are seeing patients becoming resistant to common,
prescription antibiotic drugs. In both farming and human medicine, traditional tools used to solve routine
problems may no longer be as effective as they used to be. “In both agriculture and medicine, we may have been using too much of a good thing and it’s catching up with us,” said Dr. Paul Baumann, a Texas AgriLife
Extension Service state weed specialist.
For example, Baumann said glyphosate (Roundup and other products) is highly effective, “because it binds a specific enzyme that’s needed to produce plant proteins.” “It is a highly effective herbicide that controls a large number of weeds and can be used safely in crops that have glyphosate-resistant genes,” Baumann said. “These positive features have led to continued, widespread use, and in many cases as the only herbicide in the program. This has been the foundation for what we are seeing as weed resistance in some parts of Texas, but predominantly in the Southeastern U.S.” Herbicide-resistant weeds such as Palmer amaranth began to pop up in Georgia cotton fields in 2004 and have since continued to escalate due to the
repetitive use of glyphosate herbicide and nothing else. “If it is only killing weeds one specific way, eventually there’s going to be a genetic anomaly that will show up that is not sensitive to the herbicide,” Baumann said. Once this happens and nothing is done to control it, seed production will spread it all over the field, he said. “The key to all of this is the development of new chemistries that have different sites of action or simply the use of other products that have a different site of activity in the plant,” Baumann said. “In years past, we have used three or four herbicides that had different modes of action and attacked different sites in a plant.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Tom Wagner, clinic director of Scott and White Arrington Road Clinic in College Station, said in the 1960s, treatment of various skin infections would involve “a garden variety of penicillin.”
“But then in the late 1960s, patients developed penicillin resistance and synthetic penicillins followed which that worked for a while,” he said. “Subsequently, the issue of antibiotic over-utilization emerged onto the
scene. This resulted from a combination of several factors. Medical providers would inappropriately prescribe an antibiotic for the common cold. At times, patients would pressure a provider in the exam room for antibiotic therapy when any nasal congestion, sore throat or cough was present.” Rather than always taking the extra time in a hectic schedule to educate the patient between the common cold and sinus infection, Wagner said a doctor or provider would commonly prescribe an antibiotic. “Once antibiotic therapy was started, in many instances, the patient would start to feel better and would stop the antibiotic before it was all completed.” That’s led to the latest challenge in overcoming a multi-antibiotic resistant
staph aureus (bacterium) called MRSA. “I see this in my clinic nearly every day,” Wagner said. “It’s very
difficult to treat. When you eliminate penicillin, erythromycin and cephalosporin classes, you are limited in your antibiotic options. For those not allergic, we’ve resorted to using an older sulfa antibiotic to treat MRSA because of these limitations.” Just like glyphosate, Wagner says the synthetic penicillin worked for a while, but over time “it couldn’t easily reach the site of activity.” “The staph’s penicillin-binding protein lowered its affinity; thereby creating a layer of protection,” Wagner said. “Thus, the penicillin antibiotic doesn’t fully penetrate.” “It’s very analogous to the way herbicides work,” Baumann said. “The
site of activity for a herbicide may be altered in resistant species, causing the herbicide to be ineffective. For example, in an acre, there may be one seed in millions that has an altered binding site. When you control 99 percent of all of the other targeted weed species, the genetic anomaly flourishes and all heck breaks loose.”
In the meantime, while research continues to develop new tools to be used in fighting the problems, both Baumann and Wagner offer advice to their respective audiences in the farming and medical fields.
“From an agriculture perspective, that being farmers, we need to go back to some of the old chemistry, or use new products with different sites of action than the product in question," Baumann said. “We need to employ preventive instead of remedial approaches because remedial, post-emergence products may
not be available to you. Rotation of herbicides is one recommendation. Or, at least use an alternative site of action herbicide somewhere in the program, in conjunction with glyphosate products to pick up the resistant biotype.”
Meanwhile, Wagner says both patients and medical doctors need to work together with treatment protocols involving both pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures. “The first few days of nasal or sinus congestion may resemble a sinus infection, but more likely it is a viral upper airway infection,” he said. "More times than not, patients are better off waiting seven to 10 days. Usually this type of viral infection improves over this time span.” If the patient’s symptoms persist or worsen, consider antibiotic therapy at
that time.
January 25, 2011
Writer(s):Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872,mailto:ka-phillips@tamu.edu%20
Contact(s):Dr. Joyce Cavanagh, 979-845-3859, JACavanagh@ag.tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – Large numbers of tax payers may have to delay preparing their returns this year, and the usual April 15 filing deadline has even been extended, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.
The Internal Revenue Service needed some time to update their system's regulations after late action by the U.S. Congress in December, said Dr. Joyce Cavanagh, AgriLife Extension personal finance specialist, so returns with certain deductions can not be submitted until Feb. 14.
And since April 15 falls on a Washington, D.C. holiday this year, taxpayers will be given until the following Monday, April 18, to postmark their returns, she said.
The IRS is updating its system primarily to meet three deductions, Cavanagh said.
"Anyone who itemizes their deductions and files a Schedule A will not be able to file until late," she said. "Other deductions that will result in delayed filing are one for educator expenses up to $250 and one for certain taxpayers who have higher education expenses such as tuition and fees that are not eligible for other credits."
The reason for the need for later filing for the Schedule A is that Congress extended the sales tax deduction, Cavanagh said.
"Particularly in Texas that's important because we do not have a state tax," she explained, noting that in states that require state tax reporting, people may choose between that and sales tax.
The educator tax is for teachers in kindergarten through 12th grade for classroom materials they purchase up to $250, she said. The higher education tuition and fees deductions are for people who are not eligible for either the Lifetime Learning Credit or the American Opportunity Credit.
"People who will be taking any or all of these deductions on their returns need to know that the IRS estimates it will not be able to accept these until Feb. 14," Cavanagh said.
She said IRS estimates that only about 30 percent of the U.S. taxpayers itemize on their returns. And though processing will not be ready for a few weeks, Cavanagh said, all taxpayers will have an extra three days to file.
Washington, D.C. will observe Emancipation Day on April 15 because April 16 – the date that commemorates the signing in 1862 of the Compensated Emancipation Act – falls on a Saturday this year.
"While that may just give some a few more days to procrastinate, I'd like to encourage those who need help preparing their taxes to look for some of the free tax assistance programs and on the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/ in advance of the filing date," Cavanagh said.
She recommends:
* Wait until all documents are in hand before beginning tax return preparation.
* Get help as needed.
* Participate in electronic filing and direct deposit if money back is expected, in order to get the speediest refund.
January 25, 2011 - Texas crop, weather for Jan. 25, 2011
By Robert Burns (903-834-6191)
COLLEGE STATION -- Eastern Texas received rain in the last week, somewhat
alleviating the drought conditions that have been the rule for the last
several months, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel.
According to the Palmer Drought Index, much of East Texas remains in a
moderate drought situation. The Palmer Drought Index is based on
precipitation, temperature and historic data, and is the main drought index
used by the U.S.
government.
Conditions varied county-to-county, according to AgriLife Extension county
agent reports.
"We are getting some rain. Wood County got 1.5 to 3 inches this past week,"
said Clint Perkins, AgriLife Extension agent for the county, located north of
Tyler.
"It has helped. We are still short from last year's deficit, but on track for
this year."
"Cold temperatures again," said Chad Gulley, AgriLife Extension agent for
Nacogdoches County, north of Lufkin. "Soil moisture has improved with the cold
fronts bringing rain lately, but we are still not out of the drought. Winter
forage is growing with the recent rains."
"Cattle are beginning to show the effects of hay shortages and colder
temperatures," said Aaron Low, AgriLife Extension agent for Cherokee County,
south of Tyler. "Recent rainfall has helped improve the drought conditions
some."
"We've had some timely rains in north central Texas, but it's still falling
well below what we should get this time of this year," said Mark Fox,
climatologist with the National Weather Service, Dallas/Ft. Worth region.
But considering it's a La Niña year, precipitation has been "right on target"
with what is expected, he said.
However, a La Niña year also usually means a warmer-than-normal winter, and
that has not been the case this year, Fox said.
There is a lot of conjecture as to what's causing the colder than normal
temperatures for a La Niña year, Fox said, but it's just that - conjecture.
But as far as the droughty winter, "we've seen this pattern many times
before,"
he said.
"The temperatures start to cool down out in the Pacific Ocean, and this gives
us a lot less precipitation across Texas. Pretty much right now, it's falling
right in line with what we would see with a normal La Niña year."
Fox noted that precipitation patterns are already starting to return to
normal.
"We're definitely going to be looking at a wetter pattern coming up March,
April and May," he said.
AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:
Central: The pecan harvest wound down. Corn, cotton and sorghum growers were
preparing and fertilizing fields for spring plantings. December rains caused
some ryegrass, wheat and oats to emerge. Winter feeding of cattle was in full
swing as cold, wet weather increased the need for supplementation.
Coastal Bend: Soil-moisture levels greatly improved, and winter pastures
improved in response. Cattlemen continued to feed hay and supplements. Field
work was slowed because of wet conditions. Farmers were pre-ordering seed and
planning cropping systems.
East: Although rain -- as much as 4.5 inches in some counties -- improved
soil-moisture levels, the area remained in a moderate to severe drought. Rain
helped existing winter pastures, and it was hoped it would jump start those
that have been slow to grow. Hay and supplemental feeding increased due to
cold, wet conditions. Hay supplies were short. Without winter pastures, some
producers were at risk of not having enough hay to get through the winter.
Some producers were buying alfalfa from other areas. Cattle and livestock were
in good to fair condition. One exception noted was in Henderson County where
there was an increase in respiratory disease in young calves. Stock-pond
levels improved, but were still low in most areas. In areas where conditions
allowed, farmers were preparing fields to plant spring vegetables, fruit trees
and other crops.
Far West: Very dry conditions with high fire danger persisted. Fall-planted
onions came out of dormancy and re-initiated growth. Alfalfa was still
dormant.
Growers were pruning pecan trees. Farmers were preparing fields for spring
planting of cotton and chiles, and shredding cotton stalks.
North: Soil-moisture levels were mostly adequate. Cold weather continued, and
snow and rain left most fields much too wet for any field work. The
precipitation raised topsoil moisture levels, but it came too late for most
winter pastures. Some pastures did perk up, however. Livestock ponds were
recharged by the rains; some were almost full. Despite stress from cold, wet
weather, livestock were in fair to good condition. Wet fields made winter
feeding of cattle difficult. Some producers were looking for hay to buy. The
pecan harvest was completed. Winter wheat was in fair to good condition.
Rangeland and pastures were in very poor to good condition. Feral hogs
continued to be a major problem.
Panhandle: The region was dry and windy with isolated reports of snow. Soil
moisture was mostly short. Producers were preparing for spring plantings.
Wheat varied from very poor to good with most reporting fair to poor.
Rangeland and pasture were in very poor to good condition, with most counties
reporting poor condition. Cattle were in fair to good condition. Temperature
swings stressed animals. Livestock producers continued supplemental feeding.
The danger of wildfire remained high.
Rolling Plains: The region remained extremely dry. Temperatures warmed up in
the middle of the reporting period but cooled off at the end. The cotton
harvest was completed with good yields and high prices reported. Many
producers kept busy shredding stalks and plowing fields. Small-grain fields
needed moisture. Despite the cold conditions, greenbug populations were
building in some counties.
Livestock were in fair to good condition as ranchers were providing
supplemental feed daily and weaning calves earlier than usual, hoping to take
some stress off mother cows. Stock-tank levels continued to drop. Wildfire
danger was very high.
Feral hogs in Dickens County were targeted by plane and helicopter.
Approximately 200 head were killed.
South: The region received from 2 to 4 inches of rain, replenishing soil
moisture for rangeland and pastures. Reports of adequate soil moisture
conditions came in from counties in the northern, eastern and southern parts
of the region, while the western counties still reported short to very short
levels. With the rain came cold weather, which continued to suppress forage
production in many areas. Frio County reported a hard freeze but with no crop
damage. Winter wheat and oats were responding well. In the western parts of
the region, young spinach got a slight case of tip burn due to a hard freeze,
but it was expected to recover. Also in that area, harvesting of spinach,
fresh-market spinach and cabbage continued. Onions, wheat and oats were
progressing well.
Livestock producers were steadily supplying supplemental feed, and cattle
remained in fair condition.
South Plains: Dry conditions continued across the region with brisk winds and
low temperatures. The region has had no measurable precipitation since
October.
Soil moisture was very short to short. Because of low soil-moisture
conditions, there has been limited field work done to prepare land for spring
planting.
Winter wheat was in poor to fair condition and continued to struggle due to
lack of moisture. Pastures and rangeland were in poor to fair condition.
Livestock were in mostly good condition and supplemental feeding continues.
Southeast: In some areas, showers improved winter annual grasses in pastures,
but low temperatures hindered substantial growth.
Southwest: The region received about 0.5-1 inch of much-needed rain during the
last four weeks, but it remains very dry with cumulative rainfall since Aug. 1
of about 50 percent of the long-term average for the same period. Cold weather
helped to conserve the limited moisture available, but high, dry, northerly
winds created dust clouds, drying soils and sand- blasting young, tender
spinach, cabbage, onions and other winter vegetables. Growers had dryland
fields ready for early spring planting, but more rain was needed soon to make
that possible. Pastures and rangeland were in winter dormancy, and forage
availability was below average. The cabbage and spinach harvests were ongoing.
West Central: Most of the region had very windy conditions and was colder The
cotton harvest was complete. Extremely dry conditions continued to take a toll
on wheat and oats. There was very little field activity due to dry soils. Some
producers were shredding cotton stalks or plowing fields. Producers increased
supplemental feeding of livestock. Cows were calving, and lambs and goats were
kidding. The pecan harvest was nearly completed.
January 25, 2011 - Resistance seen among certain common herbicides,
prescription drugs
By Blair Fannin (979.845.2259)
COLLEGE STATION – It’s an alarming pattern affecting both agriculture and
human medicine, say two experts.
On one hand, farmers are left scratching their heads wondering why certain
weeds have become resistant to common herbicides, while medical physicians
across the U.S. are seeing patients becoming resistant to common,
prescription antibiotic drugs. In both farming and human medicine, traditional tools used to solve routine
problems may no longer be as effective as they used to be. “In both agriculture and medicine, we may have been using too much of a good thing and it’s catching up with us,” said Dr. Paul Baumann, a Texas AgriLife
Extension Service state weed specialist.
For example, Baumann said glyphosate (Roundup and other products) is highly effective, “because it binds a specific enzyme that’s needed to produce plant proteins.” “It is a highly effective herbicide that controls a large number of weeds and can be used safely in crops that have glyphosate-resistant genes,” Baumann said. “These positive features have led to continued, widespread use, and in many cases as the only herbicide in the program. This has been the foundation for what we are seeing as weed resistance in some parts of Texas, but predominantly in the Southeastern U.S.” Herbicide-resistant weeds such as Palmer amaranth began to pop up in Georgia cotton fields in 2004 and have since continued to escalate due to the
repetitive use of glyphosate herbicide and nothing else. “If it is only killing weeds one specific way, eventually there’s going to be a genetic anomaly that will show up that is not sensitive to the herbicide,” Baumann said. Once this happens and nothing is done to control it, seed production will spread it all over the field, he said. “The key to all of this is the development of new chemistries that have different sites of action or simply the use of other products that have a different site of activity in the plant,” Baumann said. “In years past, we have used three or four herbicides that had different modes of action and attacked different sites in a plant.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Tom Wagner, clinic director of Scott and White Arrington Road Clinic in College Station, said in the 1960s, treatment of various skin infections would involve “a garden variety of penicillin.”
“But then in the late 1960s, patients developed penicillin resistance and synthetic penicillins followed which that worked for a while,” he said. “Subsequently, the issue of antibiotic over-utilization emerged onto the
scene. This resulted from a combination of several factors. Medical providers would inappropriately prescribe an antibiotic for the common cold. At times, patients would pressure a provider in the exam room for antibiotic therapy when any nasal congestion, sore throat or cough was present.” Rather than always taking the extra time in a hectic schedule to educate the patient between the common cold and sinus infection, Wagner said a doctor or provider would commonly prescribe an antibiotic. “Once antibiotic therapy was started, in many instances, the patient would start to feel better and would stop the antibiotic before it was all completed.” That’s led to the latest challenge in overcoming a multi-antibiotic resistant
staph aureus (bacterium) called MRSA. “I see this in my clinic nearly every day,” Wagner said. “It’s very
difficult to treat. When you eliminate penicillin, erythromycin and cephalosporin classes, you are limited in your antibiotic options. For those not allergic, we’ve resorted to using an older sulfa antibiotic to treat MRSA because of these limitations.” Just like glyphosate, Wagner says the synthetic penicillin worked for a while, but over time “it couldn’t easily reach the site of activity.” “The staph’s penicillin-binding protein lowered its affinity; thereby creating a layer of protection,” Wagner said. “Thus, the penicillin antibiotic doesn’t fully penetrate.” “It’s very analogous to the way herbicides work,” Baumann said. “The
site of activity for a herbicide may be altered in resistant species, causing the herbicide to be ineffective. For example, in an acre, there may be one seed in millions that has an altered binding site. When you control 99 percent of all of the other targeted weed species, the genetic anomaly flourishes and all heck breaks loose.”
In the meantime, while research continues to develop new tools to be used in fighting the problems, both Baumann and Wagner offer advice to their respective audiences in the farming and medical fields.
“From an agriculture perspective, that being farmers, we need to go back to some of the old chemistry, or use new products with different sites of action than the product in question," Baumann said. “We need to employ preventive instead of remedial approaches because remedial, post-emergence products may
not be available to you. Rotation of herbicides is one recommendation. Or, at least use an alternative site of action herbicide somewhere in the program, in conjunction with glyphosate products to pick up the resistant biotype.”
Meanwhile, Wagner says both patients and medical doctors need to work together with treatment protocols involving both pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures. “The first few days of nasal or sinus congestion may resemble a sinus infection, but more likely it is a viral upper airway infection,” he said. "More times than not, patients are better off waiting seven to 10 days. Usually this type of viral infection improves over this time span.” If the patient’s symptoms persist or worsen, consider antibiotic therapy at
that time.
Good reasons abound for delaying income tax preparations, family economist notes
January 25, 2011
Writer(s):
Contact(s):Dr. Joyce Cavanagh, 979-845-3859, JACavanagh@ag.tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – Large numbers of tax payers may have to delay preparing their returns this year, and the usual April 15 filing deadline has even been extended, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.
The Internal Revenue Service needed some time to update their system's regulations after late action by the U.S. Congress in December, said Dr. Joyce Cavanagh, AgriLife Extension personal finance specialist, so returns with certain deductions can not be submitted until Feb. 14.
And since April 15 falls on a Washington, D.C. holiday this year, taxpayers will be given until the following Monday, April 18, to postmark their returns, she said.
The IRS is updating its system primarily to meet three deductions, Cavanagh said.
"Anyone who itemizes their deductions and files a Schedule A will not be able to file until late," she said. "Other deductions that will result in delayed filing are one for educator expenses up to $250 and one for certain taxpayers who have higher education expenses such as tuition and fees that are not eligible for other credits."
The reason for the need for later filing for the Schedule A is that Congress extended the sales tax deduction, Cavanagh said.
"Particularly in Texas that's important because we do not have a state tax," she explained, noting that in states that require state tax reporting, people may choose between that and sales tax.
The educator tax is for teachers in kindergarten through 12th grade for classroom materials they purchase up to $250, she said. The higher education tuition and fees deductions are for people who are not eligible for either the Lifetime Learning Credit or the American Opportunity Credit.
"People who will be taking any or all of these deductions on their returns need to know that the IRS estimates it will not be able to accept these until Feb. 14," Cavanagh said.
She said IRS estimates that only about 30 percent of the U.S. taxpayers itemize on their returns. And though processing will not be ready for a few weeks, Cavanagh said, all taxpayers will have an extra three days to file.
Washington, D.C. will observe Emancipation Day on April 15 because April 16 – the date that commemorates the signing in 1862 of the Compensated Emancipation Act – falls on a Saturday this year.
"While that may just give some a few more days to procrastinate, I'd like to encourage those who need help preparing their taxes to look for some of the free tax assistance programs and on the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/ in advance of the filing date," Cavanagh said.
She recommends:
* Wait until all documents are in hand before beginning tax return preparation.
* Get help as needed.
* Participate in electronic filing and direct deposit if money back is expected, in order to get the speediest refund.
