Agricultural extension agent plans to help business, individuals

The new agricultural extension service agent for the Chaves County Cooperative Extension Service Office primarily based in Roswell mentioned that his job is to help giant agricultural companies in addition to the person house owner with issues a few tree or backyard.

“My primary concern is the people here in Chaves County,” mentioned Drew (Andrew) Garnett. “The purpose of the extension is to benefit all of the members of our community. Because the agricultural industry here is so large, yes, I will be putting a lot of effort into our agricultural producers to make sure they have what they need and the information they need to be profitable and sustainable. But anybody who has a home garden, anybody who has a random plant that they have a concern about, a question about livestock or their yard, we are here and available for that as well.”

Garnett is the second new extension agent in current months to be part of the native workplace, a part of the statewide Cooperative Extension community affiliated with New Mexico State University to help communities by making use of the analysis performed by college and scientists at NMSU and different establishments.

Located in Chaves County, he’s working with the state’s second largest agricultural manufacturing space by way of money receipts for livestock and crops. Cash receipts totaled greater than $467 million in 2019, the newest yr for which data is accessible from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture.

Tamara Schubert additionally has joined the workplace as the patron science extension agent, with details about her work to be offered in a future article. Another change is that Andrea Stapp, the longtime 4-H extension agent, is now the interim county director.

Garnett has spent the previous seven years in Florida, however his transfer to Chaves County is a return to his roots. Dexter is the place he grew up — graduating from Dexter High School and taking part in its FFA Club (previously the Future Farmers of America) — and it’s the place his household nonetheless lives.

After highschool, he earned a bachelor’s and grasp’s diploma in agricultural biology with an emphasis in entomology from New Mexico State University. He did his grasp’s analysis on glandless and glanded cotton and the way the various kinds of cotton have an effect on crop pests at an Extension Service analysis station in Artesia.

Another persevering with situation within the space is management of the pecan weevil. Chaves County stays beneath a quarantine, and Garnett mentioned that the world nonetheless has some studies of the pecan weevil affecting timber. If allowed to infest orchards, the weevil will destroy pecans. The quarantine impacts the delivery of in-shell pecans out of Chaves, Lea or Eddy counties, until sure security standards are met, and the delivery of in-shell pecans into the state. Pecan weevil emerged as a possible risk to the state’s second-largest crop in 2016, with invasions in dwelling orchards the main issues to the state’s business pecan crop. The quarantine affecting delivery out of the county is in impact no less than till March 2023.

“If people do think they have pecan weevil or an issue with their pecans, please give us a call,” Garnett mentioned. “I would love to come out to their house and look at their pecans. Or bring them and we will take a look at them here.”

He mentioned folks can attain him or the Cooperative Extension workplace by means of its social media pages or can name the workplace at 575-622-3210 to ask a few particular situation or enroll to be notified of upcoming programs or packages.

Lisa Dunlap will be reached at 575-622-7710, ext. 351, or at reporter02@rdrnews.com.