Overwhelming Vote for Water Resources Act Answers Bush Veto Threat
WASHINGTON, DC, September 24, 2007 (ENS) - Despite the looming threat of a presidential veto, the U.S. Senate today passed the Water Resources Development Act conference report by a vote of 81-12. The Senate passage follows House approval in August by a vote of 381-40. The bill authorizes flood control, navigation, and ecosystem restoration projects.
The law now goes to President George W. Bush for his signature, but the administration has signaled that the president will veto the bill when it gets to his desk. Still, there is thought to be strong bipartisan support for the Water Resources Development Act, WRDA, making a veto override possible.
The legislation authorizes nearly $7 billion for wetlands restoration and flood control projects to put Louisiana on the path to Category 5 storm protection, and authorizes dozens of other critical water projects nationwide.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2007/2007-09-24-05.asp
Researchers in Montana are using sensors and wireless technology to
customize irrigation by the minute and the zone. Robert Evans with the
Agricultural Research Service in Montana assembled a wireless network of
small soil-moisture and temperature sensors to schedule irrigation using
Bluetooth wireless and global positioning technology. The linear move system
in the study adjusts for soil type, topography and plant needs. Researchers
started with detailed soil maps of the test field to determine how many
sensors would be needed. Field sensors measure soil moisture, soil temperature
and air temperature every 10 seconds and transmit to a base station
every 15 minutes.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jul07/wireless0707.pdf
Extension News: Fall Considerations
By Delbert G. Voight, Jr., Regional Agronomy Educator
CARLISLE – Trying to determine topics in agriculture to write about is more challenging these days. High grain and hay prices, increased prices for nitrogen, potassium, drought impacts, biofuels, fall cover crops for forage just a few topics of interest. I chose to discuss the return of the rains and alfalfa cutting management due to the limited capacity of the article. Rains finally returned just in time to interfere with the harvesting of many crops. I don’t think anyone will complain about the rain! In some case growers planted emergency forages (Teff, sorghum/sudan) that are now ready to harvest and the rains that saturated soils will leave producers little option other than to compact and make ruts in the soil during harvest. Corn silage harvest is commencing in many areas and most growers reported that the best way to determine proper timing was to chop and see what the moisture is rather than using a timing method or using the milk line methods. After silage it would be great to see plenty of cover crop rye, oats, crimson clover or some sort of cover to protect the soil and or be an emergency forage.
See more here