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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 1988)
Tuesday, September 13, 1988/The Battalion/Page 7 Drought causes shortage of hay ; livestock in danger of starvation <j*i, By Jamie Conley Reporter I It looks like it might be a long, told and possibly hungry winter for ^ome of the livestock in Texas, as al most 30 percent of the state is suffer ing from a shortage in hay supplies. According to a weekly forage re- jort released by the Texas Agricul tural Extension Service, the short- iges are most pronounced in East Texas, Northeast Texas, South Texas and the Coastal Bend region. Dr. Chester Fehlis, the state Reader for county extension pro- jrams, said that drought is the major factor behind the shortage. “The Panhandle and West Texas have received an unusually high per centage of rain,” Fehlis said. “But because East Texas, the state’s pri mary hay producer, has been hit hard by the drought, the hay short age is more severe than normal.” Fehlis said, however, the shortage will have little affect on the Bryan- College Station area. “The county is a little below nor mal in its hay supply,” he said. “But since we (Bryan-College Station) are traditionally a big supplier, we will still have an adecjuate amount.” To cattle and horse raisers, the shortage will mean a cost increase in maintaining their livestock during the winter. Along with a 20-40 per cent hike in hay prices, some will have to contend with the added ex pense of transporting the hay, he said. Because of its bulky nature, the hay is difficult to move, which adds to the transporting price, he said. There are, however, hay produc ers in a number of counties with hay for sell, Fehlis said. To help with the shortage prob lem, these producers are harvesting as much hay as possible before the end of the growing season this month, he said. They are hoping to enter the win ter season with a large forage to help the ‘hay-poor’ producers with their supplemental feeding period, he said. This period begins with the first anc j l as t s until the first sprincr growth. The county Extension agents in those counties with hay for sale are keeping a current listing of individu als with a surplus of hay and the quantity that is available at this time, Fehlis said. “To help solve the problem we need to match those people with hay shortages and those with hay surplu ses,'” Fehlis said. “Anyone wanting to buy hay should contact his local county Extension office for assistan ce.” According to the most recent for age report, 1,012 producers are of fering some 75,060 tons for sale. Counties with the largest volume of hay for sale include Hamilton, Henderson, Leon, Limestone, Ran dall, Smith and Van Zandt. Man tears garden apart after break-in HOUSTON (AP) — Flowers and plants that surrounded a house in a poor neighborhood were uprooted by the man who rented the home after he was forced to move because burglars stole nearly everything he owned. “They (burglars) usually break in once a year, but they hit me two times last week and stole ev erything but my bedstead and clothes,” said Cleveland Turner, 53, who worked five years on the yard and tore it down last week. His home and its bright sur roundings had once been a bright spot in Houston’s Third Ward. The yard was full of flowers and plants and was surrounded by scraps of lumber that were painted mostly red, blue and green. It also was full of adornments such as plastic swans, a picture of jjesus Christ and a wood cutout of Alickey Mouse. But Turner, frustrated over the two recent burglaries, tore down the bright surroundings and moved from the three-room house to another rental home about two miles away, “I just couldn’t (jut it anymore,” he said. Congress OK’s appropriation to guard endangered species WASHINGTON (AP) — Legis lation is on its way to President Rea- gan’.s desk setting aside $15.5 million to buy the last bit of privately held land on Matagorda Island, wintering grounds for the endangered whoop ing crane, and to expand a wildlife corridor along the Rio Grande. The Interior Department appro priations bill authorizes $10 million for the purchase of approximately 7,700 acres to be added to the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, home of the bald eagle, per egrine falcon, jaguarundi and oce lot. The measure, passed by Congress last week, also calls for spending $5.5 million to purchase 5,017 acres at the southern tip of Matagorda Is land, congressional officials say. The purchase will be the federal govern ment’s third and final acquisition from the Texas Nature Conservancy for the 11,602-acre Wynne family ranch on the Gull Coast barrier is land south of Victoria. While ownership of the rest of the 55,396-acre island is split between the state and federal government, the Texas Parks and Wildlife De partment manages the entire parcel and had sought control of the Wynne ranch. But officials say politics and per sonalities entered into the picture, with the prevailing sentiment that the federal government should man age lands it has purhcased under the Endangered Species Act. State officials, however, say the fight isn’t over. “We’re going to try next year to get control of the Wynne property,” Mark Schnabel, natural resources coordinator for the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations, said. The island has emerged as impor tant wintering grounds for the world’s only flock of cranes that breeds in the wild, as its population expands and outgrows the tradi tional winter home on nearby Aran sas National Wildlife Refuge. David Cottom, spokesman for the, Texas Wildlife Department, said the agency’s proposed plan for the Wynne ranch contended that uni fied management of all lands on Matagorda would be in the best in terest of the habitat and the many species of animals, including 20 that are endangered or threatened. “We have an excellent record and are recognized nationally for man agement of wetlands habitat and, in particular, that area where whoop ing cranes are on the island,” Cot tom said. Bruce Thompson, in charge of the stale’s non-game and endan gered species program, said as many as 150 tvhoop'ing cranes are ex pected to make the journey this fall from Northwest Territories, Can ada, to Texas. Last year, 134 cranes wintered in Texas. Another flock of about 20 winters in New Mexico and summers in Idaho, but Thompson said those cranes have not yet reproduced in the wild. A flock of about 40 is kept in captivity at the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. The $10 million appropriation for land along the Rio Grande is among the largest single acquisitions for wildlife in Texas approved by the federal government, congressional staffers said. The land will augment a wildlife corridor between Falcon Dam and the mouth of the Rio Grande, one of the nation’s richest areas for plants and animals. The thorny brushland is home to 56 types of birds and animals facing extinction, says Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas. It is the only remaining natural habitat with a subtropical cli mate in the United States, has the country’s only remaining native palm grove, and nine species are on the endangered species list. Since the establishment of the south Texas refuge, the U.S. De partment of Fish and Wildlife has been able to protect 25,887 acres of land. The service has identified 107,500 acres it would like to see protected, Bentsen said. iiid'f; re* leauj 1 cnu ‘ ik ifi me | sotif iwql lO'lf \\ | ha| placg the tsf" ier I xas 105 ue !f ne to he!5 The Student Chapter THE AGGIE CLUB The Aggie Club Student Chapter is holding it's first membership meeting of the school year. All students are invited to attend. Scheduled to speak are Arno Krebbs, President of the Aggie Club, and Coach Jackie Sherrill. Come and renew your membership or come join and get involved. Thurs., Sept. 15,1988 8:00 P.M. G. Rollie White Coliseum Make money while gaining valuable work experience as a Battalion ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Must be a student enrolled in TAMU Must have a car Sale experience desired but not necessary For more information call 845-2696 845-2697 OFFICIAL NOTICE TO TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY STUDENTS In the past, certain information has been made public by Texas A&M University as a service to students, families, and other interested individuals. Under the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974”, the following directory information may be made public unless the student desires to withhold any or all of this information. Student’s name, address (local and permanent), telephone listing, date and place of birth, sex, nationality, race, major, classification, dates of attendance, class schedule, degrees awarded,awards or honors, class standing, previous institution or educational agency attended by the student, parent’s name and address, sports participation, weight and height of athletic team members, parking permit information, and photograph. Any student wishing to withhold any or all of this information should fill out, in person, the appropriate form, available to all students at the Registrar’s Office, Room 112, Records Section, no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday September 16, 1988 Donald D. Carter Registrar Students! Work Smart. Work Simply... With Hewlett-Packard! 11C $42.00 12C $60 00 15C $60 00 17B $82.50 19B $132 00 22S $45 00 32S $52.50 27S $82.50 28S $176.25 41-CV $132.00 41CX $186.75 71B $468.75 HEWLETT PACKARD AUTHORIZED HEWLETT-PACKARD DEALER 505 Church Street • College Station, Texas (409) 846-5332 \aggie inema/ Le declin de Tempire Americain Un film de Denys Arcand En Francais avec sous-titres en Anglais New York Critics Award Best Foreign Film for 1986 Tuesday September WINNER INTERNATION AJ. ASSOCIATION OF FILM CRITICS AWARD J CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 1986 7:30 PM Rudder Theatre "Delicious decadence" —Village Voice "Spontaneously funny” -N.Y. Times "A triumph" Times The Decline of the American Empire A film by Denys Arcand In French with English sub-titles Tickets $2.50 w/TAMU ID Today is the last day to buy our International Film Series discount season pass! They're only $12.00! Co-sponsored by MSC Jordan Institute.