The Economic Impact of the Cotton Crop on the Texas High Plains, 2008

Early season high winds and late season cool temperatures have worked together to limit the size of the High Plains cotton crop. Over the past 5 years, the High Plains2 has averaged 4.44 million bales produced each year. However, Plains Cotton Growers recently estimated the 2008 crop to be around 3.2 million bales (Wade). If these production numbers materialize, the 28% drop in production will have significant impacts on the regional economy. The purposes of this briefing paper are to: (1) estimate the impact of the cotton crop on the High Plains economy, and (2) estimate the impact of a smaller than average crop.Agribusiness,

Integrating Stakeholder Input into Water Policy Development and Analysis

Agricultural water use is becoming an issue in much of the South due to population growth. Results of projects evaluating the impacts of conservation strategies aimed at reallocating or extending the life of water supplies are being met with great skepticism by stakeholder groups. In order to gain acceptance of results, it is essential that stakeholder groups be involved from the beginning in the identification of potential water conservation strategies and be kept informed throughout the project. The objective of this paper is to review previous attempts at involving stakeholders and the methodology currently being employed in the Ogallala Aquifer Project.conservation, Ogallala Aquifer, stakeholder, water policy, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Q250, Q280,

Economic Evaluation of Wind Energy as an Alternative to Natural Gas Powered Irrigation

High natural gas prices have agricultural producers searching for alternative energy sources for irrigation. The economic feasibility of electric and hybrid (electric/wind) systems are evaluated as alternatives to natural gas powered irrigation. Texas Panhandle and Southern Kansas farms are assessed with a quarter-mile sprinkler system, three crops, and two pumping lifts. Breakeven points identify the price at which conversion from a natural gas irrigation system to an electric or hybrid system is cost effective. Results indicate electricity is a more feasible energy source for irrigation and policy changes such as net metering are necessary to make hybrid systems viable.electricity, irrigation, natural gas, wind energy, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, International Development, Land Economics/Use, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q12, Q20, Q42,

The Economic Value of Irrigation in the Texas Panhandle

The Texas Panhandle relies largely on the Ogallala Aquifer for access to water for irrigated agricultural production. With current pumping rates and slow recharge rates, the aquifer will at some point in the future no longer be an economically viable source of water for agriculture. The objective of this study is to estimate the value of irrigated agriculture to the region. A hypothetical policy restriction is imposed which assumes a one hundred percent conversion to dryland agriculture. The study estimates the economic impact of such a change on producer income and the resulting socioeconomic impacts on communities in the region.economic impacts, IMPLAN, irrigated production, Ogallala Aquifer, water policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, Q18, Q32, Q38,

Estimation of Farm-Forward Regional Economic Impacts for the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District in Texas

Impacts of alternative agricultural water conservation strategies are being evaluated in the Texas Panhandle. Stakeholders have expressed concern that all effects need to be accounted for including the regional economy. A methodology was developed to evaluate the effects on the backward and forward-linked processing sectors and differentiated results are presented.backward-linked, forward-linked, IMPLAN, Ogallala Aquifer, water policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q18, Q32, Q38,

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Upregulation of GALNT7 in prostate cancer modifies O-glycosylation and promotes tumour growth.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and it is estimated that over 350,000 men worldwide die of prostate cancer every year. There remains an unmet clinical need to improve how clinically significant prostate cancer is diagnosed and develop new treatments for advanced disease. Aberrant glycosylation is a hallmark of cancer implicated in tumour growth, metastasis, and immune evasion. One of the key drivers of aberrant glycosylation is the dysregulated expression of glycosylation enzymes within the cancer cell. Here, we demonstrate using multiple independent clinical cohorts that the glycosyltransferase enzyme GALNT7 is upregulated in prostate cancer tissue. We show GALNT7 can identify men with prostate cancer, using urine and blood samples, with improved diagnostic accuracy than serum PSA alone. We also show that GALNT7 levels remain high in progression to castrate-resistant disease, and using in vitro and in vivo models, reveal that GALNT7 promotes prostate tumour growth. Mechanistically, GALNT7 can modify O-glycosylation in prostate cancer cells and correlates with cell cycle and immune signalling pathways. Our study provides a new biomarker to aid the diagnosis of clinically significant disease and cements GALNT7-mediated O-glycosylation as an important driver of prostate cancer progression

The Economic Impact of the Cotton Crop on the Texas High Plains, 2008

Early season high winds and late season cool temperatures have worked together to limit the size of the High Plains cotton crop. Over the past 5 years, the High Plains2 has averaged 4.44 million bales produced each year. However, Plains Cotton Growers recently estimated the 2008 crop to be around 3.2 million bales (Wade). If these production numbers materialize, the 28% drop in production will have significant impacts on the regional economy. The purposes of this briefing paper are to: (1) estimate the impact of the cotton crop on the High Plains economy, and (2) estimate the impact of a smaller than average crop

Economic Contribution of Cattle By-Products in the Texas Panhandle

Animal harvesting is an important industry in the Texas Panhandle with economic output of more than $7 billion and employment approaching 12,000 (IMPLAN, 2013). Technology advancements providing more efficient utilization of cattle carcasses through useful by-products is a means by which the value of the industry to the regional economy is increased. By-products can reduce waste, increase the overall value of the carcass, and boost profits. Increased profit potential provides an incentive for beef packing facilities to efficiently utilize the majority of the carcass. The by-products increase value added to the beef marketing channel in the Texas Panhandle and increase the contribution of the animal harvesting industry to the regional economy

The Importance of Irrigated Crop Production to the Texas High Plains Economy

The Ogallala Aquifer is the primary source of water for irrigation in the Texas High Plains. Depletion of the aquifer concerns stakeholders as agriculture is a major driver in the regional economy. This study examines the contribution of irrigation to income, economic output, and employment in the region