Speakers

Dr. Anciso has an undergraduate degree in biology, a master's in Plant Protection and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Texas A&M in College Station. He is currently serving as the vegetable specialist for the 21 county area in District 12 of South Texas. Prior to this he coordinated the Integrated Pest Management program for citrus and vegetable pests as the IPM Agent for Hidalgo and Cameron counties. He teaches Master Gardener classes in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Kleberg counties and is a frequent instructor in the Turf Grass and Ornamental Short Course in Dallas which is offered in Spanish for grounds maintenance professionals. He has worked on several USDA projects which have included assisting farmers in Honduras and Nicaragua in farm recovery operations and is a major participant in the IR-4 project which obtains minor use pesticides registered for Texas vegetable crops. Juan will discuss Vegetable IPM strategies in the vegetable crops section of the symposium.

Dr. Mark Black will speak at the 2003 Texas A&M University Advanced Horticulture Food Crops Symposium. Dr. Black is Extension Plant Pathologist in the Department of Plant Pathology & Microbiology and works out of the Texas A&M University Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Uvalde. Dr. Black received three degrees in plant pathology, B.S.A. and M.S. from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. He has published 25 journal articles and numerous articles in grower publications and newsletters. He has broad commodity and urban responsibilities for disease control strategies in southwest Texas, including training and diagnostic services for county Extension agents, growers, consultants, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station personnel, agriculture and landscape service businesses, homeowners, and Master Gardener volunteers. His collaboration with peanut breeders on improving variety resistance to Tomato spotted wilt virus has produced three new varieties for use in Texas and Oklahoma. He began a project on Pierce's disease of grape in 2003.

Dr. Black will present one lecture at the 2003 Symposium on factors that influence disease management in food crops, including integrating multiple disease control strategies, disease identification, disease control pesticides, pesticide resistance problems, and decision aids.

Dr. Frank Dainello is a member of the 2003 Texas A&M University Advanced Horticulture Food Crops Symposium planning committee. Dr. Dainello is currently serving as the Extension Horticulturist for commercial vegetable crops in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University. His educational background includes a B.S. degree in Agriculture from Southeastern Louisiana College and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Louisiana State University. Dr. Dainello has over 30 years of experience in horticultural food crops research and extension programs. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as Project Leader for Horticulture Food Crops Research at the Kansas State University Horticulture Research Center at Wichita and Project Leader for Vegetable Crops Research at the Texas A&M University Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Uvalde. His current research and extension interest include: water use efficiency of vegetable crops; spinach production practices and disease control; and, improving watermelon culture. He has authored or co-authored 26 peer reviewed publications and over 100 technical articles on various aspects of vegetable production. He has been a member of research and extension teams that have received in excess of $1.75 million in grant funding. Dr. Dainello will address crop water use and scheduling in the vegetable crops session of the symposium.

Dr. Sam Feagley is the Texas Cooperative Extension State Soil Environmental Specialist in the Soil and Crop Sciences Department at Texas A&M University. Dr. Feagley is a soil chemist having a BS in chemistry and MS in soil fertility/chemistry from Texas A&M and a PhD in soil chemistry from University of Missouri. He has published more than 30 referred journal articles, eight handbooks, 11 bulletins, over 60 abstracts, and 5 proceedings. He has also developed and delivered numerous presentations to producers related to nutrient management for organic and inorganic sources of nutrients, water quality and how to use waters of marginal quality, and to Master Gardener classes related to soils for the Master Gardener. His grants over the last 23 years are over $2,000,000. Most of his research and extension effort centers around animal manure and biosolids nutrient management and validation of the Phosphorus Index for Texas. He serves as a Technical Committee Member of the Council of Soil Science Examiners and as the coordinator for the Texas Nutrient Management Specialists Certification Short Course.

Dr. Feagley will present a one hour discussion on Water and Nutrient Movement in Various Soil Types. Information to be presented is physical and chemical characteristics of water and nutrients that contribute to movement in soils.

Dr. Blaine Hanson will be the featured Out-Of-State guest speaker at the 2003 Texas A&M University Advanced Horticulture Food Crops Symposium. Dr. Hanson is an Irrigation and Drainage Extension Specialist in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at the University of California-Davis. Dr. Hanson is an engineer by training having received two Civil Engineering degrees, B.S. and M.S. respectively from New Mexico State University and Utah State University, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering from Colorado State University. He has published over 60 technical articles on various aspects of irrigation ranging from sub-surface water and salt movement in the soil to system efficiency of center pivots. His research and extension program topics include: efficiencies of all forms of irrigation, salinity, irrigation scheduling, soil moisture sensing, drainage and well and pump efficiency. His research and extension teams have been awarded $500,000 in grant support. As a result of his research and extension programs he is considered one of the leading Irrigation Specialists in the US today.

Dr. Hanson will present two, 1-hour lectures at the 2003 Symposium: design and management of drip irrigation systems, and, managing water, salts and fertilizers with irrigation. These are extremely timely topics for Texas producers. Drought seems to be the norm in Texas.

Dr. Ed Hellman is an Associate Professor and Viticulture Extension Specialist with joint appointments at Texas A&M and Texas Tech Universities. Ed received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas. Prior to coming to Texas Ed served on the faculties at Kansas State University and Oregon State University. He is a member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, the American Society for Horticultural Sciences and the American Pomological Society.

Dr. Hellman has published 13 peer-reviewed articles, 19 proceeding publications, 16 book chapters and numerous Extension bulletins, fact sheets and popular articles. His excellence in research and extension programming has resulted in him receiving many prestigious awards including the Newer Faculty Achievement Award and the Search for excellence Award from the Oregon State University Extension Association, National Winner Best Web site by the Nation County Agricultural Agents Association, and the President's Award for Outstanding Contributions to Viticulture by the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association. Ed's discussion topic for the symposium will be grape flowering and fruiting physiology.

Mr. Jim Kamas received his BS and his MS degrees from Texas A&M University. He is currently housed in Fredericksburg and is serving as Assistant Professor and Extension Fruit Specialist for the Texas Cooperative Extension and is the Texas Leader of the National Pierces Disease control program. Jim brings a wide range of experience in Extension programs having had prior experience in commercial production and in academia. Prior to joining the Extension faculty in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M he was the Research Horticulturist for the Todd Mission Farms and was Owner/Operator of the Mill Creek Peach Orchards. Mr. Kamas has also served in the Cornell Extension program where he was Team Leader and Extension Grape Fruit Specialist and Lake Erie Region Grape Cooperative Project between Cornell and Penn State Universities. Jim will be discussing peach flowering and fruiting physiology in the Symposium's fruit and grape session.

Dr. Dan Lineberger received his B. S. in Ornamental Horticulture from North Carolina State University and his M. S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University in Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture. Dan has served as Head of the Departments of Horticulture at Clemson and Texas A&M Universities, and, as President of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences. His current area of interest is information technology and Web-based communications. Dr. Lineberger is one of the nations leaders in Web-based education. He is the creator of Aggie Horticulture a site to over 20 Web sites on a network of servers including Web pages, interactive databases, search robots, and video servers. In addition to its function as an archive of horticultural information, the Aggie Horticulture program includes Web-based research on a variety of topics including surveys on quality of life issues, Web-based applications for the horticulture industries, and the development of techniques and technology for Web-based horticultural instruction. Dan's topic of discussion at the symposium will be the Internet as a management and marketing tool.

Dr. George McEachern is a native of Louisiana. He received his BS and MS Degrees in Horticulture at Louisiana State University, and, his Ph.D. in Horticulture at Texas A&M University. George retired from Texas Cooperative Extension two years ago after serving 32 years as the Extension Horticulturist for the pecan, wine grape and fruit crop production programs within the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University. Although George retired from Extension, he still coordinates the Texas Pecan Orchard Management Short-course and the Texas Pecan Show program. He is currently on the teaching faculty in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M and is a visiting Professor at Grayson County College. Dr. McEachern will discuss root, soil and water interactions at the 2003 symposium.

Dr. Mark Lee McFarland is an Associate Professor and Soil Fertility Specialist with the Texas Cooperative Extension. In addition, he serves as the state-wide and regional Water Quality Coordinator for Extension. Dr. McFarland received a B.S. degree in Biology from Angelo State University, a M.S. degree in Range Science from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in Soil Science from Texas A&M University. He spent two years as an Assistant Professor and Extension Soil and Water Resources Specialist in the College of Agriculture and Forestry at West Virginia University where he conducted research and extension programs in soil conservation and nutrient management. In 1995, he joined the Extension faculty at Texas A&M as Soil Fertility Specialist and State Water Quality Coordinator where he is responsible for educational and applied research programs concerning nutrient management for crop production and water quality protection.

The majority of his research and educational programming focuses on efficient use of nitrogen and phosphorus in crop production systems. He has worked extensively on phosphorus management in corn, cotton and grain sorghum, and participated in the development of the Texas Phosphorus Index. Recently, he has been actively involved in the evaluation of a new nitrogen soil testing methodology which predicts seasonal mineralization and plant availability, and is investigating alterative strategies for the use and management of dairy manure compost. He aggressively promotes the use of soil testing as a critical economic and environmental best management practice.

José G. Peña will discuss why farmers fail during the 2003 Texas A&M University Advanced Horticulture Food Crops Symposium. Mr. Peña is an Associate Professor and Extension Economist-Management for Texas Cooperative Extension stationed at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in Uvalde. He specializes in crop/livestock production economics and farm/ranch business management. He has B.S. degrees in Animal Science and Horticulture and an M.S. degree in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University. Mr. Peña's programs include assisting farmers and ranchers in planning and evaluating production, policy, marketing and financial management techniques and alternatives as they relate to overall competitiveness and profitability. He concentrates on vegetable, pecan, fruit orchard and greenhouse production economics. Joe has authored numerous articles and publications in these subject matter areas. His expertise in economics is widely recognized among his peers and the farmers and ranchers he serves.

Dr. Leonard M. Pike is the Director of the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center and a Professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University. He is the project director for a program entitled "Foods for Health" to develop fruits and vegetables that have uniform high levels of phytochemicals for improved health and nutrition. The first development in this area, the "BetaSweet" maroon carrot, has 40% more beta-carotene than an orange carrot and anthocyanin. The multi-disciplinary team of scientists are improving the phytochemical content of melons, peppers, peaches, plums, onions, carrots, and watermelons; using animal models to investigate the cancer prevention properties of quercetin and citrus compounds to reduce cholesterol levels; improving post-harvest techniques to maintain the high levels of the phytochemicals; and improve the production and irrigation practices for these improved varieties.

Dr. Pike received his doctorate in plant breeding from the Michigan State University and his Master's and Bachelor's degrees from the University of Arkansas. He has developed and released 17 varieties of cucumbers, carrots, and onions. He is known as the father of the "Texas 1015" onion which revitalized the South Texas onion industry. Sales from this onion have been over $350 million since its debut in 1983. His breeding program uses traditional plant breeding techniques and genetic markers. He and the VFIC staff have developed a tissue culture cloning technique and cytoplasm screening process that shortens the time it takes to develop and release new varieties. Grant funds to support these research efforts total over $3 million dollars.

Dr. David Reed is a Full Professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University. Dr. Reed received his B. S. degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Horticulture and his M. S. and Ph.D. degrees in Ornamental Horticulture at Cornell University. Since joining the faculty at Texas A&M University, Dr. Reed has become one of the most respected and honored members of the teaching faculty. Dave's excellence in teaching is reflected in the many prestigious teaching awards he has received: Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching - College Level by the Texas A&M Former Students Association; Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching - University Level by the Texas A&M Former Students Association; The Vice Chancellor's Award in Excellence for Teaching; L. M. Ware Distinguished Teaching Award by the Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Sciences; and, The American Society for Horticultural Sciences Outstanding Undergraduate Educator in the Nation Award, to mention a few. Another testament to Dave's skills as a teacher is the fact that he has been the highest rated speaker at the first two Advanced Horticulture Food Crops Symposiums.

Dr. Reed is also an accomplished researcher having published numerous peer reviewed scientific journal articles and three books on various aspects of horticulture. Dave has also been a member of a research team grant funded in excess of $ 500,000 and has served as Interim Head of the Department and as Associate Head for Graduate Studies within the department. Dr. Reed will be lecturing on the role and importance of endogenous growth regulators in plant growth at the 2003 Symposium.

Dr. Don L. Renchie is Coordinator of Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEP) for TCE. He has been in the pesticide manufacturing, sales, regulatory and education arenas for more than twenty seven years. Don and his team of specialists work with CEAs, other TCE disciplinary specialists, regulatory agency, and industry personnel to develop, conduct and distribute pesticide safety education programs/activities throughout Texas. Recognized nationally for his knowledge about the pesticide regulatory process, Don is a board member of the American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators (AAPSE), a member and past Regional Director of the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership Program (TALL), Gamma Sigma Delta International Agricultural fraternity and many other church and civic organizations.

Dr. Larry Stein is a Professor and Extension Horticulturist working on fruit, nut and vegetable crops in the Wintergarden Region of Texas. He received his degrees from Texas A&M University and is headquartered at the TAMU Research and Extension Center in Uvalde. Larry conducts many on farm demonstrations on drip irrigation; use of drip to irrigate pivot corners, use of drip to grow squash during most stressful part of the summer and the efficiency of drip compared to sprinkler; and variety trials, including tomato, bell pepper, spinach, onions, and watermelons. In addition, Larry works on crop load management on pecans along with the use of irrigation to control late season shuck disorders in pecan. Larry also works on the evaluation of potential new rootstocks for peaches and continues to evaluate new potential table grape varieties as they become available. Larry is a member of the symposium planning committee and will present information on improving the efficiency of fertilizer placement in the vegetable section and the flowering sequence of apple in the fruit section.

Dr. Al B. Wagner, Jr. is a Professor and Extension Food Technologist with the Texas Cooperative Extension Service of the Texas A&M University System. He received his B.S. Degree in Agriculture Education and his M.S. and Ph.D. in food Science and Technology from Texas A&M University. His prime responsibility is to serve as a unified base and resource for education guidance and problem solving on all processing aspects of commercial food from plant origin. He is a recognized "process authority" by the Food & Drug Administration. He conducts a Better Process Control School, annually that trains and certifies personnel working in food processing facilities. He is a frequent speaker at state and national meetings on subjects dealing with processing of sauces, proper utilization of food addictive and various food safety issues, including Good Agricultural Practices as they relate to minimizing microbial contamination of fresh fruits & vegetables.

Dr. Russ Wallace has been an Assistant Professor and Extension Vegetable Specialist at Texas A & M University in Lubbock since June 2002. Russ serves with a 75% extension and 25% research split appointment for the High Plains region. His research efforts involve weed control in regionally grown vegetable crops and field-grown ornamentals, where he conducts trials evaluating herbicides and alternative uses for these crops. Russ received his B.S. degree from California State University B Fresno, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University in upstate New York. Russ has 15 years experience in vegetable weed control research and extension, and most recently was employed with BioWorks, Inc. where he served as National Field Research Manager evaluating and assisting in EPA and state registrations for their biological control products. Russ also was employed by Cornell University as a Research Associate in Vegetable Crops, and with Cornell Cooperative Extension. Russ has 13 peer-reviewed scientific publications related to vegetable crops weed control, one book chapter and has presented numerous extension and scientific talks on subjects such as weed control, biological disease control, and general vegetable production. Dr. Wallace's presentations will include making herbicides work (general session), and an overview of vegetable herbicides (vegetable session).