New AgriLife Extension forage specialist to serve northeast Texas producers

TSCRA Daily News Update, August 15, 2008

New AgriLife Extension forage specialist to serve northeast Texas producers

A newly appointed Texas AgriLife Extension Service forage specialist will serve more than 60 northeast counties.

"I'm excited to be here, and I'm already getting calls for help," said Dr. Vanessa Corriher, who is based at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton.

Corriher, whose first day on the job was Aug. 1, will serve livestock and forage producers throughout AgriLife Extension districts 4, 5 and 8, an area that includes most of northeast Texas.

According to the Texas Agricultural Statistic Service, the projected 2008 value of hay alone for the area is more than $500 million.

Corriher got her master's and doctorate degrees in ruminant nutrition from the University of Georgia in 2006 and 2008, respectively.

"But though my degrees are in ruminant nutrition, my academic work was mainly with improved forages," she said.

Corriher said the "first order of the day" is to familiarize herself with East Texas forage production. As the climate and cultural practices in Georgia are very similar to that of East Texas, she's not expecting too many surprises, she said.

She said her biggest challenge will be to help forage and livestock producers deal with escalating costs of fuel and fertilizer.

"It's just going to be a process of re-evaluating," she said. "In order to stay profitable, it's most likely producers are going to have to take a fresh look at how they manage pastures and herds."