Seminar #2

Our second seminar was held in Artesia and was about Natural Resources and Agriculture in Southeastern New Mexico.  It was my first time visiting the city and thought it was quite nice.  The food and artworks were amazing.  

The first speakers were Representative Townsend and Representative Brown.  From their discussions, I learned more about the importance of oil and gas for the New Mexico budget.  When I first graduated from college, I was pro-renewable energies but after visiting energy companies and seeing cities experience rolling blackouts, it has me second guessing whether a full switch should be made.

Another speaker was Tyler Deans from Burnett Oil Company.  He talked about how oil wells were made.  I was amazed at how they actually curved the drilling from vertical to horizontal.  With a Geologist mother, it was interesting to hear about the Delaware Basin, hydrocarbon gas buildup and stratum.  

Aron Balok who is the Superintendent for the Pecos Valley Artesian Conservancy District talked about water in the.... you guessed it... Pecos Valley.  I was not aware that Artesia got water from an artesian aquifer.  Due to the shape of the aquifer, they have very good water pressure too.  Listening to him discuss the legalities for water rights was a lot.  Obtaining water rights is not an easy task.  

We were able to visit the Seven Rivers Pecan Orchard.  This was one of my favorite tours because I started my Quality Assurance profession in a Pecan Shelling Facility.  I was never able to see a pecan orchard before.  All I did was receive the pecans and verify food safety during the shelling and packaging process.  One of the QA tasks I currently have is inspecting harvest equipment, for other crops, so I liked seeing the different types they use for nuts.   

Overall, I really liked this seminar.  We met and talked with various informative individuals who were passionate about their professions.  I was honored to meet them all.