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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: dr dan waldron 325-653-4576 d-waldron@tamuedu\nsonora/san angelo – the annual ram performance test which was conducted for decades at the texas agrilife research station at sonora is moving said the tests coordinator\ndr dan waldron agrilife research geneticist at san angelo said current staffing reductions at sonora necessitated the change\nthe 2012-2013 test set to begin in mid-september with a similar format and calendar to previous years will be conducted at the texas agrilife research and extension center at san angelo waldron said we are currently notifying previous participants of the change\nanyone planning to submit rams for testing is asked to contact waldron by aug 15 at 325-653-4576 or d-waldron@tamuedu doing so will give him an idea of the pen space needed and the amount of feed to order he said\nwe have adequate facilities to test 60 to 70 rams waldron said if entries are expected to exceed our pen capacity here at san angelo we will either limit the number of entries or explore different options so knowing the head-count now before the actual test begins is important\nwaldron said the performance test typically includes some of the top rambouillet genetics in the world\nsince its start in 1948 the sonora ram performance test has been conducted for the main purpose of identifying and documenting superior rams to be used for flock improvement waldron said though we are moving locations that purpose will remain the same\nfor more information on the sonora ram test contact waldron or dr frank craddock texas agrilife extension service state sheep and goat specialist at san angelo at 325-653-4576\nthe test programs website can be found at sanangelotamuedu under the performance tests link\n-30-\n\n\n']
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['writers: steve byrns  325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\nrob williams 979-458-3449 rlwilliams32@tamuedu\ncontact: dr charles allen 325-653-4576 ctallen@agtamuedu\nsan angelo – texas a&m universitys department of entomology and the texas agrilife extension service have named dr charles allen associate department head for agrilife extension entomology programs\ndr charles allen named to associate department head post (photo by rob williams department of entomology texas a&m university)\ndr david ragsdale entomology department head said allen who will remain headquartered at san angelo will be responsible for overseeing all agrilife extension programs within the department\ndr allen will continue as state integrated pest management coordinator leading one of the largest extension ipm programs in the nation with 19 agrilife extension integrated pest management agents and specialists and an annual budget of $15 million\nhis new promotion brings with it supervision of another 11 agrilife extension specialists stationed across the state and an additional $1 million annual budget ragsdale said this new role for dr allen carries with it tremendous responsibility but charles long history with the department has proven he is well up to the challenge\nallen began his agrilife extension career in 1981 as an area entomologist in weslaco he transferred to fort stockton in 1983 in a similar role and in 1996 moved to monticello ark to assume duties as an entomologist for the arkansas cooperative extension service\nhe returned to texas in 2000 to serve as the texas boll weevil eradication foundations program director headquartered in abilene before returning to agrilife extension in 2009 and moving to san angelo\nduring his career allen has gained experience working with pests and beneficial insects of cotton alfalfa pecans vegetables small grains grain sorghum commercial tomatoes corn and soybeans\nallen earned bachelors and masters degrees from texas tech university and his doctorate from louisiana state university\nallen assumed the position recently vacated by dr chris sansone who retired aug 1 and recently accepted a position as a global regulatory affairs manager with bayer cropscience\n-30-\n']
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['college station to aid landowners in the middle trinity river basin and similar areas the texas agrilife extension service has produced a publication with step-by-step instructions on how to restore native grasslands said agency experts\nmany native grasslands are being lost to urbanization fragmentation row-crop farming and introduced grasses used for livestock production said dr jim cathey agrilife extension program leader for wildlife and fisheries sciences the loss of these grasslands has resulted in a dramatic decline in numerous grassland bird species including quail\na new agrilife extension publication available at the texas agrilife extension bookstore website provides landowners with advice and direction on how to restore native grassland areas these grasslands make an ideal habitat for a variety of wildlife and help potential ecotourism opportunities (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nthe middle trinity river basin between dallas and lake livingston as well as tall-grass prairies within the blackland prairie and post oak savannah ecoregions currently contain only about 1 percent of their historical native grasslands cathey said the recommendations provided in the new publication named native grassland restoration in the middle trinity river basin can be used as a guideline to help address the many strategies and procedures toward restoring native prairies\ncathey said native bunchgrasses and forbs make ideal habitat for wildlife such as quail and other ground-nesting birds as well as several species of mammals reptiles amphibians and insects native to prairie habitats\ntopics addressed in the publication include the use and benefits of native grasslands site selection and preparation establishment of native vegetation seed selection reseeding methods seeding rates depth and timing and using native grass hay for seeding there is also a section on the use of the trinity river information management system an online mapping tool for supporting land conservation and habitat restoration decisions in the trinity river basin\nthe publication can be found on the texas agrilife extension bookstore website at http://agrilifebookstoreorg \nagrilife extension associate blake alldredge said the publication was produced through the building partnerships for cooperative conservation initiative of the trinity river basin project the project is funded by the texas state soil and water conservation board through a clean water grant from the us environmental protection agency through this initiative agrilife extension has partnered with trinity waters a landowner organization based in the trinity river basin to produce educational materials related to water and wildlife conservation for landowners\nthis new publication will certainly aid the native grassland restoration efforts of trinity waters texas parks and wildlife and sand county foundation to improve the wildlife and water quality resources in the basin through the water as a crop project and western navarro bobwhite recovery initiative alldredge said\nrestoring native grasslands can benefit livestock producers as well as landowners wanting to transition into wildlife management and ecotourism he said but restoring native grasslands is not an easy task as it requires careful planning\nas landowners search for ways to reduce input costs such as fertilizer and fuel into their land operations native grasslands may be their answer as they can yield sufficient forage for livestock and under proper management do not require the input costs that introduced grasses do he said also the increase in wildlife populations can provide additional income to landowners through hunting and ecotourism opportunities\nhe said native grasslands are also important to watershed protection as they increase the water storage capacity of the soil reduce erosion promote groundwater recharge and provide more efficient nutrient absorption\nalldredge noted landowners may contact their local agrilife extension office texas parks and wildlife biologists and us department of agricultures natural resource conservation service personnel for technical guidance in developing a restoration plan and for information on applying for financial assistance to help cover some costs associated with grassland restoration\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: nich kenny 806-677-5600 npkenny@agtamuedu\namarillo – four meetings highlighting three primary corn irrigation projects in the north plains have been scheduled in august by the texas agrilife extension service texas agrilife research and the north plains groundwater conservation district\nthese projects are a great example of agricultural cooperation as both agrilife research and agrilife extension collaborate with the local groundwater district to address important needs in production agriculture said nich kenny agrilife extension irrigation specialist we are addressing all ranges of corn irrigation and working to collectively make an impact on the area\nall meetings will begin with registration at 8:30 am followed by the program at 9 am the dates and locations are:\naug 21: hutchinson county corn irrigation conference morse community building 100 n 3rd st morse\naug 22: ochiltree corn irrigation conference perryton expo center 402 expo drive perryton\naug 23: texas north plains corn irrigation research and extension field day texas agrilife researchs north plains research field etter\naug 24: dallam/sherman corn irrigation conference sherman county barn 501 s maple stratford\neach location will include local topics that will be most pertinent to producers and showcase technologies used in the processes kenny said an update of drought-tolerant corn will be provided as well as a walk-through of selected plots\nin addition three primary corn projects will be highlights at each meeting they are the north plains groundwater district 200-12 corn demonstration project the agrilife extension north plains efficient profitable irrigation in corn project or epic as it is known and the agrilife research 12-200 corn project\neach meeting will start with field tours to the north plains groundwater conservation districts cooperator plots and fields with epic project work he said\nthree general texas department of agriculture continuing education units for pesticide applicators will be provided kenny said\nlunch and registration fees will be covered at each location by local sponsors and the north plains groundwater conservation district\nfor a complete agenda of each meeting contact the agrilife extension office in the county of the meeting you are planning to attend: sherman 806-366-2081; ochiltree 806-435-4501; lipscomb 806-862-4601;  hutchinson 806-878-4028; and moore 806-935-2594\n-30-\n']
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['san antonio – the texas agrilife extension service will present the backyard gardening series educational program drip irrigation and lawn management from 6:30-8:30 pm sept 13 in suite 208 of its offices at 3355 cherry ridge in san antonio\nthis photo shows plants being watered by a drip irrigation system water slowly drips from the tubing providing steady efficient and extensive moisture penetration into the soil (texas agrilife extension service photo)\ndrip irrigation is probably the most effective method for home landscaping said david rodriguez agrilife extension agent for horticulture in bexar county this program will include a presentation by  dr tom harris a bexar county master gardener with lots of experience constructing and installing drip irrigation systems\nbuilding and installing a basic home irrigation system is a relatively simple process harris said in fact as many or more women than men are now taking the lead in installing these systems for home gardening\nrodriguez said the program will also address how to manage turf grass through the summer fall and winter\nwith the sporadic and uncertain rainfall this year plus the stress caused by previous drought periods its important to know how to properly irrigate fertilize and tend your lawn he said you should also know the right length and frequency for cutting your grass during different seasons people often have a lot of money invested in their lawns and proper management can help protect that investment\nrodriguez said the program would also focus on best practices from the agrilife extension earth-kind program to emphasize environmental responsibility through water conservation and limited chemical use\nthe registration fee for the program is $10 and may be paid in advance at the agrilife extension office or at the door  make checks payable to texas agrilife extension service\nfor more information contact rodriguez or angel torres at 210-467-6575\n-30-\n \n']
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['corn harvest reports a mixed bag\neast of mckinney in early august corn harvesters unload a combine into a hopper truck on the go (texas agrilife extension service photo by robert burns)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu\ncollege station – as corn prices surge the condition of the crop varied widely around the state according to reports by texas agrilife extension service personnel\nwhere drought conditions ruled dryland corn generally suffered according to this weeks reports from agrilife extension county agents but irrigated corn was in trouble as well in some areas such as the rolling plains as later-planted fields went into their peak water usage stage and well water levels dropped\ntexas crop weather mp3 audio report for aug 7 2012\ntexas crop weather mp3 audio report for aug 7 2012\nin the panhandle it was a mixed bag with some agents reporting the crop to be in fair condition while others said it was stressed some dryland fields had already been abandoned\nin north and central texas the reports were more positive despite triple-digit temperatures and generally dry conditions\nthe corn harvest is starting with yields ranging from 50 to 110 bushels per acre said shane mclellan agrilife extension agent in mclennan county south of fort worth the milo harvest is nearly complete with good yields ranging from 3 500 to 6 000 pounds per acre\njared ripple agrilife extension agent in williamson county north of austin reported most corn there had been harvested and aflatoxin levels were generally low\nreports from north texas were similar wayne becker agrilife extension agent in cooke county north of dallas said all but a few fields had been harvested the corn harvest there came early thanks to a timely rain that helped mature the crop followed by hot weather that promoted a quick dry down\nif theres any corn left by today (aug 7) id be really surprised becker said we only grow about 2 000 acres of corn and our average yield is probably below 100 bushels (per acre) were averaging around the 100-bushel level and aflatoxin which is usually a concern in our area has been relatively low all in all we have to be pretty happy with our corn yields and our grain sorghum yields are certainly running above average\nmore information on the current texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the agrilife extension agricultural drought task force website at http://agrilifetamuedu/drought/ \nagrilife extension district reporters compiled the following summaries for july 31-aug 6:\nthe 12 texas agrilife extension service districtscentral: the region remained hot and dry most forage sorghum was harvested crops under irrigation still looked good but dryland crops were burning up coastal bermuda grass was cut and baled some hay producers were hoping for a third cutting grain sorghum and corn was also harvested aflatoxin numbers were low in corn pecans looked good\ncoastal bend: hot and humid weather prevailed some scattered showers were reported but accumulations were mostly very low the corn grain sorghum and cotton harvests were well under way with significant yield variation within individual fields one corn producer reported a fields yields varying from 30 to 90 bushels per acre producers who had already harvested cotton were shredding stalks or plowing fields soybeans were making and filling pods producers were making hay on pastures that received rain earlier cattle remained in fair condition with continued supplemental feeding \neast: with no rain and extreme heat topsoils were drying out heat advisories remained in effect for much of the area henderson county posted a burn ban on its western side hay production began to slow pecans made good progress grasshoppers continued to be a problem armyworms were reported in some hay meadows\nfar west: highs were in the triple digits and lows in the upper 70s with the drought continuing counties are seeing what little green they once had in fields turn brown in andrews county forages and pecans under irrigation are stressed in howard county stock tanks were dry or drying up and there were reports of small grassfires in crane county lehman lovegrass pastures were still green while native-grass pastures struggled pine bark beetle reports continued to come in from the northern end of presidio county in el paso county pecans were progressing well and alfalfa growers were taking a fifth cutting martin ward and val verde county livestock producers were de-stocking again \nequipment needed to harvest an 800-acre corn field east of mckinney included two combines two hopper trucks and at least one semi-tractor trailer (texas agrilife extension service photo by robert burns)north: soil moisture was short to adequate the corn harvest was estimated to be about 75 to 100 percent complete with average to above-average yields virtually all grain crops were ready to harvest so the only crops that will be impacted by dry weather will be cotton and hay cattle were in fair to good condition peaches still looked very good large numbers of grasshoppers and feral hogs were still problems \npanhandle: conditions remained hot and dry with temperatures at or above 100 degrees most of the week some areas received rain from 016 inch to 2 inches soil-moisture levels were very short to adequate with most counties reporting very short to short corn was in very poor to good condition with most reporting fair most of the early planted corn was in fair shape but later-planted corn was suffering as irrigation water had to be shared with other crops some cornfields were abandoned due to drought conditions cotton was in very poor to excellent condition with most reporting fair irrigated cotton was in good shape with little insect pressure dryland cotton however was barely holding on under the extreme temperatures rangeland and pastures were in very poor to excellent condition with most reporting very poor to poor due to lack of wind to run windmills some cattlemen in some areas had to haul water to livestock some cattlemen were taking advantage of the emergency conservation reserve program grazing cow/calf producers who still had cattle were feeding hay and culling herds and shipping calves \nrolling plains: conditions remained extremely dry a repeat of last year dryland cotton was withering away under extreme heat and drought what little cotton that earlier looked as if it might make it began blooming and was expected to play out soon farmers feared even if rain was received soon it would be too little too late however irrigated cotton looked pretty good pastures were drying up and being grazed out some producers were weaning and selling calves early in order to keep their few remaining cows other livestock continued to need supplemental feed producers are worried about lack of shade for cattle in the heat and some were even constructing portable shades hay production was light some grain sorghum was harvested tanks and reservoirs continued to dry up and the water level of more wells was dropping many trees were stressed or dying some counties reported high grasshopper populations \nsouth: soil moisture conditions were short to very short producers were able to take a second cutting of hay on some fields irrigated crops looked very good and peanuts were progressing well corn and sorghum harvests were ongoing cotton was opening bolls and peanuts were pegging beef and forage producers managed to make at least one hay cutting so far some have gotten two but forages were wilting fast stock-tank levels dropped under the hot dry weather while livestock water needs increased in the eastern part of the district dry and hot conditions allowed harvesting to progress rapidly crops in areas that didnt get rain mid-july were showing stress and forages especially were rapidly wilting in the western part of the district most native-grass rangeland and pastures were in the poor to fair condition supplemental feeding increased as livestock producers continued to try to maintain manageable herd sizes cotton and pecan producers were irrigating the corn and sorghum harvests were completed cotton was in good condition in a narrow strip of webb county a 5 to 6-inch rain caused some flooding of homes and streets in northeast laredo but stock tanks were filled or nearly filled by the deluge hay supplies are low but should improve in areas with rainfall in the southern part of the district cotton and corn harvesting continued livestock were in fair condition and sugarcane growers were actively irrigating \nsouth plains: most of the region remained dry with only garza county reporting any rain and then only in isolated regions triple-digit heat was reported throughout the region for most of the reporting period all crops and pastures were stressed and many cotton fields were pushed into early cutout (the stage of growth prior to boll opening) the remaining cotton had a wide range of maturity levels irrigated cotton was suffering as well as producers tried to pump enough water without any recharge of aquifers by rain dryland cotton was barely hanging on corn was at its peak water-use stage some early planted corn was beginning to mature the corn-silage harvest was expected to begin in a week or two insect activity was very minimal peanuts and grain sorghum continued to mature late-planted grain sorghum ranged from 5 inches tall to nearly the boot stage many fields were drought-stressed\nsoutheast: the corn and sorghum harvests proceeded without problems dryland yields were average to slightly below average irrigated corn harvesting was just starting \nsouthwest: typical hot summer temperatures prevailed and there was little to no rain pastures that were green a week ago are now brown with no growth the corn sorghum and milo harvests were nearly over with good yields reported cotton was opening bolls irrigated forages made good progress the pecan crop was heavy and producers were shaking trees to reduce nut load on limbs \nwest central: extreme hot dry windy conditions prevailed temperatures remained in the triple digits throughout the week soil-moisture levels continued to drop and crop and pasture conditions continued to decline some producers were still cutting and baling hay but yields were low cotton was blooming and some growers were spraying weeds the grain sorghum and silage harvests were in full swing irrigated crops were doing well insect pressure was low field preparation for fall planting was completed in some areas rangeland and pastures were in very poor condition and severely drought-stressed the extreme heat caused many native and improved grasses to remain dormant livestock remained in good condition with continued supplemental feeding stock-tank water levels further dropped pecans looked very good as growers irrigated orchards \n-30-\n']
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['\nwriter: blair fannin 979-845-2259 b-fannin@tamuedu\n\ncollege station – texas beef producers attending the 58th texas a&m beef cattle short course in college station looked intently at several maps depicting future weather patterns across the lone star state\n\n\nbrian bledsoe weatherman for the southern livestock standard was one of several featured speakers monday during the general session at rudder auditorium on the texas a&m university campus bledsoe said the current weather patterns are reminiscent of the 1950s but predicted west texas and states such as colorado oklahoma will leave hot temperatures and drought behind sometime this winter\nwhen it breaks its going to break big-time bledsoe said\nthis years short course which has attracted more than 1 400 beef producers from across texas the us and abroad has beef producers wanting more information about climate outlook and how to build back herds said dr jason cleere conference coordinator and texas agrilife extension service beef cattle specialist college station\njudging by topic selection forage and drought recovery sessions were highly attended which indicates theres big interest in herd rebuilding in texas cleere said\ndr ted mccollum texas agrilife extension service beef cattle specialist in amarillo discusses energy requirements during the 58th texas a&m beef cattle short course at texas a&m university in college station (photo by blair fannin texas agrilife extension service)\nthe driver for future weather change in texas will be weather-maker storms on the west coast this winter which models indicate to be wetter than normal bledsoe told the group\nthats where our weather is going to come from he told attendees pointing to california and upper coastline states where shades of blue on the map indicated moisture\nmeanwhile this winter cold weather is predicted for november-january from the tip of dallas up through the midwest\nbledsoe said at least through the first couple of months the 2013 el nino will play some role in at least temperature especially during the months of february march and april\nit stands to reason texas and the gulf coast will be colder than normal for winter he said moisture will come and east texas is predicted to be wetter than normal\n\ndr ted mccollum agrilife extension beef cattle specialist amarillo gave a comprehensive virtual video tour of a feedlot operation he walked beef producers through the process beginning with a truckload of cattle backing up to a loading chute and then going through a health program\nfeeder cattle were fed a ration of 25 pounds a day and the detailed video showed a series of computerized gauges monitoring various commodities and feed bins mccollum was followed by a virtual tour of a packing operation led by drs dan hale and davey griffin agrilife extension meat specialists college station\ndr lowell catlett a regents professor dean and chief administrative officer at new mexico state universitys  college of agricultural consumer and environmental sciences provided insights and an outlook on the agriculture industry specifically beef-cattle production plus the overall current state of the economy\nthis is truly the golden age of agriculture catlett said providing a blend of humor and futuristic outlook to his keynote\nhe touted the agriculture industry and rising agriculture real estate values\ntheyve gone up threefold over the last 10 years he said agriculture has some of the strongest financial statements of any in the industry what do you think the outlook for beef is\ncatlett said theres a lot ahead for beef producers in the future especially with regard to consumers who are of the millennial age many carry smartphones and dont know how to cook he said holding a smartphone he referenced the late steve jobs and apple incs iphone with apps he said consumers like himself may walk up to a meat case point the phone and take a picture of a retail cut of meat an app would then respond with a celebrity chef offering cooking advice\ngo write some apps he said this (smartphone) is the most phenomenally integrated system on the planet\nthis years beef cattle short course was dedicated to dr l r sprott professor and agrilife extension beef cattle specialist emeritus sprott served as upper gulf coast beef cattle specialist from 1981 until his retirement in august 2003 his interest specialized in commercial cow-calf production and his research publications focused on specific reproduction improvement methods\nthe beef short course event showcases the latest research and educational programs offered by agrilife extension texas agrilife research and the department of animal science at texas a&m the annual event is one of the largest beef-education workshops in the country the short course continues through wednesday\nfor more information about the short course visit the event blog at http://agrilifeorg/beefshortcourse/ and twitter posts at #beefcsc12\n-30-\n\n\n']
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['college station the sequor youth development initiative a texas agrilife extension service program was recently awarded more than $455 000 by the texas department of state health services to assess six texas healthy adolescent initiative sites throughout the state\nthe sequor initiative is administered by the texas a&m university systems department of recreation park and tourism sciences in coordination with agrilife extensions statewide 4-h and youth development program funding is provided by the sequor foundation of san antonio\nthe sequor initiative has received funding from the texas department of state health services to provide an assessment of six texas healthy adolescents initiative sites throughout texas (texas agrilife extension service photo)\ndr gary ellis recreation park and tourism sciences department head said the six communities the sequor inititive will evaluate have been chosen by the states health services department through a competitive process the sites are located in the harlandale community of san antonio austin longview lubbock houston and dallas/fort worth three of the sites are governmental or university entities and three are community-based nonprofit organizations\nthe texas healthy adolescent initiative known as thai is a title v maternal and child health-funded initiative for promoting youth development through youth-focused community partnerships ellis explained\nthese partnerships involve businesses faith-based institutions and organizations schools human services agencies and others working together to develop a holistic community-level strategic health plan in a positive youth-oriented framework he said\nrachel samsel state adolescent health coordinator for the texas department of state health services said the primary objective of the texas healthy adolescent initiative is to provide support to local communities to improve the health and well-being of young people\ncontract sites are required to incorporate a collective local action-oriented network of youth and adults that works in partnership to achieve positive outcomes for all youth in the six texas communities samsel said\nshe said the initiative addresses adolescent health and wellness by leveraging local partnerships and resources to reduce negative adolescent risk-taking behaviors\ncomprehensive needs assessment data were used to identify community-directed activities and strategies to improve youth outcomes samsel said a comprehensive evaluation of this initiative will provide the agency critical information that can be used in future planning for adolescent health programs policies and practices\nleading the evaluation team is dr mike edwards an assistant professor in the recreation park and tourism sciences department edwards said securing the evaluation contract was the result of collaboration between the university systems college of agriculture and life sciences and texas a&m health science center\nwe know texas has lagged behind in adolescent health and well-being so were glad to be part of a leading-edge state initiative that utilizes best practices in allowing communities to locally identify and resolve issues facing youth said edwards who has provided much of the project leadership said this also fits well with the educational outreach mission of texas a&m as a land-grant university to go into communities and share our practical knowledge and expertise\nedwards said the evaluation will provide an independent assessment of the implementation and impact of each of these six sites\nour overall objectives will be to assess the impact of the initiative on youth participants and the community and to identify best practices at the sites being assessed he said our three main target populations for evaluation will be youth participants site leaders and community partners\nhe said the team will initially focus on best practices for determining adolescent health needs and strategies in selected communities then address how these are being implemented\ntheres no common set of outcomes for all communities so we will be flexible and creative in our methodology for evaluation he said were employing a mixed-methods approach that involves organizational documentation interviews and focus groups with target audiences and survey data to evaluate program performance and impact\nhe said evaluations would include six individual case studies and an overview a complete evaluation is expected to be concluded by august 2013\nanother important aspect of these assessments will be that it will allow us to compare and contrast these efforts and bring that knowledge back into the classroom edwards said that way we can share those best practices we have identified and evaluated with those students who will be our future leaders and policy makers\n-30-\n']
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['dr cr dick creger\ncollege station – dr cr dick creger whose career spanned 34 years in agriculture leadership roles at texas a&m university has died he was 78\nvisitation will be from 6 to 8 pm aug 7 at memorial funeral chapel in college station graveside services will be held friday at hosey hill cemetery in weir kansas\nin 1958 creger came to texas a&m as a doctoral student and worked as a research assistant in what were then the departments of biochemistry and nutrition and poultry science after earning his doctorate he became an assistant professor in those departments in 1962 he advanced to full professor in 1974 and in 1982 was named head of the department of poultry science\nhe was known for organizing the annual texas human nutrition conference which attracted hundreds of participants and he authored two books and almost 200 scientific articles he was named a poultry science association fellow in 1997\nwhen creger was honored with vice chancellors award in excellence in 1993 he was credited with building the department into the largest and most respected poultry science department in the nation\nhis leadership skills were tapped by the college of agriculture and life sciences in 1992 when he became associate dean and later executive associate dean through 2000\nin january 2001 creger was named associate vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences and associate director of the texas agricultural experiment station now named texas agrilife research he remained in top management of agriculture and life sciences at texas a&m through 2004 before returning to the poultry science department as professor\n creger was a corona kansas native who earned his bachelors degree in 1956 and his masters in 1957 both in nutrition from kansas state university\nthe family suggests memorials to the cr creger endowed scholarship in poultry science through the texas a&m foundation at 800-392-3310 or 979-847-9314 or by contacting the department of poultry science at http://posctamuedu/ (no comma) or 979-845-1931\n-30-\n']
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['edinburg    vidal saenz is gearing up for his busy time of year mid-august through december when farmers and ranchers come to his office for help in applying for federal agricultural loans\nvidal sanez left helps growers like joe aguilar right apply for federally funded agricultural loans (photo courtesy of vidal saenz)\nas part of the small farm outreach training and technical assistance program saenz serves all four counties of the lower rio grande valley as farm advisor with the cooperative extension program at prairie view a&m university he works from the hidalgo county office of the texas agrilife extension service 410 n 13th ave in edinburg\nthe heaviest traffic the growers who come to see me in late summer and in the fall are usually those who had a one-year operating loan saenz said theyve harvested their crops theyve paid off last years loan and they come in to request a new loan for next years crop\nsaenz recently started his 18th year of helping local producers in south texas with federally funded loans from the us department of agricultures farm service agency loans range from 40-year notes for land purchases to smaller short-term loans for students involved in farm-animal projects\nsaenz has developed a protocol that helps speed the application process\nover the years ive created a checklist of the documents that a person needs to apply for an agricultural loan of any type he said once they gather everything their tax returns production history proof of farming and other information then we sit down and i provide technical assistance to help them fill out the application\nit takes anywhere from four hours to a couple of days to complete the application depending on the type of loan and size of operation saenz said  a response from the government usually comes in three to four weeks\none-year operating loans must be used only for the expenses of growing a crop including fuel labor irrigation and seed he said if the crop is corn sorghum or cotton the note is due at harvest or shortly thereafter\na longer-term operating loan is available for growers who want to purchase farm equipment refinance farm debt or buy cows for a cow/calf operation saenz said these can be paid back in yearly installments of up to seven years\ndirect farm ownership loans are even longer-term loans saenz said these are loans of up to $300 000 that are used to buy land and are paid back over a 40-year period the only requirement is at least three years of production history either in farming or ranching\ndirect farm operating loans of up to $300 000 are also available and can be obtained in addition to land-purchase loans at similar rates saenz said\nemergency loans are now available thanks to a drought disaster declaration two weeks ago in all four rio grande valley counties he said emergency loans can be used to recover from the disaster such as buying back cattle sold in the drought or to refinance carry-over loans\nto qualify for an emergency loan a farmer or rancher must prove losses of at least 30 percent saenz said\nthe youth loans go up to $5 000 but there are requirements he said the applicants must be between 10 and 20 years old be a member of 4-h or ffa and they are only eligible if they live in a town with a population of 50 000 or less\nin 2011 saenz provided technical assistance to 41 applicants submitting a total of $5 207 600 in loan requests\nfor more information contact saenz at 956-383-1026 or v-saenz@tamuedu\n']
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['contact: blair fannin 979-845-2259 b-fannin@tamuedu \n\ncollege station – a look at the future of the beef industry will be one of several featured topics at the texas a&m beef cattle short course scheduled aug 6-8 in college station\nthe annual event conducted by the texas agrilife extension service will be held at various locations on the texas a&m university campus in college station the event usually attracts more than 1 300 cattle producers from throughout the state and nation\ndr joe paschal texas agrilife extension service beef cattle specialist discusses breed specifics with regards to replacement cattle at the 2011 texas a&m beef cattle short course (texas agrilife extension service photo by blair fannin)\nour topics will fit right into what texas beef producers are going through right now with changes in the industry and what to expect in the coming months said dr jason cleere agrilife extension service beef specialist and conference coordinator\nthe following are program highlights:\n–       1:45 pm aug 6  general session will feature keynote speaker dr lowell catlett economist and regents professor dean and chief administrative officer at new mexico state university discussing challenges and opportunities for ranchers in the next 20 years; and a weather outlook by brian bledshoe weatherman for southern livestock standard\n–       8:30 am – 5 pm aug 6-7: various sessions will be held throughout the short course as part of the cattlemans college including sessions on beef cattle nutrition breeding selection forage management financial management and other topics\n– 8:30 am aug 8: various demonstrations on cattle handling penning selection and brush control\n– an industry trade show will be held aug 6-7 featuring more than 100 agricultural businesses and service exhibits\nfor a complete schedule visit  http://animalscience-oldtamuedu/ansc/bcsc/indexhtml additionally blog updates will be posted throughout the event at http://agrilifeorg/beefshortcourse/ and twitter at #beefcsc12 media can also contact blair fannin texas a&m agrilife communications at 979-845-2259 or email b-fannin@tamuedu for story contacts and other inquiries\n-30-\n']
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['contact: kathleen phillips 979-845-2872 ka-phillips@tamuedu\ncollege station –texas agrilife extension service helped folks all over the state learn how to grow vegetables for sale in local farmers markets national farmers market week is begins aug 5\ncustomers snap up organic vegetables at the north san juan farmers market (texas agrilife extension service photo by rod santa ana)\nthere was a 96 percent increase nationally over last years count according to us deputy agriculture secretary kathleen merrigan in a news conference aug 3\nthere are 164 texas farmers markets named in the usda directory at http://searchamsusdagov/farmersmarkets/\nhere are some contacts for localizing the status of farmers markets nationwide\n\n\ntexas marketmaker – directory of locally-grown produce other products http://bitly/mhr8mu contact dr marco palma 9798455284 mapalma@agtamuedu; dr mark waller 979-845-1751 mwaller@tamuedu\nstudy shows theres money in small-acreage vegetable production –  http://bitly/rhr4de\nsmall acreage horticultural crops guide http://bitly/nek5oz\n\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kathleen phillips 979-845-2872 ka-phillips@tamuedu\ncollege station – four state agricultural agencies three of which have served texans for about 100 years are adding a&m to their names to reflect their connection to the system that includes texas a&m university\nthe new names texas a&m agrilife research texas a&m agrilife extension service texas a&m forest service and texas a&m veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory are among seven agencies that will change as of sept 1 following a vote friday by the texas a&m university system board of regents\nthe changes were recommended by texas a&m university system chancellor john sharp who believed that the previous names of the agencies did not adequately benefit the statewide organization\nthere is no better set of agriculture and life sciences agencies in america and i am confident the shared equity presented through a direct association with texas a&m will only enhance the already strong agrilife brand my goal is to enhance total brand equity and value sharp said\naccording to the resolution adopted by the regents this lack of identification with the a&m system has the potential to cause confusion and to hinder a&m system and agency efforts to effectively communicate to constituents and stakeholders the mission accomplishments and public benefit of individual agencies and how these correspond with the other a&m system agencies\nthe other agency changes include texas a&m engineering experiment station texas a&m engineering extension service and texas a&m transportation institute\ndr mark hussey vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences at texas a&m oversees the agricultural agencies and said the change is a boost for the science and educational programs conducted by agrilife research and agrilife extension\nour clientele already know of the excellent research and educational efforts of our agencies hussey said this more obvious alignment with the a&m system will project the collaborations and cooperative efforts throughout the state\nagrilife research annually conducts more than $150 million in agriculture and life sciences research in such areas as improving food and fiber production enhancing human and animal health and conserving water soils wildlife and other natural resources\nestablished in 1887 agrilife research has 425 scientists on the campus of texas a&m university and at 13 centers throughout the state research throughout the agencys history has brought many advances to the public including the texas 1015 onion and the tam mild jalapeno pepper which yielded a us salsa industry more accepted by the general public the agency now is at the forefront in biofuel and pharmaceutical research in addition to traditional food and fiber production\nagrilife extension serves people in all 254 counties with objective research-based education programs and services in agriculture and natural resources 4-h and youth development family and consumer sciences and community economic development\nestablished in 1915 agrilife extension has more than 900 professional educators who coordinate with some 90 000 volunteers to serve families about 600 000 youth communities and businesses throughout texas\nthe forest service was created in 1915  to assume direction of all forest interests and all matters pertaining to forestry within the jurisdiction of the state the agency employs more than 375 employees in offices across the state and is instrumental as a lead agency in wildfire and emergency response\nan agency of the texas a&m university system the veterinary medical diagnostic lab was established in 1969 and is composed of two full-service laboratories in college station and amarillo and two poultry laboratories in center and gonzales the labs primary clients are texas animal owners veterinarians and state and federal agencies\nfor more information about the a&m agrilife see http://agrilifetamuedu/\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kathleen phillips 979-845-2872 ka-phillips@tamuedu\ncollege station dr doug steele was named sole finalist for the texas agrilife extension service director position at the texas a&m university system board of regents meeting today\nthe regents may consider approving steele for the position after the 21 days required by state law for public notice of the appointment with the texas secretary of state\ndr steele returns to his roots in texas with a wealth of experience that comes from his varied roles in education and administration across the nation said dr mark hussey vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences his proven leadership and communication style will be critical to future success in securing funding creating partnerships and growing collaborations for a&m agrilife efforts\ndr doug steele (photo courtesy of texas agrilife extension service)\nsteele currently is vice president for external relations and director of extension at montana state university he also currently chairs the extension committee on organization and policy which provides leadership and direction to the national extension system\nas agrilife extension director he will be returning to lead the agency where he started his career in 1981 as an assistant agent for agriculture and natural resources in potter county\n    the general principle that education should influence peoples lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom continues to have a profound effect on the mission of extension said steele the success in completing the mission and vision of any institution is incumbent upon shared governance valuing everyones contributions and adequate support for identified initiatives excellence is obtained when objectives are clearly stated accountability factors are understandable and there are open lines of communication\nfrom 1985-88 steele served as agrilife extension agriculture program director in hutchinson county before going to texas a&m to work on his advanced degrees there he was an extension associate for community and economic development from 1988-90 and an agrilife extension 4-h youth development specialist and assistant professor from 1990-93\n    steele then went to purdue university as extension 4-h youth development specialist and assistant professor in the college of education from 1993-1997 and to colorado state university as assistant director of cooperative extension and state 4-h program leader from 1997-2004\nmontana state university hired steele as vice provost and director of extension in 2004 a position he held until assuming his current position in 2010\nsteele earned his bachelor of  science in animal science and agri-business from panhandle state university in 1981 his master of agriculture in agronomy and horticulture from west texas a&m university in 1985 and his doctorate in educational human resource development from texas a&m in 1992\nhe has been a speaker at extension and university conferences throughout the us is widely published in his area of expertise and has served in professional and community leadership roles throughout his career more information is available at http://bitly/qzwn0m\n-30-\n']
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['next course set for oct 29-nov 2 in college station\nwriter: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: dr larry redmon 979-845-2425 l-redmon@tamuedu\ncollege station restocking after a drought can be a difficult call: is the drought over is there enough forage to sustain cattle what makes the most economic sense\nthe answers to these and other questions will be discussed at the texas agrilife extension services ranch management university scheduled oct 29-nov 2 at the g rollie white visitors center on the texas a&m university campus in college station\nranch management university is an intensive four-day event that targets new or inexperienced ranchers and landowners it covers the fundamentals of soils and soil fertility forage establishment pasture management and utilization by livestock said dr larry redmon agrilife extension state forage specialist these are the key elements to surviving a drought and maintaining a ranch program\nregistration is $500 and attendance is limited to the first 50 people who enroll to register online and to obtain additional information please go to http://agriliferegistertamuedu and enter ranch management as a keyword\nredmon said the workshop is offered twice a year and the goal is for attendees to walk away with knowledge that will provide economic benefits at the ranch level he said\nbasic livestock management practices such as castrating vaccinating and de-horning calves are demonstrated grazing management stocking rate and body condition scoring are also highlighted during the training redmon said additionally several wildlife management topics are covered for those interested in managing white-tailed deer turkey feral hogs and farm ponds\napproximately one-half of the workshop involves lectures and discussion with the remainder consisting of field demonstrations of various how-to methods of soil sampling sampling hay and calibrating sprayers he said\nbermuda grass and various forage species such as warm-season perennial grasses including native forages small grains annual ryegrass and clovers are studied by workshop attendees additional demonstrations will cover hog trap management and pond fisheries management\nplenty of time will be allowed for interaction with texas a&m university faculty with expertise and experience in all facets of the soil-plant-animal interface and wildlife management redmon said\nmeals and break refreshments are covered by the registration cost as well as a resource cd containing more than 100 publications covering ranch resource management\nfor additional information contact redmon at 979-845-4826 or l-redmon@tamuedu \n-30-\n']
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['lockhart – a texas watershed steward training workshop on water quality and availability issues related to plum creek will be held from 8 am-4 pm sept11 in the fellowship hall of first lockhart baptist church 315 west prairie lea in lockhart\nthe workshop is open to anyone interested in improving land and water issues relating to plum creek coordinators said participants are encouraged to preregister at http://twstamuedu\nthe texas watershed steward program will present a no-cost training workshop on sept 11  in lockhart for residents of the plum creek watershed area  interested in protecting and preserving that important central texas water resource (photo courtesy of texas watershed steward program)\nthe training is presented by the texas agrilife extension service and the texas state soil and water conservation board in cooperation with the plum creek watershed partnership and guadalupe-blanco river authority\nthe workshop is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in local watershed protection and management activities said michael haynes agrilife extension agent for caldwell county\nhaynes said the workshop will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in texas and primarily will focus on water quality issues relating to plum creek including current efforts to help improve and protect this important water source\nthe training will include a discussion of watershed systems types and sources of water pollution and ways to improve and protect water quality there also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management\nplum creek has historically been very important to the area and will continue to be in years to come said nick dornak plum creek watershed coordinator\ndornak and others have been working to implement a watershed protection plan that was developed for plum creek in 2008 an update to that plan is scheduled to be released next month\nthese ongoing implementation efforts consist of management measures aimed at protecting and improving water quality and are a collaboration between local stakeholders the plum creek watershed partnership texas agrilife extension service and the texas state soil and water conservation board dornak said\nhe also noted that the workshop would also provide attendees with information on the texas department of agricultures 2012 hog out county grants program which is designed to encourage counties across the state to make a concentrated and coordinated effort to reduce the states feral hog population\ncaldwell county will be participating in this program for the first time and will be partnering with the plum creek watershed partnership to organize and implement the program he said in addition the caldwell county commissioners court voted to allocate $1 000 toward a feral hog bounty program that will coincide with the hog out activities there will be a $2 bounty for every verified feral hog tail turned in between october and december\naccording to dornak   in 2011 the top performing counties in the hog out program shared $60 000 to continue their feral hog eradication activities\nplum creek is an important water resource for caldwell and hays counties (graphic courtesy of texas watershed steward program)\nalong with the free training and useful information workshop participants will receive a free copy of the texas watershed steward handbook and a certificate of completion said galen roberts agrilife extension program specialist and texas watershed steward program coordinator\nthe program will offer seven continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisers seven units for professional engineers and certified planners and seven continuing education credits for certified teachers it also offers three general continuing education units for texas department of agriculture pesticide license holders seven for certified landscape architects and three for certified floodplain managers\nparticipating in the texas watershed steward program is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed roberts said\nfor more information on the texas watershed steward program and to preregister go to http://twstamuedu or contact roberts at 979-862-8070 or groberts@agtamuedu locally contact haynes at 512-398-3122 or michaelhaynes@agtamuedu\nfor more information on the plum creek watershed partnership go to  http://plumcreektamuedu/ or contact dornak at 512-213-7389 ndornak@plumcreekwatershedorg\nthe texas watershed steward program is funded through a clean water act nonpoint source grant from the texas state soil and water conservation board and us environmental protection agency\n-30-\n']
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['dr guy fipps is known for his work in the rio grande valley as well as afghanistan\nwriter: robert burns 903-312-3199 rd-burns@tamuedu\ncollege station – dr guy fipps texas agrilife extension service engineer has received an award for his work advancing surface irrigation and saving water in texas and abroad\nthe american society of agricultural and biological engineers presented fipps with their award for the advancement of surface irrigation on aug 1 at their annual meeting held at the hilton anatole dallas\nthe award documentation cites fipps efforts in the rio grande basin where his work is credited with reducing water losses by irrigation districts by 240 000 acre-feet annually one acre-foot of water is equal to about 326 000 gallons\ndr fipps promoted and developed much of the mapping of districts and their facilities that opened the door to a whole new world of how to deal with the management of our water resource said wayne halbert general manager of the harlingen irrigation district in a letter of support the districts in the rio grande valley are indebted to dr fipps for his ingenuity his persistence and his patience as many of his ideas have come to fruition\nfipps international work was also a factor in his receiving the award\ndr fipps international work has targeted improvement of irrigation – including surface irrigation – through project consultation/advisory efforts and educational program development and support in china mexico jordan and uzbekistan to name a few said associate professor with the texas a&m university department of biological and agricultural engineering college station\naccording to the award documentation fipps is also known for his development of a combination of tools including geographic information land surveys and databases used by irrigators to improve efficiency and reduce irrigation water losses according to charles swanson agrilife extension specialist who works closely with fipps\nfipps received his bachelors in liberal arts from the university of texas in 1977 a bachelors in agricultural engineering from texas a&m university in 1979 and a masters and a doctorate from north carolina state university in 1984 and 1988 respectively he has been an agrilife extension specialist and a texas a&m faculty member since 1988\nhe is a charter member and served as director of the texas agricultural irrigation association from 1991-1992 he served as associate editor for the journal of applied engineering in agriculture from 1995 to 1997 he was a senior adviser for the water afghan reconstruction group us embassy-kabul he is also the founder and director of the texas a&m irrigation technology center\nfipps is a member of numerous professional organizations including: the american society of civil engineers; the us committee on irrigation and drainage; the american geophysical union; and the american water resources association\n-30-\n']
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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: james jackson 325-453-2461 jamesrjackson@agtamuedu\nrobert lee – the texas agrilife extension service office in coke county is conducting a quail appreciation day from 8:30 am-4:30 pm sept 14 on the wildcat mountain ranch near robert lee\nthe loss of native quail over the last decade has reached alarming proportions said james jackson agrilife extension agent in coke county the whole idea behind this program is to try and help people save what few birds are left\nthe agenda will lean heavily on proper quail habitat what it is and how to obtain it well tour the ranch to see firsthand what the speakers are recommending well also hear from experts trying to stem the decline all in all it should be an excellent time to learn how to best save americas favorite game bird populations in west texas\nthe morning programs presentation topics will include: scoring quail habitat quail research updates operation idiopathic decline bobwhite brigade presentation and a quail necropsy\nthe afternoon portion will consist of a ranch tour highlighted by the ranch managers goals and followed by travel to these three stops:\n– stop 1: softball habitat evaluation technique estimating quail abundance by call count and key plants for quail\n– stop 2: assessing quail nesting cover through the use of dummy nests interpreting nest depredation evidence and assessing predator trends\n– stop 3: rangeland recovery following wildfire-operation phoenix\nthree texas department of agriculture continuing education units will be available for those with a valid private applicators license\nindividual preregistration is $15 by sept 10 and $20 thereafter the fee includes a noon meal\nfor more information and to preregister call the agrilife extension office in coke county at 325-453-2461\n-30-\n']
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['seguin on aug 1 dr charla bading will assume the role of family and consumer sciences agent for the texas agrilife extension service in guadalupe county said agency and county officials\ndr charla bading is the new texas agrilife extension service agent for family and consumer sciences in guadalupe county (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nbadings appointment was announced jointly by county judge charles willmann and agrilife extension southwest district administrator cheryl mapston\nshe will work from agrilife extension offices at 210 east live oak st in seguin her primary duties will include developing implementing and evaluating agency educational programs and activities relating to family and consumer sciences and 4-h and youth development\nbading has a bachelors degree in home economics education from the university of texas a masters degree in education from sul ross state university and a doctoral degree in agricultural education from texas a&m university and texas tech university\nshe has served more than 26 years in various roles with agrilife extension including as an assistant county agent in guadalupe county county agent in uvalde county and regional program director for 4-h\nmost recently bading served as the agencys district 4-h specialist in tom green county where she distinguished herself in that position earning her agencys meritorious service award for her role in supporting 4-h volunteers\nwe are extremely pleased to have dr bading in guadalupe county said mapston charla has a wealth of experience and expertise and her extensive background in agrilife extension will be a terrific asset for the residents of guadalupe county\ni am really excited about working with the residents of guadalupe county bading said i love the idea of helping people be they youth or adults so i am very ready to take on this next step in my career\n-30-\n']
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['expert: east and central producers with hay will likely hold onto it\na rare central texas sight: big round bales of hay lined up for sale south of kaufman in late june (texas agrilife extension service photo by robert burns)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu\ncollege station – in 2011 midwestern producers were shipping hay to texas as the state faced unprecedented drought and forage shortages but dont count on east texas to return the favor this year as the midwest undergoes its own drought said a texas agrilife extension service expert\nthough its possible some east texas producers could ship hay north it might not happen for a number of reasons said dr vanessa corriher agrilife extension forage specialist\nanything is possible but im not sure (east) texans will be comfortable doing that even with the rain we had this year corriher said i think were just running a little scared\ntwo-minute mp3 audio of texas crop weather for july 31 2012\ntwo-minute mp3 audio of texas crop weather for july 31 2012\nthanks to timely rains much of east and north texas had reasonably good hay production in 2012 she said\nas of july 24 about 30 east texas counties comprised the only part of texas not rated in either extremely dry or in one stage of drought or another according to the us drought monitor early drought monitor reports show better moisture conditions for the central texas associated with the better conditions were some good hay yields according to corriher\nbut though hay stocks are up prices high – ranging from $60 to $100 per bale – and stocking rates down in parts of the state corriher said she expected most producers east of interstate 45 to be cautious and hold on to what they have\na lot of our producers whether they had livestock or were strictly into hay production depleted a lot of their stocks last year she said i think the attitude this year has been to rebuild those stocks – to refill those barns they emptied last year – and try to prepare themselves for winter feeding and theres always the potential for another extended drought in texas\nmore information on the current texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the agrilife extension agricultural drought task force website at http://agrilifetamuedu/drought/ \nagrilife extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:\nthe 12 texas agrilife extension service districtscentral: most counties remained very dry the corn harvest was finished while the grain sorghum and sunflower harvests continued in some counties there was a lot of hay being made but not much being sold conditions varied widely even within counties for example in bosque county some pastures were brown but two miles away grass was green and cows were fat stock-tank levels were dropping pecans and cotton were looking good the corn harvest was over while milo and sunflowers were being harvested where pastures were drying up grasshoppers were moving into towns and feeding on landscape bushes and trees\ncoastal bend: there were no significant rains and temperatures were above normal there was a great difference in conditions between the northern and southern parts of the district in the northern part of the region producers were harvesting grain sorghum and corn and reporting outstanding yields pecan trees were loaded with nuts and some growers reported loads so heavy that limbs were beginning to break the red-grape harvest ended with yields topping out at over 45 tons per acre conditions were ideal for making hay and some producers were taking second and third cuttings but in the southern part of the district 80 to 90 percent of corn and grain sorghum were zeroed-out by insurance adjusters many cotton producers were shredding fields instead of harvesting if they did harvest they reported poor yields the area desperately needed rain to improve deep soil moisture without runoff stock tanks remained very low or dry livestock producers were already feeding hay in areas that had yet to recovered from the 2011 drought many trees were lost due to drought stress \neast: little to no rain fell across the region hot dry weather with high winds quickly pulled moisture from the soil producers worried conditions might herald the onset of another drought weeds were an issue in many pastures grasshopper and feral hog problems continued a few producers reported armyworms in pastures \nnorth: soil moisture remained mostly short to adequate most counties received some rain – some reported as much as 2 inches – but more was needed pastures were in fair condition but with hot weather expected to return more rain is need or pastures will start turning brown the corn harvest started in some counties and growers were reporting good yields cotton was in a fair to good condition hay production continued stock ponds were in very good shape for this time of the year there were still large numbers of grasshoppers and crickets peaches continued to do very well with no insect damage reported\npanhandle: the regions hot dry and windy weather continued soil moisture was mostly very short to short some counties received from 025 to 075 inch of rain with a few isolated areas getting as much as 3 inches many fields of corn were heat stressed and irrigators were having problems meeting the crops water demands alfalfa was also moisture stressed cotton under irrigation was doing well manure trucks were going fast and furiously applying compost to fields that will be planted to wheat this fall grain sorghum was coming along with some fields heading but moisture stress was affecting the crops development rangeland and pastures were in from very poor to excellent condition with most reporting very poor to poor cattle were in fair condition southwestern corn borer moth trap counts increased producers were spraying for second generation corn borer and applying fungicides at tassel\nrolling plains: the area had high temperatures and little or no rain some areas received very spotty showers a few producers received up to 25 inches of rain but with absolutely no soil moisture the rain was immediately soaked into the ground or ran off the dryland cotton crop was suffering from moisture stress and wasnt growing some irrigated cotton still looked good but without rain producers fear it will play out in another week insurance adjusters were ‘disastering-out more dryland cotton acres pastures were in fair to poor condition the extreme heat was another concern as cattle producers were seeing stock tanks drying up and well levels dropping fly and insect pressure was ongoing wildfires were becoming more of a concern a fire started by lightning in motley county consumed 3 500 acres of pasture and rangeland burn bans were in effect for many counties \nsouth: soil moisture was adequate to very short most northern counties had adequate soil-moisture levels the western counties of duval and webb also had adequate levels soil moisture ranged from 100 percent adequate in cameron county to 70 to 100 percent very short in hidalgo and starr counties respectively soil-moisture levels in the eastern counties were 20 to 100 percent very short spotty showers helped green up range and pastures some but more rain was needed to offset the hot and windy conditions in mcmullen county livestock producers continued to provide supplemental feed and were culling herds and weaning calves early webb county reported 3 to 35 inches of rain which helped raise stock-tank water levels and improve hay production hay prices in that area and nearby counties remained high good hay yields were reported in the jim wells county in frio county the corn harvest picked up early planted peanuts were pegging and later-planted peanuts were emerging also in that area cotton and sorghum continued to develop in maverick county farmers were harvesting watermelons and making hay from either coastal bermuda grass or forage sorghum in zavala county cotton progressed well with approximately 75 percent of the crop opening bolls pecan growers in that area continued irrigating orchards where the nuts were at the critical kernel-development stage in cameron county the cotton harvest continued in hidalgo county cotton producers were irrigating and expected to begin defoliating soon in willacy county the sorghum harvest was completed with above-average yields reported cotton harvesting also continued in that area with yields at average to slightly above average\nsouth plains: highs were in the mid to upper 90s and there were some very isolated light showers parts of garza county got as much as 17 inches of rain but that was a rare exception to generally dry conditions dryland cotton was rapidly moving into cutout producers were monitoring crops for pests but insect pressure has been minimal so far peanuts were being monitored closely for foliar disease and pod-rot rangeland and pastures were in good to poor condition depending on rainfall patterns livestock were mostly in good condition \nsoutheast: in burleson county the dryland corn harvest was under way as strong winds with hot temperatures continued jefferson county had scattered showers with accumulations of 05 inch to 12 inches orange county also reported precipitation\nsouthwest: recent rains improved sorghum-sudan stands and allowed producers to cut hay some producers were taking a second cutting and reported good yields though lower quality than with the first cutting the corn and grain sorghum harvests to continue with the warm weather cotton was making good progress irrigators with shallow wells reported water shortages\nwest central: hot dry windy conditions continued soil-moisture levels continued to decline most row crops showed severe moisture stress a few counties reported scattered showers cotton was beginning to bloom but was also moisture stressed irrigation continued where water was available producers were cutting and baling haygrazer more rain was needed to make a second cutting the sorghum harvest was under way with a few concerns about prussic acid and nitrate toxicity insects were a problem in some areas pastures and rangeland remained in poor condition as high temperatures took a toll on grasses and forbs grazing was very limited and producers started feeding hay stock-tank water levels dropping livestock remained in good condition though some producers were selling cattle due to high feed costs and very little access to hay\n -30-\n']
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['writer: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: brandon mcginty 806-669-8033 bmcginty@agtamuedu\npampa – ranchers and other landowners can attend a brush and weed management program aug 17 at the gray county annex 12125 e frederic ave in pampa\nthe event is planned by the texas agrilife extension service office in gray county said brandon mcginty agrilife extension agriculture and natural resources agent in gray county\nwith the continuing drought weed and brush control are a must but rainfall is needed to maintain decent controls mcginty said this program will assist producers with their brush and weed management decisions\nthe program is scheduled to begin at 10 am and end at 2 pm those attending will be offered two texas department of agriculture private pesticide applicator continuing education units – one general and one drift he said\non the program will be jodie stockett dow agrosciences claude discussing herbicides and will hatler agrilife extension ecosystem science and management program specialist in stephenville talking about setting up and use of equipment; treatment: hot dry moisture and timing; and determining needs – evaluation of a range site\na $10 fee will be charged at the door for this program those planning to attend should rsvp by aug 14 to the agrilife extension office in gray county at 806-669-8033\n-30-\n']
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['farm bill to be a key discussion point\nwriter: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: robert pritz 325-6726048 r-pritz@tamuedu\nabilene – the big country wheat conference conducted biennially by the texas agrilife extension service will be held aug 23 in the big country hall located on the taylor county exposition center grounds 1982 lytle way in abilene\non-site registration will start at 7:30 am the conference will end at 4 pm\nthe farm bill has come to represent a ‘safety net for farmers said robert pritz agrilife extension agent in taylor county the 2012 farm bill has faced a number of challenges these challenges and how they will affect big country wheat producers will be a key part of this years big country wheat conference weve purposely placed the topic later in the day to allow plenty of time for discussion \nalong with the emphasis on the farm bill pritz said this years conference will also include the following topics and presenters:\n– world wheat outlook and wheat marketing strategies dr kim anderson oklahoma cooperative extension service economist oklahoma state university stillwater okla\n– wheat variety and disease summary dr travis miller agrilife extension agronomist college station\n– forage production and weed management dr david drake agrilife extension agronomist san angelo\n– soil fertility management for wheat production dr mark mcfarland agrilife extension soil fertility specialist college station\n– electrical conductivity mapping for nutrient management cliff kinnibrugh us department of agriculture natural resources conservation service conservation agronomist san angelo\n– insect management strategies in small grains dr allen knutson agrilife extension entomologist dallas\n– cost of production – factors to consider bill thompson agrilife extension economist san angelo\n– farm bill and other issues important to wheat producers kody bessent texas wheat producers board amarillo\n– short-and long-term weather forecasts steve lyons national weather service san angelo\nthree texas department of agriculture continuing education units – two general one integrated pest management – will be available for private pesticide applicator license holders\nthere is no registration fee for those who preregister by aug 17 but a $20 fee will be charged thereafter\nfor more information and to preregister contact the agrilife extension office in taylor county at 325-672-6048\n-30-\n']
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['program to focus on ranching with less livestock\nwriter: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: pascual hernandez 325-387-3101 p-hernandez@tamuedu\nsonora – the texas agrilife extension service offices in sutton and schleicher counties will conduct the ranch herd management workshop: making ranching work with fewer livestock program beginning at 8 am aug 15 in the sutton county civic center in sonora\nvirtually all our regions livestock producers had to reduce their herds in 2011 due to the severe drought and record-breaking heat said pascual hernandez agrilife extension agent in sutton county though conditions have moderated somewhat this year most pastures are still in poor condition so restocking is not an option\nranchers often need a certain amount of income from the ranch to pay the bills less livestock and skyrocketing feed costs can make that a challenge thankfully livestock prices have been excellent so the whole point of this program will be to help producers maximize profits from the livestock they have by targeting peak markets and minimizing their overall overhead\nthe days speakers will include dr rick machen agrilife extension livestock specialist uvalde; benny cox producers livestock auction san angelo; dr charles butch taylor superintendent of the texas agrilife research station at sonora; and dr dale rollins agrilife extension wildlife specialist san angelo\nthe program topics will include:\n– beef outlook – condition of the beef herd enduring with fewer cows market expectations and securing feed sources\n– sheep and goat market report – auction numbers; conditions trends and expectations for the fall market; ethnic holidays and types of animals desired; and comparing prices of similar weight hair sheep and wool sheep lambs\n– preparing for the feeding season – historical rainfall and recovery patterns; assessing forage supplies; and forage recovery/outlook for fall-winter 2012-13\n– in times of drought feed deer feed livestock feed neither – the challenges of feeding; does feeding make economic sense\nthree texas department of agriculture continuing education units will be available for those with a valid private pesticide applicator license\nindividual preregistration is $10 by aug 10 and $15 thereafter the fee covers refreshments and workshop materials\nfor more information and to preregister call the agrilife extension office in sutton county at 325-387-3101\n\n\n']
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['writer: kathleen phillips 979-845-2872 ka-phillips@tamuedu\ncollege station dr dan lineberger who was texas a&m university head of horticultural sciences from 1990-94 will return to that position on aug 1 according to dr mark hussey vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences\ndr lineberger has the talent and experience to help strengthen our nationally known horticultural science department hussey said his visionary leadership will help guide the talented faculty toward even greater accomplishments\ndr dan lineberger (photo courtesy of texas a&m agrilife)\nafter serving as the departments head in the early 1990s lineberger returned to the faculty as a professor of horticulture in 2008 he became associate head for undergraduate programs\namong his accomplishments at texas a&m is the positioning of horticulture on the internet in 1994 by creating aggie horticulture a popular website which features the expertise of texas agrilife extension service and texas agrilife research horticulturists\nlineberger has published numerous articles in professional journals and has been the recipient of many awards including most recently the american society for horticultural science distinguished undergraduate educator award in 2008 and the margaret annette peters advising award for university advisors and counselors in 2012\nprior to his career with texas a&m linberger was head of the horticulture department at clemson university from 1987-90 he was an assistant and associate professor at the ohio state university from 1977-87\nhe earned a bachelors degree in ornamental horticulture from north carolina state university in 1971 and his masters in 1974 and doctorate in 1978 both in ornamental horticulture and floriculture from cornell university\n-30-\n']
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['coldspring brandon gregson has been named texas agrilife extension service agent for agriculture and natural resources in san jacinto county according to dr dale a fritz district agrilife extension administrator in bryan and the san jacinto county commissioners court\ngregson will begin sept 1 filling the position previously held by dr aaron sumrall who transferred to the agrilife extension agent position in newton county\nbrandon is looking forward to working with the 4-h and youth development and agriculture and natural resources programs in san jacinto county fritz said\n           gregson earned a master of science degree in agriculture science and a bachelor of science degree in animal science both from sam houston state university while attending sam houston state he was active in the block and bridle club where he served as an officer and co-chaired the childrens barnyard he has been a member and coach of sam houston states livestock judging team and assisted with the universitys invitational livestock judging contest\nfor the past nine years gregson has served as the agrilife extension agent for 4-h and youth development in brazos county in this role he coordinated and managed nearly 700 club members and 200 adult volunteers he also coordinated the brazos county pizza ranch agriculture awareness event which reaches about 1 000 4th grade students annually\ngregson has conducted numerous clinics and workshops in livestock project management and care and oversaw a large multi-county youth livestock project classic\npreviously gregson served as the agrilife extension agent for natural resources in wharton county in that role he conducted numerous clinics and workshops in livestock project management and care and beef and forage production\nother work experience includes an internship at the san antonio livestock show and rodeo and serving as judge at local livestock shows\n          he has 10 years of 4-h experience and four years of ffa experience while in these organizations he was active with a number of project areas including beef cattle sheep and swine he earned numerous awards for his project activities including the lone star farmer degree in ffa\ngregson is a member of the texas association of extension 4-h agents and served as its president he is also a member of the texas county agriculture agents association and the sam houston state university agriculture alumni association he earned the vice chancellors award in excellence for extension 4-h and youth development programs and the achievement award from the texas county agriculture agents association\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\nbrandon mcginty 806-669-8033 bmcginty@agtamuedu\npampa – a wheat planning conference will be offered from 10 am to 3 pm aug 8 at the gray county annex 12125 e frederic ave in pampa\nthe event is being planned by the texas agrilife extension service offices in gray carson roberts and armstrong counties said brandon mcginty agrilife extension agriculture and natural resources agent in gray county\nproducers face new challenges this year with little soil moisture mcginty said this is an opportunity for producers to look at new wheat varieties and management decisions to help make better decisions for this upcoming wheat crop\nprivate pesticide applicators will be offered three texas department of agriculture continuing education units – one integrated pest management and two general he said\ntopics and presenters will be:\n– wheat composting doak elledge gray county producer\n– wheat disease updates dr ron french agrilife extension plant pathologist amarillo\n– wheat fertility issues-irrigated rick kochenower oklahoma state university extension agronomist goodwell okla\n– market updates and insurance issues dede jones agrilife extension amarillo\n– wheat variety trials results mcginty\n– wheat insect issues dr ed bynum agrilife extension entomologist amarillo\nthere will be a $10 fee for this conference to be paid at the door and a noon meal will be provided mcginty said individuals should rsvp by aug 6 to their local agrilife extension office in carson gray roberts or armstrong counties or call 806-669-8033\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: brittany grube brittanygrube@agnettamuedu\ndr michael masser 979-845-7370 m-masser@tamuedu\ncollege station – too many plants in a pond cause problems producers seeking more ways to manage their private watering holes can join the aug 2 webinar aquatic vegetation management\npart of a seminar series scheduled by the texas agrilife extension services ecosystem science and management unit this webinar will be presented by dr michael masser wildlife and fisheries sciences department head and agrilife extension specialist\n\nthe webinar is scheduled from noon to 1 pm according to brittany grube graduate assistant and webinar coordinator only participants seeking texas department of agriculture continuing education units must pay a $10 fee on the website this program will offer 05 in laws and regulations and 05 general\nmasser said aquatic vegetation in private ponds and tanks can increase water loss sedimentation and mosquito breeding as well as reduce opportunities for recreational activities and negatively impact water quality and fish populations\none of the most common problems in managing aquatic vegetation is identifying the plants and determining best practices he said this webinar will discuss impacts and identifying and integrating pest management approaches utilizing herbicides biological agents or mechanical methods\nthis webinar and others in the 2011 and 2012 series can be accessed at http://naturalresourcewebinarsorg for more information on the webinars contact grube at brittanygrube@agnettamuedu \n-30-\n']
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['expert: controllers performance ‘inconsistent\ncharles swanson texas agrilife extension service landscape irrigation specialist opens the programming unit of a ‘smart irrigation controller some of the different weather sensors manufacturers use on their controllers are mounted on top of the panel (texas agrilife extension service photo by robert burns)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu \ncollege station only a few smart irrigation controllers performed well during the 2011 drought according to texas agrilife extension service experts\nthe controllers are still inconsistent said dr guy fipps agrilife extension irrigation engineer college station\nfipps and charles swanson an agrilife extension landscape irrigation specialist tested nine commercial smart controllers during a 152-day period at college station sites from april through november during the 2011 drought \nthe tests were the fifth year of evaluations of the controllers which either download landscape water requirements from off-site service providers or use on-site sensors to calculate it themselves swanson explained the data is then used to determine site-specific watering requirements and to operate the irrigation system automatically\nordinary dumb controllers rely on user-set timers to operate the irrigation system when they are not set properly or run-times are not changed based on seasonal water needs they are notorious for over-applying and thereby wasting water fipps said smart controllers often do better than dumb controllers but from the tests not all smart controllers performed the same \nduring the 2011 drought the college station test site had less than 55 inches of rainfall in 2011 compared to 18 inches in 2010 and 14 inches in 2009 the 2011 drought was accompanied by unusually high temperatures and wind so it was a good test of the controllers performance during a drought he said \nno single controller was consistently able to provide the correct amount of water for all six zones tested during all seasons fipps said during the drought evapotranspiration was 30 to 50 percent higher than average years some controllers did not adjust to the extreme conditions and applied inadequate amounts \nhowever a few controllers were able to meet plant water requirements for some and/or most of the six zones he added\nall controllers were tested for six different virtual landscaped zones the zones\nwere designed to represent common texas landscapes and included various soil types plant types and both shallow- and deep-root depths the plants included turf flowers ground cover and shrubs\nprogramming some smart controllers for this virtual landscape was difficult as only two controllers had programming options to set all the required parameters defining the landscape fipps said perhaps this is the source of some of the performance problems we saw\nthus we programmed the controllers to match the virtual landscape as closely as possible swanson said manufacturers were given the opportunity to review the programming which two did five of the remaining manufacturers provided to us written recommendations/instructions for station programming and one manufacturer trusted our judgment in controller programming\nfor the purposes of the test the evapotranspiration data came from a scientific weather station at the texas a&m university golf course in college station which is a part of the texaset network the weather station was from about 05 to 1 mile from the tests sites according to swanson \nthe college station weather station on the texaset network site can be accessed at http://texasettamuedu \nthree of the smart controllers retrieved evapotranspiration data by pager the other six controllers were sensor-equipped but the number and type of their sensors varied measuring different combinations of temperature solar radiation relative humidity and rainfall\nmore results:\n during the drought evapotranspiration was 30-50 percent higher than average years some controllers did not adjust to the extreme conditions and applied inadequate amounts\n two of the nine controllers consistently applied excessive water nearly twice what plants required\n for all seasons combined the controllers provided proper amounts of irrigation 37 percent of the time 35 percent showed excessive irrigation amounts and 28 percent irrigated inadequately\n four controllers provided proper amounts of water for five zones for one or more seasons\nfipps emphasized that in 2011 they saw no consistency between the performance of controllers with on-site sensors and those that retrieved evapotranspiration data from a remote site the big problem in 2011 seemed to be that controllers could not handle the extreme heat and drought conditions \nhe also noted that as a result of the 2011 tests three manufacturers upgraded their units for the 2012 tests he expects the smart controllers to continue to get smarter which could contribute to urban water conservation\nsome texas cities and water utilities are now mandating smart controllers swanson said if these controllers are to become requirements across the state then it is important that they continue to be evaluated formally under texas conditions\nfipps and swansons full report on the 2011 tests can be found at the irrigation technology website at http://itctamuedu/ select smart controller evaluation on the left side of the screen under projects reports on the previous four years of tests may also be found there\n-30-\n']
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['weslaco    got a few acres in south texas youd like to work consider goats said barbara storz a texas agrilife extension service horticulturist who has organized an upcoming goat workshop\na goat workshop for small-acreage landowners will be held aug 4 at the texas agrilife research and extension center at weslaco (texas a&m agrilife communications photo by steve byrns)\nit will be held from 8 am to noon aug 4 at the texas agrilife research and extension center at weslaco 2401 e highway 83 in weslaco the registration fee is $15\nall over the country but especially here in south texas land is being broken up into smaller tracts and people are interested in working those few acres for income or just to pay taxes and other expenses that come with owning land she said\none can invest in small vegetable production or in small animal production like goats that dont require the amount of land and expense that raising cattle does\nincome from goats can come from meat and dairy production or from the production of cosmetics including soaps and lotions that can be sold at local markets she said\nmeat and milk production requires a considerable investment and regulations to follow she said but making hand-made goat milk soaps and hand lotions for sale at a farmers market requires little investment and no rigorous state regulations its an excellent opportunity to create marketable products and start a small business\nsouth texas is an excellent location to raise goats on small parcels of land storz said\nyou can easily raise several goats per acre she said and there are many native shrubs here that make for an excellent goat diet goats have been an important part of our hispanic culture down here in south texas for generations so goat products are always in demand and they can be made with little investment it just takes know-how\nspeakers and topics include: andy calcote a registered sanitarian with the texas department of state health services state regulations for goat dairies; scott horner a prairie view a&m cooperative extension program specialist at prairie view a&m university how to choose meat and dairy goats and keeping them healthy; julie hammond owner of hammond farm and dairy in houston developing a successful goat dairy; and vidal saenz agrilife extension agent hidalgo county and farm advisor obtaining funds from a new loan program for small producers\nthe goat workshop is one of three workshops to be presented in august for small-acreage producers the others include a workshop on agricultural products marketing on aug 17 and another on hydroponics on aug 24 these will be held at the texas a&m-kingsville citrus center 312 n international blvd weslaco\nwere able to keep the registration fees for these workshops as low as possible thanks to a grant from the us department of agricultures risk management agency and the national center for appropriate technology storz said\nfor more information on the workshops contact storz at 956-383-1026 or b-storz@tamuedu\n']
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['junction–anyone interested in becoming involved in improving and protecting the upper llano river watershed is invited to attend an aug 14 meeting in junction\nparticipants at the upper llano river watershed protection plan meeting will discuss strategies to conserve and protect the water quality in the north and south llano rivers according to dr kevin wagner associate director of the texas water resources institute\na no-cost public meeting to discuss the protection and preservation of the upper llano river watershed will be held aug 14 in junction at the llano river field station (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nthe no-cost meeting is set for 6:30 pm at the llano river field station 254 red raider lane the texas tech university at junction llano river field station texas water resources institute and texas state soil and water conservation board are presenting the meeting\nsign-in and refreshments start at 6 pm\nthe upper llano river is currently a healthy ecosystem that supports a variety of habitats and offers many recreational opportunities such as kayaking canoeing and tubing said dr tom arsuffi director of the llano river field station there are however some threats that could potentially degrade the north and south llano rivers water quality such as land fragmentation loss of riparian habitat spread of invasive species and encroachment of woody brush\narsuffi said the upper llano river watershed protection plan aims to address these potential threats before they become a problem thus making sure the watershed remains healthy\nwere encouraging citizens of the region to attend this meeting as their input is essential to the process of developing implementing and achieving the ultimate success of the watershed protection plan he said\nthe watershed protection plan is a grassroots approach with community members establishing goals for the watershed analyzing potential problems and identifying solutions said art mudge board member of the upper llanos soil and water conservation district one of the things we hope to look at are the benefits of clearing brush to increase not only the quantity but also the quality of water flowing into the north and south llano rivers\nthe south llano watershed alliance whose stated mission is to keep the rivers flowing by encouraging land and water stewardship through collaboration education and community participation is partnering with the texas water resources institute texas techs llano river field station and water resources center texas state soil and water conservation board and others to develop a comprehensive watershed protection plan wagner said this effort is also being coordinated with texas parks and wildlife departments guadalupe bass restoration initiative\nfunding for the development of the plan is through a clean water act nonpoint source grant provided by the texas state soil and water conservation board and the us environmental protection agency\nfor more information see the project website: http://southllanoorg/ or contact arsuffi at tomarsuffi@ttuedu or 325-446-2301 or wagner at klwagner@agtamuedu or 979-845-2649\n-30-\n']
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['\ndrought demand determine markets\n\n\n\nwriter: blair fannin 979-845-2259 b-fannin@tamuedu\ncontacts: dr mark welch 979-845-8011 jmwelch@tamuedu\ndr david anderson 979-845-4351 danderson@tamuedu\ncollege station – the future of corn prices and the impact on fed livestock continues to be an unfolding tumultuous situation but some degree of clarity should be coming to the story in the next few weeks according to a texas agrilife extension service economist\nthis is not just a supply situation but demand as well said dr mark welch agrilife extension grains marketing economist college station we are going to see some demand response to these high prices and need to carefully watch for that what we need to see are these crop-condition reports every monday leveling off and get an assessment of what is going to really happen\ncorn prices continue to reach record highs as a result of drought in the midwest this corn crop near college station failed as part of the 2011 texas drought costing the state a record $762 billion in agricultural losses (texas agrilife extension service photo by blair fannin)\nuntil then welch said corn prices will continue to hover at record levels which puts pressure on feedlot operators to be profitable\ncan they cheapen up the prices they are paying for cattle to pay $850 to $9 a bushel for corn welch said i think we will see the answer to this as well as some of the other factors weighing in on the markets in the coming weeks i think we may see a strong push back on the use of corn which is a natural response in this type of market environment\nanother area to watch according to dr david anderson agrilife extension livestock marketing economist college station are feedlot placement numbers in nebraska versus texas due to the midwest drought nebraska could soon eclipse texas in the numbers of cattle on feed\nthe drought across the plains and corn belt is leaving cattle with no place to go in contrast to last years drought in the southern plains anderson said  last year cattle could go from texas and oklahoma to states that had grass  now the drought has hit those states  combined with skyrocketing corn prices calf and feeder prices have declined dramatically with southern plains 500- to 600-pound calf prices down about 22 percent in the last few weeks\nthe drought may leave calves with no place to go but feedlots at lower prices  we may see more drought forced feedlot placements in northern feedlots closer to the drought-affected areas this year\nin the june us department of agriculture cattle on feed report nebraska had 385 000 placements and texas had 420 000 head\nwelch said if corn yields level off at 130 bushels per acre he doesnt expect carryover stocks to be any less than they are currently projected for the crop year just ending\nwe are not in crisis mode yet he said thats the role of high prices to provide incentives for producers to produce more and users to use less\nwelch predicts there will be a huge acreage response next year in planted corn acres due to the current relation to supply and demand\ni think we will see a few more wheat acres and more corn and soybeans especially  across the south where cotton prices are right now that 60-cent cotton competing against  soybeans in the teens it doesnt take a lot of pencil pushing to see where thats going\nunlike 2008 he said crude oil prices are not surging to record highs and big investment funds havent added strongly to bullish bets creating intense volatility in the grain markets\nweve got $90 a barrel oil and the other commodities such as the metals are in a downward trend welch said we are not seeing big funds throwing money at the grain market like we did in 2008\n-30-\n\n']
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['grasshopper problems likely to get worse\na grasshopper seems to be waiting patiently for a train to pass near kerens grasshoppers are long-lived insects generally lasting until the onset of cold weather but they are homebodies usually not moving more than a few miles from where they hatched according to texas agrilife extension service entomologists (texas agrilife extension service photo by robert burns)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu \ncollege station – if youve got grasshopper problems now youre probably going to continue to have them until this fall said a texas agrilife extension service entomologist\ngrasshoppers are long-lived; theyre with us most of the summer and growers are still battling them said dr allen knutson agrilife extension entomologist dallas\nsome producers have already had to re-treat two or three times to protect crops knutson said \nand because grasshoppers thrive in hot weather the problems they pose to crops will likely get worse before they get better he said\nas we get into the hot dry summer more and more of their wild host plants –- weeds and wild grasses dry up and that forces them into our crops especially irrigated fields he said\ntwo-minute mp3 audio texas crop weather\ntwo-minute mp3 audio texas crop weather\nhigh grasshopper populations are tied to drought for a number of reasons according to knutson the first grasshopper hatch was earlier than normal because spring warmed up sooner than normal and because many areas had a dry winter a fungus entomophthora grylli that usually causes high grasshopper mortality was not as prevalent in many areas\nhe noted that if producers in a particular area didnt have an early grasshopper population boom theyre unlikely to see one later in the summer though grasshoppers live two months or after they reach the adult stage they are homebodies rarely travelling more than a few miles from where they were hatched\nmore information on the current texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the agrilife extension agricultural drought task force website at http://agrilifetamuedu/drought/ \nagrilife extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:\nthe 12 texas agrilife extension service districtscentral: most counties received from 05 inch to 3 inches of rain the rain temporarily slowed the corn harvest and the harvesting of sorghum for grain or forage conditions varied from county to county some corn and sorghum producers hoped for a dry window to allow them to harvest sorghum producers were finding moisture levels too high for harvest other cornfields would benefit from a good rain corn yields were expected to vary with some fields producing 100 to 120 bushels per acre but averages will probably be closer to 50 to 60 bushels per acre rangeland and pastures were in good to very good condition most hay was harvested but there was still not much for sale 
those who benefited most from the recent rains were livestock producers warm-season forages that normally dry down and wither away by mid-july were actively growing grasshopper damage was on the rise again the pecan crop looked good\ncoastal bend: the area had a few scattered showers with high temperatures in the mid 90s row crops were still drying out but farmers expected to be able to restart the grain sorghum and corn harvests soon in some areas heavy rains caused sorghum heads to sprout and did other damage cotton continued to look great in the northern areas with many producers expecting yields of nearly three bales per acre many producers in the southern area have shredded ‘disastered-out cotton fields some producers expected to get another cutting of hay hay and forages were abundant in the northern counties largely because livestock producers de-stocked last year southern pastures remained drought-stressed\neast: some counties received rain parts of nacogdoches county received as much as 7 inches hay harvesting was ongoing with some producers on their third cutting grasshopper damage increased vegetable growers reported disease and insect problems feral hogs continued to cause damage \nfar west: some counties received from 03 to almost 1 inch of rain highs were in the upper 90s and lows in the upper 50s where there was rain pastures greened up pecans were growing and alfalfa cutting was in progress predators were a major problem for sheep and goat producers in pecos county losses ranged from one to five kills per night per producer sheep and goat prices rose in the last month making it easier to lower stocking rates\nnorth: soil-moisture levels remained short to adequate some counties received moderate amounts of rain while others only got a trace farmers were expecting corn to be ready for harvest in a week to 10 days pastures were in fair to good condition but needed rain soon cotton was in fair to excellent condition hay harvesting continued stock-water tanks were in very good shape an increasing grasshopper population was still a major problem livestock were in good condition\npanhandle: the weather was extremely hot dry and windy highs were from 95 to 100 degrees every day causing increased rates of evapotranspiration in some areas crop-water demands were at peak levels with many crops needing 025-035 inches per day for growth soil moisture was mostly short to very short corn was in very poor to excellent condition with most counties reporting fair to good sorghum was mostly fair to good soybeans and peanuts were in mostly fair to good condition cotton varied from very poor to excellent condition with most reporting fair to good rangeland and pastures were in very poor to excellent condition with most reporting very poor to poor cattle were in fair condition\nrolling plains: the region remained extremely hot and dry without rain soon it was predicted this years dryland cotton crop will fail the only cotton left in the region was under irrigation dryland cotton was only about 6 inches tall with some plants already starting to bloom irrigated cotton looked better but without rain soon much of it will likely fail too peanut producers reported an average-looking crop with little disease pressure producers worried irrigation wells may fail early they were pumped hard last year and there hasnt been enough rain this year to replenish the water table rural communities were also beginning to have water-well problems ranchers werent any better off as pastures were playing out fast with no grazing left for cattle some were providing supplemental feed on a daily basis while others continued to ship cattle to sale barns or out of state \nsouth: scattered showers throughout the northern part of the region kept soil-moisture levels at 50 to 100 percent adequate soil moisture conditions throughout the rest of the region remain short to very short the rain in the northern counties somewhat improved rangeland and pastures but only slightly raised stock-tank water levels mcmullen county reported some early weaning and shipping of calves to different locations there was an increase in supplemental feed in that area body condition scores were declining overall supplemental feeding of livestock increased throughout the region in atascosa county the sorghum harvest was nearly done peanuts were progressing well cotton was looking fairly good and producers continued to harvest bermuda grass hay in frio county the corn harvest was slowed by scattered showers peanut planting was completed with early planted fields starting to peg and sorghum and cotton were developing well in jim wells county the harvesting of sorghum and corn continued in some areas in other parts of the county crops had to be either plowed under or baled for supplemental feed in maverick county most vegetable crops were harvested sorghum and corn were ready for harvest and pecans were in good condition in zavala county the sorghum harvest was completed and there were reports of light insect pressure on cotton in cameron county the sorghum harvest continued the cotton harvest began and the corn harvest ended in hidalgo county field operations were interrupted by rain in willacy county the cotton harvest began and the sorghum harvest was nearly over\nsouth plains: temperatures were in the mid to upper 90s with light winds and isolated spotty showers some counties reported a trace to nearly 1 inch of rain crosby county reported moderate hail damage along with the rain producers with irrigation were struggling to keep up with water demands of crops some failed dryland cotton acreage was replanted to milo dryland cotton that was hanging on was beginning to cut out with some locations blooming in the tops field activities included applications of herbicide fertilizer and cotton-growth regulators insect pressure was minimal pastures and rangeland were holding on but needed rain for growth and stand improvement livestock were mostly in good condition \nsoutheast: in burleson county farmers were harvesting dryland corn early scattered showers early in the week provided much-needed moisture for pastures and row crops in brazoria county fields were saturated from heavy rains some farmers reported head sprouting on grain sorghum chambers county reported the rainy days during the last two weeks came at the wrong time for rice to mature properly heavy rains can cause flowers to drop off and may raise disease pressure in the crop jefferson county had some scattered showers with highs in low to mid 90s and lows in the mid 70s orange county reported rangeland and pastures were improving after the rains pecan growers reported scab disease as being worse than normal \nsouthwest: rains helped revive rangelands and brought some stock tanks and ponds up to or near capacity and replenished rivers temperatures were lower because of the rains and cloud cover despite the rains uvalde county remained under stage 4 water restrictions the corn and sorghum harvests continued with good yields reported\nwest central: triple-digit temperatures continued to deplete soil moisture pastures and crops in areas that had scattered showers were doing better some cutting and baling of hay was under way rain will be needed for a second cutting of hay cotton farmers were spraying early planted cotton was progressing well with later planted fields under moisture stress many producers were plowing fields in preparation for planting wheat grain sorghum growers planned to start harvesting soon pecan crops were doing well as growers irrigated orchards \n-30-
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['san antonio – the texas agrilife extension service will present another of its backyard gardening series on aug 28 focusing on fruits and vegetables in alphabetical order\na backyard gardening series program by the texas agrilife extension service on aug 28 in san antonio will feature fruits and vegetables starting with the letters c and d (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nthe public program will be from 6:30–8:30 pm in suite 208 of the agrilife extension offices in the conroy complex 3355 cherry ridge san antonio this presentation will address growing and caring for fruit and vegetable plants beginning with the letters c and d\nthe series will address how to select and plant vegetable and fruit plants and trees at the appropriate time of the year how to compost  and how to combine plants to save space produce better yields and provide more efficient insect control said david rodriguez agrilife extension agent for horticulture in bexar county\nplants featured at this program are cherry tomatoes cabbage chinese cabbage cantaloupe collard greens carrots corn cauliflower cucumbers cayenne peppers celery chard and diakon radish\nrodriguez said the series will be helpful for anyone from the backyard gardener to the small-acreage producer\nthe series also focuses on agrilife extensions earth-kind program and its environmentally responsible horticultural practices for reducing chemical use and improving soil and water quality he said\nadditional series presentations will be offered approximately once a month\nthe fee for the program is $10 to be paid at the door  rsvp to angel torres at 210-467-6575 on or before aug 27\n-30-\n']
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['college station – texas veterinarians animal owners and livestock producers now have access to a team of experts for up-to-date information about health issues for cattle horses sheep goats poultry exotic animals and wildlife\nthe texas agrilife extension service and the texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory are now able to support educational programs and subject-matter resource needs with the expertise of three agrilife extension veterinarians who work directly with agrilife extension county agents veterinarians ranchers farmers and other animal owners\nthey will all work together to develop programs that address current and emerging needs in animal production and management said dr pete gibbs associate director for agrilife extension\nthe team reflects the laboratorys desire to expand education and training in animal health in ways that make better use of the agencys resources said dr tammy beckham texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory director\nour team of agrilife extension veterinarians is here to meet that challenge she said\nthe team members are:\ndr terry hensley an expert on the health of horses sheep goats backyard poultry wildlife and exotics hensley serves a dual role as assistant agency director at the texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory as well as veterinarian for agrilife extension he holds a bachelors degree in wildlife and fisheries science a doctorate in veterinary medicine and a masters degree in poultry science – all from texas a&m university  he previously served as assistant executive director for animal health programs at the texas animal health commission  previously hensley was veterinary medical officer and foreign animal disease diagnostician for the us department of agricultures animal and plant health inspection service in veterinary services in salem ore for 20 years contact him at 979-845-3414 or by email at thensley@tvmdltamuedu\ndr tom hairgrove who focuses primarily on issues related to beef cattle working closely with animal science and poultry specialists from agrilife extension hairgrove collaborates on programs in herd health management and quality assurance in livestock and food animal production system his programs are designed for livestock owners industry groups and confined livestock operations hairgrove is program coordinator for livestock and food animal systems at the texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory and agrilife extension he has earned two bachelors degrees as well as a doctorate in veterinary medicine from texas a&m contact him at 979- 458-3216 or by email at tbhairgrove@agtamuedu\ndr floron c buddy faries jr who has conducted agrilife extension education for 28 years at texas a&m university his emphasis has been on beef cattle and horse health management for producers career-oriented veterinary science education for 4-h and ffa students and disaster emergency management for animal owners fairies is a professor and agrilife extension veterinarian as well as with the national center for foreign animal and zoonotic disease defense a us department of homeland security science and technology center of excellence he holds a bachelors degree and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from texas a&m as well as a master of science degree from oklahoma state university contact him at 979-845-4353 or by email at ffaries@cvmtamuedu\n-30-\n']
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['refugio  stakeholders interested in improving the water quality in the copano bay watershed in south texas are invited to a no-cost public meeting at 5:30 pm aug 1 at the refugio county community center 305 swift st in refugio\nthe water quality of the copano bay watershed in south texas will be discussed at a meeting aug 1 in refugio (photo courtesy of texas water resources institute)\ndiscussions will include possible management strategies and an organizational committee that will lead the needed efforts in the watershed according to dr kevin wagner associate director of the texas water resources institute\nportions of the copano bay watershed which primarily occupies portions of bee goliad san patricio refugio and aransas counties are currently on the states list of impaired waters he said the list identifies water bodies that do not meet the states water quality standards for their designated uses as required by the federal clean water act\nthe institute manages a project that is working with stakeholders to develop a total maximum daily load and implementation plan for the copano bay watershed wagner said the goal of the total maximum daily load is to determine the amount of bacteria a watershed can receive each day while still meeting water quality standards\na coordinated committee that represents the watersheds various interest groups and viewpoints will be formed at the meeting he added\na coordinated committee is an important part of a total maximum daily load implementation plan by taking part in the coordination committee community members ensure that their viewpoints and interests are represented\nallen berthold project manager for the institute said he will give examples of some management strategies for agricultural municipal and wastewater treatment plants used in other implementation plans throughout the state\nmembers of the committee can use their local knowledge to identify the strategies that will most effectively reduce the amount of bacteria present in copano bay he said measures recommended by the stakeholders will then be drafted into a total maximum daily load implementation plan\nthe strategies implemented by the community should eventually reduce the amount of bacteria in the bay making it suitable for fishing oyster harvesting and other forms of recreation berthold said\nthe project is funded by the texas commission on environmental quality for more information about the meeting contact berthold at 979-845-2028 or taberthold@agtamuedu\n']
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['college station – suppose your house was damaged by weather\nmaybe your house wasnt directly under the storm but the wind blew a tree onto your roof or maybe it was hurt by hail or caught fire or one of the water pipes burst inside the house\nchances are youre going to need a contractor if so two experts from texas agrilife extension service offer some advice\nfirst consider the circumstances said janie harris agrilife extension housing and environment specialist\nhiring a contractor is a little more difficult after a disaster she said because a lot of the local people (contractors) are going to be overwhelmed with calls ideally you want to get more than one estimate\nafter a disaster property owners first must do whatever is necessary to protect their homes from further damage she said then contact the insurance company take pictures of the damage make a list of everything destroyed or damaged and begin getting in touch with contractors\nits best to use local people so you can get personal recommendations harris said if youre recovering from a disaster there likely will be contractors coming into the area who are well qualified but you dont know who they are (in that case) ask for their drivers license and business card so you can check where theyre from and can contact the better business bureau in that area to see if they have any complaints against them\ndr joyce cavanagh agrilife extension family economics specialist also recommends asking to see their contractors license\nwrite down the license numbers address and vehicle license plate number she said contact the better business bureau located in the persons home community or check online at http://wwwbbborg call your local better business bureau if you need assistance\nand dont just ask to see the contractors license for the company harris added also ask to see the license for the person doing the actual work\nalso ask for proof of general liability insurance and workmans comp insurance she said\nmake sure the contractor is licensed to do the necessary work harris said for example mold remediation requires special training and licensing by the texas department of state health services\nif you need this kind of cleanup done ask to see a copy of their business license including the licenses of the people doing the work she said ask where they got their training and what they are going to do to clean up (your property)\nsome contractors may want to use industrial-strength chemicals harris said this type of chemical is not recommended for use in residences of those with respiratory conditions or in homes where young children or elderly people live she said\nbesides she added often chemicals that strong wont do the job any better than a bleach-and-water solution after a disaster out-of-town contractors may flock to the stricken area harris said some will be legitimate business people; some will not if a contractor claims to be certified by the federal emergency management agency dont believe it\ntheres no such thing as fema certification she said fema does not certify or endorse any contractors\nknow that contractors not homeowners are required to provide the necessary building permits harris said if a contractor tries to make you responsible for the permit find another contractor\nalso beware of a contractor who offers you a discount for finding other customers has material left over from a previous job or suggests you borrow from a particular lender she said\nwhen it comes to hiring a contractor the experts provided a list of things to remember:\n– get more than one estimate if the contractor pressures you to sign the contract right away or to pay for the full job up front seek another contractor you should give no more than 30 percent down payment up front harris said\n– get everything in writing\ncost work to be done time schedules guarantees payment schedule and other explanations should be detailed cavanagh said get and keep copies of everything you sign\n– demand and check references\n– never sign a contract before all the blanks have been filled in you could find yourself responsible for unwanted repairs and unacceptable terms\n– never pay in full or sign a completion certificate before the work is finished\nbe aware of the legalities of signing a contract for work done on your homestead cavanagh said any such contract must have the following warning next to the space for your signature:\nimportant notice: you and your contractor are responsible for meeting the terms and conditions of this contract if you sign this contract and you fail to meet the terms and conditions of this contract you may lose your legal ownership rights to your home know your rights and duties under the law\nin other words she said if you sign a contract containing the language quoted above and you fail to make the payments the company can take away your home … if you have any questions or doubts consult an attorney before you sign the contract\nharris reminded property owners to make sure the paperwork is done: before you have any work done on your home – whether you do it yourself or hire a professional to do it for you – contact the local building inspector to find out what permits are necessary for your job\nfor more information harris suggested check the following web sites:\n– texas extension disaster education network: http://texashelptamuedu/\n– better business bureau: http://wwwbbbcom/alerts/articleaspid=582;\n– don vandervorts home tips: http://wwwhometipscom/content/hiringcontractorshtml;\n– insurance information institute: http://wwwiiiorg/prepare/home/\n-30-\n']
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['food safety a growing concern\nweslaco    the trends are stark and unmistakable: over the last 10 years fruit and vegetable imports from other countries to the united states have increased sharply with no letup in sight according to data from the us department of agriculture\nimports to the us of chinese produce shown here at an open market in beijing are increasing dramatically increasing concerns about food safety (photo courtesy of dr luis ribera)\nas of 2010 almost half of the fresh fruit and one-fourth of the vegetables consumed in the us were imported according to dr luis ribera an agricultural economist at the texas agrilife research and extension center at weslaco\nmost came from north and south america but an increasing number of fresh fruit imports are coming from china ribera said\nchina is now the fourth largest importer of fresh vegetables to this country he said thats a concern especially when you consider the well-publicized problems we had in the past with contaminated chinese dog food milk and baby food\nother cases of contaminated food include produce from honduras and mexico ribera added\nas food-borne illness outbreaks grab headlines food safety is drawing the attention of lawmakers according to dr juan anciso a texas agrilife extension service horticulturist and food safety expert\nassuring safe food supplies is increasingly important for fresh fruits and vegetables as state and federal governments eye legislation to regulate safety issues both domestically and internationally because of past outbreaks he said\nthe increase in perishable food imports is due to cheap labor and favorable growing conditions in china and other countries ribera said but with that comes an inherent and increased risk of contaminated food\nfor decades chinese officials had been concerned with simply feeding their billion-plus population ribera said now that they are an important food exporter china now has to focus on food safety to be sure there are no issues\nribera was recently in shanghai and beijing china to present a talk on food safety at a conference of the international food and agribusiness management association\nhe spoke to academia as well as private and public food managers on the economic implications of the us food and drug administrations new food safety modernization act signed into law last year by president obama\nwhat this law basically says about imported fresh produce is that the importer/broker who imports fresh produce from overseas into the us is now liable for that produce once its in the us ribera said\nthe new law sets food safety standards on production harvesting handling and packaging on all produce including imports ribera said until now such standards had just been guidelines\nat this point the produce industry is waiting for the rules of the new fsma that they will have to follow which could take one to one and a half years he said \nribera and others are developing a cost analysis of the new rules\nwere currently working on a project that will measure the impact of fsma on fruit and vegetable production in texas california and florida as well as any impact on produce imports he said\nribera said the study will be completed next year but suspects the new rules will likely increase the cost of production for fruits and vegetables both domestically and overseas\n']
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['angleton  shane jennings has been named the new texas agrilife extension service agent for 4-h and youth development in brazoria county according to dr dale a fritz agrilife extension district administrator and the brazoria county commissioners court\nshane jennings (texas agrilife extension service photo by kathleen phillips)\nhe will assume his new duties on aug 1 filling the position previously held by caleb wendt\nshane is looking forward to working with the excellent 4-h and youth development program in brazoria county said fritz\n           jennings earned a bachelor of science degree in animal science and a master of science degree in agriculture both from sam houston state university while attending blinn college and sam houston state university he was very active with the livestock judging teams block and bridle club agriculture club and student government\nfor the past two years jennings has served as the agrilife extension agent for agriculture and natural resources in grimes county in this role he conducted numerous educational programs for beef cattle raisers forage producers and horticultural enthusiasts he also managed the grimes county 4-h program and developed and conducted educational activities and events for 4-h members with livestock projects in addition he coached the 4-h livestock judging teams and served as coordinator for the grimes county master gardener program\nprior to becoming an agrilife extension agent jennings served as a livestock judging coach and graduate teaching assistant at sam houston state university\nhe also has served as an agrilife extension program assistant for 4-h and youth development in calhoun county\n           jennings was active in the brazoria county 4-h and angleton ffa for nine years where he exhibited beef heifers steers and swine\n-30-\n']
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['\n\ncontact: blair fannin 979-845-2259 b-fannin@tamuedu\n\n\ncollege station – a group of university department heads from across the nation have come together to establish an association focused on advocating increased federal investment in animal science\n\n\n\nthe national association for the advancement of animal science is comprised of representatives from animal dairy and poultry science departments from colleges and universities across the us who are dedicated to improving overall federal funding for animal agricultural research\ndr russell cross head of the department of animal science at texas a&m university serves as president of the association\nfederal funding for research education and extension in the animal sciences has remained stagnant over the last 30 years both in terms of real dollars invested and as a percentage of the us department of agricultures overall investment in science cross said\nwhile there have been numerous efforts to address overall funding for agricultural research there has not been a concerted effort to specifically advocate for funding of the animal sciences in order to address funding inequities and build support for increasing the federal investment in the animal sciences bold new steps need to be taken\nthe association will serve as a common voice for animal agricultural researchers who play a critical role in maintaining the nations status as a world leader in safe abundant and efficiently produced animal products according to officials it intends to work closely with like-minded groups such as the federation of animal science societies the animal agriculture coalition to complement their activities by providing focused advocacy to increase funding for the animal sciences\nthe association will actively work with congress and the administration to promote the importance of investing in animal science its members will benefit from regular updates on policy developments and be alerted to opportunities to communicate with policy makers about the animal sciences he said\nas the worlds population grows and natural resources become limited agricultural research is necessary to improve efficiency in order to sustain food supplies for the growing global community\ndemand for agricultural products is expected to increase 70 to 100 percent by 2050 cross said as global economies develop the demand for animal products is projected to grow most rapidly funding support at the federal level is a must in order for our nations top researchers to continue making discoveries and advancements in agricultural research in order to increase agricultural productivity and meet this projected growth\nall departments of animal dairy and poultry science in the us are encouraged to join the association  national regional and state commodity industry and other organizations allied with animal agriculture are also encouraged to become associate members\nfor more information on the association or to join contact cross at hrcross@tamuedu walt smith at wsmith@lockelordcom or lowell randel at lowell@therandelgroupcom\nassociation officers and board of directors are:\n\nofficers:\n–       russell cross president – head of department of animal science texas a&m university;\n–       maynard hogberg vice president – chair of department of animal science iowa state university;\n–       kevin pond secretary – head of department of animal sciences colorado state university; and\n–       janice swanson treasurer – chair of the department of animal science michigan state university\ndirectors:\n–       ron allen associate dean for research and director of the agricultural experiment station college of agriculture and life sciences university of arizona;\n–       larry berger head of department of animal science university of nebraska-lincoln;\n–       john carey head of department of poultry science texas a&m university;\n–       wayne greene head of department of animal science auburn university;\n–       gerald horn head of department of animal science oklahoma state university;\n–       ronald kensinger chair of department of animal sciences ohio state university;\n–       mike lacy head of department of poultry science university of georgia; and\n–       ken odde head of department of animal sciences and industry kansas state university\n-30-\n\n\n']
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['expert: drought is only part of the story\nhypoxylon is a fungus that is usually considered a weak pathogen not aggressive enough to take over healthy unstressed trees according to a texas agrilife extension service forestry specialist once the signs of the fungus infection are obvious as here the tree is already dead(texas forest service photo by joe pase)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu\noverton – although drought is often the cause trees can die for other reasons besides lack of soil moisture said dr eric taylor texas agrilife extension service forestry specialist overton\ndrought is the primary contributor to tree kill but it may not be exactly the way you might be thinking taylor said you may find this hard to believe but relatively few trees likely died directly from dehydration in 2011 instead the 2011 drought severely weakened mature trees making them susceptible to opportunistic pathogens like hypoxylon canker and insects like pine bark engraver beetles\nhe said that in most instances the trees that died in 2011 were already stressed from a number of pre-existing environmental factors such as overcrowding growing on the wrong site age soil compaction trenching or inappropriate use of herbicides if not for these factors a large proportion of the trees that died might have recovered from the drought \nthis is an important concept to remember because our best defense against drought is to promote a trees health and vigor through proper care and management taylor said\nthis is not to play down the importance of water to tree health he said water particularly soil moisture is critical for all a trees physiological processes trees require water to make and transport food take in and release carbon dioxide conduct biochemical reactions build tissue and more\nyou name it the tree needs water to do it taylor said\nthough moisture stress may be the trigger many trees likely died from insect damage invasion of fungi and other diseases and even heat stroke according to taylor\nmuch of the recent tree deaths and general decline might also be attributed to the extreme and prolonged heat of 2011 he said extreme temperatures not only during the day but also in the early evenings and night have negative impacts to tree physiological processes\ntaylor said although it is the lack of water thats at the root of tree death by heat stroke theres more to it than the tree being thirsty as do humans trees sweat to cool themselves off only with trees the process is called transpiration and its water evaporating primarily from leaves that dissipates heat \ninadequate soil moisture coupled with hot air temperatures means a trees ability to transpire is limited\nas a result the cells in leaves and small branches can ‘cook to death taylor said \nthis cooking results in cell and protein breakdown the generation and/or buildup of toxins lesions and eventually death of the tree he said\nas for tree deaths from macro fungi on hardwoods such as hypoxylon canker its stress brought on by drought and heat that creates opportunity for the disease not the direct effects of moisture shortage taylor said hypoxylon is a white-rot fungus that is usually considered a weak pathogen not aggressive enough to take over healthy trees \nit is only of consequence when the trees are under severe stress and wood moisture drops significantly he said often the first symptom that may be observed is the dying back or thinning of the crown\nas the fungus develops underneath the bark it causes the bark to pop loose and slough off exposing a mat of grey tan olive green or reddish-brown powdery spores he said\nby the time the spores become visible the tree is dead taylor said\nfor more information about the identification and prevention of hypoxylon canker go to http://txforestservicetamuedu he said\nanother odd sign occurring this year is the dropping of seemingly healthy green leaves according to taylor one explanation for green leaf dropping is that the tree lost part of its root system during the 2011 drought \nwhen spring came there was enough food reserves for the trees to leaf out but the root system was no longer sufficient to provide enough water to all of the leaves that developed taylor said now the trees are compensating by dropping some of the leaves in order to provide adequate moisture to the residual leaves\nbut dont start your chainsaw yet he said if this is the first year that a trees dropped leaves it may eventually recover according to taylor\nif the drought continues or intensifies homeowners can reduce tree stress by paying attention to over-crowding proper pruning minimizing damage to the stem and roots and proper watering\nfor existing landscapes proper watering during a drought is the best way to reduce water stress\na rule of thumb is to begin supplemental watering if significant rainfall has not occurred in the past seven to 10 days he said begin sooner if its extremely hot and humidity is low\ntaylor recommended using a soaker hose or by trickle or drip irrigation and water just outside the drip line of the trees crown (the drip line is the area on the ground directly under the farthest-reaching branches)\nit is not necessary to encircle the entire tree especially if a very large tree he said a good watering on half or one quarter of the root system can be very beneficial do not concentrate the water at the base of the tree doing so can lead to root diseases\nthe water should soak into the soil without run off if the water runs off or puddles reduce the flow rate water until the moisture has soaked in to the soil to a depth of at least 8 to 10 inches\nthe best time to water is during the early evening and at night taylor said this is the time when trees normally catch up and replenish the water they loose during daytime activities like photosynthesis \nduring the drought plan on watering trees once a week be forewarned though large trees drink from a big bucket taylor said \ntheres more than just water involved in maintaining healthy trees in august taylor is conducting a four-part course on woodland management with urban landowners in mind see http://agtodaywpenginecom/2012/07/10/private-woodlands for more information\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: amy wagner 806-373-0713 aewagner@agtamuedu\namarillo – three different sessions of preserving the harvest – food preservation class will be presented in august by amy wagner texas agrilife extension service family and consumer sciences agent in potter county\nthose attending the sessions will learn the basics of water-bath and pressure canning freezing and dehydrating foods and about home food preservation safety wagner said\neach session will run from 9 am until noon in the agrilife extension office for potter county 3301 e 10th ave the session schedule is:\n– aug 9 – freezing and dehydrating\n– aug 16 – water-bath and pressure canning\n– aug 23 –water-bath and pressure canning (continued)\nthe cost is $50 for the three sessions which includes a training notebook along with the university of georgias so easy to preserve book snacks and preserved products wagner said\nspace is limited to 15 so those planning to attend should rsvp by aug 6 she said\nwe will be canning salsa jams and jellies freezing beans and dehydrating bananas wagner said if time permits we will preserve more products\nfor more information please contact wagner at 806-373-0713 or aewagner@agtamuedu \n-30-\n']
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['\nlondon  a cadre of scientists representing coffee-producing countries throughout the world recently gathered in london for a technical meeting on initial efforts to be conducted under the banner of world coffee research\ndr tim schilling director of world coffee research speaks to a group of scientists representing different coffee-producing countries at a recent technical meeting held in london (borlaug institute photo by johanna roman)\nworld coffee research is funded by the global coffee industry guided by producers and implemented by coffee scientists around the world said the programs administrators it is managed by the norman borlaug institute for international agriculture based in college station part of the texas a&m university system\nthis marks the first time coffee researchers from a variety of origin countries have agreed to collaborate on a series of projects to evaluate the worlds elite arabica material in different environments said dr tim schilling world coffee research program executive director and a research scientist with the borlaug institute\nschilling said during their meeting in london scientists comprising the technical advisory committee for the program also began plans for a global program to collect catalog and preserve coffee varieties from around the world\nthe wcr international multi-location variety trial project is the platform by which our partners around the globe will test and evaluate a wide range of arabica varieties he said\nschilling explained that a major aspect of global coffee research will be the testing of coffee varieties in myriad environments including those environments with diseases insects fluctuating temperatures or other significant events\nthe scientists can then evaluate and collect data on how these varieties perform in different situations he said the ultimate goal is to identify and naturally improve arabica coffees with high quality and high productivity attributes that will be attractive to the consumer and also improve the income of coffee farmers throughout the world many of whom are now living at a subsistence level\nschilling said many crops such as maize wheat and soybeans have been bred and naturally improved to be tolerant to new pests diseases and drought and for decades agronomists and plant breeders have successfully used the multi-location variety trial method in breeding programs to make rapid gains in plant productivity for most of the crops upon which humans depend\nin fact dr norman borlaug for whom the borlaug institute for international agriculture is named used a similar method to breed the improved wheat variety that was credited with possibly saving billions of lives in food insecure countries he said\nwith a changing global climate the threat of drought pests and diseases increases for all crops including coffee schilling said as a result the need for research and breeding programs to maintain high quality and productivity also increases\nmost coffee-producing countries have their own research institutions that conduct coffee breeding programs funded by the public sector explained technical advisory committee  chairman dr vincent petiard however the real problem is that most of these research institutions have been using the same basic genetic material for more than 50 years\npetiard said in the 1950s the food and agriculture organization of the united nations distributed ethiopian coffee trees to producing countries around the world since then these countries have been crossing this material on their own looking for better combinations but without introducing new coffee varieties from the wild\npetiard said the committees scientists plan to distribute 30 coffee varieties from around the world and 60 advanced lines to each of the 15 partner institutions of world coffee research to test in several diverse locations within each country next to their local genetic materials data will be gathered on productivity and quality based on altitude climatic conditions pest and disease tolerance and a variety of other factors affecting coffee characteristics\nthe data that we collect as part of the imvt project will allow us to look at varieties better able to adapt to climate change for example schilling said  then we will be able to investigate what traits make those varieties more resilient under those specific conditions and utilize that information in breeding programs to select for those traits and attributes in improved varieties\njohanna roman of the borlaug institute who serves as program coordinator for world coffee research said partnering research institutions will begin selecting trial sites soon and that the advisory committee expects propagation material exchange to initiate this year with some field trials to be initiated by 2013\nroman added that the scientists also have begun plans for the coffee germplasm conservation and use project for arabica genetic resource gathering and cataloging as well as to maintain the genetic variability of a population\ncoffee germplasm ‘libraries exist in many origin countries schilling said but existing collections are very limited and lack genetic diversity the genetic variability found in current germplasm collections only represents about 10 percent of the total variability that can be found in the wild arabica populations existing in nature there is so much genetic potential in coffee that is yet to be discovered and utilized for the benefit of the industry and producers\nschilling said he was encouraged by the level of enthusiasm and participation that the countries showed at the meeting in london\nmember countries were keen to contribute their genetic material and in return receive other materials he said countries of origin tend to see their local varieties as a competitive advantage so sharing of genetic material for scientific purposes is not very common in the coffee sector but all that is changing now were entering a new era in coffee research\nhe said research institutions will be able to take the varieties they develop and put them in the hands of farmers\nwithin five or 10 years we should see some great quality and production increases as a direct result of this program schilling said the difficult part is not the science but to get the full support of the local authorities where it is needed world coffee research and member scientists  are looking forward to engaging local governments and ministries of agriculture of each country to successfully conduct these programs\n-30-\nworld coffee research: the 501 (c)(5) non-profit collaborative research and development program of the global coffee industry whose goal is to grow protect and enhance supplies of quality coffee while improving the livelihoods of the families who produce it visit http://worldcoffeeresearchorg for more information\nnorman borlaug institute for international agriculture: the global outreach unit of the college of agriculture and life sciences at texas a&m university texas agrilife research and the texas agrilife extension service the mission of the borlaug institute is to prepare and support faculty members firms communities and students in texas and abroad for engagement and leadership in international agriculture in ways that promote service entrepreneurship environmental stewardship and mutual respect among peoples in an increasingly interdependent world visit http://borlaugtamuedu for more information\n']
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['seguin the evening of aug 7 the texas agrilife extension service guadalupe-blanco river authority and texas state soil and water conservation board will hold a geronimo and alligator creeks partnership meeting\nthe no-cost meeting is open to the public it will be held at the guadalupe-blanco river authoritys river annex 905 nolan st in seguin sign-in and refreshments are at 5:30 pm with proceedings to begin at 6 pm\na meeting on finalizing and implementing a watershed protection plan for the geronimo and alligator creeks  watershed will be held the evening of aug 7 at the guadalupe-blanco river authoritys river annex in seguin (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nthanks to the partnerships participation and the involvement of area residents and other stakeholders the final draft of the geronimo and alligator creeks watershed protection plan is now complete said debbie magin director of water quality services at the guadalupe-blanco river authority\nmagin said the draft plan has undergone public review and comment and is ready for a final reading before being submitted to the us environmental protection agency\npartnership and public involvement led to the development of a comprehensive sustainable voluntary and locally-driven watershed protection plan said ward ling agrilife extension program specialist college station the end goal is to improve and protect water quality in the creeks in order to get there we need to finalize and implement the watershed protection plan\nthe final draft of the watershed protection plan as well as meeting information can be found at http://geronimocreekorg\ngeronimo creek and its tributary alligator creek which flow through comal and guadalupe counties were identified for watershed protection plan development due to concerns about high levels of nitrogen and elevated levels of bacteria as reported in the texas water quality inventory published by the texas commission on environmental quality\na clean water act grant was provided to the guadalupe-blanco river authority by the texas state soil and water conservation board and the epa to facilitate the development of this watershed protection plan other key area partners supporting watershed protection efforts include comal and guadalupe counties the cities of seguin and new braunfels new braunfels utilities and the comal-guadalupe soil and water conservation district\nfor more information on the meeting contact ling at 979-845-6980 or wling@agtamuedu or magin at 830-379-5822 or dmagin@gbraorg\n-30-\n']
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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: garry branham 325-659-6525 glbranham@agtamuedu\nsan angelo – garry branham texas agrilife extension service 4-h and youth development agent in tom green county is changing jobs but he wont be moving far\ngarry branham named texas agrilife extension service 4-h and youth development specialist for the west central district (texas agrilife extension service photo by steve byrns)\neffective aug 6 branham will start his new duties as the agrilife extension 4-h and youth development specialist for the west central district headquartered in san angelo said dr chris boleman associate director for 4-h and youth development at college station\nim very pleased to be making this announcement boleman said garry has a real passion for 4-h work he literally has a lifetime of 4-h experience he and his family were very active in 4-h in tom green county during his formative years and ironically thats the same program he has led since 2005\nunder his direction hes been able to grow the various clubs and school enrichment activities into one of the strongest county 4-h units in the state i have every confidence that he will do similar good work in his new position as he plans and oversees 4-h efforts and serves as a resource person for agrilife extension agents across the districts 23 counties\nbranham will be moving from the agrilife extension office in the tom green county edd b keyes annex in downtown san angelo to the texas agrilife research and extension center located north of town on us highway 87\nbranham earned both bachelors and masters degrees in animal science from angelo state university\nhe began his agrilife extension career in 2002 and served as the 4-h and youth development agent in hill and johnson counties before returning to his hometown\nbranham has had numerous leadership assignments and special recognitions throughout his career most notably serving as state president of his professional group the texas association of extension 4-h agents in 2008 he also is a recipient of the 2010 texas 4-h meritorious service award and the 2007 distinguished achievement award presented by the texas extension specialists association\nbranham has served on numerous local district and state-level committees at all of his agrilife extension posts\nhe fills the position formerly held by dr charla bading who is transferring within the agency to become the agrilife extension agent for family and consumer sciences in guadalupe county effective aug 1\n-30-\n']
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['junction – a texas watershed steward workshop on water quality and availability issues related to the llano river will be held 8 am-4 pm aug 30 at the texas tech center 254 red raider lane in junction\nthe aug 30 texas watershed steward training in junction will focus on water quality and availability related to the llano river (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nthe training is open to anyone interested in these issues coordinators said\nthis no-cost workshop is presented by the texas agrilife extension service and the texas state soil and water conservation board in coordination with the south llano watershed alliance\nthe workshop is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in local watershed protection and management activities said dr kevin wagner texas water resources institute associate director\nwagner said the workshop will include current efforts to help improve and protect the llano river\nthe training will include a discussion of watershed systems types and sources of water pollution and ways to improve water quality he said there also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management\nsurface water in the llano river is a critical source of water in the area said dr tom arsuffi director of texas tech llano river field station and a south llano watershed alliance board member arsuffi and others have been working on the llano river watershed planning project a collaboration between local stakeholders the texas water resources institute texas tech university south llano watershed alliance texas parks and wildlife department and texas state soil and water conservation board\ncurrent and future water quality and availability related to the llano river has and will continue to have an impact on residents in several texas counties (texas watershed steward program graphic)\nthe projects purpose is to complete a thorough watershed assessment and help stakeholders address impairments in the llano arsuffi said more information on the project and the south llano watershed alliance can be found at http://southllanoorg/ \nalong with the free training participants receive a free copy of the texas watershed steward handbook and a certificate of completion said galen roberts agrilife extension program specialist and watershed steward program coordinator\nthe program will offer seven continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisers seven units for professional engineers and certified planners and seven continuing education credits for certified teachers it also offers three general continuing education units for texas department of agriculture pesticide license holders seven for certified landscape architects and three for certified floodplain managers\npreregistration is open through the texas watershed steward website http://twstamuedu\nparticipating in the texas watershed steward program is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed said roberts\nfor more information contact roberts at 979-862-8070 groberts@agtamuedu\nthe texas watershed steward program is funded through a clean water act §319(h) nonpoint source grant from the texas state soil and water conservation board and us environmental protection agency\n-30-\n']
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['soil and crop sciences department begins new recognition program\nwriter: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: dr david baltensperger 979-845-3041 dbaltensperger@tamuedu\nmckinney – john ayers class of 1937 was presented with a plaque to commemorate the 75th anniversary of his graduation from the texas a&m universitys department of soil and crop sciences\njohn ayers holds a plaque presented to him in recognition of his 75th anniversary of graduating from the texas a&m university soil and crops department (photo by tami hons)\nwe really wanted to take time to recognize your contributions to society: the fact that you kept the farm going and in the family for 100 years the fact that you contributed through the military and through the us soil conservation service and through your farming operation and community service for so many years said dr david baltensperger texas a&m soil and crop sciences department head as he presented ayers with a plaque at his home in mckinney\nwe appreciate the courage of the young men who helped found texas a&m and make it into the great university it is today said patrick williams texas a&m foundation director of development it was either courage or naïveté but either way you all have helped us build an extraordinary university\nayers 96 was born on the ayers ranch near chillicothe and lived there on and off until he climbed down from his final horse ride at the age of 80 and retired\nhe attended school in the chillicothe independent school district it was while he was there that he made his first campus visit to texas a&m with a 4-h group he said he liked the college and made a decision to attend when he graduated\nhe borrowed $500 from his grandfather john g ayers to go to college and his father sydney ayers drove him to the campus in an open touring car he remembers a few things from that first day: eating in the mess hall being dropped off with his suitcases at a new dorm and that it was a very hot day\ni also remember the first few days when you went as a freshman and asked for someone to pass the butter or something like that you didnt get anything on your plate until you knew what they were called ayers said\npatrick williams left texas a&m foundation director of development along with jane davis of dallas and anne wiginton of plano were present when dr david baltensperger texas a&m soil and crop sciences department head presented john ayers with a plaque at his home in mckinney (photo by tami hons)\nsome terms he recalled as part of the tradition were ketchup was blood beans were bullets milk was cow the knife was a saber and the fork a pitchfork\nwhile ayers enrolled in classes in crops animal husbandry and some veterinary courses his fondest memories are of playing the e-flat saxophone in the band and living in bizelle hall he said he played at all the games and was in the band for four years\nayers also received military training in the corps of cadets where he was a part of the cavalry being from a ranch background he said he liked that but the cavalry program was abandoned and he was put in a tank\ni didnt care much about those tanks … still dont ayers said\nhe recalls jobs were not plentiful when he graduated but the us department of agriculture soil conservation service was opening offices to help farmers with terracing the land and other practices he went to work with them and moved from marshall to big springs to hamilton and then san angelo\nwhile he was in hamilton he met charlene chandler and married her on march 7 1943\nthen came the draft ayers said which meant a pay cut from about $160 a month with the soil conservation service to about $20 a month in the military\ninitially sent to fort leonard wood mo he would quickly move on because of his a&m experience which made him a candidate for officer training school he went to fort belvoir va received his commission and became a second lieutenant sent to camp ellis ill he served as officer in charge of the police and prison camp range officer and then provost marshal\nayers later went to adjutant general school at fort sam houston and was stationed at the presidio in san francisco calif where he expected to be sent overseas to japan but that day never came and he was sent to fort lewis wash for about six months then was honorably discharged\nthats when ayers returned to his roots in 1946 instead of returning to the soil conservation service he moved his wife and daughter to the ranch there he engaged in ranching wheat farming and raising hereford cattle in partnership with his father\nthe family ranch established by his grandfather in 1883 was recognized in 1983 for more than 100 years of continuous ranching operation by members of the same family they were the first wilbarger county family to receive such recognition under the texas family heritage program according to the programs records\njohn g ayers along with his cattle brand is inscribed on the granite monument to trail drivers at the doans site north of vernon the ayers cattle brand was the first to be registered in wichita county in 1882 the year the county was founded john g ayers was the first citizen to pay taxes in wilbarger county in 1884 according to the family\nayers said over the years many members of his extended family lived on those 3 000 acres that were half natural pasture and half cropland he said he felt like he knew what he was doing because he was raised doing it\nayers recalled the introduction of the tractor to the farm\ndad had bought another farm and he went on the note (government loan) and bought a tractor it was a ‘poppin johnny and when he pulled it up to the corral it scared all the horses and they busted down the fences we didnt use that tractor for about a year after that\nand they used it to raise crops\ni dont raise cotton! ayers exclaimed during the interview we grew wheat for harvest and the rest was dedicated to feed for cattle it worked out pretty good except when we had bad years\nthat included raising sorghum which he got a first-hand lesson on as the friend of roy quinby known for his ground-breaking work in the field of grain sorghum hybridization reducing its height and changing its growing cycle\nthat man really did something you cant believe he and his partner ayers said of quinbys work it was one of the greatest things they ever did \nhe also was interested in the work of the soil boys (agronomists and breeders) who would get together and try to make a crop of wheat that would grow in dry conditions and make some forage and if it rained it would make a good crop of wheat they are still doing it and they are doing some good \nayers said after he returned to the ranch he became interested in helping the community he served as chairman of the board of the chillicothe hospital during his term a new hospital was built in 1973 and plans were made for the new nursing home\nhe also served as chairman of the board of the first national bank of chillicothe and the first united methodist church and was a board member of the chillicothe independent schools while he was on the school board ayers said he supported school integration new building programs and the merger of the chillicothe and odell school districts\nayers and his wife currently live in mckinney near their two daughters jane davis of dallas and anne wiginton of plano he has three grandchildren and four great grandchildren\nbaltensperger said the soil and crop sciences department recently started a recognition program for its alumni and ayers along with leo witkowski of hereford are the first to be recognized for their lifetime accomplishments and reaching the 75th anniversary of graduation\nalumni can give back to the department in a multitude of ways that advance agriculture and continue to help turn aggies like ayers into outstanding citizens and build well-rounded positive leaders whose lifetime contributions are immeasurable baltensperger said\n\nto discuss giving opportunities or learn more about the program contact baltensperger at 979-845-3041 dbaltensperger@agtamuedu ; visit http://soilcroptamuedu  where the donate now link can be found at the very top of the page; or go directly to http://bitly/kp6d1m \n-30-\n']
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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: jesse lea schneider 432-729-4746 jlschneider@agtamuedu\nalpine – the texas agrilife extension service is partnering with several other entities to present the trans-pecos wildlife conference and field day on aug 2-3 in alpine\nthe aug 2 classroom sessions begin at 8 am in the espino conference center located on the main campus of sul ross state university the aug 3 field tour will meet at 7:45 am at the schools range animal science center one mile east of the main campus on the south side of us highway 90 there will be an 8 am departure by private vehicles to the parker and parker cattle company ranch 15 miles from alpine\nthis programs theme is ‘ranching in the extremes because thats what were now doing said jesse lea schneider agrilife extension agent in presidio county the past two years have been and continue to be some of the worst of times for far west texas ranchers wildfires of epic proportions coupled with record heat and drought have taken a tremendous toll on the cattle industry wildlife population and our local economy\nthe purpose of this conference is to show how landowners and managers are coping with this series of natural disasters and to explore ways they can best continue that good work\nthe aug 2 morning  presentations will address wildfire drought water conservation watershed management brush control and habitat management afternoon topics will include mountain lions chronic wasting disease non-game management desert mule deer pronghorn antelope and desert bighorn sheep\nthe aug 3 field day is tailor-made for those with a serious interest in far west texas range recovery who want to see some of the work thats actually being done schneider said the tour sites weve selected are unique because theyre on a beautiful ranch located in the glass mountains that fell victim to a major wildfire last year well see first-hand whats being done now to restore the range and listen to the ranch managements plans for the future\nschneider said because no tour transportation will be provided participants are urged to car pool\nwe will be looking at plant response to wildfire and the impacts the ranch suffered during the intensively hot roper fire which swept across the parker and parker cattle company ranch last spring schneider said the ranch owner and manager will share with us some of the ranchs history along with their current management objectives well view a pronghorn antelope fence theyve installed to facilitate movement of the animals between pastures\nschneider said tour participants can also view herbicide demonstration work and engage in a  tailgate discussion with local landowners on their perspectives and experiences with agency and organization programs\npartners in the effort along with agrilife extension are the borderlands research institute for natural resource management the texas wildlife association texas parks and wildlife department us department of agriculture natural resources conservation service and sul ross state university\nindividual preregistration is $50 by july 23 and $75 thereafter the fee includes all breaks lunch and a social\nto preregister log onto http://bitly/mrz0px or contact helen holdsworth with the texas wildlife association at  hholdsworth@texas-wildlifeorg or 800-tex-wild\n                                                           -30-\n']
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['\ncotton maturity varied widely across the state with some fields struggling to make a stand while in other areas it was being defoliated in preparation for harvest (us department of agriculture photo)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu\ncollege station – if its true misery loves company drought-hammered midwestern farmers should find lots of company in texas said a texas agrilife extension service agronomist\ncertainly weve had very short rainfall in many areas of the state and were looking at less -than-average (cotton) crop yields over most of the areas im familiar with said dr travis miller agrilife extension agronomist college station\nmiller said the same could be said of most crops in texas despite recent rains in parts of the state\nweve had a lot of rain along the gulf coast and through parts of the hill county and austin he said all were good rains but most of it came too late for crops\ntwo-minute mp3 audio texas crop weather\ntwo-minute mp3 audio texas crop weather for july 17 2012\nmiller said he expected cotton yields to be all over the place in the gulf coast area where cotton was being harvested there was some cotton yielding in the 200- to 300-pound range and better in the rolling plains and large parts of the south plains farmers were expecting a lot of failed acres in other parts of the rolling plains and south plains those farmers who had timely plantings were holding on hoping for more rain\nfrom agrilife extension county agent reports some cotton has already been replanted to other crops after being zeroed-out by insurance adjusters however cotton in a few areas such as the panhandle and south plains counties of cochran and deaf smith was doing reasonably well thanks to recent rains and excellent heat units there were also a few reports of cotton doing well in north texas\nfrom fellow agrilife extension agronomists miller said hes heard of some good grain sorghum yields along the gulf coast with reports of 5 000-pound yields per acre – but some much less\nsoybean plantings not a common crop in texas on an average year were down this year because the crop is not as drought tolerant as others\nwhen soybeans are flowering and setting pods its pretty important they have a shot of water miller said\nif there are any bright spots its the fact that commodity prices are so high he said\nweve got sharply increased prices for the crops that we do have and sometimes if you have a very high price you can compensate for the low yields he said\nmore information on the current texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the agrilife extension agricultural drought task force website at http://agrilifetamuedu/drought/ \nagrilife extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:\nthe 12 texas agrilife extension service districtscentral: forage sorghum and corn were harvested as silage the grain sorghum harvest began but was delayed due to heavy rainfall the harvesting of sunflowers and corn also began other corn was still drying down livestock were in good condition producers started preparing land for winter forage some producers had already taken third cuttings of coastal bermuda hay hay harvesting conditions remained good but many fields had heavy grasshopper pressure cotton looked great with only moderate insect pressure irrigation was halted because of rain\ncoastal bend: as much as 9 inches of rain fell in isolated areas but most locations got less than 01 inch the rain hampered the corn and grain harvests but benefited pastures and hay fields growers reported low yields but good quality on grain sorghum corn was also low-yielding with many fields a total loss due to lack of moisture at crucial growing stages growers were beginning to defoliate cotton with some harvesting already under way lint yields were expected to be below normal due to the drought\neast: rain fell across most of the region some areas such as polk county received as much as 10 inches hay production was in full swing many producers had already harvested more hay this year than they did in all of 2011 the fruit and vegetable harvests continued grasshoppers horn flies and crickets became a problem feral hogs remained active\nfar west: highs were in the upper 90s with lows in the mid-60s to lower 70s there was no rain reported in most areas and windy weather was drying out the little remaining soil moisture the exceptions were parts of glasscock county getting about 3 inches of rain and ector county with from 05 to 4 inches in most areas pastures were browning due to heat and wind in pecos county the melon harvest was ongoing with excellent quality reported and onions were still being pulled in reeves county onions chili peppers and cantaloupes were doing well in upton county cotton was doing well due to high heat units ranchers were still providing supplemental feed to their livestock but herd numbers remained low producers shipped all lambs and kid goats \nnorth: soil moisture remained short to adequate some areas received significant rains while others got only a trace corn was maturing and some fields were ready to harvest pastures were in fair to excellent condition and growing the cotton crop looked better in some areas than it has in the last few years producers of bermuda grass hay harvested their second cutting for the year the first cutting of summer annuals such as haygrazer and sorghum sudans was also very good with above-average yields producers continued spraying for weeds stock-watering tanks were in very good shape for the early summer grasshoppers remained a major problem peaches looked good\npanhandle: most of the region received from a trace to 2 inches of rain irrigators were active corn was in mostly fair to good condition hansford county reported some hail damage to corn and other summer crops sorghum soybean and peanuts were in mostly fair to good condition cotton was in mostly fair to good condition the wheat harvest was complete rangeland and pasture ratings continued to vary from very poor to excellent with most counties reporting very poor to poor cattle were in fair to good condition insect activity on all crops was average with a few flare-ups of spider mites in corn\nrolling plains: scattered showers fell across parts of the district but most counties remained dry irrigated cotton was growing slowly but dryland cotton showed stress producers were spraying herbicides pastures were quickly drying out in most areas but some counties reported that rangeland and livestock were in fair condition thanks to recent rains producers worried they wont get another cutting of coastal bermuda hay sorghum forage was being baled grasshoppers were a problem in some areas in king county most ranches had either liquidated or relocated cattle burn bans were issued in some counties underdeveloped pecan nuts were dropping in some areas due to poor pollination and water stress\nsouth: the northern part of the region received enough rain to slightly improve soil-moisture levels in rangeland and pastures atascosa la salle and mcmullen counties received from 1 inch to 3 inches of rain webb zavala and willacy counties received about 1 inch on average soil-moisture levels were 50 to 100 percent adequate in the northern counties short to very short in the eastern and western counties and 70 percent adequate in willacy county generally rangeland and pastures remained mostly in fair to poor condition the quality of forage continued to decline while the price of supplemental feed increased however cattle body condition scores remained fair with supplemental feeding in atascosa county peanuts progressed well and some cotton was breaking bolls in frio county the corn harvest continued grain sorghum was maturing cotton setting bolls and peanuts in good condition in jim wells county harvesting of sunflowers and grains continued with poor to fair yields reported also in that area hay was being baled and sorghum stubble harvested for livestock feed in maverick county most of the vegetable crops were being harvested and there was considerable harvesting of coastal bermuda grass and sorghum forages in zavala county rain delayed the corn harvest in hidalgo county the grain sorghum and corn harvests continued and growers were defoliating cotton in early maturing fields in starr county the grain sorghum harvest was nearly completed in willacy county the grain sorghum harvest was also nearly over and cotton fields were being defoliated\nsouth plains: several counties reported from a trace to 3 inches of rain with no mention of hail cotton varied widely in maturity from pinhead square to peak bloom early grain sorghum was heading and flowering while replanted cotton was just emerging where there was little to no rain cotton producers with irrigation worked hard to keep up with water demands as the crop moved into the bloom stage dryland cotton was struggling and needed a good general rain as did pastures and rangeland peanuts were blooming pest management consisted mainly of weed control with little insect pressure reported\nsoutheast: many areas received rain waller county got from 10 to 12 inches with more expected in the coming week burleson county reported scattered showers with a trace to 4 inches accumulation the harvest of dryland corn started in some areas fort bend county also had heavy rains which delayed the grain sorghum harvest jefferson county got from 2 to 9 inches of rain\nsouthwest: pastures improved with recent rains the rain slowed the grain and corn harvests more rain was needed\nwest central: the weather continued to be hot dry and windy soil-moisture levels were very low in most areas scattered rains were reported in some counties with a few receiving significant amounts crops and pastures continued to show the effects of heat stress dryland cotton and other crops will need a good rain soon if they are to produce decent yields rangeland and pasture conditions continued to decline grass recovery was slow and weeds were abundant pecan growers were spraying orchards\n-30-

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['expert: smart controllers still need professional installation\ntexas agrilife extension service irrigation experts charles swanson left and dr guy fipps tested nine ‘smart irrigation controllers under drought conditions in 2011 (texas agrilife extension service photo by robert burns)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu\ncollege station – computer-controlled ‘smart irrigation controllers have gotten smarter the last few years but they still require professional training to install and monitor them said a texas agrilife extension service expert\nthe weather-based ‘smart irrigation controllers short course is designed for irrigation and landscape professionals and will be held from 10 am – 6:30 pm july 24 at 317 scoates hall college station\nthe smart controllers course is essential for anyone responsible for designing or managing irrigation systems on urban landscapes such as residential lawns sports fields parks commercial properties and golf courses said dr guy fipps texas agrilife extension service irrigation engineer college station\nfipps and his colleague charles swanson agrilife extension landscape irrigation specialist have been testing smart irrigation controllers since 2005\nboth fipps and swanson will teach the course\nregistration for the course is $155 licensed irrigators will earn eight hours of continuing education units approved by the texas commission on environmental quality to register go to https://agriliferegistertamuedu and enter the keyword smart or call 979-845-2604\nthe course will cover controllers that get their evapotranspiration data from a remote station as well as sensor-based units that measure parameters such as rainfall sunlight and heat at the site fipps said students will learn how controllers produce irrigation schedules and will receive hands-on instruction on controller operation and set-up\nthe class will also cover smart controller bench testing protocols and related issues fipps said\nfor more information contact swanson at 979-845-5614\nmore information on the irrigation scheduling and other courses conducted by the texas a&m school of irrigation can be found at http://irrigationtamuedu\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: danny nusser 806-677-5600 d-nusser@tamuedu\nstratford – jill killian will rejoin the texas agrilife extension service as the family and consumer sciences agent for sherman county on aug 1 according to danny nusser agrilife extension district administrator in amarillo\njill killian texas agrilife extension service family and consumer sciences agent for sherman county (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nkillian a stratford native worked from 1986 to 1990 as an agent in midland and comanche counties before becoming a teacher and then later taking her current position as a co-owner of the k veterinary clinic in stratford\ni really enjoyed working in the extension service and i felt like this was a good opportunity to fill this role in the community killian said about her return to agrilife extension life we came back to stratford in 2006\nall four of our children have been and are still very involved in the 4-h program on the county district and state levels i have enjoyed serving as a 4-h leader and now i am ready to return to extension work on the professional level she said they say if you do something you love it will never seem like work at all\nsherman county has a great program established and has had a lot of community support killian said i look forward to continuing those efforts and doing even more\njill has a unique combination of professional and personal life experiences that will allow her to be a very successful agrilife extension agent in sherman county nusser said\nshe has been a part of the success related to the sherman county 4-h program as a volunteer and has the experience and passion for family and consumer sciences to provide leadership towards adult programming he said she will do a great job of continuing to provide outstanding programs to the people of sherman county\nkillian earned her bachelors degree from texas tech university in lubbock where she served as the state treasurer and a national officer candidate as a part of the texas home economics student section she served as the texas tech chapter president member and officer of tech home economics council and as a home economics recruiter she was named the texas student home economist of the year in 1984\nshe served as the state treasurer and in several board positions of the texas association of family and consumer sciences killian served the american association of family and consumer sciences as the national home and community section chair and national committee chair; served on the state board of the texas association of extension 4-h agents; and received the new achiever award from the texas association of extension home economists in 1987\n-30-\n']
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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: dr michael merchant 972-952-9204 m-merchant@tamuedu\ndallas – the current cricket invasion many are experiencing in parts of east and central texas isnt particularly unusual but the timing is said a texas agrilife extension service entomologist\ndr michael merchant agrilife extension urban entomologist at dallas said hes had a number of reports from central and east texas folks concerned with the high number of crickets theyre seeing this year\ncrickets are invading much of east texas earlier than normal texas agrilife extension entomologists say early warm temperatures and recent rains triggered the cricket flight (texas agrilife extension service photo by kathleen phillips)\ni attribute this to early warm temperatures and recent rains that serve as a trigger for cricket flights merchant said this is the earliest cricket infestation that i can recall though we usually have cricket swarms following our late summer and fall rains\nmerchant said cricket outbreaks are among the most predictable pest occurrences in texas most of the invaders are black field crickets belonging to the gryllus assimilis complex\nwe usually see this phenomenon in august and september when our typical summer drought is broken by rainfall and cooler temperatures merchant said thats happened earlier this year leading to the high numbers we are seeing now\nmerchant said field crickets are outside insects which dont breed or live indoors so the chance of damage is minimal\nduring severe outbreaks like some are having now they can become a nuisance around homes and businesses due to the sheer numbers they swarm up walls over sidewalks and eventually die causing an unsightly mess and foul odors he said\nmerchant said home and business owners can greatly reduce the onslaught by turning off outdoor lights that attract the insects he said bright outside lighting is the leading cause of high cricket concentrations\nif its practical just turn off your outside lights as early in the evening as possible or replace the bulbs with low-pressure sodium vapor lamps or yellow incandescent ‘bug lights which arent as attractive to crickets as brighter light sources\nmerchant said its also important to seal all entry points to your home especially those near bright lights he recommends using steel or brass wool as a temporary barrier because its easily stuffed into weep holes cracks and other entry points but doesnt hinder needed air flow\ninsecticides should only be considered as a last resort due to safety and environmental concerns and even then only as a partial solution to the problem merchant said insecticides should be used with reduced outdoor lighting for best results crickets drawn to bright lights will continue to cause problems no matter how much insecticide is used\ntexas agrilife extension entomologists say heaviest cricket mating flights which is what these infestations are only last a week or two (texas agrilife extension service photo by kathleen phillips)\nthe good news is the heaviest mating flights which is what these infestations are only last a week or two if this naturally occurring invasion gets on folks nerves too bad i recommend they catch a few for bait and go fishing!\nfor more information on crickets and other insects go to http://citybugstamuedu \n-30-\n']
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['houston a prospective wine-grape grower workshop will be held from 9 am-3 pm on aug 10 at the texas agrilife extension service office in harris county 3033 bear creek drive houston\non aug 10 the texas agrilife extension service office at 3033 bear creek drive in houston will present a prospective wine-grape grower workshop (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nthis workshop was created by the agrilife extension viticulture team as a means to educate farmers entrepreneurs or any other individual considering planting a commercial vineyard about what is generally involved in that sort of enterprise said fritz westover agrilife extension viticulture adviser for the gulf coast based in houston it was developed to help small-scale producers determine if it is both economically feasible and individually suitable for them to commit to a commercial vineyard enterprise\nwestover said the workshop consists of a series of presentations that provide an overview of the unique requirements and risks associated with establishing and operating a commercial vineyard in texas\nthe program begins with registration at 8:30 am  workshop topics include necessary viticulture expertise site selection risk factors labor requirements and economics\nwestover noted workshop attendance also is a prerequisite for registration and acceptance into the texas tech viticulture certificate program more information on this program can be found at http://winegrapestamuedu/viticulturecertificatehtml\nregistration is $150 per individual or $250 per couple and lunch is included to register go to the texas agrilife extension conference services website at http://agriliferegistertamuedu and enter the word wine in the sites keyword search field\nfor more information on other viticulture-related educational programs go to http://winegrapestamuedu\n-30-\n']
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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: dr calvin trostle 806-746-6101 ctrostle@agtamuedu\ndimmitt – south plains alfalfa producers can update their production skills at a regional alfalfa production workshop set for 8:30 am-12:15 pm july 25 at the texas agrilife extension service office for castro county 205 north broadway dimmitt\ndr calvin trostle agrilife extension agronomist at lubbock is the main speaker\ntrostle will discuss the suitability of roundup ready alfalfa to the area and irrigation management topics\nwith the advent of glyphosate-resistant pigweed species in the south plains alfalfa growers are not immune to developing resistant pigweed trostle said so sole reliance on glyphosate for weed control is inadvisable for alfalfa producers just as it would be for a cotton grower\nanother issue looming on the horizon is limited irrigation water in the future he said most of the south plains is in the initial phases of pumping limitations which will decline to fixed levels in 2017 this will likely shrink the size of some alfalfa fields\ni plan to speak on irrigation management strategies especially the fitting of irrigation capacity to land area alfalfa planted this fall will see decreasing limits of allowable irrigation water before the end of the stands useful life so planning now for limited water in the future is a very important consideration\n\nother workshop topics include fall planting variety selection and insect control the program will conclude with a visit to a local alfalfa field\nthree texas department of agriculture continuing education units will be available for those with a valid pesticide applicators license\nindividual registration is $10 an alfalfa crop production handbook will be available for an additional $20\nfor further information contact the agrilife extension office in castro county office at 806-647-4115 or trostle at 806-746-6101 or  ctrostle@agtamuedu \n\n-30-\n']
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['expert: winter pastures could save hay if theres another drought\ndr jason banta texas agrilife extension service beef cattle specialist tells how to use us department of agriculture soil map data and google earth satellite images to develop a custom soil and production map (texas agrilife extension service photo by robert burns)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu\noverton planting winter pastures this fall might not save livestock producers bacon but doing so could certainly help them save what hay they have if theres another drought next summer according to a texas agrilife extension service expert\nnormally people plant winter pastures to defray winter feeding costs said dr jason banta agrilife extension beef cattle specialist overton but hay stocks are certainly not up to sufficient levels and by reducing winter feeding they can certainly hang onto more of the stocks they have\nto help producers do the best possible job of developing and utilizing winter pastures banta and his colleague dr vanessa corriher agrilife extension forage specialist overton will be conducting a short course winter pastures for central and east texas 9:30 am – 6 pm aug 17 at the texas agrilife research and extension center at overton\nregistration for the program is $60 and includes lunch and program materials and will be limited to the first 50 people to register the program will offer two continuing education units to texas department of agriculture private pesticide applicator license holders one in the integrated pest management category and one in general register online by going to https://agriliferegistertamuedu and entering the keyword pasture\nthe program will answer a lot of the questions people commonly have about establishing winter pastures banta said some issues addressed will include which species are best suited to a particular type of operation how much money on feed cost they can expect to save and how to interpret seed-tag information and create a custom soil and production map for a farm from satellite data\nprogram topics will be: species and variety selection corriher; monthly and seasonal forage production potential banta; establishment and fertilization corriher; estimated costs grazing and utilization strategies banta; insect control and transitioning from winter to spring forages corriher; insects in legumes corriher ;bloat and grass tetany prevention and management banta; and appropriate mineral supplementation banta\na question and answer session will follow the presentations\nfor more information call michelle sensing at 903-834-6191\n-30-\n']
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['writer: blair fannin 979-845-2259  b-fannin@tamuedu\ncontact: dr jason cleere 979-845-6931 jjcleere@agtamuedu\ncollege station – beginning beef cattle producers will be given an introductory cattle production overview at the texas a&m beef cattle short course scheduled aug 6-8 at texas a&m university in college station\nthe short course conducted by the texas agrilife extension service will feature a broad range of cattle production topics and live demonstrations\nwe have a variety of topics and presentations that will cater to both the novice and most experienced beef cattle producer said dr jason cleere agrilife extension beef cattle specialist in college station and conference coordinator\non aug 6 the introduction to cattle production overview will cover topics such as when a cow is going to calve when a calf should be weaned when a cow should be culled plus a discussion of pregnancy and weaning rate percentages\na forage management program will also be featured aug 6 discussing lessons learned from last years texas drought featuring dr larry redmon agrilife extension state forage specialist in college station\nmeanwhile the cattlemans college portion of the short course will provide participants with an opportunity to choose workshops based on their level of production experience and the needs of their ranch cleere said\nthese 22 concurrent workshops will feature information on introductory cattle production management practices in the areas of forage nutrition and reproduction record keeping brush busters cattle handling landowner issues and much more he said our goal is to provide participants with information that will help them improve the efficiency and ultimately the profitability of their cattle operations\nin addition to classroom instruction on aug 6-7 participants can attend one of the popular demonstrations on the morning of aug 8\nthere will be demonstrations on chute-side calf working cattle behavior penning selection and brush-busting brush busters cleere said these provide an opportunity for ranchers to see beef cattle production practices put to use\ndr lowell catlett a regents professor dean and chief administrative officer in new mexico state universitys college of agricultural consumer and environmental sciences will be the keynote speaker during the general session aug 6 catlett will provide insights and an outlook on the agriculture industry specifically beef cattle production plus the overall current state of the economy\nshort course participants can receive a texas department of agriculture private pesticide applicators license during the short course and can earn at least 10 pesticide continuing education units if they are already licensed cleere added\nan industry trade show will be held during the event featuring more than 120 agricultural businesses and service exhibits\nregistration is $160 per person and includes educational materials a copy of the 600-page beef cattle short course proceedings trade show admittance admission to the aggie prime rib dinner lunches breakfasts and daily refreshments\nregistration information and a tentative schedule were mailed to previous participants in may and can also be found on the short course website at http://beeftamuedu\nproducers can register online at http://beeftamuedu or contact cleeres office at 979-845-6931\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: kristy synatschk 806-878-4026 klsynatschk@agtamuedu\nborger – the texas agrilife extension service will conduct four hutchinson county home horticulture sessions in july and august\nhome horticultural education is in high demand right now because everyone wants a great looking landscape without having to break the bank  said kristy synatschk agrilife extension agent for hutchinson county\nthe sessions which are open and applicable to anyone in the high plains are scheduled july 19 july 26 aug 16 and aug 23 synatschk said they all will be held in the monsanto room of the ag building at frank phillips college 1700 carbon road in borger\neach session will begin at 7 pm and will run about an hour and a half she said there will be a $10 registration fee at each session except for aug 23 when the fee will be $20 to cover the cost of rain barrel construction supplies\nsession presenters and topics will be:\njuly 19 – nich kenny agrilife extension irrigation specialist in amarillo home irrigation management\njuly 26 – dr ed bynum agrilife extension entomologist in amarillo lawn pests; and dr james mcafee agrilife extension turfgrass specialist at dallas basic lawn management\naug 16 – brian scott texas forest service urban forester in canyon tree management\naug 23 – nathan carr agrilife extension agent in briscoe county and synatschk will be discussing rainwater harvesting and building a basic rainwater collection barrel\ni believe this information is not only timely for 2012 but will lay a strong foundation to help your lawn winter well and come out even better in the spring synatschk said\nfor more information on any of the sessions contact synatschk at 806-878-4026 or klsynatschk@agtamuedu \n-30-\n']
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['expert: water supply issues in large cities arent over despite recent rains\ncharles swanson (left) texas agrilife extension service landscape irrigation specialist shows students at an irrigation scheduling course how to evaluate the efficiency of an irrigation system (texas agrilife extension service photo by askar karimov)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu\ncollege station – golf courses city parks and sports fields are all greening up with recent rains but professional landscape managers still need to learn irrigation conservation scheduling according to an irrigation engineer\nreservoirs are filling up in some areas but the problems cities like san antonio and dallas have will be ongoing said dr guy fipps texas agrilife extension service irrigation engineer college station\nto help irrigation and landscape professionals do a better job with the water available fipps said the irrigation water conservation and scheduling short course has been set for 10 am – 6:30 pm july 25 at 317 scoates hall college station\nthe course will also benefit municipality and city water utility personnel particularly those interested in developing urban water conservation programs fipps said but homeowners and others who just want to do a better job with irrigation are welcome too \ncourse registration is $155 licensed irrigators will earn eight hours of continuing education units approved by the texas commission on environmental quality according to fipps the registration fee also includes a copy of texas irrigation scheduling software and validated on-campus parking\ncourse topics include: water supply issues in texas irrigation auditing and how to produce irrigation schedules that conserve water while promoting quality landscapes\nstudents will be introduced to irrigation auditing concepts and receive hands-on experience by testing an actual irrigation system\nstudents should bring a calculator and materials for taking notes and should dress appropriately for outdoor fieldwork including rain gear said charles swanson agrilife extension landscape irrigation specialist and one of the course instructors \nwhile not necessary students are welcome to bring laptop computers for use in this class \nto register go to https://agriliferegistertamuedu and enter the keyword irrigation or call 979-845-2604\nfor more information contact swanson at 979-845-5614\nmore information on the irrigation scheduling and other courses conducted by the texas a&m school of irrigation can be found at http://irrigationtamuedu\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kathleen phillips 979-845-2872 ka-phillips@tamuedu\ncontact: dr gregory reinhart 979-458-0630 gdr@tamuedu\ndr tatyana igumenova 979- 845-6312 tigumenova@tamuedu\ncollege station  – top-notch molecular research swung into gear at texas a&m university this week – literally\na crane lowered a high-field 800 megahertz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer through an opening in the roof of a biochemistry and biophysics building wednesday putting the university on par with leading us research institutions according to dr gregory reinhart department head\nthe german-made instrument which was flown on a cargo plane accompanied by an engineer and transported to the texas a&m campus on a special truck is expected to be fully operational by the first of september[youtube]http://youtube/-_htrphgrle[/youtube]\nthe nuclear magnetic resonance technique commonly called nmr is the forerunner of the more widely known mri reinhart explained that an mri makes images of human tissue for medical diagnostics but nmr makes images at the molecular level for scientific exploration\nthis is a major step forward in the capability of the university in the general area of structural biology said reinhart whose department collaborated with texas agrilife research a part of the texas a&m system to obtain the equipment\n the equipment will benefit researchers from across texas a&m officials noted\nwe are excited to partner with texas a&m university to bring this powerful instrument to campus said dr craig nessler agrilife research director it is critical that we find ways to collaboratively provide such state of the art equipment to our scientists to maintain our research competitiveness\nstructural biology means looking at macromolecules which consist of hundreds or thousands of atoms and then deducing the way these are built and how they move reinhart said knowing how the molecules work helps scientists create solutions for a variety of needs\nmacromolecules are important in disease research as well as for studying all biological problems from plant growth control to waste management in feedlots reinhart said\nprior to obtaining the $27 million nmr texas a&m researchers had access to two 600 megahertz and one 500 megahertz nmrs he noted those will remain operable in the biochemistry departments new nmr wing but the new larger magnet will provide faster more detailed results\nthe business component of an nmr spectrometer is a very large super-conducting magnet the strength of which is measured by the frequency of protons that resonate in it said dr tatyana igumenova a biochemist and director of the biomolecular nmr facility by todays standards this is considered to be a very high-field instrument\none common application of the high-field nmr she said is in drug design\nnmr offers a very quick and easy way to test if a drug candidate binds to a particular protein or enzyme for example she said if you can map the binding site and understand what a particular drug candidate is doing to the protein structure and dynamics this in turn would enable you to design even better therapeutic agents\nbecause the new equipment also has a cryoprobe or cold probe that keeps the electronics responsible for signal detection at the temperature of helium gas less noise is generated and that leads to improved signals igumenova said in essence what would have been a two-day experiment on the existing equipment could now be done in half a day\na crane lowered a high-field 800 megahertz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer through an opening in the roof of a biochemistry and biophysics building wednesday putting the university on par with leading us research institutions according to dr gregory reinhart department head (texas agrilife research photo by kathleen phillips)\nreinhart said texas a&m researchers will now have better access to three complementary methods in structural biology research: x-ray crystallography electron microscopy and nmr spectroscopy\nthese methods serve different purposes he said with x-ray crystallography the sample is immobile because it has been crystallized so that limits what can be studied about function but the structural information is very precise electron microscopy doesnt afford the atomic resolution but it images anything so one doesnt have to have pure samples\nthe nmr does not quite have the precision of x-ray but it comes close and one can observe the molecule in solution which is more like its native environment and with motion which is important to understanding function\nigumenova said graduate and undergraduate students will be trained to use the equipment as well as to process and interpret the data she also plans to use a portion of her national science foundation faculty early career development grant to provide opportunities for underrepresented students to use the equipment in studies\nits a stepping stone into even greater research opportunities in the future reinhart said\n-30-\n']
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['san antonio – texas agrilife extension service in bexar county is now taking applications for its next master gardener volunteer training class said david rodriguez agrilife extension agent for horticulture in bexar county\nmaster gardener volunteer training is conducted by agrilife extension and this will be master gardener class no 56 for adults interested in gardening horticulture and related topics rodriguez said\ncurrently there are more than 370 certified master gardener volunteers in the bexar county master gardener program he noted\nbexar county master gardener volunteers are involved in numerous community service and education-related programs and activities  (bexar county master gardener association photo courtesy of lou kellogg)\nrodriguez who helps administer the program said classes will be conducted from noon-4 pm on wednesdays from aug 22 – nov 14 in suite 208 of  the agrilife extension offices in conroy square 3355 cherry ridge drive san antonio\nmaster gardener classes will address topics ranging from plant growth and development to plant diseases insects soils basic landscaping and garden design\nthose completing classroom training and passing the final exam will be required to complete a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer service toward youth and/or adult education outreach rodriguez said\nindividuals completing the training become certified master gardeners assisting agrilife extension through community education in horticulture he said and program participant volunteer hours may be applied to a variety of approved projects discussed during training\nacceptance to the class is based on the persons willingness to volunteer and the completeness of their application rodriguez said master gardeners support the community by providing information and advice on gardening and landscaping providing technical assistance supporting the local green industry and being involved in a variety of horticulture-related community service projects\nclass size is limited to 40 participants the deadline for submitting an application is aug 15\napplications are available at the agrilife extension office or online at http://bexar-txtamuedu/2012/07/10/master-gardener-class-56/ they can be emailed to angel torres at matorres@agtamuedu faxed to 210-930-1753 or mailed to master gardener training 3355 cherry ridge dr suite 208 san antonio texas 78230-4818\nthe fee for the training is $220 to cover the cost of instruction and materials and is payable upon acceptance into the program checks should be made payable to hort acct 218310-60003\nfor more information contact torres at 210-467-6575 or matorres@agtamuedu\n-30-\n']
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['weslaco    the texas agrilife research and extension center at weslaco will host a cotton defoliation field day from 10 – 11:30 am july 17 at the centers hiler farms\nthe use of a recently approved fungicide on cotton root rot is among topics to be discussed at a july 17 cotton field day near weslaco (agrilife communications photo by rod santa ana)\nhiler farms is located north of mercedes on mile 2 west three miles north of expressway 83 about a quarter mile north of mile 10 north\nthe field day will review cotton defoliation treatments cotton variety trials and the results of cotton root rot control trials according to dan fromme a texas agrilife extension service agronomist\nwell be demonstrating the results of 24 treatments of cotton defoliants to see which combinations work best under current environmental conditions he said\ncotton defoliation is one of the most expensive and difficult decisions cotton producers face during the production cycle according to dr juan landivar center director\nthe effectiveness of cotton defoliation depends on the interaction of the harvest- aid selected and the status of the crop including its boll load water status and nutrient program and a wide range of weather parameters such as temperature and soil moisture he said\nthe field demonstration provides an excellent opportunity for growers to evaluate the performance of a wide variety of harvest-aid chemicals under this seasons growing conditions landivar said\nthe cotton variety trial demonstration will include a discussion of each varietys growth characteristics and fiber quality and how the varieties compare to one another at harvest fromme said\nin the root rot control study well discuss what weve seen so far in our trials of top guard a new fungicide that was approved for use this year on cotton he said\nthere is no charge for attending the field day for more information contact the center at 956-968-5585 or fromme at 830-275-3990\n']
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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: dr dan waldron 325-653-4576 d-waldron@tamuedu\nsonora – texas agrilife researchs annual angora goat performance test field day and sale is set for july 26 at the agrilife research station at sonora\nthe station is located 28 miles south of sonora on us highway 55 between sonora and rocksprings\nactivities begin at 10:30 am with an informal inspection of the test animals and their records educational presentations start at 1 pm after a noon lunch the sale of performance-tested animals will immediately follow the educational program at about 2 pm\nthe programs topics include:\n– mohair market update and outlook mohair council of america san angelo\n– performance trends and relationships among traits comments on test results compiled by dr dan waldron agrilife research and presented by dr frank craddock texas agrilife extension service state sheep and goat specialist both from san angelo\n– presentation of mohair council of america awards and the recognition of certified bucks\nthe sale of performance-tested animals will conclude the days activities\ncomplete performance data and photos of the bucks in-fleece are available at http://safilestamuedu/genetics/angoratesthtm \nfor further information contact waldron or craddock at 325-653-4576 or the agrilife research station at sonora at 325-387-3168\n– 30-\n']
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['vernon – increasing fertilizer prices have producers all over texas looking for budget-friendly ways to meet their crops nutrient requirements and the upcoming rolling plains summer crops field day on july 17 will feature at least one option said a texas agrilife research expert\ndr paul delaune agrilife research environmental soil scientist has studied nitrogen crediting a practice where producers use irrigation water as a free source of nitrogen for their crops\ndelaunes research conducted at the texas agrilife research and extension center in vernon has found nitrates already present in rolling plains irrigation water can provide nitrogen for crops allowing producers to fertilize crops save some money and possibly help the environment\nwith nitrogen crediting irrigators can apply less fertilizer than what is required by a crop and then make up for this deficit with the nitrogen available in their irrigation water he said by using the nitrogen that is available in irrigation water a producer can reduce the amount of commercial fertilizer applied\ndelaunes research is part of the groundwater nitrogen source identification and remediation project managed by the texas water resources institute and funded by the texas state soil and water conservation board with clean water act grant funding from the us environmental protection agency\narea producers can see a living demonstration of nitrogen crediting at the field day which starts at 7:30 am at the chillicothe research station located at 1340 farm-to-market road 392 in chillicothe\nour demonstration consists of cotton plants that have received different treatments with and without considering the nitrogen present in the water delaune said so far our results show applying nitrogen credits does not limit quantity or quality of cotton produced and can lead to substantial savings\nhe said nitrogen crediting is also good for the environment adding accounting for this available nitrogen in irrigation water has the potential to reduce nitrate levels in local groundwater resources\nif done on a wide scale delaune said the nitrate levels in the groundwater can be reduced over time which may result in a decrease in the quantity of nitrate making its way into local creeks\naccounting for all sources of nitrogen is the first step in developing a balanced nitrogen budget which decreases the likelihood of over-applying nitrogen and movement of nitrogen below the root zone he said\ndelaune is working with dr bridget scanlon a senior research scientist from the bureau of economic geology at the university of texas on this project scanlon is evaluating the sources of nitrates in the seymour aquifer which underlies more than 300 000 acres in 20 counties across north central texas\nprevious studies by the bureau suggest that 75 percent of the nitrogen found in the soil is associated with initial cultivation and the subsequent oxidation of soil organic nitrogen from the soils surface into the soil column below scanlon said\nby evaluating carbon and nitrogen isotopes measured deep in the soil profile and pairing the findings with results of artificial tracer studies our work will help scientists understand how nitrogen moves through the soil and will help in managing groundwater nitrogen levels she said\nthis project is scheduled to conclude next summer and will provide area producers with useful information to better manage a valuable yet often criticized resource said lucas gregory the institutes manager for the project in college station\n-30-\n']
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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: chase mcphaul 325-392-2721 pcmcphaul@agtamuedu\nozona – a texas agrilife extension service range and wildlife management workshop has been set from 8:30 am-3:30 pm july 31 in the crockett county convention center in ozona\nfive texas department of agriculture continuing education units – one laws and regulations one integrated pest management and three general – will be available for those with a valid private pesticide applicators license\nthis program will center on the drought we are still very much in here in crockett county said chase mcphaul agrilife extension agent in crockett county weve had more moisture this year than last but times are still hard out here in west texas\nduring this workshop well be discussing drought management strategies how the dry weather has affected livestock supplemental feeding regimes and range and pasture issues well also hear how the dry weather hasnt slowed the influx of feral hogs to our area and whats being done about it\nspeakers and their topics will include:\n– dr frank craddock agrilife extension state sheep and goat specialist at san angelo supplemental feeding drought management health issues and the future of hair sheep\n– dr alyson mcdonald agrilife extension range specialist at fort stockton rangeland drought recovery drought management and re-seeding\n– cory pence texas department of agriculture san angelo pesticide laws and regulations\n– jake babb crockett county trapper feral hog trapping techniques and feral hog update\nindividual registration is $20 and includes lunch rsvp by july 25 by calling the agrilife extension office in crockett county at 325-392-2721 further information can also be obtained by calling the agrilife extension office\n-30-   \n']
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['by: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact(s): dede jones 806-677-5667 dljones@agtamuedu\njay yates 806-746-6101 jayates@agtamuedu\nlubbock/amarillo – texas agrilife extension service will offer quickbooks pro 2012 computer short courses on aug 13-14 in lubbock and sept 4-5 in amarillo\nthe trainings will run from 9 am to 4 pm each day at each location said dede jones agrilife extension risk management specialist in amarillo who will coordinate the event in that city jay yates agrilife extension risk management specialist in lubbock will coordinate the lubbock course\nboth events will be held at the texas agrilife research and extension center in their respective cities they are located at 6500 w amarillo blvd in amarillo and 1102 e farm-to-market road 1294 north of lubbock\nquickbooks pro is a double-entry business accounting program often used by agricultural lenders and producers jones said in the two-day course participants will learn to enter transactions into the program and analyze costs and profits no prior computer experience is necessary\nregistration for each two-day course is $125 and includes computer use and teaching materials couples are encouraged to attend and will be charged only one registration fee if they share a computer class size is limited to 15 people to provide a hands-on experience for all participants jones said\nthose planning to attend should rsvp by aug 6 for the lubbock session and by aug 27 for the amarillo session payment is due upon arrival on the first day of the course\nfor more information or to register call yates at 806-746-6101 or email jayates@agtamuedu  or jones at 806-677-5667 or dljones@agtamuedu \n-30-\n']
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['grain sorghum plantings up in response to drought prices aflatoxin concerns \nby the end of june sorghum near kerens in central texas was already changing color (texas agrilife extension service photo by robert burns)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu \ncollege station – texas grain sorghum plantings are up by about 750 000 acres over last year due to several factors said a texas agrilife extension service expert\nthe us department of agricultures planted acreage report released june 29 projected planted acreage at 23 million acres according to dr calvin trostle agrilife extension agronomist lubbock\ntheres a couple of things that pulled the acreage back up trostle said grain sorghum prices which are tied to corn remain strong also the drought of 2011 reminded some people that corn has more risk involved than sorghum\ncorn is a riskier crop than sorghum during a drought for a couple of reasons he said one sorghum is more drought tolerant and more likely to produce a crop when there is limited rainfall or irrigation capacity\ntwo-minute mp3 audio texas crop and weather report for july 10 2012\ntwo-minute mp3 audio texas crop and weather report for july 10 2012\nanother risk for corn that sorghum doesnt have is aflatoxin development during dry weather he said \naflatoxin is just not an issue in grain sorghum the way it is in corn trostle said\ntrostle expected grain sorghum yields to be fairly good across texas he also noted that the us department of agriculture report did not likely take into account recent re-plantings after hailed-out cotton in the south plains region hail-out re-plantings alone could account for another 200 000 acres planted\nas far as the high plains area we have a fair amount of sorghum that was planted in the last two weeks he said some of that was primary crop sorghum with a fair amount of acreage being put in after failed cotton\ntrostle said on july 9 there was still sorghum being planted in the high plains which can succeed even at such a late date though the grower has to select a hybrid with a short maturity date\ni had a call just this morning from a producer who told me that his cotton was just 1 inch to 2 inches tall he was debating just letting it go i told him i dont think it has a prayer of making anything hed want to harvest so why not just get rid of it and put a short-season sorghum in youll have some stubble out there for next years cotton crop and the likelihood of growing something there with some cash income\nsorghum plantings in texas have fluctuated greatly over the last 10 to 20 years trostle said there have been some years where plantings dropped below 2 million acres and others when it was in the range of 3 to 4 million acres \nmore information on the current texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the agrilife extension agricultural drought task force website at http://agrilifetamuedu/drought/ \nagrilife extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:\nthe 12 texas agrilife extension service districtscentral: hot weather promoted the maturation of corn and milo some sorghum was harvested for silage pastures were in good to fair condition but being heavily hit by grasshoppers in some areas some milo and earlier-planted corn was already being harvested most cotton was at the bloom stage to three-quarter grown bolls cotton needed rain plenty of hay was put up earlier in the summer but producers were starting to worry about drought again irrigators were watering full tilt\ncoastal bend: drought prevailed in the southern part of the region all crops were moisture-stressed the grain sorghum harvest was in full swing most growers were reporting low yields the cotton harvest was expected to begin soon pastures were in poor condition the area could see more herd liquidations if drought persists grasshoppers remained abundant eating grasses ornamental plants and garden plants there were spotty showers reported in the northern part of the region hay was being harvested in the northern counties with near average yields livestock producers throughout the region continued to supplement cattle with hay and protein\neast: most counties reported 05 inch of rain or less houston county was the exception with as much as 2 inches pond and creek levels dropped with the dry and hot weather pastures showed less growth hay harvesting slowed and some producers worried conditions may deteriorate to those of last year grasshoppers were problems to both agricultural producers and homeowners fruit and vegetable growers continued to harvest their crops feral hogs were active cattle were still in good shape horn fly reports increased \nfar west: highs were in the upper 90s and lows in the mid to upper 70s conditions remained mostly dry and the windy weather was drying out what little soil moisture was left pastures were browning due to heat and wind winkler county reported high wildfire danger due to large loads of dead forage in pecos county melon harvesting continued with excellent quality reported also in that area the onion harvest was ongoing cotton was rated average to good in upton county ranchers were still providing supplemental feed to their livestock herd numbers remained low due to continuing drought conditions producers shipped all lambs and kid goats \nnorth: soil-moisture levels were very short to adequate continued hot dry weather prevailed perennial grass in pastures still showed patchy damage from last years drought the hay harvest continued but lack of moisture slowed grass growth irrigated cropland looked good dryland corn and soybeans were very moisture stressed grain sorghum was coloring and beginning to mature grasshoppers were abundant and becoming a concern for many producers cattle were in fair to good condition but stressed by the heat spotty wildfires were started by fireworks\npanhandle: the region remained hot dry and windy irrigators were very active corn was mostly in fair to good condition there was some leaf scorch reported in corn as well as wilt from heat and water stress grain sorghum was mostly in fair to good condition cotton made good progress with the hot weather and was rated mostly in good to fair condition a few wheat fields were not yet harvested insect activity was generally light with a few reports of spider mites in older corn and a few pest problems in cotton rangeland and pastures were in very poor to excellent condition with most counties reporting poor conditions cattle were in fair to good condition some producers were weaning calves early\nrolling plains: the region remained hot and dry with high temperatures above 100 degrees a few counties reported that rangeland and pastures were in fair condition but pastures were declining fast in many areas most dryland cotton needed rain grasshopper pressure increased and some producers were spraying to control them livestock were generally in good condition but starting to decline many calves from the cowherds still left were being sold early some ranchers were beginning to have problems with water wells with dropping groundwater levels ranchers had to not only provide supplemental feed to cattle but also haul water to some areas area lake levels were at about 50 percent capacity there were pecan trees lost due to drought \nsouth: only three weeks into the summer and high temperatures were depleting soil-moisture levels all counties in the region have reported short to very short soil moisture crops under irrigation were doing well those fields not under irrigation were stressed rangeland and pastures continued to rapidly turn brown ranchers were increasing supplemental feeding of livestock stock-tank water levels were dropping; some tanks were already completely dry corn harvesting began in frio county jim wells county cotton was in good condition improved with 05 inch to 4 inches of rain in live oak county the harvesting of the remaining corn crop was ongoing much of the corn and grain sorghum crops in that area were zeroed-out by insurance adjusters in maverick county watermelon grain sorghum and hay harvesting continued in zavala county cotton progressed well the watermelon harvest was completed and the grain sorghum harvest began in cameron county cotton was setting bolls and conditions were favorable for maturing corn and harvesting grain sorghum in hidalgo county the sunflower harvest was mostly complete and the grain sorghum harvest was finished in starr and willacy counties the grain sorghum harvest was nearly complete \nsouth plains: temperatures ranged from the mid-to upper 90s with high winds there were a few spotty light showers reported which helped cotton as it entered the bloom stage irrigated cotton continued to progress well but dryland cotton began to show signs of stress due to lack of moisture some grain sorghum was in the boot stage some hail-damaged cotton fields were being replanted to grain sorghum corn was silking and sunflowers began to bloom producers were dealing with insect pests spraying weeds cultivating and replanting in some areas pasture and rangeland were still holding on in most locations but needed rain soon livestock were in mostly good condition\nsoutheast: rain helped forage growth but some producers still had dry ponds hot dry conditions were still limiting warm-season forage production dryland corn was drying down quickly and was expected to be ready for harvest 15-20 days earlier than normal grasshoppers continued to be a problem is some areas rice looked very good in chambers county with most farmers spraying fungicide to avoid blast and other diseases \nsouthwest: dry hot weather persisted pastures continued to decline hay harvesting slowed dramatically cattle were beginning to show signs of stress and producers remained hesitant to restock milo and corn were drying down quickly and the harvest was expected to begin soon \nwest central: continued hot dry windy weather took their toll on soil moisture a few areas received some scattered showers but none were significant some grain sorghum and sudan hay crops were harvested early due to poor growing conditions cotton was showing signs of moisture-stress producers were irrigating where water was available producers were stubble mulching wheat fields in preparation for fall wheat and oat planting rangeland and pastures continued to decline prussic acid problems increased in summer annual forages stock-tank levels were critically low in some areas livestock remained in fair condition\n-30-\n']
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['expert: health of private woodlands doesnt happen by accident\nemma taylor kilgore plays in her parents woodlands even a woodland of only a few acres – or less – requires management to minimize the risk of wildfire pests and forest diseases (texas agrilife extension service photo by dr eric taylor)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu\noverton – many people living in urban areas – houston dallas and others who own a little slice of woodland may think they dont need to be concerned about managing for drought wildfire pests or forest diseases\nbut healthy woodlands are no accident they require work and planning according to a forestry expert with the texas agrilife extension service\nwhatever you call it woodlands or forest if you simply enjoy the beauty wildlife or recreational amenities the health of the ecological system is important in order to resist drought insects disease and even wildfire said dr eric taylor agrilife extension forestry specialist overton and healthy woodlands require hands-on management from the landowner \nto help property owners keep their woodlands healthy taylor and his associates are hosting a four-part seminar that can be attended in person or online \nthe in-person course will be held at the texas agrilife research and extension center at overton which is northeast of tyler taylor encouraged all who can to attend the meeting at overton because of the additional benefits gained from face-to-face meetings for those who cant make it in person the course will be broadcast live as a webinar\nthe recorded sessions will be made available online to registered participants\nsession dates will be aug 10 sept 14 oct 12 nov 9 which are the second friday of each month the sessions will last 1 – 5 pm \nregistration for the course is $85 which may be paid online at the secure agrilife extension conference services site at https://agriliferegistertamuedu enter the keyword woodland \ntwo relatively recent developments prompted him and his associate matt bonham to devise the course taylor said\nthe first development was increased stress to woodlands from natural and/or man-made sources taylor said natural stressors include drought and extreme heat man-made stressors include invasive species soil disturbances air pollution and other stressors stemming from human activities \nall these stressors not only threaten the health of woodlands directly but make them more susceptible to pests plant diseases drought and wildfire\nhowever there is good news taylor said these problems can be minimized or eliminated through the simple and purposeful act of sound woodland management\nthe four session titles are: a healthy woodland is no accident; how are my woodlands in danger a deeper look at the threats and challenges facing todays forests and woodlands; recipe for healthy woods: a thorough look at strategies to promote ecosystem health and vigor; and planning for tomorrow today \nfor those planning to attend via the webinar multicast taylor suggested they visit the configuration test site at http://goncsuedu/configuration at least 24 hours in advance to test their accessibility \nfor more information contact michele sensing at 903-834-6191 or amsensing@agtamuedu \n-30-\n']
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['san antonio – the texas agrilife extension service will be presenting a grounds maintenance workshop from 8:30 am-3 pm on aug 24 in the dairy barn of the san antonio livestock exposition grounds 3201 east houston street\nthe closest entrance to the workshop location is the west gate off east houston street\ncoordinators said the workshop will provide the most up-to-date research-based information on turf selection and management irrigation turf nutrition pest management and laws and regulations\nthe texas agrilife extension service will present a grounds maintenance workshop from 8:30 am to 3 pm aug 24 in the dairy barn on the san antonio livestock show and rodeo grounds (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nthis program is geared toward commercial and lawn and turf maintenance professionals but homeowners and others interested in grounds maintenance are also welcome to attend coordinators said\nwell be paying particular attention to water conservation and more efficient irrigation practices which are especially important with the recent drought and with water resources becoming more limited said david rodriguez agrilife extension agent for horticulture in bexar county and one of the workshop coordinators\nprogram registration will be from 8:30-9 am lunch and snacks will be provided\nthe cost is $40 for registration before aug 22 and $50 thereafter including at the door\nearly registration can be made by mailing or dropping off payment in suite 212 of the agrilife extension offices for bexar county in conroy square 3355 cherry ridge dr in san antonio once registered a map and directions will be provided\nfive continuing education units – one laws and regulations 15 integrated pest management 25 general – are available to those with private commercial and non-commercial texas department of agriculture applicator licenses\nfor more information contact angel torres or rodriguez at 210-467-6575\n-30-\n']
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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: jerry warren 325-854-5835 jwarren@agtamuedu\nbaird – a multi-county texas agrilife extension service program targeting issues affecting landowners is slated for 9 am-3 pm aug 16 in the baird community center in baird\nparticipating counties are callahan shackelford and taylor\nthis program is meant to address some of the more pressing issues faced by landowners in our three-county area but the information is applicable pretty much anywhere in the state said jerry warren agrilife extension agent in callahan county\nspeakers will be will hatler agrilife extension program specialist stephenville; and dr judon fambrough senior lecturer texas real estate center texas a&m university colleges station\nhatler will speak on the regions status in terms of rangeland recovery from the record drought and heat of 2011 fambrough will address oil and gas leasing condemnation relating to pipeline easements deer hunting lease terms and limited landowner liability\none texas department of agriculture continuing education unit will be available for those with a valid private applicators license\nindividual pre-registration is $15 by aug 13 and $20 thereafter the fee includes a catered lunch\ncontact the agrilife extension office in callahan county for more information and to rsvp by calling 325-854-5835\n-30–\n']
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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: helen holdsworth 210-826-2904 ext 120 hholdsworth@texas-wildlifeorg\ndr dale rollins 325-653-4576 d-rollins@tamuedu\nabilene – the texas agrilife extension service will join several other state and national agencies and texas conservation groups in in hosting the 18th annual national bobwhite technical committee meeting aug 7-10 at the mcm elegante hotel in abilene\nour theme is ‘quail conservation in the lone star state said dr dale rollins agrilife extension wildlife specialist at san angelo we want to celebrate our legacy of quail hunting and management while casting a wary eye to recent declines in abundance\nthose of us in texas thought we were immune to the decline of wild quail that has gripped bobwhites across the southeastern us since 1980 but unfortunately the past three years have us thinking otherwise that indeed our wild quail legacy is at risk\nrollins said the instruction is tailored more to stimulate intellectual exchange of ideas for professional wildlife personnel but anyone with a serious interest in the birds could benefit\nwe expect an audience of about 150 quail folk from across the bobwhites range plus any texans we attract for the general session on aug 8 due to the depth of the subject matter i expect most of those who will attend will probably be state wildlife agency employees\nthis trip to the western edge of the bobwhites range will be an eye-opener for most of these biologists he said theyre used to getting 40 inches or more of rainfall annually while we struggle to get 20 those high rainfall amounts affect the managers opportunity to use tools like grazing and prescribed burning ecologically speaking here things just happen more slowly\nthe aug 7 agenda will consist of registration in-house committee meetings and a welcome reception set from 5:30-9:30 pm at the hotel the aug 10 schedule offers a similar slate\n\nrollins said the general sessions at 8 am and 10:30 am on aug 8 should hold the most interest to texans interested in quail management to accommodate them a special day-registration fee of $35 has been planned for those sessions only which includes lunch\nrollins said the aug 8 sessions will focus on texas quail conservation and feature presentations on the texas parks and wildlife departments quail efforts; the bobwhite brigades 20 years of youth involvement; quail climate and weather; the farm bill as it relates to texas quail; and updates on the national bobwhite quail initiative and texas quail happenings\nevents aug 9 will be highlighted by a field trip beginning at 11 am with buses leaving at 11:30 am stops will include a wind farm tour and the rolling plains quail research ranch the tour will conclude with a banquet and awards presentations at the ranch pavilion\nthe other agencies involved with the effort include texas parks and wildlife department us department of agriculture natural resources conservation service texas wildlife association rolling plains quail research ranch texas tech university quail coalition and the national wild turkey federation\nthis annual meeting of quail scientists and managers from across the us is important for idea exchange rollins said ive always subscribed to president woodrow wilsons notion that one should ‘use not only all the brains i have but also all i can borrow and thats what we plan to do here in august\nexcept for the special aug 8-only registration of $35 preregistration for the entire event is $200 by july 16 and $250 thereafter student or spousal registration is an additional $165 and includes meals and the field trip\nthe texas wildlife association is handling registration via the website: http://wwwtexas-wildlifeorg/resources/events/national-bobwhite-technical-committee \nfor further information contact helen holdsworth at 210-826-2904 extension 120 or hholdsworth@texas-wildlifeorg \n-30-\n']
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['contacts: heather mathewson 979-845-4095 heathermathewson@agnettamuedu\nmike morrison 979-862-7667 mlmorrison@tamuedu\ncollege station the projected number of golden-cheeked warbler males across their breeding range in central texas is more than previous estimates had indicated according to results from a texas agrilife research study recently published online in the journal of wildlife management\ngolden-cheeked warbler (photo courtesy of us fish and wildlife service)\nthe study the first to survey for the presence of the warblers and their habitat across their entire breeding range estimated approximately 262 000 male warblers occur within 4 million acres of potential habitat in parts of nearly 40 counties in central texas said dr heather mathewson assistant research scientist at the texas a&m institute of renewable natural resources and lead author of the paper\nmathewson said the golden-cheeked warbler was designated as federally endangered in 1990 because of concerns about a small population size and loss and fragmentation of its woodland habitat since then abundance estimates for the species have mainly relied on localized population studies on public lands and qualitative-based methods\nthose estimates some now over 20 years old were often based on a limited amount of data from only a handful of study areas in the breeding range she said depending on the data and analyses estimates varied from roughly 9 000 to 54 000 individuals\nthe paper originated from an agrilife research study initiated in 2008 because the only information about the distribution and population of golden-cheeked warblers in central texas was limited and outdated said dr michael morrison professor and caesar kleberg chair in wildlife ecology in texas a&ms department of wildlife and fisheries sciences and lead researcher for the 2008 study\nhe said the agrilife research team used the range-wide field surveys along with satellite imagery depicting potential warbler habitat to develop and validate statistical models\nthe study was the first time a spatially explicit predictive model for golden-cheeked warblers was used to predict the population across the breeding range he said\na spatially explicit model provides estimates based on features of the birds habitat across the range of the species\nthis work is useful to landowners conservationists and developers because it provides a framework for more reliably predicting abundance and changes in abundance given various changes to the landscape range-wide such as vegetation removal mathewson said it also gives them the ability to evaluate the consequences of losing warbler habitat locally in terms of changing the probability of warblers being present which is important because of the costs of mitigating for loss of an endangered species habitat\nthe agrilife research team released a report in 2010 detailing the sampling methods statistical analyses and results of its study morrison said the us fish and wildlife service requested a peer review of the report and associated manuscripts because the importance of the study put it in the category of highly influential scientific information the peer review was facilitated by the wildlife society the scientific society for professional wildlife biologists and managers\nthe service wanted to determine whether this study represented the best available science and whether our methods and data had been used and interpreted in a reasonable way morrison said the reviewers concluded that the overall study design analyses and inferences are supported by sound scientific data and analysis\nmathewson said the report and related publications do not advocate changes in the listing status of the golden-cheeked warbler nor do they imply that conservation measures to protect the species habitat are no longer needed\nrather this study is one of many necessary steps in our evolving knowledge of the golden-cheeked warbler and is not intended as the final word on the matter she said\nthe peer-reviewed research paper was co-authored by researchers from the institute including julie groce senior research associate; tiffany mcfarland research associate; todd snelgrove program specialist; dr bret collier research scientist; and dr neal wilkins director morrison and dr cal newnam wildlife biologist for the texas department of transportation are also authors\nin addition to the paper in the journal of wildlife management the team has published two additional papers from this study in the peer-review journals diversity and distributions and the wildlife society bulletin to view a summary of the study and the three papers go to http://bitly/o1ykil the full study report is available on the institutes website at http://irnrtamuedu/publications/ \n-30-\n']
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['goals reached: white eyes blue petals maroon leaves\nwriter: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: dr dariusz malinowski 940-552-9941 dmalinow@agtamuedu\nvernon – commercialization of winter-hardy hibiscuses from the texas agrilife research program at vernon could become a reality within the next year according to dr dariusz malinowski texas agrilife research plant physiologist and forage agronomist in vernon\nthe hibiscus flower project got its early start about six years ago as a hobby at the homes of malinowski his coworker dr william pinchak agrilife research animal nutritionist and steve brown texas foundation seed service program director\n[youtube]http://youtube/ysvtwgh-xpu[/youtube]\nbut the commercialization effort began when it was added to the vernon research programs strategic plan covering non-traditional or under-utilized crops that have value because of drought tolerance\nthree years ago we decided to go large scale and evaluate many more breeding lines than we could do in our backyards malinowski said right now there are about 6 000 plants growing in our plots different crosses from which about less than 100 have a commercial value\nthe team which also includes dr yves emendack post-doctorate research associate and shane martin technician has nurtured the 6 000 plants through the dry spells and high heat malinowski said\nthey plant seeds from selected breeding plants in search of new types of flowers leaf shape leaf color flower color or combination of colors he said most of their new hibiscus lines are interspecific hybrids among several winter-hardy hibiscus species\nand they are reaching their goals one by one\nblue coloring in winter-hardy hibiscus flowers is a goal of dr dariusz malinowski texas agrilife research (texas agrilife research photo by kay ledbetter)\none of the main goals of the program is to create a blue-flowering winter-hardy hibiscus he said we succeeded in 2010 to have a plant for the first time with flowers with bluish tint unfortunately the bluish tint was visible only in the shade or on overcast days in full sun it was still purplish\na true blue flower pigment does not exist in the winter-hardy hibiscus species but through crossing breeding lines with purple and lavender flower color the breeders have selected new hibiscus lines with almost-blue flowers malinowski said\nweve been working ever since on stabilizing the blue color and this year we have one plant that has very nice blue flowers in full sun and in shade it doesnt matter he  said also this years blue flowers are much bigger than the parental plants\ncreating a different color of foliage – in this case maroon – for the different color flowers is another goal of dr dariusz malinowskis hibiscus breeding program (texas agrilife research photo by kay ledbetter)\nmalinowski added that the blue flower color seemed to be very much correlated with the small flower size of one of the ancestors of the blue hibiscus\nhe said their goal is to create a blue-flowering hibiscus with a very large 12-inch diameter flower which will probably take another few years but we are on the way to doing that this year we have several lines with large flowers but not quite blue yet through back-crossing with the most blue-colored lines we expect to increase the intensity of blue color in the large flowering hybrids\nanother goal is to create plants with different colors of foliage malinowski said\nwe now have one line with maroon leaves very nice purplish–maroon this trait can be inherited later on in the breeding program and we will work toward breeding plants with different flower colors and the maroon leaves\nsuch winter-hardy hibiscus types do not exist on the market today malinowski said adding that is what his breeding program is all about – trying to provide consumers with something different that survives colder winters and drier conditions\nthe hibiscus can basically be grown from south central texas to canada as long as the required winter period is long enough for them to go dormant after the first frost malinowski said the plants re-sprout from the root the following spring\na white-eyed winter-hardy hibiscus flower has been successfully bred by dr dariusz malinowski texas agrilife research (texas agrilife research photo by dr dariusz malinowski)\none more accomplishment malinowski is claiming this year is success in trying to change the traits of the eye of the hibiscus\nusually hibiscus flowers have a dark red or maroon or brown center eye but rarely do they have a white eye in 2009 we found a plant with large soft-pink flowers and a white eye we have been trying to transfer the trait of the white eye with the red-flowering types and this year we were successful\nmalinowski said through the project they have disclosed about 80 breeding lines to the texas a&m university system office of technology commercialization\nbrown said there are several companies evaluating different materials across the us and in europe at this time\nonce these companies decide they wish to include these lines in their product offering they will license the products and propagate to begin to increase their numbers he said\nin the ornamental crops business most commercial nurseries will show their customers a sampling of what will be available for the next season brown said this is an effort to both promote the product and get an idea of how many plants they need to produce for the upcoming season\nthis process once a nursery makes the decision to add a new product takes about two years before the consumer will see the product in the garden centers in great numbers over a diverse area he said\n-30-\n']
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['writer: blair fannin 979-845-2259 b-fannin@tamuedu\ncollege station – experts are cautioning horse owners to be on the lookout for pigeon fever a bacterial illness that causes abscesses typically in the pectoral region of horses but in other anatomical sites as well\npigeon fever is an infection caused by the bacterial organism corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis it is considered endemic in california and some other western us states\ndr amy swinford head of diagnostic bacteriology for the texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory said the organism can live for months to years in the soil and it may infect the horse through a wound or broken skin flies can serve as mechanical vectors to transmit the organism from the environment to horses\nthere is currently no commercial vaccine against the organism\ncases in texas submitted to the diagnostic lab increased 1 065 percent from 2005 to 2011 according to the agencys data\nswinford said one of her own geldings had pigeon fever but because he only had tremendous swelling of the sheath region and ventral midline without obvious abscesses the diagnosis was a bit more complicated than in horses that present the classic pectoral abscess ‘pigeon breast lesions\nthere are different forms of the disease she said the external abscess form is the most common but internal abscesses and a condition called ulcerative lymphangitis while less common are  generally more serious\nswinford said most veterinarians find the most effective method of treatment for the external abscess form is to drain the abscesses rather than treating these horses with antibiotics\nthe more serious forms of the disease require the use of antibiotics and fortunately the bacterial organism is sensitive to all of the commonly used antibiotics\nswinford said recent news reports confirmed the disease has been found in horses as far east as oklahoma arkansas and florida\nthe organism may incubate within the horse for several weeks before symptoms appear\nclinical signs may include fever edema (swelling) lethargy lameness and depression or weight loss but these vary from horse to horse and also depend on the form of disease a horse has my own horse was not febrile (feverish) and never acted sick swinford said this is often true of horses that have only external abscesses\nexternal abscesses can become quite large and extend deep into tissue often accompanied by swelling and may develop along the chest midline groin area and various other sites internal abscesses may also develop and can often be very difficult to treat\nswinford said horse owners who detect any of these symptoms are advised to contact their veterinarian as soon as possible\nits something that should be diagnosed and treated appropriately she said unfortunately theres currently no way to  prevent it but fly control around stables and other types of horse premises may help\n-30-\n']
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['college station – the american college of veterinary microbiologists has elected two professionals from the texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory to its board of governors\ndr hemant naikare and dr amy k swinford were among three new board members chosen from 10 candidates they will assume office in august\nthe college is the specialty organization recognized by the american veterinary medical association for certification of veterinarians in microbiology to become certified as a college diplomate an individual must be a veterinarian in good standing with graduate degrees and/or additional years of experience working in veterinary microbiology in addition candidates must pass a general examination and at least one sub-specialty examination in bacteriology/mycology virology immunology or parasitology\nnaikare is section head of bacteriology and molecular diagnostics at the laboratorys amarillo location he earned a doctorate in veterinary biomedical sciences from oklahoma state university and holds a bachelors degree in veterinary sciences and animal husbandry and a masters degree in veterinary sciences-microbiology from the bombay veterinary college in india\nhe joined the amarillo laboratory in 2007 following a post-doctoral fellowship at oklahoma states biosensor and molecular diagnostics laboratory he became a diplomate  in 2009\nswinford is branch chief for the bacteriology serology and virology sections at the diagnostic laboratorys college station location a university of illinois graduate swinford earned two bachelors degrees a masters degree in veterinary pathobiology and a doctorate in veterinary medicine – all from illinois\nshe joined the college station laboratory in 2005 following posts with mvp laboratories inc schering-plough animal health and the university of nebraska-lincolns veterinary diagnostic center she became a diplomate in 1997\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: leonard haynes 806-874-2141 l-haynes@tamuedu\nclarendon – an educational rainwater harvesting seminar complete with a hands-on installation demonstration has been scheduled for july 28 in clarendon according to leonard haynes texas agrilife extension service agent for donley county\nthe seminar will begin with registration from 8-8:30 am at the home of sarah sorelle 507 w  5th street sorelle who is helping sponsor the event has offered her home as a demonstration location due to her interest in conserving water\nthe hands-on installation demonstration will be led by the world-renowned rainwater harvesting expert billy kniffen who has presented this topic at several locations across the united states haynes said kniffen is the agrilife extension state rainwater harvesting specialist\nfollowing the hands-on portion a meal will be provided along with an educational program at the donley county activity center 4437 n state highway 70 the program will end around 3 pm he said\nthere will be a $10 registration fee per person checks should be made payable to donley county texas agrilife extension and mailed to box 682 clarendon texas 79226\nthose planning to attend are asked to rsvp by july 25 to the agrilife extension office in donley county at 806-874-2141 or 806-282-7680 haynes said call the same numbers for more information or directions\nhaynes said this meeting is a joint effort between greenbelt water authority city of clarendon sorelle and agrilife extension and targets communities within the greenbelt water authority – clarendon hedley memphis childress quanah and crowell – but is open to anyone\nnot only has the greenbelt water authority identified depletion of water resources as a major concern but the texas water-supply planning process has identified that surface and groundwater supplies will not be able to meet future water demand haynes said\nwater conservation and development of alternative water supplies is necessary to meet the growing demand for fresh water according to kniffen rainwater harvesting is an innovative alternative water supply approach anyone can use rainwater harvesting captures diverts and stores rainwater for later use\ncaptured rainwater is ideal for use in landscaping because the water is free of salts minerals and chlorine and it adds water back into the ground and aquifer kniffen said it is also useful in attracting and providing water for birds wildlife and livestock and brought into the home for non-potable or potable use\nimplementing rainwater harvesting techniques directly benefits local communities by reducing demand on water supplies and reducing run-off erosion and contamination of surface water he said\nin many communities 30 to 50 percent of the total water is used for landscape irrigation kniffen said capturing rainwater for use in the landscape makes efficient use of a valuable resource reduces water bills and reduces demand on the water supply\n-30-\n']
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['writer: blair fannin 979-845-2259 b-fannin@tamuedu\ncontact: dr jason cleere 979-845-6931 jjcleere@agtamuedu\ncollege station – youth can learn more about the beef industry during a special hands-on program held in conjunction with the texas a&m beef cattle short course aug 6-8 at texas a&m university in college station\nthe program will feature a variety of educational sessions ranging from beef evaluations and grading to beef advocacy said dr jason cleere conference coordinator and texas agrilife extension service beef cattle specialist in college station\nyouth participants will be able to attend the general session as well as the live demonstrations on aug 8 cleere said competitions will be held for the students to exhibit their beef knowledge skills and awards will be given to the winners\nthis will also be an excellent opportunity for youth that are involved with commercial steer and heifer programs and other youth beef cattle competitions to gain valuable beef cattle production information cleere said\ntopics include a beef quality demonstration live cattle evaluation and beef fabrication along with attending any one of the cattlemans college sessions offered during the main texas a&m beef cattle short course\nall registrants ages 13-18 for the youth program must be attending the texas a&m beef cattle short course with a parent or other supervising adult registration deadline is $60 by aug 1 and $80 thereafter\nfor registration information visit http://beeftamuedu for forms and related information about the program\n-30-\n']
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['\nsan antonio – the texas agrilife extension service will present the first backyard gardening series which features fruits and vegetables from a-z on july 17 at agency offices located in the conroy complex  3355 cherry ridge dr san antonio\nthe first installment of a backyard gardening series addressing fruits and vegetables in alphabetical order will be held the evening of july 17 at the texas agrilife extension service office in san antonio those beginning with the letters a and b will be featured at this first backyard gardening series presentation  (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nthe first series installment which will be from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm in suite 208 of agrilife extension offices will focus on fruits and vegetables beginning with the letters a and b the program is open to the public\nthe series will address how to select and plant vegetable and fruit plants and trees at the appropriate time of the year and how to combine plants to save space produce better yields and provide more efficient insect control said david rodriguez agrilife extension agent for horticulture in bexar county\nrodriguez said the series will be helpful for anyone from the backyard gardener to the small-acreage producer he noted that plants and trees featured during this first program in the series are asparagus apples artichokes almonds avocados apricots bananas bush beans beets blackberries black-eyed peas and broccoli\nduring the series we will also focus on agrilife extensions earth-kind program and the various environmentally responsible practices that are key to that program he said these include practices for the purpose of reducing chemical use and improving soil and water conservation\nrodriguez said subsequent series presentations will be offered about once a month\nthe fee for the program is $10 to be paid the day of the event  rsvp to angel torres at 210-467-6575 on or before july 16\n-30-\n']
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['college station – the texas agrilife extension service provides information regarding what to do before during and after a flood as well as other disasters according to agency experts\nthe texas agrilife extension service has many publications most of them free of charge to help texans prepare for and recover from flooding including publications on flood recovery safety tips controlling mold basic first aid and caring for important papers (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nagrilife extension has a lot of information most of it free related to preparing for and recovering from flooding and other disasters available online said dr joyce cavanagh agrilife extension specialist in family economics with flooding there are a number of things you can do to minimize damage to your home or business protect your familys health and restore your property after the flood\ncavanagh said the texas extension disaster education network at http://texashelptamuedu provides information on flood preparation cleaning flood-damaged homes emergency food and water supplies the national flood insurance program post-flooding safety precautions and more\nshe said the site also contains a link to the downloadable preparing for the unexpected booklet which provides details on what steps to take in advance of a natural disaster or other emergency situation the booklet is available in english and spanish\nmore information on flooding preparation and recovery can be found under the disasters & emergencies link at the texas agrilife extension bookstore at http://agrilifebookstoreorg this site contains many no-cost materials for downloading and printing including flood recovery safety tips controlling mold basic first aid caring for important papers and post-disaster considerations for older adults\ncavanagh added that having more information about flooding at this time is particularly useful as flood maps around the state are being revised and flood insurance rates likely will be increasing for many new flood coverage buyers\nto determine if the area where you live is undergoing a change to its flood maps go to http://wwwfloodsmartgov and click on the flooding & flood maps link then on flood map update schedule\none of the best ways to prepare for a flood is to purchase flood insurance she said homeowners and renters policies do not cover flood damage to homes or contents consumers should also realize there is a 30-day waiting period after purchase before coverage takes effect\nthere are numerous floodplains and other flood-prone areas throughout texas said dr andy vestal agrilife extensions director of homeland security and emergency even though most of the state is in a serious state of drought flash flooding has already affected some areas and we should anticipate there will be more rain\nvestal added that sudden rains after long dry spells can cause greater-than-average flooding due to the inability of contracted parched soil to absorb that amount of water and the subsequent runoff\nthe first thing those affected by a flood need to do is to emphasize safety when returning to their home or business cavanagh said they need to be aware of possible structural or electrical damage and possible damage to gas lines they also need to be aware of possible contamination from flood water and what they can do to reduce that risk you can be safer just by being informed and aware and these materials can help\n-30-\n']
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['san antonio the cooperative extension program at prairie view a&m university and care improvement plus will present a free showing of the hbo documentary the weight of the nation and facilitate discussion on the topic of obesity from 11:30 am–1 pm july 26 at the bazan library 2200 w commerce in san antonio\nthe documentary an hbo and institute of medicine presentation was produced in association with the centers for disease control and national institutes of health and in partnership with the michael and susan dell foundation and kaiser permanente\na free showing of the hbo documentary ‘the weight of the nation and discussion on the topic of obesity will take place july 26 at the bazan library in san antonio (graphic courtesy of hbo)\nafter viewing the documentary attendees are invited to participate in a discussion on what can be done to help reduce the local obesity rate said grace guerra-gonzalez cooperative extension program agent for family and consumer sciences bexar county\nthis is a great opportunity for people to learn more about our national situation with obesity and to find out how they can be part of efforts to reduce obesity locally and improve the health of their community guerra-gonzalez said\nshe said discussion would include what is currently being done locally to address the obesity issue maintaining a healthy lifestyle and providing recommendations on how area businesses agencies and organizations can further help individuals and families make healthier lifestyle choices\nobesity is the nations leading cause of preventable illness and death guerra-gonzalez said it contributes to heart disease type 2 diabetes stroke kidney disease some types of cancer and other illnesses with more than two-thirds of the nations adults and more the two-fifths of its children overweight or obese we need to do whatever we can – as soon as possible to reverse this harmful trend\nspace for the screening and discussion is limited so guerra-gonzalez said those interested should rsvp to her by july 19 by calling the texas agrilife extension service office in bexar county at 210-467-6575\nmore information on health-related programs and activities involving the cooperative extension program can be found at http://pvceppvamuedu/pages/fcshtml\n-30-\n']
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['course taught largely by college station poultry experts\n\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu\nnacogdoches – want to learn all the ins and outs of raising broilers in the backyard for what amounts to chicken feed\nif so at $20 the small flock and vegetable short course set aug 10 at the texas agrilife extension service office in nacogdoches county was made to order said aaron low agrilife extension agent for cherokee county\nwere charging just enough to cover material costs and lunch low said\nand when he says the course will cover all the ins and outs hes not exaggerating low said plus unlike other courses attendees will also be treated to several presentations on home vegetable gardening including growing heritage varieties and raising vegetables for organic markets\nthe registration fee will include a catered lunch educational materials and break refreshments to register rsvp by aug 3 by calling 936-560-7711\nthe agrilife extension office in nacogdoches is located at 203 w main st\nmorning presentations will include: raising broilers in the backyard dr greg archer agrilfe extension poultry specialist college station; backyard laying hen facilities and nutrition management dr craig coufal agrilfe extension poultry specialist college station; small flock diseases treatments and biosecurity dr morgan farnell agrilfe extension poultry specialist college station; selling the goods produced by your backyard flock-regulations coufal; and brown eggs white eggs red chickens white chickens checkered chickens – what breed do i buy an ideal poultry co representative\nafter-lunch presentations will include ducks geese guineas or turkeys – why or why not ideal poultry representative; home gardening – soil irrigation and size and type of garden dr joseph masabni agrilife extension horticulture specialist college station; insect control in home poultry flock and the home garden dr sonja swiger agrilife extension entomologist stephenville; and heritage gardening selecting what to grow selling produce and organic vs non-organic vs mixture masabni\nthe program is jointly hosted by agrilife extension offices in angelina cherokee nacogdoches and shelby counties\n-30-\n']
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['joel kirby has served as a 4-h adult leader for 16 years\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu\noverton – joel kerby a long-time overton resident has won the highest award 4-h gives a volunteer the salute to excellence award\nthe award recognizes outstanding 4-h volunteers for their service to 4-h programs and the impact that they have had on the lives of young people said montza williams 4-h youth specialist overton \njoel kerby winner of the 2012 4-h salute to excellence award for texas agrilife extension service district 5 (texas agrilife extension service photo by robert burns)kerby has served as a 4-h adult leader for rusk county for the past 16 years according to blaine jernigan texas agrilife extension service agent for rusk county he has also served as club manager for the roundup 4-h club in overton for 11 years and is currently serving as co-chairman of the rusk county youth project show before that he served as superintendent of the clubs market lamb show\nevery county and every volunteer-driven program needs more volunteers like joel kirby williams said even though his children have grown up and are out of the 4-h program joel continues to volunteer he has experienced along with his family the full value of the 4-h program and because of that understanding and knowledge joel continues to give back so that other east texas young people can enjoy some of those same benefits from the program\nkerby who works as research associate at the texas agrilife research and extension center at overton has a reputation for not just being a hard worker but someone who has the best traits of leadership jernigan said\ni have known him for many years and have worked with him in rusk county for the past 13 years jernigan said he has been a person of great integrity he seems always positive and willing to overlook peoples flaws and work with them to do the right thing in order to benefit our youth\n4-h is a nationwide youth organization in texas it is administered by agrilife extension an agency of texas a&m university system\n-30- \n']
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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: zachary wilcox 325-236-6912 s-wilcox@tamuedu\nsweetwater – the texas agrilife extension service will conduct a tree health program from 6-8 pm july 17 in the meeting room on the third floor of the nolan county courthouse in sweetwater\nzach wilcox agrilife extension agent in nolan county said the programs main objective will be to determine what if anything can be done with the many landscape trees affected by last years record heat and drought\nive looked at a number of trees this spring at the request of concerned property owners wilcox said many trees here in town are completely dead there are also those that have dead limbs or that have suffered some top-kill\nby conducting this program we will try to shine some light on the reason for the tree die-off explore ways to salvage those trees that are not completely dead and look at strategies to protect landscape trees in the future\nwilcox said jim houser texas forest services regional forest health coordinator at austin will present the program and be available to answer questions\nindividual registration is $10 payable at the door\nfor more information contact wilcox at 325-236-6912 s-wilcox@tamuedu \n-30-\n']
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['many parts of texas firecracker hot\nin late june west of corsicana cotton was blooming (texas agrilife extension service photo by robert burns)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu \ncollege station – though cool by comparison to some parts of the country much of texas was frying going into the july 4 holiday according to reports from texas agrilife extension service personnel\nwhile parts of the midwest and eastern us were hotter the triple-digit temperatures throughout the state complicated chances of recovery from last years drought\naccording to the national weather service many areas only received traces of rain 025 inch or less during the last week of june there were some heavier rains along the coastal bend and south texas areas but except for a few isolated incidences of 2 to 3 inches accumulations were generally 1 inch or less\ntwo-minute mp3 audio of texas crop weather for july 3 2012two-minute mp3 audio of texas crop weather for july 3 2012\naccording to the us drought monitor for june 26 there were no areas of exceptional drought but only a few east texas and coast bend counties were spared being either abnormally dry or under moderate to severe or extreme drought conditions \nthe panhandle south plains and far west regions remained the hardest hit\nryan martin agrilife extension agent for motley county southeast of amarillo reported: area producers had a decent start to this year but these past few weeks have turned everything completely around with daytime temperatures reaching 100-plus degrees no rain and hot dry winds pastures and cotton fields are beginning to show the signs currently we are setting at close to 6 inches of moisture total for the year which hasnt done much to replenish the soil-moisture content at this time it looks like the only thing that can turn our situation around would be a hurricane\nextremely high temperatures and windy conditions have producers running pivots as hard as they can right now trying to keep up with water demand said brad easterling agrilife extension agent for sherman county north of amarillo on the texas/oklahoma border \ntopsoil moisture is very depleted and rain is needed soon said josh blanek agrilife extension agent for andrews county north of odessa producers are weaning and selling calves early to allow cows to rest and help reduce feed consumption\nthe rains we received two weeks ago were very beneficial but now that moisture is gone said rick maxwell agrilife extension agent for collin county northeast of dallas the last five or six days have been at 100 degrees or above\npastures and hay fields are making little growth due to hot temperatures and lack of moisture said mark currie agrilife extension agent for polk county north of houston producers are trying to put up all the hay they can and hopefully avoid buying hay if rains are not received soon many will need to purchase at least some of their hay again this year\ndry hot and at times windy conditions persisted this week said jesse lea schneider agrilife extension agent for presidio county in far west texas stifling heat with highs lingered around 100 in the mountains and were as high as 116 along the river pastures have now lost their green tinge and are browning\njust like all over west texas we have been very dry and very hot said anthony munoz agrilife extension agent for schleicher county south of san angelo on wednesday we received some sprinkles for about half an hour but just enough to settle the dust the dryland cotton isnt all that bad but it sure could use a drink\nmore information on the current texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the agrilife extension agricultural drought task force website at http://agrilifetamuedu/drought/ \nagrilife extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:\nthe 12 texas agrilife extension service districtscentral: the heat index was extremely high with temperatures nearing 100 stock tanks were already beginning to dry up after several weeks of no rain in some counties pastures were showing signs of stress and bermuda grass pasture stands were slow to re-establish grasshoppers were a major issue on bermuda grass fields and other crops earlier rains helped many hay producers get good cuttings but the hot weather slowed growth and was beginning to stress plants vegetables were doing well but were also stressed by the heat farmers began harvesting corn pastures were drying out quickly the milo looked very good but the condition of corn varied sunflowers were in various stages of maturity but some will be harvested soon in most cases corn and grain sorghum have good to excellent yield potential cotton growth stage was from four true leaves to full-grown bolls but needed rain many operators were harvesting silage there was an unusual outbreak of walnut sphinx caterpillars in some native pecan orchards\ncoastal bend: the first half of the week had temperatures above 100 degrees with cooling showers and cloudy skies by the end of the week some areas received more than 3 inches of rain but most only got a trace corn was beginning to dry down in the southern part of the region grain sorghum was being cut insurance adjusters were still zeroing out some fields of corn and sorghum due to lack of soil moisture cotton was growing well in some areas livestock were heat-stressed the lack of forage forced ranchers to continue supplemental feeding hay was in short supply the pecan crop looked excellent\neast: the region had little or no rain with temperatures reaching 100 degrees some days pastures and hay fields were showing little regrowth as soil-moisture levels continued to drop producers continued to battle weeds and grasshoppers gardens and fruits were being harvested and marketed at roadside stands peanuts and cotton showed good growth pecans looked good with some aphid problems reported many towns reported increased numbers of crickets cattle remained in good body condition wildfire danger was still rated as moderate though grass was browning off\nfar west: highs were in the low 100s with nighttime temperatures in the upper 70s topsoils were drying out rangeland conditions were declining with grasses browning in some areas trees continued to die in presido county ips beetles a type of bark beetle were decimating pine tree stands cotton producers continue to irrigate in pecos county the watermelon harvest began and the cantaloupe harvest was ongoing also in that area onions were doing well and some green chilies were harvested ranchers were weaning and selling calves early to allow cows time to rest and help reduce feed consumption lamb producers were preparing to ship presidio county livestock producers were struggling to maintain the small herds they had left by continuing to provide supplemental feeds and minerals\nnorth: hot and dry weather with triple-digit temperatures continued to bake the region soil-moisture levels were mostly short to adequate but in some areas were critically low forage growth slowed as pastures dried out hay crops looked very good grain sorghum was beginning to color the corn harvest was expected to begin about mid-july possibly earlier if the heat persists yield prospects for early planted corn and grain sorghum were excellent cattle were in fair to good condition and stock watering ponds were in good shape because of rains received two weeks ago grasshopper populations were exploding the populations of cicada killers and red velvet ants were higher than normal feral hogs continued to be a major problem peaches were looking very good and giving high yields\npanhandle: the region was dry with triple-digit temperature highs corn was mostly in good condition sorghum was mostly fair to good cotton made good progress because of the heat and was rated mostly good to fair the wheat harvest was nearly over dryland crops were beginning to show signs of stress producers with irrigation were hard pressed to keep up with water demands rangeland and pastures were in very poor to excellent condition with most counties reporting poor cattle were in good condition\nrolling plains: triple-digit temperatures arrived the highest temperature reported was 111 degrees in hardeman county the hot dry weather began to weaken crops cotton was trying to get established and start growing but some stands were already weakened those cotton producers who could irrigate were hoping water will last long enough to produce a decent crop producers were also irrigating grass and alfalfa fields pastures improved some with recent rains but began to show some stress again as temperatures rose livestock producers were able to decrease supplemental feeding of cattle after earlier rains but will have to increase it without rain producers were weaning calves early in order to hold on to cows motley county reported that ranchers were in the same boat as they were last year with pastures playing out being forced to sell off calves early and continuing to buy supplemental feed total herd numbers were down about 40 percent in some areas one agrilife extension agent predicted that if the drought continued there would not be a single cow in the county by the end of the summer the peanut crop looked average parker county reported grasshoppers were eating anything green in some areas and producers were spraying to control the pests many urban trees were dropping leaves \nsouth: temperatures reached 100 to 106 degrees and above taking a toll on rangeland pastures and crops the northern part of the region received light scattered showers providing temporary relief from the heat soil-moisture levels were short to very short throughout most of the region the exceptions were willacy and cameron counties where they were 50 percent adequate and 100 percent adequate respectively many pastures were completely brown posing a high fire hazard livestock were heat-stressed and stock-tank water levels were dropping cattle however remained in fair condition due to supplemental feeding of molasses protein cubes and some hay in atascosa county dryland crops were not doing well but irrigated crops looked good in frio county the potato harvest and peanut planting were completed corn producers were getting ready to harvest and there was some hay cut in live oak county many crops had already been zeroed out by insurance adjusters about 80 percent of corn in that area was in very poor condition while 60 percent of sorghum and 40 percent of cotton were very poor jim wells county producers were harvesting grains but there were no reports of yields and quality yet failed milo fields in that area were being harvested for hay and producers were requesting nitrate testing in kleberg and kenedy counties grain sorghum and cotton producers were expecting low yields in zavala county cotton under irrigation progressed the corn and sorghum harvests were ongoing and the cabbage harvest was finished in cameron county the sorghum harvest continued corn was maturing and cotton was progressing well in hidalgo county the corn sunflower and grain harvests were continuing after brief interruption by rain starr county sorghum growers began harvesting while in willacy county the harvest was halted by rain the rain in that area did not help the cotton that had already started to open but some late-planted fields were still flowering and setting bolls and will benefit from the rain hay production was going well throughout the rio grande valley area \nsouth plains: the region had triple-digit temperatures and no rain dryland crops began to suffer where they had irrigation capabilities farmers were watering full bore crop insurance adjusters were inspecting fields and some hail-damaged cotton was replanted to sorghum irrigated cotton sorghum and sunflowers were all right but needed rainfall to supplement the irrigation rangeland and pastures were mostly fair to good condition but also needed rainfall to continue improving in particular pastures burned last year by wildfire or overgrazed were beginning to show stress due to lack of rain and the excessive heat cattle were mostly in good condition flies were troubling cattle but mosquitoes were not as numerous as expected following earlier rains \nsoutheast: parts of the region had extremely high temperatures from 100 to 103 degrees light showers were reported by some counties crops generally remained in fair to good condition dry conditions continued to limit forage production and grasshoppers were becoming a problem dryland corn was quickly yellowing and cotton looked strong \nsouthwest: record-breaking temperatures were recorded throughout the region extreme heat and dry conditions persisted crops and pastures were withering hay harvesting came to a standstill pastures were drying out and stock-tank levels were dropping sorghum growers were preparing for harvest the sunflower harvest was ongoing cotton made good progress with some fields blooming out and some just starting to set bolls \nwest central: triple-digit temperatures and dry windy weather continued the extreme heat made significant changes in crop conditions soil-moisture levels dropped to fair or poor the wheat harvest was completed cotton farmers finished planting some producers were cutting and baling hay sorghum hybrids planted for hay were struggling hay production was expected to be limited without rain soon grasshoppers continued to be an issue in some areas rangeland and pastures showed severe moisture stress and were declining stock tanks were very low in some areas livestock remained in fair to good condition\n-30-\n']
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['writer: blair fannin 979-845-2259 b-fannin@tamuedu\ncollege station – dr john nichols who recently retired as head of texas a&m universitys agricultural economics department has been appointed to the federal reserve bank of dallas business and community advisory council\nnichols and council members will advise on current and emerging trends and issues affecting respective industries and communities\ndr john nichols has been appointed to the federal reserve bank of dallas business and community advisory council\nthis advisory council will be composed of established executives who know their industries and communities extremely well and can provide insights into economic conditions regionally nationally and globally said richard w fisher dallas federal reserve bank president and ceo\nthe council consists of 12 members who serve a two-year term with eligibility for reappointment to a second term\nnichols retired in june as head of texas a&ms department of agricultural economics a post he held since 2005 he continues to carry out departmental research and other professional activities including service on the texas department of agriculture go texan partnership program advisory board\nserving the faculty staff students and the many external stakeholders of this large and diverse department has been a great honor nichols said\nprior to serving as department head nichols research and teaching interests focused on marketing management techniques and how they improve food and agribusiness marketing systems\na founding member of the texas agricultural market research center he has conducted numerous research projects assessing the marketing strategies of producer organizations and their participation in value-added business opportunities\nnichols helped found the institute of food science and engineering and led in the establishment of the department of nutrition and food science where he served as an adjunct professor he is also a member of the graduate faculty of food science and of the intercollegiate faculty of agribusiness\nover the past 25 years nichols has also been active in international programs relating to food and agribusiness research and education he has received more than $10 million in grants and contracts for addressing the marketing of fortified food products to the development of agribusiness teaching programs in the transition economies of eastern europe russia and armenia\nnichols is a fellow of the international food and agribusiness management association and member of its executive committee he has been advisor and consultant to government ministries as well as food and agribusiness firms in europe asia and latin america\nmost notably he helped establish the international center for agribusiness research and education foundation to sustain the agribusiness teaching center operating within the armenian state agrarian university\nnichols also has been active in many local service cultural and civic organizations he also served for several years as chair of the college station planning and zoning commission\nhe earned his bachelors degree and doctorate from cornell university and his masters degree from michigan state university\n-30-\n']
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['college station – the texas veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory has named dr terry hensley as assistant agency director\nhensley will co-manage diagnostic services for the college station laboratory and supervise the process for receiving specimens from clients he also will serve as a liaison with clients and partner organizations including texas animal health commission texas department of state health services texas parks and wildlife department and the texas department of criminal justice\ndr hensley brings a wealth of knowledge and front-line experience to this position said dr tammy beckham the labs director he has a successful record of working closely with veterinarians as well as owners of livestock poultry and horses\nhensley holds a bachelors degree in wildlife and fisheries science a masters degree in poultry science and a doctorate in veterinary medicine  – all from texas a&m university\nhe comes to the laboratory from the texas animal health commission where he had served as assistant executive director for animal health programs since 2010  before that hensley was a veterinary medical officer and foreign animal disease diagnostician for the us department of agricultures animal and plant health inspection service in veterinary services in salem ore for 20 years\n-30-\n']
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['\ncollege station the texas water resources institute will host an advanced water rights analysis package workshop aug 30-31 in college station\nthe workshop will be held at the spatial sciences laboratory 1500 research parkway on the texas a&m university campus it will be from 8:30 am-5 pm on both days\na water rights analysis package (wrap) workshop will be held aug 30-31 at the spatial sciences laboratory at texas a&m university in college station (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nworkshop instructor dr richard hoffpauir said the workshop will cover advanced aspects of the water rights analysis package including simulations using daily time steps the analysis package is a generalized modeling system for simulating the development management allocation and use of the water resources of a river basin\nthe texas commission on environmental qualitys water availability modeling system consists of this modeling system along with input data sets for all of the river basins of texas explained hoffpauir a research engineering consultant for the texas engineering experiment station in college station\nthe course will focus on the daily time-step simulations with the water rights analysis package and will include computer modeling exercises hoffpauir said the course will cover analysis package topics of an intermediate to advanced level course participants are expected to have proficiency with the fundamentals of the package\nhe said the course is designed for engineers and scientists employed by water agencies and consulting firms\nproficiency with the existing monthly time-step features of the modeling system is recommended for all participants he said\nhoffpauir said participants will gain a thorough understanding of the modeling system features that are pertinent to building daily time-step input data selecting simulation parameters and analyzing simulation output\nearly registration is $875 up to july 17 registrations postmarked after that date will be $900 and the registration deadline is aug 17\na total of 16 texas water resources institute continuing education units will be awarded for completion of the course for more information go to http://watereducationtamuedu/\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: miles dabovich 806-746-6101 m-dabovich@tamuedu\nvernon – miles dabovich has been named texas agrilife extension services administrator for the agencys rolling plains district effective july 15 the announcement came from dr darrell dromgoole agrilife extension associate director for county programs at college station\nmiles dabovich\nmr dabovich brings extensive experience to this position having served as the district administrator in the south plains district since 2009 and as an agrilife extension agent in five counties dromgoole said miles is highly respected for his ability to effectively manage agrilife extension programs interpret educational programs and for his visionary leadership\ndabovich will be headquartered at the texas agrilife research and extension center at vernon he will be responsible for all administrative duties in the 24-county district\ni look forward to working in the rolling plains dabovich said i began my career in vernon 24 years ago and i feel honored to have the opportunity to circle back to the rolling plains and serve as the district administrator\nhe earned a bachelors degree from new mexico state university and a masters from texas tech university\ndabovich began his agrilife extension career as an assistant agent in wilbarger county he served there from 1988 until 1990 when he became the agent for kent county he later served in crockett and andrews counties in 2007 he became the agriculture and natural resources agent in wichita county\ndabovich has earned numerous awards and recognitions throughout his career including the texas county agriculture agents associations new agent recognition award and result demonstration handbook award kent county 4-h appreciation award crockett county commissioners court outstanding service award and the andrews county employees award\nhe is also a graduate of the san antonio leadership extension program and of agrilife extensions master marketing course\n-30-\n']
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['college station – on july 4th many people will be firing up their grills and cooking food to eat outdoors said texas agrilife extension service experts offering advice on both fire and food safety\npeople need to take extra care if theyre planning to grill outdoors especially if its in an open area such as a public park said joyce cavanagh agrilife extension specialist in family development and resource management in college station everyone should still be vigilant when it comes to outdoor cooking fire safety especially since three out of four households have an outdoor grill and cooking out is a huge july 4th tradition\ntexas agrilife extension service family and consumer sciences experts have tips for improving outdoor cooking safety as well as keeping food safe so the fourth of july can be a more enjoyable experience (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nthe national fire protection association data show that from 2005-2009 us fire departments responded to an average of 8 200 home fires each year involving charcoal and gas grills and other means of outdoor cooking these included approximately 3 400 structure fires and 4 800 outside fires causing an average of 15 deaths and 120 injuries annually and $75 million in direct property damage\nsome outdoor grilling fire safety tips offered by cavanagh other agrilife extension experts and the national fire protection association are:\n \n– set up the grill on a concrete surface or on ground where grass and vegetation in the area are trimmed and where there are no dry leaves or brush in the vicinity\n– place the grill in an open area away from deck railings eaves mulch or leaf piles overhanging branches or other potentially combustible items\n– if using a gas grill check for leaks and make sure hose connections are tight\n– set the grill at least 10 feet away from your house or building and do not grill in a garage or under a carport or other surface that might catch fire\n– keep young children and pets at least 3 feet from the grill\n– remove any grease or fat buildup from the grill and/or in the trays below the grill\n– keep charcoal fluid out of the reach of children and away from heat sources\n– never leave the grill unattended once the fire has been lit\n– do not attempt to move a hot grill\n– keep a multipurpose fire extinguisher within reach\n– use flame-retardant mitts and grilling tools with long handles instead of household forks or short-handled tongs\n– when finished grilling let the coals completely cool before disposing and use a metal container for disposal\n– if using a liquid propane grill use extreme caution and always follow manufacturer recommendations for connecting or disconnecting the tank\nalong with fire safety food safety is another important factor to consider when handling food and cooking outdoors said dr jenna anding agrilife extension food and nutrition unit program leader\nto maintain food quality and freshness ensure proper temperatures are kept during storage and cooking\nyou need to begin by choosing meat poultry or seafood thats fresh and of high quality she said at the grocery store select your meat last and get it home as soon as possible if the trip from the grocery store to your home is more than a half-hour take a cooler and put refrigerated items in it\nanding said poultry fish seafood or ground beef should be cooked or frozen within a day or two and that steaks or pork chops should be cooked or frozen within four to five days\nthe safest way to thaw meat or poultry is by placing it in the refrigerator a day or two before you plan to cook it she added you can also thaw them in the microwave but if you do cook the food right away; dont let it sit some foods may not thaw out evenly in the microwave and other parts of the food may be partially cooked so its still better to let them thaw out it in the fridge\navoid thawing meats at room temperature as this may increase the number of germs related to foodborne illness anding said\nif refrigerated food is being transported to another location for cooking anding said it should be kept at 40 degrees or colder using a cooler and ice or ice packs and only take what you plan to cook and eat that day\nshe also said raw meat poultry or seafood should be tightly wrapped or stored in a sealed bag or container and kept in a different cooler than other foods\nalso make sure hands cooking area and cooking utensils are clean to reduce the spread of germs to the food\nif youre cooking away from home and not sure about a water source where youre going take your own water and paper towels or use an anti-bacterial hand sanitizer she said be sure to clean your hands before and after touching raw meat poultry or seafood and make sure food preparation surfaces cutting boards grilling utensils and serving platters are washed and sanitized\nunwashed utensils and platters can still contaminate food even if youve maintained proper food storage preparation and cooking standards she said\nif youve placed raw meat or fish on a platter before grilling do not use that same plate to serve the food unless it is first cleaned with hot soapy water\nanding said foods on a grill can brown quickly and look as though they are sufficiently cooked when they are not a food thermometer is the only way to ensure foods have been cooked to a safe internal temperature\ncook all poultry to 165 degrees fully cook meats like hot dogs to 165 degrees and hamburgers to 160 degrees she said beef pork lamb and veal steaks chops and roasts should be cooked to at least 145 degrees for safety however allow these foods to ‘rest for three minutes after removing them from the grill before serving\nafter cooking she added be sure to keep the food hot until it is served – at least 140 degrees otherwise eat or refrigerate it right away\nkeep food covered and never let it sit out for more than two hours and if the weather is 90 degrees or hotter eat or store it within one hour she said we usually say ‘more than two is bad for you but when its this hot outside that should be just one hour\nanding said more information on outdoor cooking safety is available by contacting the local county agrilife extension agent for family and consumer sciences or reading the us department of agriculture fact sheet on safe food handling online at http://wwwfsisusdagov/fact_sheets/barbecue_food_safety/\n-30-\n']
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['college station during the statewide texas 4-h golf challenge young people can compete while learning about sports nutrition golf course and turf grass management and golf rules and etiquette said the events coordinator\nthe 3rd annual statewide texas 4-h golf challenge will be held in different regions during the month of july (texas 4-h/texas agrilife extension service graphic)\nthis is the third year of the texas 4-h golf challenge said kyle merten texas agrilife extension service 4-h program specialist in college station the event was developed by agrilife extension agents 4-h specialists and others to give young people an opportunity to compete in an outdoor sporting event\ntwo-day challenge events will take place in all four agrilife extension regions statewide – north south east and west dates and locations are:\n \n–north region: july 2-3 meadowbrook golf course lubbock                                                                                                                         south region: july 9-10 victoria country club victoria                                                                                                                                east region: july 9-10 twin lakes golf course canyon                                                                                                                                west region: july 23-24 sonora golf club sonora\nthese events are open to young men and women ages 11-18 regardless of whether they belong to 4-h merten said\nhe said the texas 4-h golf challenge provides a unique opportunity for young people to have fun playing and competing in an outdoor sport and increasing their understanding of some important issues affecting their communities the state and the nation\nthe event was created in response to statistics showing the increasing obesity among young people and the loss of land especially prime farmland to development merten explained texas and the us are experiencing a serious problem with youth obesity and people need to be more aware of the effect of urban sprawl on the land around them\nhe said each of the two-day golf experiences will include workshops a clinic with a golf professional an evening social and the 18-hole golf challenge\nthe cost is $180 per team and participants must register individually at $60 each as a member of a three-person team registration includes 18 holes of golf two catered meals and professional instruction\nparticipants should register online through the 4-h connect website at http://tx4-htamuedu/4hconnect/indexhtml\nmore information about the challenge can be found at http://texas4-htamuedu/golf\n-30-\n']
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['writer: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: brittany grube brittanygrube@agnettamuedu\nbrent clayton 361-265-9203 jbclayton@agtamuedu\ncollege station – best management practices for reducing pesticide runoff on rangelands will be the july 5 webinar topic for the texas agrilife extension services ecosystem science and management units monthly webinar series\nthe webinar will be presented by brent clayton an agrilife extension program specialist in the department of biological and agricultural engineering he will discuss ways to reduce the risk of pesticide runoff with proper application and water management\nwith fuel and chemical prices on the rise following best management practices for applying pesticides can reduce the operating costs on a ranch in addition to reducing the risk of environmental contamination from storm-water runoff clayton said\nthere will also be a discussion on financial incentives for a landowner to implement best management practices on his or her property\nthis one-hour webinar is part of a series offering texas department of agriculture continuing education units online according to brittany grube graduate assistant and webinar coordinator\nthe webinar is scheduled from noon to 1 pm grube said there is no charge to participants not seeking continuing education units however there is a $10 fee for those wanting the texas department of agriculture continuing education unit this program offers one continuing education unit – 05 in laws and regulations and 05 in drift minimization\nthis webinar and others in the 2011 and 2012 series can be accessed at http://naturalresourcewebinarsorg for more information on the webinars contact grube at brittanygrube@agnettamuedu \n-30-\n']
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['writer: steve byrns 325-653-4576 s-byrns@tamuedu\ncontact: dr chris sansone 325-653-4576 c-sansone@tamuedu\nsan angelo – dr chris sansone texas agrilife extension service entomologist and associate department head for entomology san angelo will retire from the agency effective july 31 but hes far from retiring from the workforce\ndr chris sansone to retire july 31 (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nmy original plan was to retire in december but i dont think either me or my wife were ready for the life of leisure so i kept my eyes open for other opportunities sansone said as such i have taken a job with bayer cropscience as a global regulatory affairs manager in raleigh nc i start the new job aug 1\nsansone has 30 years of service with agrilife extension and is one of only a handful of associate department heads not headquartered at texas a&m university at college station\nhe served as an agrilife extension agent-integrated pest management in williamson and milam counties before transferring to san angelo as the west central districts entomology specialist he has been in his current role as the entomology associate department head since 2003 where he has divided his time between supervising 30 agrilife extension entomologists located across the state and conducting applied research to answer clientele questions\nsansone has long been closely involved with the texas boll weevil eradication effort which started in the san angelo area in 1995 he has adapted integrated pest management techniques which use the cheapest safest most effective means to control pests into many of his programs through the years he said his work has involved  pest management in cotton grain sorghum corn wheat other crops and livestock\nsansone holds bachelors masters and doctoral degrees all in entomology from texas a&m  he has held numerous leadership posts and been honored with special recognitions many times throughout his career both from within the agency and externally his most recent honor came in april when he received the superior service award agrilife extensions highest honor\nsansone said he plans to continue his agrilife extension duties through the middle of july then complete his move to north carolina and enjoy some downtime before starting his new job\ni have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the texas agrilife extension service and especially the past 16 years in san angelo sansone recently wrote to his coworkers here i have traveled to all the agrilife research and extension centers in the state and can honestly say there is not a better place to be and a better group of people to work around\n-30-\n']
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['video of dr juan anciso describing the history of the jaber estate winery in south texas\nmission    dreams of a successful winery in the lower rio grande valley have turned to nightmares for countless of would-be vinters in the last 100 years thanks to aggressive plant diseases that routinely wiped out entire vineyards\nharvesting of grapes at jaber estate winery northwest of mission ended june 22 the winery will soon begin marketing its dry red and white wines (agrilife communications photo by rod santa ana)\nbut thanks to new and improved grape varieties the dream may finally be coming true for a mission man who is preparing to market his newly bottled red and white wines according to dr juan anciso a texas agrilife extension service horticulture specialist\njorge jaber of jaber estate winery northwest of mission may finally be putting all the pieces together to finally have a highly successful winery here in the rio grande valley anciso said\nthe winery just completed its second year of harvesting red and white grapes which will eventually result in 25 000 bottles of wine ready for sale to the public some 9 500 bottles were harvested from last years crop and mr jaber calculates hell bottle another 15 500 this year\njorge jaber (pronounced jay-burr) is a retired 80-year old mexican businessman who is finally living his dream of a successful winery on a plot of land he bought here decades ago\nive been wanting to make wine for many years jaber said in spanish for 30 years ive been a faithful consumer of wine; i drink it daily with meals ive visited many wineries including those i saw on my trips to europe but where i was living in mexico was not considered a good place to grow grapes\ntwenty-five years ago when he bought his property in the valley he was disappointed to learn it wouldnt be possible to grow them here either thanks to diseases such as pierces disease and cotton root rot which quickly killed off entire vineyards\nbut just a few years ago he said i asked texas agrilife extension service and rio farms again and they said it was now possible so i said ‘say no more and i began planting immediately to build a winery there is no other winery in this area\nan entirely hands-on owner jaber spoke as he filled the role of chemist carefully mixing aggregates and enzymes into the newly crushed grapes to control the fermentation process and improve the wines taste and aroma\ni always dreamed of retiring and spending the rest of my life making wine and now im making it he said im glad i made the decision\nthree years ago jaber planted two and a half acres of black spanish grapes for red wine and three acres of blanc dubois grapes for white wine harvesting this year ran from june 9 through june 22\nits a quick turnaround anciso said as he watched workers harvest robust bunches of small deep purple grapes it only takes a year and a half to go from planting to harvest and one year from harvest to wine and in just his second year of production mr jaber is almost ready to go to market\nthe years between planting and bottling are not without their challenges anciso said\nthe weather is always a factor including a hail storm that hit this vineyard pretty hard back in april he said its a struggle but we now have rootstocks and grape varieties that are more resistant to pierces disease a bacterial disease that caused lots of problems in the past we still encounter cotton root rot a fungal disease and bunch rot when it rains\nbut grapes like what the rio grande valley usually has in abundance anciso said\nhot dry weather he said this area is known for that and grapes love it rain basically causes spoilage or decomposition of the grapes which affects the wine quality but with so little rain here were more than likely to have very good crops\ncounting jabers vineyard anciso estimates that six growers currently have some 20 acres of grapes in production with plans for another 20 to come online soon but only jaber has the facilities and state-of-the-art machinery imported from italy to mechanically crush grapes and bottle wine\na winery is an expensive endeavor anciso said drip lines wire for the grapes to grow on 630 plants per acre at $3 to $5 per plant the land labor facilities equipment it can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars\nexpenses seem to be the last thing on jabers mind as he watches a conveyor belt dump plump bunches of grapes into a hopper connected to a hose that feeds grape juice to three 10-foot tall stainless steel tanks\ni measured this morning and there was no sugar so its fermented he said its gone from grape juice to wine with no sugar youre left with a dry wine so both my red and white wines are dry wines but in the future well make other types of wine\njaber said his next step is to begin marketing his newly labeled jaber estate winery vino a dream finally come true\n']
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['writer: kay ledbetter 806-677-5608 skledbetter@agtamuedu\ncontact: dr angela burkham 806-677-5600 aburkham@agtamuedu\ndanny nusser 806-677-5600 d-nusser@tamuedu\namarillo – a new cooperative extension program position was approved by the potter county commissioners court on monday in an effort to reach economically and socially disadvantaged audiences according to dr angela burkham\nburkham the texas agrilife extension service family and consumer sciences regional director in amarillo said this new position will be federally funded through the cooperative extension program at prairie view a&m university\n\nagrilife extension and cooperative extension program have a longstanding working relationship across the state and this will expand that effort to the high plains region burkham said\nthis position will work cooperatively with the agrilife extension family and consumer sciences agent position to strengthen and expand program outreach said danny nusser agrilife extension district administrator\npotter countys minority audiences will be the primary focus of this family and consumer science agent position burkham said the goal is to focus on identified communities and provide them with research-based knowledge to assist in making healthier decisions concerning their family home and food\nwhile the new agents salary and travel will be paid for by the national institute of food and agriculture within the us department of agriculture the individual will be housed at the agrilife extension office for potter county at 3301 e 10th ave in amarillo\nspecific focus areas of the federally funded national institute of food and agriculture are: childhood obesity food safety global food security and hunger and climate change\n-30-\n']
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['writer: blair fannin 979-845-2259 b-fannin@tamuedu\ncollege station – dr parr rosson has been named head of the department of agricultural economics at texas a&m university according to dr mark hussey vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences for the texas a&m university system at college station\nparr is uniquely qualified to lead our agricultural economics department and build upon some of the nations top faculty students research and extension programming hussey said\nrosson assumes the departments top leadership position after the retirement of dr john nichols\ndr parr rosson has been named head of the department of agricultural economics at texas a&m university\ni am looking forward to my new role but most importantly working with some outstanding individuals in teaching research and extension rosson said my approach will be vision-led engaged and highly active participatory and facilitative team focused and mission-oriented\nrosson has served as director of the center for north american studies at texas a&m and as an economist with the texas agrilife extension service since 1989 specializing in international trade and marketing\nmost recently his agrilife extension programming efforts have focused on exporting agricultural products to cuba and other emerging markets as well as the economic impacts of immigrant labor and invasive species much of this work has been provided to us congressional committees state officials commodity associations and farm organization leadership his applied research efforts are directed to support his agrilife extension programs\nrosson also teaches two upper-level undergraduate courses – international trade and agriculture and international agribusiness marketing\nsince 1995 rosson has taught two masters level courses at universidad del valle de guatemala in applied economics and business administration which now have 150 graduates he has been director of the program in guatemala since 2005\nrosson has also co-authored a textbook an introduction to agricultural economics the book is now in its fifth edition and has been adopted by 68 institutions in the us and other countries\nrosson holds a bachelors degree in agronomy plus masters and doctoral degrees in agricultural economics from texas a&m\n-30-\n']
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['lubbock – awards in the categories of texas 4-h alumni leaders legacy and meritorious service as well as citation for outstanding service were presented during the statewide texas 4-h roundup held recently on the campus of texas tech university in lubbock\nthis was a unique program for many reasons not the least of those being that it was held on the texas tech campus instead of the texas a&m university campus where it had previously been for several decades said dr chris boleman texas 4-h program director college station\ndr charla bading agrilife extension 4-h and youth development specialist tom green county displays her texas 4-h meritorious service award presented at the recent statewide texas 4-h roundup next to bading are texas agrilife extension service director dr ed smith left and dr chris boleman texas 4-h program director (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nboleman said the 2012 texas 4-h and youth development programs salute to excellence banquet during 4-h roundup provided a worthy venue for award presentations\nat the event the texas 4-h alumni award was presented to amy jarmon formerly a 4-h member in travis county and dr dean hawkins formerly a 4-h member in donley county\nthe texas 4-h alumni award recognizes adults who have made significant achievements in their communities as a 4-h member and have shown evidence of the influence of 4-h into their adult lives boleman said this award is administered by the texas 4-h friends and alumni association\naccording to cory talley agrilife extension agent for 4-h and youth development in travis county jarmon devoted 10 years of her life to 4-h programs and projects\nthe most outstanding of her accomplishments wasnt winning ribbons and belt buckles but what she took from the program personally – life skills that have enabled her to give back to 4-h and youth talley said the knowledge and skills she gained as a 4-h member have also helped her become a great wife mother and volunteer\nas a professor and head of the agriculture department at west texas a&m university in canyon hawkins gives leadership to the future of agriculture in the texas panhandle and beyond said brandon dukes agrilife extension specialist for 4-h and youth development potter county\nas department head he shapes the agriculture education curriculum and hires faculty to lead and inspire future generations of students dukes said as a parent he works with the county agrilife extension agent to train parents and select swine projects for youth throughout the county\nthe texas 4-h meritorious service award was presented to charla bading of tom green county and phyllis griffin of cooke county\nthe meritorious service award is presented to outstanding agrilife extension professionals for their role in supporting 4-h volunteers and making them more effective boleman said\ncharla strives to empower 4-h members volunteers and agents by providing the necessary tools for their success said scott durham agrilife extensions west central district administrator in san angelo she has reached thousands of 4-h families over the years in her role as an agrilife extension district 4-h specialist through trainings programs contests and one-to-one contact\nregarding griffin derrick bruton 4-h and youth development specialist in dallas said phyllis strives to ensure that all 4-h members have the opportunity to participate in projects activities and workshops and are successful in them\nshe plans a wide variety of programs and workshops for teaching children and adults in the county bruton said she is very hands-on and treats all of them with dignity and respect\nthe leaders legacy award was presented to dr jeff johnson of tarrant county and jenny pluhar of randall county\nthe leaders legacy award recognizes 4-h leaders who have been an integral part of the 4-h and youth development program for 20 or more years boleman said the person nominated may not be in the spotlight but nevertheless makes a significant impact and difference to the 4-h members he or she serves and supports\ndr johnson is well-known for his famous 4-h public speaking project which has been taught consistently for 21 years said cindy bryant agrilife extension agent for 4-h and youth development in tarrant county\nhe has a unique ability to instill courage and confidence in youth as they learn techniques and skills needed for effective communication bryant said\nwhile his recent participants are still in school members of his earlier classes have reached adulthood and as adults realize dr johnson gave them the skills necessary to become effective communicators and helped give them the confidence to fulfill their dreams\nfor more than two decades jenny has been a mentor friend and leader to youth and adults in randall and moore counties said kim peters agrilife extension agent for 4-h and youth development in randall county she uses her professional expertise as a range consultant to help plan and facilitate the texas 4-h range camp and uses her passion for horses and other qualities to help 4-h youth achieve their personal goals at county state and national levels\na citation for outstanding service to texas 4-h went to tim butler and to the san antonio livestock show and rodeo\nthe citation recognizes an individual or business that has made an outstanding contribution to texas 4-h on a regional or state level boleman said and typically reflects a long-term commitment rather than a one-time program\naccording to his citation butler an on-air personality for kgnc radio in amarillo has served as a member of the 4-h public relations team for agrilife extensions northern region he has prepared produced and aired public service announcements heard throughout the agencys 26-county region as well as parts of new mexico colorado kansas and oklahoma butler also has facilitated interviews with 4-h members to help promote national 4-h week one day 4-h and general 4-h recruitment\nthe san antonio livestock show and rodeo has been a partner in supporting texas youth for more than 50 years noted their citation for outstanding service to texas 4-h\nfrom their contributions of college scholarships to their support of countless youth development programs to the use of their facilities for 4-h and professional development events the san antonio livestock show and rodeo has donated millions of dollars in support to texas 4-h the citation read\n-30-\n']
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['college station – twenty-six business people have been chosen for the texas agriculture lifetime leadership program to comprise its class xiii\nthe two-year program led by the texas agrilife extension service is an intensive study of agriculture worldwide that equips people in the agriculture industry to become leaders in their fields\ngiven the critical issues facing agriculture today there is a need to provide an intensive leadership enhancement opportunity for a promising new generation of leaders said dr jim mazurkiewicz director of the program also known as tall\nthe course focuses on international communications ecology government policy economics social issues and education opportunities he said\nparticipants who represent 19 communities across texas will begin meeting in college station on july 10 with sessions on team dynamics and agricultural research tours during the next two years the group will visit all regions of the state as well as washington dc maryland new york california and brazil\nmazurkiewicz said each tall class is exposed to the intricacies of state and national agriculture and travels to at least one foreign country to gain perspective on agriculture worldwide\nfor more information about tall seehttp://talltamuedu/\nthe 2012-14 tall participants by hometown are:\namarillo – kody bessent bryan clift casey cook robert wade king\naustin – jesse womack\nben wheeler – kevin proctor\ncanyon – jason avent\ncorpus christi – jon mixson\nedroy- debra barrett\nelkhart – linda galayda\ngroom – brady miller\ngruver – timothy heath hill\nhouston- kelley sullivan\nlubbock – mary jane buerkle shelley heinrich lindsay kennedy eric wanjura\nmalakoff – matthew tyler\nmckinney – brant mettler\nmuleshoe- kelly kettner joe osterkamp\nozona – sally oglesby harris\nred oak – jeremy seiger\nrosenberg – brodrey chase tyndell\nstephenville – brandon grooms\nwoodlands– dr mark slavens\n-30-\n']
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['\ndr jack elliot named senior fellow by both national international agricultural education organizations\ncollege station    for only the second time in the history of the profession dr jack elliot a senior scientist at the norman borlaug institute for international agriculture and department head for agricultural leadership education and communications has been named senior faculty fellow by both national and international agricultural education organizations\ndr jack elliot recently became one of only two ever named senior fellow by both his national and international professional organizations (photo courtesy of dr jack elliot)\nhe was first honored as a senior fellow of the american association of agricultural education followed a few days later by being named a senior fellow of the association for international agricultural and extension education\nelliot has specialized in educational assessment and international human and institutional capacity development\nthere is only one other person in the history of our profession who has achieved this honor in both associations said theresa murphrey president of the international agricultural education organization\nbecause of the nature of our work and research we are not eligible to be inducted into the academy of science so this is the highest achievement our profession can bestow said tim murphy president of the national organization\nthe only other person to receive senior fellow honors from both organizations is dr larry miller a retired professor at ohio state university who was named senior fellow by the national organization in 1994 and by the international organization in 2012 elliot said\nother texas a&m faculty who are previous winners include drs glen shinn gary briers and tim murphy who were honored by the aaae and drs gary wingenbach and kim dooley who were honored by the aiaee he said\nthe purpose of the senior fellow award of the american association for agricultural education is to recognize those members of the association who have made exceptional and sustained contributions to the profession and who have more than 20 years of active service at the university level\nno more than three senior fellows may be elected in a calendar year according to the associations guidelines\nsimilarly the purpose of the senior fellow award of the association for international agricultural and extension education is to recognize and nourish aiaee members who have made exceptional and sustained contributions to the profession and who have more than 15 years of service as a professional in agricultural and extension education\nelliot received both his bachelors degree in agricultural education and his masters degree in agricultural economics at washington state university he earned his doctoral degree in agricultural education from ohio state university\nelliot has specialized in educational assessment and international human and institutional capacity development\nelliot was nominated for his national senior fellow award by dr billye b foster professor and director of the school of agriculture at tennessee technological university in cookeville tenn foster was elliots colleague for 15 years during his tenure at the university of arizona\nfoster noted that elliots honors and awards received since he earned his bachelors degree range from the association for career and technical education researchs outstanding beginning scholar award in 1991 to the same associations distinguished service award in 2011\nelliots additional accolades include awards in the categories of outstanding educator excellence in teaching meritorious departmental achievement in instruction and international agricultural education\nthe national award cited elliots accomplishments in teaching investigative competency service leadership and professional publications his publications include six books 40 books edited 107 technical papers one current proposed patent and 84 invited lectures\nperhaps dr elliots greatest attribute wrote foster is his ability to make connections and encourage collaboration\nthis was evident last spring when texas a&m universitys vice chancellor asked elliot to chair the new resource strategies task force foster said\nthis group consisted of leaders from four state agencies and the college of agriculture and life sciences foster said his report has led to the development of interdisciplinary action teams that work together to submit proposals and solve state national and international problems\nfrom 1988 to 1992 elliot served as an assistant professor in the department of agricultural and extension education at michigan state university and as professor and head of the department of agricultural education at the university of arizona from 1992 to 2008 since 2009 he has been professor and head of the department of agricultural leadership education and communications and senior scientist at the norman borlaug institute for international agriculture at texas a&m\n']
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['expert: a beautiful plant to honor a ‘horticultural hero\nlynn lowery shunned publicity during his lifetime and this photo of him collecting a native plant along a roadside is a rare one say texas agrilife extension service and texas agrilife research horticulturists ((texas agrilife extension service photo)\nwriter: robert burns 903-834-6191 rd-burns@tamuedu\ncollege station unlike other sages lowreys legacy cenizo a new texas superstar plant is not only extremely colorful but it cycles in and out of bloom much better than other sages say texas horticulturists \na lot of cenizos will have a flush and bloom in the spring and then kind of sputter just a little display of flowers until the fall said paul cox formerly with san antonio botanical gardens and a lifelong friend of the legendary texas horticulturist lynn lowrey after whom the plant is named\nwhen lowreys legacy blooms you literally cant see the plant because the flowers cover all of it said cox now retired after 32 years with the gardens\nlowreys legacy cenizos azalea-like lilac blue flowers are some of the largest and most attractive blooms of any texas sage on the market say texas agrilife extension service and texas agrilife research horticulturists (texas agrilife extension service photo)texas superstar plants undergo extensive tests at overton lubbock san antonio and college station by texas agrilife research and texas agrilife extension service horticulturists said dr brent pemberton agrilife research horticulturist and chair of the texas superstar executive board to be designated a superstar a plant must not just be beautiful but also perform well for consumers and growers throughout texas superstars must also be easy to propagate which should ensure the plants are not only widely available throughout texas but also are reasonably priced\nlowreys legacy cenizo meets all those requirements pemberton said its beautiful easy to care for with superb drought tolerance and excellent deer resistance its green foliage provides a wonderful backdrop for its large azalea-like lilac blue flowers delivering some of the largest and most attractive blooms of any texas sages on the market today for birders this plant is a ‘must for attracting hummingbirds\nand naming the species a texas superstar also serves to honor one of the most well-known and best-liked horticulturists in texas he said\ncox remembers having many of the original selections in the san antonio botanical gardens that lowrey rescued from a roadside near monterrey mexico he also remembers lowrey as a shy modest and unassuming man he said but essential to the gardens goal developing a comprehensive collection of native plants \nid come into work one day and thered be a truckload of plants on the doorstep that he had decided we couldnt live without cox said hed drive over on the weekend without speaking or talking to anybody drop the plants off then leave again he didnt charge us or anything it was always kind of fun to walk up to the door and thered be a bunch of plants we didnt order\nlowreys legacy cenizo is sometimes called ‘lynns ever-blooming texas sage because of the reliable and continuous profusion of flower displayed throughout much of the year say texas agrilife extension service and texas agrilife research horticulturists (texas agrilife extension service photo)various cenizo sages had been on the market for some time before lowrey discovered what he recognized as a unique species cox said the species was growing on a rise by a roadside near a bridge and the story goes that lowrey had to stand on the passengers seat and reach up to collect samples while traffic was passing\n\nhe was quick to spot something that had any kind of difference to it cox said unfortunately for lynn there were so many things he collected that he really didnt get the recognition that he deserved but he didnt want recognition he was a shy and retiring person\ncox who is the senior author of texas trees: a friendly guide now in its ninth printing remembers one instance in particular that exemplifies his friends attitude toward fame\nthey found a new un-described genus of tree in mexico that they wanted to name after lynn and lynn got mad got furious and said if you do that he would never talk to you again he said they named it after somebody else\nlowery passed away in 1997 other great plants he has been credited with introducing to the nursery trade include mexican sycamore montezuma cypress monterrey oak and bashams party pink crape myrtle all popular plants pemberton said but lowreys legacy cenizo has traits to make it just as popular\nit does well even in droughty areas with a lot of reflected heat such as median areas along city streets and highways pemberton said this plant will not only save time and water but also will provide a spectacular show of lilac blue flowers periodically throughout the year \nit is also much more compact than other cenizo sages cox noted\nthere are some really compact cenizos out there but in the overall scheme of things its much more compact than a lot of the common varieties he said if you dont cut them back they just get 8-feet tall and look like hell the ones (lowreys legacy cenizos) that we do at the garden do nicely and have good forms we always joked we ought to name them either raquel welch or sophia loren because they bloom gracefully and age gracefully a lot of cenizos dont do that\nit has a natural size of 4 to 5 feet tall and a similar width which makes for a dense well-rounded and shapely form pemberton added the plant does not develop that ‘leggy appearance many texas cenizo sages develop over-time \ntexas superstar is a registered trademark owned by agrilife research a state agency that is part of the texas a&m university system more information about the texas superstar program can be found at http://texassuperstarcom/ \nlowreys detailed biography can be found on the aggie horticulture website at http://aggie-horticulturetamuedu/archives/parsons/heroes/lowrey2html\n-30-\n']
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['analysis of psyllid migration could help producers with management decisions\naimee franklin a texas agrilife research student assistant replaces one of the yellow sticky traps used to capture psyllids these traps are located on natural vegetation close to a potato field (texas agrilife research photo by dr arash rashed)\namarillo – do potato psyllids migrate from one location to the next starting in northern mexico and moving northward as the potato season progresses or are psyllid populations local\nknowing whether the insects are migratory or local could help more efficiently manage the insects which are increasingly inflicting damage on the countrys potato industry according to scientists working on the project\na study that is being done as a part of the national zebra chip specialty crop research initiative involves dr arash rashed texas agrilife research vector ecologist and dr charlie rush agrilife research plant pathologist in amarillo and lead on the national initiative\nthe bacterial pathogen carried by the psyllid is candidatus liberibacter solanacearum when the psyllid feeds on a potato plant the bacteria is transmitted into the plant and causes the disease known as zebra chip of potato rush said\nwhile it has no effect on human health zebra chip can cause entire loads of potatoes to be rejected by the potato chip industry because of the negative effect it has on chips and fries which appear as burned when fried he said\nit is generally believed that psyllids migrate from mexico to the canadian border rashed said while that is a possibility we want to see if there are local populations and if there are winter breeding sites\nyellow sticky traps were placed in natural vegetation to monitor psyllid populations outside the potato growing season (texas agrilife research photo by dr fekede workneh)\nhe said through field greenhouse and laboratory studies and in collaboration with potato producers and other scientists they are studying various aspects of pathogen-plant-vector interactions one of these studies is addressing the effects of natural vegetation topography temperature fluctuations and air currents on psyllid populations and their movement pattern\nwe have set up traps in pearsall seminole and kermit springlake bushland and dalhart rashed said we monitor changes in psyllid numbers in natural vegetation around the potato fields we also test wild plants for their infection status with the objective to identify pathogen reservoirs during winter when the cultivated host is absent\nhe said initially they saw psyllids in pearsall but not olton and springlake then they began seeing more than a thousand on traps from those regions an unusually high number\npsyllid numbers however dropped in natural vegetation during april and may rashed said this coincided with potato-emergence time when psyllids began to infest field edges we dont know if it was a one-time thing or a yearly reoccurring phenomenon\nour survey will continue throughout the next year to address this question he said\nwe also evaluate the percentage of insects that are carrying the pathogen rashed said although only a low percentage of psyllids are actually carriers if the population is high it also means there are a lot of positive psyllids\nmoreover he said the damage caused by psyllids is not just through transmitting the pathogen as they also induce another condition in potato plants called psyllid yellows by simply feeding on the plant tissue\nwhile it is too early to make any conclusions on what environmental factors affect the populations he said they believe early spraying of the fields and seed treatments are the most reasonable way to lower the impact\nother control approaches such as eliminating volunteer potatoes which can be ideal hosts for psyllids prior to cultivated potato emergence need to be integrated to increase the effectiveness of chemical control early in the season rashed said\n-30-\n\n\n']
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['writer: blair fannin 979-845-2259 b-fannin@tamuedu\nthrall – this years showstopper at the 49th stiles farm field day was a large sesame trial that has bellwether traits during times of drought according to experts\nthis is the first time since ive been farm manager at the stiles farm weve had sesame and its got a lot of potential for blacklands farmers said archie abrameit texas agrilife extension service farm manager\ndr tom isakeit texas agrilife extension service plant pathologist has been conducting cotton root rot research throughout the state (texas agrilife extension service photo by blair fannin)\ndr charles stichler a retired agrilife extension agronomist and now an independent consultant in knippa has spent much of his career specializing in sesame production for texas he discussed the sesaco corp line of sesame at the stiles farm which was thriving even as some of the corn and other crops were showing moisture stress due to lack of rain\nat the luling foundation (east of san antonio) everything else was dead last year during the drought but the sesame was alive and well stichler said\nthe luling foundation serves farmers in caldwell gonzales and guadalupe counties and is located west of luling\napproximately two-and-a-half pounds of sesame seeds were planted per acre at the stiles farm on may 10 the crop typically matures in 90 days\nits heat deer and insect tolerant stichler said its a good rotational crop\nhe said at harvest time the stalks get brittle and farmers dont have to labor getting their fields clean with repetitive plowing one pass will get the field clean he said\nit basically turns to powder stichler said\nmost us sesame is exported to china and used in a variety of foods the oil is also valuable he said\nper acre cost to farmers is about $10 stichler said and with minimal maintenance  the crop can be another revenue stream for producers market prices are approximately 40 cents pound for harvested sesame\narchie abrameit texas agrilife extension service farm manager (texas agrilife extension service photo by blair fannin)\nat the weed-control tour dr paul baumann agrilife extension weed specialist in college station discussed common waterhemp and palmer amaranth common waterhemp has shown several instances of glyphosate  (roundup) resistance in southeast and central texas palmer amaranth resistance has been documented in several fields in west texas\nhe stressed to producers to take immediate preventive action such as keeping fields clean and rotating herbicide chemistries especially with regard to using soil-applied herbicides before or at planting\nif you leave one weed in the cotton patch and dont get out of the pickup and go hoe it out you can imagine the problem you are going to have next year because it can can shed 500 000 seeds he said  what we are seeing this year are resistant weed patches that are obviously where one or a few resistant plants went to seed last fall\nbaumann said roundup and other glyphosate products are too effective on too many weeds to discontinue use of them but they must be part of a larger herbicide program\nwe are going to have to spend more money to include more herbicides than just the glyphosate products he said however i would stress the point that there is value in keeping weeds from coming up with the crop research shows the first 10 weeks are critical to competition with weeds if you wait two to three weeks to treat they are going to pick your pocket\nbaumann suggested applying an early preventative blanket of herbicide then managing whatever comes up later with glyphosate or other alternative post-emergence products\nusing only glyphosate in your weed control program ensures that at some point resistant biotypes of common waterhemp or palmer amaranth pigweed will show up baumann said unfortunately by the time you figure out it is resistant you have made one or more applications of glyphosate and the weed is now too big to manage with any other products bottom line treat early on small weeds that appear in your fields so you have the flexibility to use some other product if those weeds dont die\n \ndr charles stichler a retired texas agrilife extension service agronomist and independent consultant in knippa discusses sesame trials on display at the stiles farm foundation (texas agrilife extension service photo by blair fannin\n \ndr tom isakeit agrilife extension plant pathologist college station gave an update on cotton root rot control methods he discussed the latest research activities using the fungicide topguard which received section 18 approval from the texas department of agriculture the research is supported by texas farmers through cotton inc and the texas state support committee\nwe have ongoing research in application rates and methods for consistent control he said\nisakeit said the research is evaluating both pre-planting and post-planting applications one issue isakeit said they are researching is minimizing phytotoxicity (poisionous threat)  to the cotton plant  the chemical is sprayed into the open furrow at planting but some farmers do not have the proper equipment to do this\nthe special approval for use of topguard will expire soon but isakeit is hopeful the section 18 will be renewed next year\nthe research results are highly anticipated since cotton root rot not only affects yields but also fiber quality isakeit said\napproximately two-and-a-half pounds of sesame seeds were planted per acre at the stiles farm on may 10 (texas agrilife extension service photo by blair fannin)\nalso discussed were several new traits that will be available in cotton seed over the next three to four years including insect traits and herbicide tolerance traits said dr gaylon morgan agrilife extension cotton specialist college station\ndr gaylon morgan texas agrilife extension service cotton specialist gave farmers the latest updates on new cotton technology at the 49th stiles farm field day (texas agrilife extension service photo by blair fannin)\nhe said these technologies will provide producers new opportunities and also a learning curve\nin 2013 assuming some regulatory approval by a few foreign countries bayer crop science will have released the twinlink insect traits and it will be coupled with stacked glytol/liberty link herbicide tolerance traits morgan said\nhe said once bayer crop sciences traits are available to the producers this will increase availability of seed technology traits to producers by multiple companies\nthe glytol/liberty link cotton varieties will increase the options for rotating broad spectrum herbicides in cotton  however the glyphosate and liberty should not be tank-mixed due to antagonism on weed control morgan said\nduring the noon program dr pete gibbs agrilife extension associate director at college station told attendees crop and range conditions were much improved from last years field day event and that producers were blessed to receive the rain that has fallen so far this year\nwe are glad youve come to this field day event as the stiles farm features 3 000 acres of diversified crop and livestock operations he said this farm blends the activities of texas agrilife extension service and texas agrilife research helping producers solve problems and move forward with economic feasibility\nat the field day scott ging was named taylor chamber of commerce agriculturalist of the year stiles farm foundation scholarship winners were allison hodde from travis county and matthew liverman from bastrop county both will attend texas a&m university\n(right) scott ging receives the taylor chamber of commerce agriculturalist of the year award from president thomas martinez (texas agrilife extension service photo by blair fannin)\n-30-\n']
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['bandera – the texas water resources institute will present a five-day texas watershed planning short course sept 24-28 in bandera regarding how to develop a locally led watershed protection plan according to epa guidelines \nthe institute is part of texas agrilife research texas agrilife extension service and the college of agriculture and life sciences at texas a&m university\nthe short course will be held at the mayan dude ranch 350 mayan ranch rd about 47 miles northwest of san antonio\na five-day watershed planning short course for water coordinators and water resource professionals will be held sept 24-28 at the mayan dude ranch in bandera (texas agrilife extension service photo)\nvoluntary locally led watershed protection plans are one of the primary methods being used to restore texas surface waters said kevin wagner an associate director at the institute and course leader\nwagner said this is one of the few courses in the country that builds upon the nine essential elements for watershed planning as identified by the us environmental protection agency\npeople attending this course will come out better prepared to develop watershed protection plans according to epa guidelines he noted\nin addition to epas nine elements the course provides watershed coordinators and water resource professionals with guidance on stakeholder coordination education and outreach; data collection and analysis; and tools for plan development\ninformation is presented through lectures and case studies wagner said\nhe added that the texas state soil and water conservation board and the texas commission on environmental quality the two state agencies responsible for texas water quality are financing the creation of more than a dozen watershed protection plans statewide\nupon completion participants will receive continuing education units from the national registry of environmental professionals he said\ncourse registration is $350 by aug 10 and then $375 until sept 18\na block of rooms at the mayan dude ranch has been reserved at a special rate of $121 per night which includes all meals and lodging but reservations must be made by sept 18 to receive this special rate participants are asked to identify themselves as short course attendees when making reservations\nthe short course is the sixth such program to be held in bandera it is funded by the texas commission on environmental quality and the us environmental protection agency\nfor more information on the course registration and lodging go to http://watershedplanningtamuedu/ or contact wagner at klwagner@agtamuedu or courtney smith at courtneysmith@agtamuedu\n-30-\n']
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