Region 11: Coastal Bend

July 12 2007
New Texas Cooperative Extension Leadership Announced 
COLLEGE STATION – Three administrators have been named for key positions with Texas Cooperative Extension, according to said Dr. Ed Smith, Extension director in College Station.

February 26, 2007
Agronomy Lecture Series Offered in Harris County 
HOUSTON—Texas Cooperative Extension of Harris County will present a series of lectures on pasture management and hay meadow systems throughout 2007. Each workshop in the five-part series will be repeated at four locations throughout the county: East Harris Community Center, Hockley Community Center, May Community Center and the Bear Creek Extension Auditorium.

February 09, 2007
Topping Trees Can Be Deadly 
WESLACO – Paul Johnson goes through a range of emotions when he sees trees being topped: anger, disgust, sorrow, frustration and worse. That's why he, as an urban forester with the Texas Forest Service in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, is spreading the word that topping does serious damage to trees, their value and the value of the entire urban forest.

January 26, 2007
Horticultural Society Reaches Out to Students, Other Disciplines 
WESLACO - For the first time in its 61-year history, the annual meeting of the Rio Grande Valley Horticultural Society will be held outside Weslaco. Organizers say the event will be held Jan. 30 at the University of Texas-Pan American campus in Edinburg in an attempt to include more students and broaden its professional scope.

January 19, 2007
Cold Weather Helping Valley Ag Producers 
WESLACO -- The recent cold blast responsible for so much chaos throughout the state may have helped agricultural producers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

January 18, 2007
Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence Honors Bestowed at Texas A&M 
COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Elsa Murano, Texas A&M University System vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences, recently presented more than 20 Award in Excellence honors to individuals, teams and an agency-industry partnership.

January 16, 2007
Child Care Professionals Conference Discusses Circle of Learning 
HOUSTON, TX – Many children spend a majority of their time growing and developing in day care, said Alexis Cordova, Texas Cooperative Extension agent for family consumer sciences in Liberty County.

January 09, 2007
Texas Cooperative Extension Announces Partnership Awards 
COLLEGE STATION – Texas Cooperative Extension presented four Partnership Awards during the 2007 Texas A&M Agriculture Conference on Jan. 9 in College Station.

January 05, 2007
South Texas Gardening Class Starts Jan. 13 
WESLACO -- Texas Cooperative Extension and the Deep South Texas Master Gardeners will be conducting one of the Lower Rio Grande Valley's most popular gardening classes beginning later this month in McAllen.

December 27, 2006
Workshop to Help Homeowners Create Oasis 
HOUSTON – Volunteers with Texas Cooperative Extension in Harris County will present a gardening workshop 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 27 in the Extension auditorium, 3033 Bear Creek Drive.

December 05, 2006
MEDIA ADVISORY: Extension to Offer Landscapers Pest Management Training 
HOUSTON — Texas Cooperative Extension's agriculture program in Harris County will offer the "Pest Management for Landscapers" workshop twice during December. Topics will focus on pest management for landscape contractors. After completion, participants will be eligible for five continuing education units applicable to licenses under the Texas Department of Agriculture and Structural Pest Control Board. Each session will be $25 for advance registration and $30 at the door. Pre-registration is recommended because these classes fill quickly. Contact Diana Todd, 281-855-5600,DGTodd@ag.tamu.edu

November 02, 2006
Extension Offers Reduced-Cost Soil Test for 8 Greater Houston Counties 
HOUSTON — Texas Cooperative Extension kicked off the Southeast Texas Soil Sample Testing Campaign this month in Hardin, Harris, Jefferson, Liberty, Orange, Montgomery, Polk and San Jacinto counties.

July 31, 2006
Texas Produce Convention Starts Aug. 10 in San Antonio 
WESLACO – Those attending this year's Texas Produce Convention in San Antonio will discuss issues important to most businesses: rising fuel costs, immigration reform and marketing to growing ethnic populations.

July 12, 2006
Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Provide Scholarship Endowment to Texas A&M 
SANTA ROSA – A $40,000 endowed scholarship to benefit minorities and economically disadvantaged students in Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties has been established at the Texas A&M Foundation. The scholarship is funded by the Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Inc.

July 06, 2006
Biofuels Could Boost Beaumont Area Ag Economy 
BEAUMONT – ‘Biofuels for Agriculture' will be the theme of the 59th Annual Rice Field Day at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in Beaumont. The center is located 6.5 miles west of Beaumont off U.S Hwy. 90 at 1509 Aggie Drive Activities will begin at 8 a.m., July 13.

June 20, 2006
Families Reminded to Include Pets in Family Evacuation Plan 
HOUSTON— As Gulf Coast residents brace for what weather experts are forecasting as another busy hurricane season, a Texas Cooperative Extension expert said every family should have an evacuation plan that includes the family pet.

June 12, 2006
New Residents Learn Flavor of United States Food Culture 
HOUSTON – From supermarkets to fast food restaurants, food culture in the United States is unfamiliar to new residents, said Kim Bui, Texas Cooperative Extension assistant with the Better Living for Texans program in Harris County.

January 13, 2006
HOUSTON: Extension Horticulture Program Offers Free Monthly Gardening Lectures 
HOUSTON — Texas Cooperative Extension's horticulture program in Harris County will offer a series of free lectures on home gardening each month this year. The series will be offered in conjunction with Extension's Master Gardener Association through the "Green Thumb Gardening Series."

January 02, 2006
Harris County Master Urban Rancher Program to Begin Feb. 3 
HOUSTON – For many suburban families, work may be in the city, but home is on the range. Small-acreage operations are increasing in number, according to Wayne Thompson, Texas Cooperative Extension agriculture agent in Harris County. Helping these operations, known as "ranchettes," is the focus of the Master Urban Rancher program.

December 02, 2005
A&M Horse Judging Team Wins World Contest 
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Texas A&M University horse judging team won the World Championship Intercollegiate Horse Judging Contest here Nov. 16.

December 02, 2005
Sam Rayburn High School Students Enjoy Ecology Center 
PASADENA, Texas —In the heart of Pasadena's Sam Rayburn High School is a botanical oasis, formerly known as the atrium. Just a little more than a year ago, it was a series concrete sidewalks and dried dirt that served as a pass -through from one side of campus to the other.

November 10, 2005
First Texas Finding of Soybean Rust Confirmed 
COLLEGE STATION – Asian soybean rust – a potentially serious fungus of soybean crops – has been found for the first time in Texas.

November 07, 2005
MEDIA ADVISORY: Black War Heroes to be Honored at Veterans Day Celebration 
HOUSTON - Buffalo Soldiers and black veterans of World Wars I and II will be honored during the Veterans Cultural Heritage Celebration on Veterans Day.

July 29, 2005
Weslaco Cotton Field Day Cancelled as Harvesting Resumes 
WESLACO – Texas Cooperative Extension's annual cotton field day in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, which was to be held the day Hurricane Emily made landfall south of Brownsville, will not be rescheduled.

July 22, 2005
Emily Mostly Beneficial for South Texas Agriculture 
WESLACO – Hurricane Emily's sideswipe appears to have been beneficial for South Texas agriculture. With landfall 75 miles south of Brownsville, the storm brought little more than badly needed rainfall to the area.

July 19, 2005
South Texas Ag Community Braces for Hurricane Emily 
WESLACO – Texas Cooperative Extension's annual cotton field day in the Lower Rio Grande Valley has been postponed this week as the agricultural community braced for Hurricane Emily. Even without a direct hit, the storms's high winds and heavy rains could cause major problems for growers.

July 15, 2005
Rain-Wary Growers Invited to Cotton Field Day 
WESLACO – Lower Rio Grande Valley cotton growers are invited to attend Texas Cooperative Extension's cotton field day at 6 p.m. July 20 at the Hiler Annex Farm, north of Weslaco.

July 13, 2005
Harris County Master Urban Rancher Program to Begin Aug. 1 
HOUSTON – Like many other families, the Meuths both work in the city but live on a few acres within an hours drive from downtown. These small-acreage operations have become known as "ranchettes." Helping ranchette owners is the focus of Texas Cooperative Extension's Master Urban Rancher program.

July 12, 2005
Texas Crop and Weather Report 
COLLEGE STATION- Round bale, square bale or no bale, limited moisture has caused the state's hay fields to produce less-than-normal harvests, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

July 08, 2005
58th Annual Rice Field Day Focuses on Water Issues and International Trade 
BEAUMONT -- The 58th Annual Rice Field Day will begin at 8 a.m., July 14, at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in Beaumont. Scientists from Texas A&M University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be on hand to discuss the newest developments in production technology. The field day is free and open to the public.

July 07, 2005
Grafting May Help Battle Melon Vine Decline 
WESLACO – Vine decline has impacted South Texas melon crops for years. This disease strikes late in the growing season, at a time when most farmers are contemplating harvest. But just as the cantaloupes begin to ripen, plants and profits wither and die.