April 2007 AgNews Links

April 30, 2007
Mineola Garden Tests Earth Kind Roses for East Texas      
MINEOLA - The common perception is that roses are hard to grow, requiring lots of pesticides and work. But that's just not true, particularly with Earth Kind roses, said Pete Smith, Master Gardener and the mayor of Mineola.

April 30, 2007
Texas Grape Industry to Discuss Pierce's Disease Outlook for State  
COLLEGE STATION - Grape growers and wine industry leaders will meet with top Texas researchers here on May 21 to discuss strategies to combat Pierce's Disease, a condition that can be devastating to vineyards.

April 30, 2007
Texas-Sized Sorghum: New Solution for Fuel?  
COLLEGE STATION - Big Sorghum is moving up on Big Oil in Texas. Ten-foot tall stalks of bioenergy sorghum, planted on thousands of acres, could march across Texas just as oil derricks once did, replacing black gold with green gold.

April 27, 2007
Rural Car Crash Mortality Rate Higher  
COLLEGE STATION – Never mind mosquitoes, bees or ants: With the coming of warmer weather, Texans are likely to be bitten by the travel bug, said Bev Kellner, Texas Cooperative Extension program coordinator for passenger safety.

April 24, 2007
Research Aims to Reduce Injury, Illness in Horses  
COLLEGE STATION -- Injuries such as the one that felled 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro are tragic. Research at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary and Biomedical Medicine is focused on reducing that type of health issue -- and some aren't quite so apparent.

April 24, 2007
Texas Crop and Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION -- Producers and agricultural officials around the state continue to assess the impact of an East$ Extension officials.

April 23, 2007
Be A Good Neighbor When Using Phenoxy Herbicides  
LUBBOCK - There's an old saying ..."good fences make good neighbors." While good fences often separate productive crop land and different crops, they do little to stop herbicide drift.

April 23, 2007
Standard Agricultural Practices for Dove Hunters Focus of May 8 Meeting  
BEAUMONT - To help agricltural producers and dove hunters stay informed of the latest practices with winter pasture establishment, a May 8 meeting has been scheduled in Beaumont.

April 23, 2007
Belew Named Dallas Marketing Coordinator  
DALLAS - Kat Belew, a recent graduate of Texas A&M University, has been named marketing coordinator for the Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Dallas.

April 23, 2007
Mason County Sets Spring Beef Cattle Field Day  
MASON - The Spring Beef Cattle Field Day presented by Texas Cooperative Extension is set for 9 a.m. May 16 at the Mason County Community Center.

April 20, 2007
Concho/McCulloch County Wheat Tour Set for May 15  
MILLERSVIEW - Texas Cooperative Extension in Concho and McCulloch counties will hold its annual wheat tour from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 15, at the Millersview Gymnasium.

April 20, 2007
Annual Heart of Texas Cow/Calf Clinic Becomes More 'User-Friendly'  
BROWNWOOD - For 28 years, Texas Cooperative Extension's annual Heart of Texas Cow/Calf Clinic has been a morning program. This year, to make it more "user-friendly," it will be in the evening, said Scott Anderson, Extension agent in Brown County.

April 19, 2007
Shaw Named Associate at Texas A&M Renewable Natural Resources Institute  
COLLEGE STATION - Dr. Bob Shaw has been named associate director of the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, effective May 1.

April 18, 2007
Human Gene Technology May Show Horse Traders Where to Place Their Chips  
COLLEGE STATION – Horse trading could come down to a computer chip, thanks to research done at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences.

April 18, 2007
Texas Crop and Weather  
COLLEGE STATION – Wet though cool weather improved range and pasture conditions across the state, but some crops took a hit from last week's freeze, report Texas Cooperative Extension agents and specialists.

April 17, 2007
Tom Green County Quail Appreciation Day Set For May 3  
SAN ANGELO – Texas Cooperative Extension in Tom Green County has scheduled a "Quail Appreciation Day" from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 3.

April 17, 2007
Researcher Focuses on Pros, Cons of Antioxidants from Fruits and Vegetables  
COLLEGE STATION – Nutrition: It's not just the four basic food groups any more.

April 17, 2007
Post Oak Grasshoppers Emerging  
COLLEGE STATION – They're not afraid of heights, they're voracious, and Dr. Spencer Behmer wants to know if you've seen them hanging out in oak trees or on your house.

April 16, 2007
Feral Hog Meeting Scheduled for May 1 in Levelland  
LEVELLAND - Feral hogs cause serious problems with agricultural production, from row crops to hay crops to livestock and wildlife. And concerns are only growing, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

April 16, 2007
Texas High School Seniors Learn A-B-Cs of Personal Finances  
COLLEGE STATION – A Texas high school education just got a little more practical. That's because this academic year – 2006-2007 – instruction in financial education is required as a condition of graduation, said Nancy Granovsky, Texas Cooperative Extension family economics specialist.

April 16, 2007
High Cost of Nitrogen Calls For New Farming Strategies  
OVERTON – Farmers can expect nitrogen fertilizer costs to be more than 50 cents per pound of nitrogen this year, said Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Texas Cooperative Extension experts.

April 13, 2007
Two Weslaco Scientists Win Top Honors  
WESLACO - Two agricultural research scientists in Weslaco have received the highest honor their professional peers could bestow upon them. Dr. Gene Lester and Dr. Yin-Tung Wang have been named Fellows by the American Society for Horticultural Science.

April 13, 2007
Early Indications Show Wheat Escaped Freeze Injury  
AMARILLO - The High Plains wheat crop appears to have escaped injury from temperatures that dipped into the low 20s F for an extended period, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

April 13, 2007
Kids, Kows & More Expo Introduces Agriculture to Urban West Texas Youth  
ODESSA – Helping kids better understand agriculture is the goal of Texas Cooperative Extension's Kids, Kows & More Expo. The event is scheduled for April 30-May 2 at the Ector County Coliseum Outback Arena in Odessa.

April 13, 2007
Sweet! Beekeeping Essay Contest Winners Announced  
GAINESVILLE – Cletus Fuhrmann knows how to ‘bee' a winner.

April 13, 2007
MRI Recommended as New Tool in Fight Against Breast Cancer  
COLLEGE STATION – The American Cancer Society last month recommended that women at high risk of developing breast cancer should get a magnetic resonance imaging – or MRI – each year in addition to a mammogram, beginning at age 30.

April 13, 2007
Borlaug Institute Helps Identify Ways to Increase Iraqi Agricultural Employment  
COLLEGE STATION – Through its Norman E. Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, Texas A&M University is again playing a significant role in helping revive agriculture in Iraq.

April 12, 2007
Dallas Conference to Focus on Business with Cuba  
DALLAS – Agricultural producers and agribusiness professionals can learn more about the Cuban export market by attending an April 26 conference at the Small Business Development Center-International Trade Center in Dallas.

April 11, 2007
Texas Crop, Weather  
COLLEGE STATION – With cold temperatures, rain, sleet and snow reported across the state, producers in East Texas have reported no crop damage so far, according to Dr. Ramona Kellum, Texas Cooperative Extension district director in Overton.

April 10, 2007
Grapes May Become Viable Crop for Brownwood Agriculture  
BROWNWOOD - A growing interest in wine grape production has prompted Texas Cooperative Extension, the city of Brownwood and the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce to present "Developing a Growing Industry; Vineyard and Winery Seminar," from 8:30 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. May 8.

April 10, 2007
Cow-Calf Financial Workshop Slated for May 2 in Vernon  
VERNON – Cow-calf producers changed many of their normal production and marketing strategies in 2006 due to drought and higher fuel, fertilizer and feed prices, said a Texas Cooperative Extension economist. These factors have pushed the cost of running a breeding cow on the Rolling Plains to more than $400 per year.

April 09, 2007
Texas Cooperative Extension Names Economist to San Angelo Post  
SAN ANGELO – William "Bill" Thompson, was named the economist for Texas Cooperative Extension's West Central District earlier this month.

April 09, 2007
First Year of Two-Year Turf Grass Drought Study Complete; More Research Needed  
SAN ANTONIO – While the first year of a two-year study on the drought tolerance of warm-season South and Central Texas turf grasses is complete, more research is needed, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

April 06, 2007
'PET' Project Could Reduce East Texas Cities' Water Woes  
OVERTON – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's long range forecast is for below-average precipitation for East Texas in coming months.

April 06, 2007
Itchy Chiggers Coming to Life  
WESLACO – As spring temperatures rise, so do chiggers, up the legs of unsuspecting humans who serve as accidental hosts for the tiny parasites that can leave itchy welts, an expert says.

April 05, 2007
Clinic Addresses Recent Changes In Market Lamb Classification Standards  
SAN ANGELO – Minor changes in the market lamb classification standards used at all Texas youth livestock shows has prompted Texas Cooperative Extension to hold a market lamb classification clinic from 9 a.m.- until 4 p.m. April 25 in San Angelo.

April 05, 2007
Texas Wheats Excel in Baking Quality  
AMARILLO – Texas wheat offers high quality when it comes to baking and milling characteristics, said Texas Agricultural Experiment Station's state wheat breeder.

April 05, 2007
Rio Grande Valley Bull Gain Test Announces Results  
LINN - The Rio Grande Beef Improvement Association recently completed its bull gain test for 2006-2007 at Rio Beef Feedyard in Linn, said Brad Cowan, Texas Cooperative Extension agent in Hidalgo County.

April 04, 2007
Texas Crop and Weather Report  
SAN ANGELO - Rangeland conditions across the central portion of the state have turned around, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension range specialist.

April 04, 2007
New Extension Associate to Serve Growing Gulf Coast Wine Industry  
HOUSTON - During the last decade, the Texas wine industry quietly blossomed into the nation's fifth- largest producer of wine grapes, according to Fritz Westover, Gulf Coast regional viticulture extension associate for Texas Cooperative Extension.

April 04, 2007
Multi-County Beef Field Day Set for May 5  
CONVERSE – The Connell Life Skills and Livestock Center at Boysville, 8555 E. Loop 1604 in Converse, will be the site of a multi-county beef cattle field day on May 5.

April 03, 2007
Limit on Farmers’ Adjusted Gross Income Would Impact Many Operations  
COLLEGE STATION – A group of farms included in a recent study would fail to qualify for government subsidies if a proposed $200,000 adjusted gross income limit is approved by Congress.

April 03, 2007
Pronghorn Management Workshop Scheduled for April 19  
DALHART – Pronghorns have increasingly become topics of conversation by farmers, ranchers, hunters, outfitters and wildlife watchers in the northern Panhandle, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

April 02, 2007
First West Texas Beef 2010 Session Set for April 26 in San Angelo  
SAN ANGELO - Texas Cooperative Extension, Angelo State University and the Texas Beef Council have teamed up to present the first ever "West Texas Beef 2010" program, a four-part series on beef quality management of market cattle and cows.

April 02, 2007
Texas Wheat Crop Strengthened by Recent Rainfall  
COLLEGE STATION – The 2006 drought led to the smallest number of wheat acres harvested in Texas since 1925, but this year's crop is showing promise thanks to timely rains, a small grains expert said.