February 2004 AgNews Links

February 27, 2004
Annual Ram Performance Field Day And Sale Set For March 19  
SONORA – The Annual Ram Performance Test Field Day and Sale conducted by the Texas A&M Agricultural Research Station here is set for March 19. The station is 28 miles south of Sonora on Highway 55.

February 27, 2004
'Parenting Along The Border' Is Teaching Parents How To Succeed  
EL PASO – Let's face it: being a parent is hard! And while parenting skills are learned, they are usually learned on the job. But there's help. The "Parenting Along the Border" program was designed to give both mothers and fathers the tools they need to face the challenge with kindness, respect, dignity and confidence.

February 26, 2004
Koziel Honored By Engineering Peers  
CORPUS CHRISTI – Dr. Jacek Koziel, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station assistant professor of air quality engineering at Amarillo, will receive the Texas Section of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers' Agricultural Engineer of the Year Award at the group's annual meeting this week.

February 25, 2004
Research Indicates Newer Reforestation Methods More Efficient, Less Wasteful  
OVERTON – Recent work at a research forest here shows landowners can significantly reduce the cost of establishing pine forests by re-examining traditional planting practices.

February 25, 2004
Marketing And Software Workshops Set In March At Lubbock Center  
LUBBOCK – Farmers and ranchers can gain a better understanding of futures and options, financial software and marketing plans at a series of March seminars slated at the Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center here.

February 24, 2004
Texas Crop And Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION - Ethnic holidays are contributing to a strong meat goat market, according to Texas Cooperative Extension. Dr. Rick Machen of Uvalde, Extension livestock specialist, said prices have been rising steadily since last fall.

February 24, 2004
Advanced Marketing Training Nice Fit For Producers  
AMARILLO – You know you need more training to spot commodities market signals and indicators to make real differences to your farming operation's bottom line. You would like the information to be unbiased, cost-effective and delivered by reputable experts. But, what do you do?

February 23, 2004
Parents Teach Children Healthy Living Habits  
COLLEGE STATION – Your children are watching you. Your actions are speaking to them louder than your words ever will, said Dr. Steve Green, Texas Cooperative Extension child development specialist. And when it comes to developing healthy habits, parents influence their children more than anyone else.

February 23, 2004
Bse Spurs Ban On Feeding Broiler Litter To Cattle  
OVERTON – Recent expanded safeguards against "mad cow disease" announced Jan. 26 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may require some East Texas beef producers to rethink their winter feeding budgets, says a beef cattle specialist with Texas Cooperative Extension.

February 23, 2004
New Extension Urban Entomologist To Serve Dfw Metroplex  
DALLAS – Most North Texans have probably encountered some kind of pest control problem around the house. Texas Cooperative Extension has added a new urban entomologist to its staff to help educate residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on insects and pest control.

February 20, 2004
Urban Wildlife Easy To Attract  
OVERTON -- Whether they live in a subdivision or an apartment, city residents don't have to travel 50 miles to see wildlife, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension wildlife and fisheries specialist.

February 20, 2004
Todd Swift Named To Llano County Extension Post  
LLANO – Todd W. Swift will be the Texas Cooperative Extension agent for agriculture in Llano County effective March 1, according to a joint announcement made by Llano County Judge R. G. Floyd and Scott Durham, district Extension administrator in San Angelo.

February 20, 2004
Christiansen Receives Bush Excellence Award  
COLLEGE STATION — Dr. James Christiansen, professor in agriculture education, has been selected as the recipient of the 2004 Texas A&M University Bush Excellence Award for Faculty in International Teaching.

February 20, 2004
Extension, Beef Council Offering Beef Quality Assurance Cd  
COLLEGE STATION – Texas Cooperative Extension and the Texas Beef Council are now offering a Beef Quality Assurance Training CD to producers for $1.75.

February 19, 2004
Houston Livestock Show To Host Beef Safety Meeting  
HOUSTON – As part of Commercial Cattlemen's Appreciation Days, the Houston Livestock Show is hosting "Beef Safety and the American Cattleman,"a town hall meeting scheduled for March 6 at Reliant Arena.

February 19, 2004
Peach Growers Advised To Be Vigilant  
TYLER -- Growers should be wary of possible increased pest problems this season, said an entomologist with Texas Cooperative Extension.

February 19, 2004
Producers Looking At Spring Planted Oats  
AMARILLO -- Poor wheat prospects have some Panhandle and South Plains growers looking for alternate crops to plant this spring. Oats may fit the bill, said Texas Cooperative Extension agronomists, Drs. Brent Bean of Amarillo and Calvin Trostle of Lubbock.

February 18, 2004
County Judges And Commissioners Meet In College Station  
COLLEGE STATION – More than over 500 county judges and commissioners met Feb. 17-19 for the 46th Annual County Judges and Commissioners' Continuing Education Conference and Educational Exposition at the Hilton College Station and Conference Center.

February 18, 2004
Texas Crop And Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION—Farmers in many areas of Texas are now waiting for warm, sunny weather to begin spring planting, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

February 18, 2004
Children’s Nutrition Expo Coming To Houston’s Children’s Museum  
HOUSTON – In celebration of National Nutrition Month, four volunteer organizations will present the free Children's Nutrition Expo, on Feb. 28 at Houston's Children's Museum, 1500 Binz.

February 18, 2004
Ecology Class Meets Around World Via Tv, Internet  
ATLANTIC OCEAN - Dean Castillo's watch over 4.5 acres of flatness keeps him ever mindful of ecology and the role all play in the environment.

February 17, 2004
Introductory Quickbooks Seminar Slated In March  
VERNON – Texas Cooperative Extension will offer an Introduction to QuickBooks Pro computer short course in March, at the Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center here.

February 17, 2004
Forage Types, Management, Are Key To Grazing Forages For Profit  
LAMESA – Producers can achieve profitable results from grazing winter forages if they match available small grains to their management strategy, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension agronomist.

February 16, 2004
Range Improvement Focus Of Rancho La Coma Field Day Scheduled March 13  
LA GLORIA – Low-cost methods for range improvement will be the focus of a field day scheduled for March 13 at Rancho Margo La Coma near La Gloria.

February 16, 2004
Carbon Commodity: Power Plants, Other Industry Could Offer Contracts To Farmers In Helping Reduce Carbon Emissions  
COLLEGE STATION – Two research economists say electrical power plants and other manufacturing agencies could someday seek the aid of farmers, offering contracts to help industrial firms reduce carbon emissions. For farmers, such agreements could create an additional source of income and make carbon a traded commodity.

February 13, 2004
Northwest Texas Agriculture Conference Slated For March 2  
VERNON – Farmers can improve their crop production and marketing skills and learn more about animal control by attending the March 2 Northwest Texas Agriculture Conference in Memphis, Texas, said a Texas Cooperative Extension agronomist.

February 13, 2004
Individual Animal Id Issue Updated Included At Planned Field Day  
OVERTON – Individual animal ID – tracking and keeping records of cows and steers from the pasture to the plate – will be one of the issues discussed at the upcoming East Texas Forage and Beef Field Day, set for April 15 at the Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Overton.

February 12, 2004
It Never Left: Harris County Reports West Nile Case In Bird  
COLLEGE STATION – Harris County's first positive case of West Nile Virus in 2004 -- in a dead blue jay -- is an early warning, said Dr. Jim Olson, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station entomologist.

February 11, 2004
Copper May Play Role In ‘starving’ Cancer To Standstill  
COLLEGE STATION -- Starving a cancerous tumor of its blood supply might stop its growth while other treatments aim to kill it.

February 11, 2004
Texas Wildlife Specialists Fight Rabies With Bait  
In the effort to eradicate rabies in coyotes and gray foxes, Texas Cooperative Extension and other state and national agencies, have successfully administered the oral rabies vaccination program in Texas for approximately nine years. Click on the video for the story.

February 10, 2004
Texas Crop And Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION — If your valentine doesn't get you some roses, you can always plant your own, and now is the time to do it, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

February 10, 2004
Adults Can Help Children Overcome Obesity  
COLLEGE STATION – Childhood obesity is no laughing matter. "Supersize portions are leading to supersize kids and supersize health problems," said Dr. Debra Reed, Texas Cooperative Extension nutrition specialist. "According to the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 15 percent of children and adolescents from 6 to 19 years old are overweight," she said. "This represents a nearly three-fold increase since the 1960s."

February 09, 2004
Lubbock Grain Sorghum Breeder Winds International Acclaim  
LUBBOCK – Dr. Darrell Rosenow, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station grain sorghum breeder, was recently named a co-recipient of the 2003 Board for International Food and Agricultural Development Award for Scientific Excellence. The award recognizes researchers for significant achievement originating from the United States Agency for International Development's Collaborative Research Support Program.

February 09, 2004
The Faces Of Farming'S Future  
BEAUMONT -- Ben Anderson of Lissie is an 11-year-old who already knows what he wants to be when he grows up -- a rice farmer.

February 09, 2004
Vet Lab In Center Moving To New State-Of-The-Art Quarters  
CENTER –– The Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in Center will be moving to new offices.

February 09, 2004
Medicinal Herbs: Take With Grain Of Salt  
WACO – When it comes to herbal remedies, a spoonful of information may help the medicine go down – or not.

February 06, 2004
Early Season Cotton Insect Control Pays Dividends  
FLOYDADA – Controlling early-season cotton insects is one of the best tools producers can use to manage their crop for early maturity and harvest, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension cotton entomologist.

February 06, 2004
Basic Blackberry Production Part Of E.t. Fruit And Vegetable Conference  
OVERTON – Blackberries, particularly the thornless varieties, have come a long way in the past few years, promising profits for growers – and not just those with u-pick operations.

February 06, 2004
Homegrown Herbs Add Zest To Recipes  
WACO – Deep in the heart of Texas lives a legend. She doesn't ride the range or drill for oil, but ask her anything about herbs and she knows the answer.

February 05, 2004
Protected Wheat Variety Woes-What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You  
ABILENE – Possession isn't necessarily nine-tenths of the law, especially if the purchase is a wheat variety protected by the Plant Variety Protection Act. This misunderstood and often-ignored law may soon become more stringently enforced, largely due to the stepped-up use of DNA plant testing.

February 05, 2004
2 Houston Students Honored As Top Youth Volunteers  
HOUSTON – Kristin Farris, 14, and Kevin Kalra, 17, have been named Texas' top two youth volunteers for 2004 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism.

February 05, 2004
Fipps Named Director Of Irrigation Technology Center  
COLLEGE STATION - Dr. Guy Fipps, professor and agricultural engineer with Texas Cooperative Extension, has been named the director of the Irrigation Technology Center.

February 04, 2004
Research Could Affect Livestock Hauling Guidelines  
COLLEGE STATION - Research at Texas A&M University could affect livestock hauling regulations and animal welfare in the United States and in Europe.

February 04, 2004
Don’t Throw In The Towel Too Soon After A Cotton Hail-Out  
FLOYDADA – South Plains producers should not throw in the towel too soon after hail damages or destroys their cotton crops. Several crops offer good yield and profit potential when planted after hailed-out cotton, said a Texas Cooperative Extension agronomist.

February 03, 2004
Boll Weevil Eradication Effort Will Soon Switch Gears  
FLOYDADA – Boll weevil eradication on the Texas Plains will soon switch gears from "active" to "maintenance" mode, according to the manager of the Southern High Plains-Caprock eradication zone.

February 03, 2004
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – Some wheat producers across the state were lucky enough to have received much needed rain this week, while others got none, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

February 03, 2004
Watson Named 2003 Arborist Of The Year  
COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Todd Watson, assistant professor in the Texas A&M University department of forest science, was named the 2003 Arborist of the Year at the annual Texas Tree Conference.

February 03, 2004
Extension Forums Focus On Communities  
AMARILLO -- Across the state, Texans are voicing their most important concerns and looking for ways to meet these challenges at the Texas Community Futures Forums. The forums are sponsored by Texas Cooperative Extension, a part of The Texas A&M University System.