January 2004 AgNews Links

January 30, 2004
Young Houstonian Contributes Much In Spite Of Life'S Circumstances  
HOUSTON -- Today Christopher Hanson is a successful, confident Texas Southern University freshman with an unquenchable thirst to help those in need. He credits his success to God and his mother and tries to live by one simple rule: "Despite one's situation, whether it be economic, cultural or ethnic, everyone has the power to change themselves and others."

January 30, 2004
Michels Receives Excellence Award  
COLLEGE STATION - A Texas Agricultural Experiment Station entomologist and professor, Dr. Gerald J. Michels of Amarillo, has received the Texas A&M University System Agriculture Program's highest honor - the Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research. He was recognized by Dr. Ed Hiler, vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences at Texas A&M, at the annual faculty conference.

January 30, 2004
Child Care Conference Improving Professional Skills  
WALLER – Interest in quality child care is driven by an increase in number of two income families, with neither parent at home full-time. However, child care providers are sometimes cast in a negative light, and parents need the security that the professionals watching over their children are not just licensed, but are actually trained and qualified.

January 29, 2004
Allred Earns Excellence Award  
COLLEGE STATION - Melanie Allred of Vega, a 22-year career employee with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, received the Texas A&M University System Agriculture Program's highest honor - the Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence. Allred was recognized recently during the organization's annual conference by Dr. Ed Hiler, vice chancellor for agriculture at Texas A&M.

January 29, 2004
Annual Angora Goat Test Dates Set  
SONORA – Plans are being made for the 2004 Angora Goat Performance Test at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station here.

January 29, 2004
Abilene Readies For Retooled Ag And Wildlife Trade Show  
ABILENE – The fifth annual Texas Farm, Ranch and Wildlife Management Expo is set for Feb. 17-18 on the Taylor County Expo Center grounds, South 11th and Loop 322 here. Show hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 17 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 18.

January 29, 2004
Dr. Fuller Bazer Receives Carl G. Hartman Award  
COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Fuller Bazer, executive associate dean for agriculture and life sciences at Texas A&M University, will receive an award from the Society of the Study of Reproduction at its annual meeting in August in Canada.

January 28, 2004
Digesting Nutrition Information: You Are What You Read?  
COLLEGE STATION – Nutrition is a hot topic in the news these days. What with daily mega-doses of information on trendy diets, nutritional scares and the latest on dietary good, bad and ugly, it's no wonder consumers are confused.

January 28, 2004
Multi-County Forage Seminar Slated For Feb. 10  
CROSS PLAINS – Texas Cooperative Extension is sponsoring a special multi-county Forage Seminar Feb. 10 at the Cross Plains Community Center. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m., with the program to follow.

January 27, 2004
Burn Workshops Offered In February  
SONORA – Rangeland burning classes have been scheduled for Feb. 19-21 and March 4-6 at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station near Sonora.

January 27, 2004
Ag Leadership Class Honored At Reception In Tyler  
TYLER – Class members of the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership program were honored at a reception and dinner here Jan. 20 at the Holiday Inn Select Hotel.

January 27, 2004
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION— Texas pecan producers are content with this year's harvest, and are receiving good prices, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

January 27, 2004
Non-Smokers Harmed By Secondhand Smoke  
COLLEGE STATION – Offices, restaurants, government agencies and public buildings all have one thing in common – most of them are non-smoking zones.

January 27, 2004
Alternative Crops Can Have Profitable Advantages  
EL PASO – Finding new and more profitable ways of doing business is a challenge to today's farmer, and alternative crops could be the answer. However, going into the alternative crops business requires extensive research and planning.

January 26, 2004
Texas A&M Meat Judging Team Starts Year With Denver Championship  
COLLEGE STATION – Members of the 2004 Texas A&M University Meat Judging Team started their intercollegiate judging careers with a championship win on Jan. 17 at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colo.

January 23, 2004
Hessian Fly Concern Prompts Wheat Meeting  
ROWENA – Texas Cooperative Extension is sponsoring a Multi-County Wheat update meeting from 10 a.m until noon Jan. 28 in Rowena's SPJST Hall.

January 23, 2004
Marketing Shortcourse To Cover Advanced Technical Analysis, Jan. 28-29  
AMARILLO - Hurry and sign up now, if you want to improve your understanding of the technical analysis tools used in commodities marketing. The upcoming training, a part of the Advanced Topic Shortcourse Series, will feature 'Advanced Technical Analysis' on Jan. 27-28, said Dr. Steve Amosson, Texas Cooperative Extension economist in Amarillo.

January 23, 2004
Texas A&M’s Forest Resource Management Degree Accredited  
COLLEGE STATION – When a forest resource management major graduates from Texas A&M University, that person will have a job waiting and be as comfortable talking to a boardroom of executives as monitoring tree health in a acreage of pines.

January 23, 2004
Tax Time Again! Tips Make It More Painless  
COLLEGE STATION – As if January wasn't painful enough, what with having to recover from the annual holiday season gastronomical overload, it's also the beginning of tax time.

January 23, 2004
Some Taxpayers Qualify For Earned Income Credit: Do You?  
COLLEGE STATION – Weather and taxes – everybody complains about them. But unlike the weather, some tax burdens can be eased a little for taxpayers who qualify for Earned Income Credit.

January 22, 2004
Black-Eyed Pea Pests Bear Watching  
CANYON – Commercial growers of black-eyed peas must be vigilant against an array of insects which can significantly reduce crop quality rather than yield, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension integrated pest management (IPM) agent.

January 22, 2004
Second Annual Ipm Pride Award Competition Announced  
DALLAS - The Southwest Technical Resource Center for IPM in Schools and Institutions (SWTRC) has announced its second annual IPM Pride Award competition. This award is given to school districts making successful transitions from traditional pest control programs to integrated pest management.

January 22, 2004
Overton Center Weather Station Soon To Be Upgraded  
OVERTON - East Texas agricultural producers and irrigators will soon have access to better weather data thanks to a new, upgraded automated weather station planned for the Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Overton.

January 21, 2004
Personal Obstacles No Barrier To 4-H’er  
COLLINSVILLE – At the beginning of last year, Austin Light of Collinsville had no idea he would be facing so many personal life-challenging events in a short amount of time.

January 21, 2004
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – Cabbage producers are looking forward to a good crop with average prices, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

January 21, 2004
Horticulturist: World Wide Web Can Be An Effective Marekting Tool  
CANYON – Is the World Wide Web a good way to promote a fruit and vegetable operation. Yes, if growers have a marketing plant and goals in place before they go online, according to a Texas A&M University horticulturist.

January 21, 2004
"Bass Brigade" Joins This Year’s Texas Brigades March For Recruits  
SAN ANGELO – Bass, the popular game fish, join bobwhite quail, white-tailed deer and wild turkey to form the nuclei for the award-winning Texas Brigades.

January 20, 2004
2004 U.s. Beef Market Predicted Strong Despite Mad Cow Discovery  
WACO -- As the U.S. beef industry continues to rebound after its first case of mad cow disease, there seems to be good news for producers. Strong prices are forecasted for 2004, but they will not return to the record levels seen a year ago.

January 20, 2004
Wallrath Donates $250,000 To Texas 4-H Scholarship Program  
CENTERVILLE – For a man who laughingly describes himself as "dumb as a sack of rocks," Richard Wallrath, owner of Champion Ranch in Centerville, has become a champion of higher education.

January 19, 2004
Good Agricultural Practices Can Help Fruit-Vegetable Growers Ensure Food Safety  
CANYON – Food safety is a serious issue for both consumers and fruit-vegetable growers. Fortunately, growers can address this concern and help ensure the quality and safety of their produce by following a few simple "common sense" agricultural practices, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension vegetable specialist.

January 16, 2004
Texas Country Cleanups Planned  
AUSTIN – A series of Texas Country Cleanups for recycling in rural areas has been set for February. Texas Cooperative Extension and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality are co-sponsor of these events. Each cleanup will be held from 8 a.m. to noon. Dates and places of the cleanups are:

January 15, 2004
County Agent Sews It Up For Girls’ Softball Team  
BRYAN – For 10 of her almost-16 years, Ana-Lisa Fonseca has played on girls' softball teams. And during all those games, her mother, Alma Fonseca, has been in the stands cheering.

January 14, 2004
Beef Quality Assurance Training Offered On Cd  
COLLEGE STATION – Ranchers are now able to take the Beef Quality Assurance Training in the comfort of their own homes.

January 13, 2004
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION— Onion producers are expecting to harvest more acres of spring onions than last year, thanks to increased planting and near ideal growing conditions so far this year, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

January 13, 2004
Scholarship Memorializes Longtime High School Ag Teacher  
COLLEGE STATION--Family and friends the late Floyd Collins have established the $50,000 Floyd Collins Endowed Scholarship at Texas A&M University to recognize his 26-year contribution to agricultural education.

January 13, 2004
‘celebration Of Herbs’ Focus Of B.i.g. Family Forum  
WACO – Whether a novice or a long-time lover of herbs, participants will learn the potential of these plants during the annual Texas Family Forum scheduled Jan. 20.

January 13, 2004
Texas Research Economist Honored For Distinguished Service  
COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Stephen Fuller's research in agricultural transportation has received international acclaim, and he's also highly regarded for his work in the classroom. In recognizing his distinguished record of service and professional contributions, the Texas A&M University Board of Regents recently named Fuller a Regents Professor.

January 12, 2004
Baker Inducted Into Texas Forestry Hall Of Fame  
COLLEGE STATION - Dr. Robert Baker, professor emeritus in the Texas A&M University department of forest science, has been inducted into the Texas Forestry Hall of Fame. He received the honor during the annual gala held at the Texas Forestry Museum in Lufkin.

January 09, 2004
Extension Announces Partnership Awards  
COLLEGE STATION- Texas Cooperative Extension announced the recipients of its 2003 Partnership Award, which recognizes both public and private organizations whose cooperative work with Extension has furthered the impact and success of the agency's programs. Three awards were presented Jan. 7 by Dr. Chester Fehlis, Extension Director.

January 08, 2004
Fonseca Receives Regents Fellow Service Award  
COLLEGE STATION – Alma M. Fonseca, Texas Cooperative Extension agent for family and consumer sciences, was recently named a recipient of the Regents Fellow Service Award. This award, presented by the Texas A&M University Board of Regents, is based on achievements throughout a career.

January 08, 2004
West Texas Rural Church Leaders To Meet At Coleman Jan. 24  
COLEMAN – Texas A&M University's Texas Rural Church Network is sponsoring "Rural Health Care and the Church," a workshop Jan. 24 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church here at 303 E. College.

January 07, 2004
Showers Named Distinguished Texan In Agriculture  
COLLEGE STATION – Former Texas A&M University System regent and longtime McAllen produce industry businessman Wayne Showers was honored Wednesday as Distinguished Texan in Agriculture.

January 07, 2004
Vice Chancellor Award Winners Named  
COLLEGE STATION – Twenty-one individuals and three teams were honored with the Vice Chancellor's Award in Excellence by the Texas A&M University Agriculture Program.

January 06, 2004
B.i.g. Forage Program To Focus On Legume Varieties, Grazing Systems  
WACO - Grazing management systems, legume varieties and other topics will be the focus of the forage session of the 42nd Blackland Income Growth Conference scheduled Jan. 20-21 at the Waco Convention Center.

January 05, 2004
All In The Family: Fuchs Children Honor Father With Scholarship  
COLLEGE STATION--After helping create a scholarship at Texas A&M University more than a decade ago in tribute to his parents, one area former student is being honored in the same way by his own children.

January 05, 2004
2004 Agriculture Conferences Slated In January, February Across The South Plains  
LUBBOCK – South Plains producers can update crop production, marketing, and management skills, and learn more about irrigation, fertility, pest management and agricultural laws and regulations at several upcoming conferences.

January 02, 2004
Miller Fills New Bi-County Extension 4-H Position  
DALHART- Angela Miller knows 4-H, being a former club member herself. She's also been around Cooperative Extension programs in at least three states, Kansas, New Mexico and now Texas. Miller is stepping into the newly created bi-county agent position for 4-H and youth development programs with Texas Cooperative Extension -- a move that's nothing but a natural progression for her.

January 02, 2004
Haynes Fills Extension Position In Donley County  
CLARENDON - Leonard Haynes began his new job as agricultural and natural resources agent with Texas Cooperative Extension in Donley County, effective Jan. 1.