January 2007 AgNews Links

January 31, 2007
Texas Brigades Seek to Muster New Recruits  
SAN ANGELO – Texas Cooperative Extension's Texas Brigades is seeking to muster new recruits into this year's summer camps.

January 30, 2007
Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION - While some residents may be complaining about weeks of cold temperatures and rain, Texas weather is still not cold enough in Greater Houston, according to Wayne Thompson, Texas Cooperative Extension agent for agriculture in Harris County.

January 30, 2007
Whitefly Research Helps Cotton Producers  
COLLEGE STATION – Maggie Toothaker does not want to be a pencil pusher. Her graduate work at Texas A&M University is enabling her to achieve her goal, while also helping cotton producers in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and in California.

January 29, 2007
Extension Expands Statewide Viticulture Team  
LUBBOCK – Texas Cooperative Extension continues to expand its statewide viticulture program with the addition of four regional viticulture associates.

January 26, 2007
Cotton Marketing Planning Meetings Scheduled in February  
AMARILLO – Three "Developing This Year's Marketing Plan for Cotton" meetings will take place in February in the Panhandle, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

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 26, 2007
Texas Experience Pavilion Designed to Provide Enjoyable Experience for Whole Family  
SAN ANTONIO – For the third time, Texas Cooperative Extension for Bexar County and the Texas Department of Agriculture will co-present the Texas Experience pavilion at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. The 20,000-square-foot pavilion is located near Freeman Coliseum on the west side of the event grounds.

January 25, 2007
Proposed Annual Angora Goat Test Dates Set  
SONORA – Dates are set for the 2007 Angora Goat Performance Test at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station near Sonora.

January 24, 2007
Texas Cooperative Extension Offers Floral Design Workshop on Feb. 3  
SAN ANGELO – "From the Garden to the Table" floral design workshop will be presented from 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 3 at the Texas A&M University System Research and Extension Center at San Angelo. Texas Cooperative Extension will host the event.

January 23, 2007
Texas Crop and Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – El Niño continues to feed moisture across most of the state in the form of snow and freezing rain, according to Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

January 23, 2007
Grain Industry Plays Key Role in Aflatoxin Containment  
AMARILLO – The grain industry continues to encounter mycotoxins in Texas feed-grade corn, making grain elevators among the first line of defense, said Dr. Tim Herrman, director of the Office of the State Chemist at Texas A&M University.

January 23, 2007
Show Your Love: Buckle Up Your Kids  
COLLEGE STATION – Showing your love on Valentine's Day doesn't always involve flowers and heart-shaped boxes of candy, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

January 23, 2007
Crop, Livestock Insurance Course set for Feb. 26 in Vernon  
VERNON – A one-day Advanced Topic Series course slated for Feb. 26 will help producers incorporate federal crop and livestock insurance in their marketing plans, said a Texas Cooperative Extension economist.

January 22, 2007
Initial Ethanol Push Challenges Beef Market  
AMARILLO – Like it or not, ethanol is coming, and beef producers must be prepared to weather the transitional phase and capitalize on the potentials in the future, said two speakers at the Southwest Beef Symposium in Amarillo.

January 22, 2007
Lacher Named Texas A&M Wildlife, Fisheries Sciences Head  
COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Thomas E. Lacher Jr. has been named head of the wildlife and fisheries sciences department at Texas A&M University, effective March 1.

January 22, 2007
2007 Estate Planning Seminars Slated Across Texas  
COLLEGE STATION – Producers and landowners with tax decisions on their minds might want to add estate planning to the mix this year. A series of four Farm and Ranch Estate Planning Seminars slated across Texas in February and March can help, said a Texas Cooperative Extension economist.

January 19, 2007
Space Foods for Astronauts to be Produced with Texas Agricultural Experiment Station  
COLLEGE STATION – Astronauts in space will soon be dining on lasagna, crawfish etouffee, teriyaki beef steak and other food items made in Aggieland.

January 19, 2007
Extension Expert: Irrigation Opportunities Must Be Accompanied by Proper Planning  
AMARILLO -- Excitement and anxiety are building as irrigation producers look at the first opportunity in many years to have profitable spring crops, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

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 19, 2007
Program to Help Landowners with Oil and Gas Lease Fine Print  
GILMER – Most oil companies want to be good neighbors when they come to drill, but as in every profession there are a few "bad apples" said an attorney who specializes in oil and gas real estate law.

January 19, 2007
Program to Help Landowners with Oil and Gas Lease Fine Print  
GILMER – Most oil companies want to be good neighbors when they come to drill, but as in every profession there are a few "bad apples" said an attorney who specializes in oil and gas real estate law.

January 19, 2007
Flexibility May Be Greatest Management Tool in Livestock Operation  
AMARILLO – High corn prices, drought, terrorist attacks, mad cow disease, more drought and high fuel prices have all cut into beef prices in the past 10 years, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

January 18, 2007
Texas Crop and Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – Severe winter weather across much of Texas has been a factor in the reduced number of postings in this week's crop and weather report. As more arrive, they will be added to next week's report.

January 18, 2007
East Texas Turfgrass Conference Set Feb. 1  
OVERTON – The average householder may overwater his or her lawn and landscape by 100 percent, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

January 18, 2007
 
COLLEGE STATION – Astronauts in space will soon be dining on lasagna, crawfish etouffee, teriyaki beef steak and other food items made in Aggieland.

January 18, 2007
Borlaug Institute Helping Genocide Survivor, Others Rebuild Rwanda through Agriculture  
COLLEGE STATION – At the age of 16, Gemima Mukashyaka lost her parents and six siblings to the 1994 ethnic genocide in Rwanda which claimed the lives of more than 800,000 Tutsis. Today, at 28, she is a successful coffee grower and member of a coffee cooperative Rwanda's southeastern Maraba district.

January 18, 2007
Cold Can Burn Landscape Plants  
SAN ANGELO – Ice and cold have gripped much of the state for several days, leaving many Texans to wonder about what's to become of their frozen landscapes.

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 18, 2007
Secondhand Smoke Harms Smoker’s Loved Ones  
COLLEGE STATION – In addition to harming their own health, smokers' habits harm the health of their loved ones, said Courtney Schoessow, Texas Cooperative Extension program specialist for health education and development.

January 17, 2007
Former Rep. Charlie Stenholm Wins Tribute to Leadership Award  
AUSTIN – Former Congressman Charles Stenholm has been honored with the Tribute to Leadership Award by Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership alumni.

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 15, 2007
Research May Lead to Better Health in Rural Communities  
COLLEGE STATION – To many people, going to grocery stores can be a chore.

January 12, 2007
March Meeting: Promoting Nature Tourism at Light Speed  
COLLEGE STATION – Land managers can learn how to harness the Internet to boost nature event profits during a meeting March 2 at the Cibolo Nature Center in Boerne.

January 12, 2007
Media Advisory: 45th Blackland Income Growth Conference to be Jan. 16-17 in Waco  
WACO – The 45th Blackland Income Growth Conference is scheduled for Jan. 16-17 at the Waco Convention Center.

January 12, 2007
Texas Human Nutrition Conference Scheduled for Feb. 2  
COLLEGE STATION – Question: What's yellow and green and red all over?

January 11, 2007
Upcoming Spring Garden to Focus on Drought Challenges to Landscaping  
TYLER – Drought-stressed shade trees, water-challenged azaleas, rainwater harvesting – all these topics and more will be addressed at an upcoming conference in Tyler on Feb. 10.

January 10, 2007
Texas A&M Chair, Fellowship Named in Honor of Norman Borlaug  
NEW ORLEANS – Texas A&M University Agriculture and Monsanto Company have announced the creation of the Borlaug-Monsanto Chair for Plant Breeding and International Crop Improvement. The chair is named in honor of Dr. Norman Borlaug, who won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in plant breeding.

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 09, 2007
Honey Bee Researcher Wins National Research Initiative Discovery Award  
COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Tanya Pankiw, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station assistant professor, has been awarded the 2006 National Research Initiative Discovery Award. The award was presented Jan. 9 at the 2007 Texas A&M University Agriculture Conference in College Station.

January 08, 2007
Texas Ag Forum Scheduled for Feb. 23 in Austin  
AUSTIN – Renewable energy and issues surrounding the upcoming farm bill debate will highlight the 2007 Texas Ag Forum scheduled for Feb. 23 in Austin.

January 08, 2007
Chandler Named North Region Program Director for Family and Consumer Sciences  
LUBBOCK – Joan Chandler has been named Texas Cooperative Extension North Region Program Director for Family and Consumer Sciences, effective Feb. 1.

January 08, 2007
New Extension Agent Hired for Briscoe County  
SILVERTON – Growing up in an agriculture-based family at Crowell prepared Seth Manney to take on the Texas Cooperative Extension agriculture agent position in Briscoe County, he says.

January 05, 2007
mjroman  
Background: Gemima Mukashyaka will be a speaker at the 2007 Agriculture Conference at Texas A&M University. Mukashyaka, a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, is now a successful coffee grower in Rwanda. She credits much of her success to the ongoing efforts by Texas A&M and its partners in revitalizing Rwandan agriculture. For the past six years, Texas A&M has been involved in the Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages – or PEARL – project. Efforts have led to higher incomes and a better quality of life for many Rwandans, including widows and orphans, enabling them to acquire or improve a home, pay for medical care and schooling, and buy food and clothing.

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.

January 04, 2007
Chicken Pox Virus May Manifest Itself as Shingles in Older Adults  
AMARILLO – The same virus that causes chicken pox can cause shingles in adults, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

January 04, 2007
Fostering Good Child Care: Take Smoking Outside  
COLLEGE STATION – Foster parents in Texas have just been given another reason to make quitting smoking their No. 1 New Year's resolution.

January 03, 2007
Dried Distiller’s Grains Can Help Produce More Beef  
AMARILLO – Supplemental feeding of dried distiller's grains to cattle can help produce more beef in grazing programs, a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station researcher said.

January 02, 2007
Holiday Season Is Over: Get Ready for Tax Season  
COLLEGE STATION – Brace yourself. Income tax time is coming.

January 01, 2007
Nothing Normal About Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus  
AMARILLO – Normal pressure hydrocephalus, which is thought to be a cause of dementia, can occur in people of any age but it is most common in the elderly population, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

January 01, 2007
Nothing Normal About Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus  
AMARILLO – Normal pressure hydrocephalus, which is thought to be a cause of dementia, can occur in people of any age but it is most common in the elderly population, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.