July 2003 AgNews Links

July 31, 2003
Extension Sets Aug. 11 Wheat Meeting In Taylor County  
ABILENE -- Texas Cooperative Extension is holding a wheat production meeting Aug. 11 in the Extension office in Taylor County at 1982 Lytle Way. The evening meeting is designed to help producers plan for the coming 2003-2004 wheat growing season.

July 30, 2003
Coping: Plant Adaptability To Stress Discovered  
COLLEGE STATION – Most people who get too hot and thirsty this summer can quickly grab a cool drink.

July 30, 2003
Protein: Getting To The Meat Of This Essential Element  
COLLEGE STATION – Mention protein and, chances are, thoughts go to meat or a mother lecturing her children about the importance of getting enough of it to grow strong and healthy.

July 30, 2003
R.a.w.h.i.d.e. Symposia In August Address Ranching Viability  
ABILENE -- Folks needing continuing education units (CEUs) for pesticide applicator licenses have two chances to earn more than a few during the upcoming Texas Cooperative Extension R.A.W.H.I.D.E. symposia in Abilene Aug. 4-5 and again in Alpine Aug. 7-8.

July 29, 2003
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – Recent rainfall has left smiles on the faces of many Texas hay producers, helping them grow above-average hay yields on their third and perhaps final cutting, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

July 29, 2003
Agriculture Program Mourns Loss Of Key Experiment Station Leader  
COLLEGE STATION – Funeral services for Dr. Charles J. Scifres will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at Hillier Funeral Home, located at 2301 E. 29th Street in Bryan. Internment will immediately follow the services.

July 29, 2003
Alfalfa Workshops Set At Three Lubbock Area Sites In August  
LUBBOCK – Crop producers, cattle raisers and grass farmers who are interested in alfalfa should mark Aug. 7, 12 and 13 on their calendar. Those are the dates for three alfalfa workshops sponsored by Texas Cooperative Extension and the Alfalfa Council.

July 28, 2003
Agriculture Program Mourns Loss Of Key Experiment Station Leader  
COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Charles J. Scifres, associate vice chancellor and associate dean for agriculture and life sciences and deputy director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station of The Texas A&M University System, died at his home Monday morning (July 28) of an apparent heart attack.

July 28, 2003
Lifetime Of Learning Starts With Learning To Read  
COLLEGE STATION – Remember what used to be called the three ‘R's – reading, writing and 'rithmetic? Reading is listed first for a reason. Reading is the most basic skill required of any education. Because so much information is distributed through printed words – books, study guides, on-screen computer lessons and other forms of written language – learning to read is the key to learning everything else.

July 25, 2003
Texas A&M, Ecor Sign Deal To Produce Health-Related Proteins  
WESLACO -- Texas A&M University System officials have signed a license agreement with proCANE LLC, a subsidiary of ECOR Corporation of Sedona, Ariz., to produce pharmaceutical-grade proteins in sugarcane plants.

July 24, 2003
Collagen-Based Wound Sealant  
COLLEGE STATION – A collagen-based wound sealant recently developed at Texas A&M University could be an alternative for human and animal wound care treatment.

July 24, 2003
Children And Television: Friend Or Foe?  
COLLEGE STATION – For the past 50 years or so, televisions have been part of the decor in most American homes. Television brings viewers entertainment and education, as well as information about the world beyond the community.

July 23, 2003
To Carb Or Not To Carb: That’s The Real Question  
COLLEGE STATION – High protein with low carbohydrate? High carbohydrates with low protein? Low fat? No fat? No sugar, salt or white flour? Vegetarian?

July 23, 2003
Sales Tax Holiday Can Be Money-Saver  
COLLEGE STATION – Christmas doesn't really come in August, but some Texas shoppers might feel that way.

July 22, 2003
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – Cotton in the High Plains is making a comeback after late planting dates and rainfall, but it still may be too late, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

July 22, 2003
November Conference To Promote Diversity Among Texas Outdoor Recreation, Tourism, Natural Resources  
COLLEGE STATION – A conference focusing on promoting minority interest in outdoor recreation, heritage tourism and natural resources at the state and national level is scheduled Nov. 3-4 at the College Station Conference Center.

July 22, 2003
Summer Safety Tips Good All Year  
COLLEGE STATION – Safety knows no season, said Dr. Carol Rice, Texas Cooperative Extension health specialist. And even though the summer is half-way over already, "the National Safe Kids Campaign reminds parents and care givers not to take a vacation from safety," Rice said. "Close supervision, proper protective products and other simple prevention practices can go a long way in keeping children safe this summer."

July 21, 2003
Texas School District Recognized For Excellence In Pest Control  
DALLAS -- Most parents may not give much thought to what dangerous insect, rodent or poisonous plant might be lurking on their children's school grounds this fall. But at La Vega Independent School District, a small school district north of Waco, school maintenance staff members think about it a lot.

July 18, 2003
South Plains Hosts Six Peanut Field Days, July 22-24  
LUBBOCK – Farmers can get a hands-on look at peanut production on the South Plains during a series of peanut farm and education tours set for July 22-24.

July 18, 2003
Texas A&M Short Course Offers Beef Cattle Training  
COLLEGE STATION – Beef cattle producers can choose from more than 70 beef-related educational topics at the 49th Texas A&M University Beef Cattle Short Course on Aug. 4-6 at the University Center and Rudder Tower here.

July 18, 2003
Weather Conditions Ripe For Banner Grub Season  
DALLAS -- It's July and the lawn's looking good. All that hard work mowing, watering, weeding and fertilizing is paying off at last. Nothing can stop you from having the perfect lawn now, right? Well, don't be too sure.

July 17, 2003
Crockett County 4-H Club Wins National Recognition  
OZONA -- The Crockett County 4-H Club's community service "Angel Tree" project recently won a national award in Colgate-Palmolive's 30th anniversary search for the country's best community projects by young Americans. The 4-H'ers' efforts won them high honors in the 2003 "Colgate Youth for America" campaign.

July 16, 2003
Sonora Angora Goat Performance Test Field Day And Sale July 24  
SONORA – The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station's Annual Angora Goat Performance Test Field Day and Sale is set for July 24 at the Sonora Experiment Station. The station is located 28 miles south of Sonora on U.S. Highway 55, about halfway between Sonora and Rocksprings.

July 16, 2003
Agriculture Communications Professionals Win Ace Awards  
COLLEGE STATION -- Several professionals at Texas A&M University recently received awards from Agricultural Communicators in Education at the annual convention in Kansas City, Mo.

July 15, 2003
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – Threats of Hurricane Claudette hastened Gulf Coast sorghum farmers to dry down their crops early for harvest, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

July 15, 2003
Irrigation Maps Available  
COLLEGE STATION – Rehabilitation for outdated and leaky irrigation canals and ditches in the lower Rio Grande Valley just got a little easier with the release of Geographical Information Systems database maps by Texas Cooperative Extension.

July 14, 2003
Biological Mosquito Control: It’s Eat Or Be Eaten  
OVERTON – As the summer heats up, so do fears from mosquito-borne West Nile Virus risks and so does the hype about magic-bullet type mosquito controls.

July 11, 2003
Rains Boosting South Texas Water Supplies  
WESLACO -- Recent rains have barely put a dent in the Lower Rio Grande Valley's almost decade-old drought, but they have been sufficient to provide some badly needed benefits to the area's severely depleted water supplies.

July 10, 2003
Texas Infront Database Helping Texans & Tourists Find Their Destination  
COLLEGE STATION – A big challenge for smaller tourism/recreation businesses is getting the word out, especially when it involves the Internet.

July 09, 2003
4-H’ers Exchange Summer Visits  
DALLAS – If you really want to understand another person, walk a mile in his shoes – or better yet, live a month in his house.

July 09, 2003
Texas A&M Honey Bee Laboratory Fund Lands Lead Gift  
COLLEGE STATION -- Eastman Chemical CompanyTexas Operations and the Eastman Foundation of Longview have pledged a $20,000 initial gift in a campaign to raise funds for a permanent facility dedicated to honey bee research and education at Texas A&M University.

July 08, 2003
56th Annual Rice Field Day At Beaumont July 10  
BEAUMONT — The Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Beaumont will celebrate its 56th Annual Rice Field Day on Thursday, July 10.

July 08, 2003
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – This year's pickling cucumber crop won't leave sour looks on producers' faces, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

July 08, 2003
‘safety First’ Applies To Older Adults Too  
COLLEGE STATION – Putting "safety first" isn't just kid stuff. Older adults need to keep personal safety firmly in mind too, said Dr. Judy Warren, Texas Cooperative Extension gerontology specialist.

July 08, 2003
Brown Elected Wildlife Society Vice President  
COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Robert Brown, head of the department of wildlife and fisheries sciences at Texas A&M University, has been elected vice president of The Wildlife Society.

July 07, 2003
Scams Target Older Adults  
COLLEGE STATION – No matter how hard you work for your money, or how carefully you save it, there's always somebody out there scheming to separate you from it.

July 07, 2003
Evening Cotton Field Day Slated July 10  
WESLACO -- Lower Rio Grande Valley cotton farmers will soon begin making the transition from nurturing and coaxing their crops to defoliating, harvesting and eventually destroying what's left of their plants. To assist them in making the coming critical decisions of their operations, a field day has been scheduled in Weslaco to provide them with timely, research-based information.

July 04, 2003
Beef Cattle Short Course Hosting Breeding Seminar  
COLLEGE STATION – What cattle breed types are best? What type of bull should producers breed their cows to? What type of calf brings the most money? Two nationally-known animal scientists, Dr. Bill Turner and Dr. Larry Cundiff, will answer these questions at the 49th annual Beef Cattle Short Course.

July 03, 2003
Parker County Quarantined For Africanized Honey Bees  
SPRINGTOWN -- Parker County was added today to the state quarantine, restricting the movement of commercial bee operations following the detection of Africanized honey bees.

July 03, 2003
Hypertension Outreach Conference Set In Houston Aug. 13-14  
HOUSTON – The Project HOPE Conference, which seeks to use resources of faith-based communities and educational organizations to promote optimal health, will be held here Aug. 13-14.

July 03, 2003
Rangeland Restoration Workshop Scheduled Aug. 14-15  
SONORA – The Academy for Ranch Management will hold a rangeland restoration workshop Aug. 14-16 at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station near Sonora.

July 03, 2003
2003 Aggieland Goat Camp Set For Aug. 8-10  
COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M University department of animal science will host the third annual "Aggieland Goat Camp" on Aug. 8-10, 2003 in College Station.

July 03, 2003
4-H ‘centennial' Horse Dedication Set July 8 In Amarillo  
AMARILLO–A horse is a horse, of course, or is it?

July 02, 2003
Kids’ Gardens Grow Interest In Science, Nutrition  
COLLEGE STATION – Ah, it's summer. A perfect time to belly up to some Fragaria ananassa shortcake, hold a Citrullus lanatus seed spitting contest, or have some homemade Prunus persica ice cream.

July 01, 2003
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – Wheat harvest is coming to a close with disappointing yields due to dry conditions earlier this year, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

July 01, 2003
Texas, Rio Grande Valley Food And Fiber Systems Significant, Despite Woes  
WESLACO – Despite a prolonged and severe drought, low market prices, escalating expenses and infringing urbanization, agriculture continues to contribute significantly to both the state and Lower Rio Grande Valley economies.