July 2006 AgNews Links

July 31, 2006
Texas Produce Convention Starts Aug. 10 in San Antonio  
WESLACO – Those attending this year's Texas Produce Convention in San Antonio will discuss issues important to most businesses: rising fuel costs, immigration reform and marketing to growing ethnic populations.

July 28, 2006
Texas A&M System Agencies Join Forces to Hasten Bioenergy Revolution  
(College Station, TX) - The Texas A&M University System has the scientific expertise in engineering and agriculture to become a national leader in the development of clean, renewable bioenergy – when cars run on some refined form of grease, garbage or grain – or scores of other plant and animal products.

July 28, 2006
Texas A&M System Agencies Join Forces to Hasten Bioenergy Revolution  
(College Station, TX) - The Texas A&M University System has the scientific expertise in engineering and agriculture to become a national leader in the development of clean, renewable bioenergy – when cars run on some refined form of grease, garbage or grain – or scores of other plant and animal products.

July 28, 2006
Baltensperger Named New Soil and Crop Sciences Department Head at Texas A&M  
COLLEGE STATION – Dr. David D. Baltensperger has been named department head for soil and crop sciences at Texas A&M University.

July 28, 2006
Tax-Free Weekend Can Be a Money-Saver ... Or Not  
COLLEGE STATION – The state's eighth annual sales tax holiday is scheduled for Aug. 4-6.

July 28, 2006
Blend May be Best Bet When Selecting Wheat Seed  
AMARILLO – When buying seed, wheat producers may want to choose a mix of varieties for planting their fall crop, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

July 27, 2006
Big Country Wheat Conference Set for August 17 in Abilene  
ABILENE -- Texas Cooperative Extension's Big Country Wheat Conference has been set for Aug.17.

July 27, 2006
MEDIA ADVISORY: Bioenergy to be Focus of New Texas A&M System Alliance  
NOTE TO EDITORS AND NEWS DIRECTORS: Working together to develop clean, renewable bioenergy is the goal of a new Texas A&M University System alliance to be formally recognized on Friday afternoon.

July 27, 2006
Texas A&M Horticulturists Win at National Meeting  
NEW ORLEANS – Two Texas A&M University horticulture students and the head of their department received high honors at the American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting in New Orleans.

July 26, 2006
Nominees for Integrated Pest Management Award Sought  
DALLAS – The Southwest Technical Resources Center for Integrated Pest Management in Schools has announced its annual IPM PrideTM Award competition. The competition encourages pride in school integrated pest management programs, providing cash awards of $1,000 and $500 to winning schools with outstanding programs.

July 25, 2006
Suspension of Doha Round Trade Talks Will Impact U.S. Agriculture  
COLLEGE STATION – A suspension of Doha Round trade talks could last for months, impacting global U.S. agricultural trade, a Texas Cooperative Extension expert said.

July 25, 2006
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – Extremely high temperatures swept from the west to east over much of Texas, evaporating chances for good crop yields except where irrigation water was available, Texas Cooperative Extension officials noted.

July 25, 2006
Producers Advised to Use Caution with Drought-Stressed Feed  
DALLAS – Danger may be lurking as farmers try to market drought-stressed crops and livestock producers hunt for forage, said two Texas Cooperative Extension specialists.

July 24, 2006
Shooting Wildlife Without Weapons Aim of New Publication  
COLLEGE STATION – Hunters lie in wait, camouflaged inside makeshift huts near areas wildlife visit during their daily search for food and water. Shots interrupt the early morning hum of insects and distant bird calls.

July 24, 2006
Whiteflies Moving From Cotton Fields to Back Yards  
WESLACO – Thick clouds of tiny whiteflies have invaded the Lower Rio Grande Valley with a vengeance. They can be seen outdoors almost everywhere – flying through the air en masse, on windshields, in joggers' faces and among landscape plants.

July 21, 2006
Extension Sets Aug. 8 Dove Appreciation Day  
SWEETWATER – Texas Cooperative Extension has scheduled a dove appreciation day from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Longworth Community Center. The community center is located on Farm-to-Market Road 57, 2 miles east of State Highway 70 between Roby and Sweetwater.

July 21, 2006
Beef Quality Assurance Workshop Scheduled Aug. 15  
DIMMITT – Cow-calf and stocker cattle producers can hone their competitive edge by attending a Texas Beef Quality Producer Program on Aug. 15 in Dimmitt, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

July 21, 2006
Former Texas 4-H Professional Receives National Award  
COLLEGE STATION – When Dr. Edward F. Schlutt got the call from his old friend, Preston Sides, he was stunned.

July 21, 2006
j-rodgers  
EL PASO – Sun safety education is crucial in the battle against skin cancer, especially at a young age. That is why Texas Cooperative Extension is teaming up with the El Paso parks and recreation department to provide a "sun safety" program to children participating in the city's summer camp.

July 20, 2006
Low Cotton Prices Offer a Different Hedging Opportunity  
COLLEGE STATION – Severe drought that has decimated portions of Texas' cotton crop is causing many growers to evaluate insurance alternatives.

July 20, 2006
Know Your Numbers: Tracking Medical Lab Results  
COLLEGE STATION – So you've decided to take better care of yourself and have been to the doctor for a check-up. You've been prodded, poked, weighed and measured. Routine lab tests have been done and the results are in.

July 20, 2006
Cattle Working, Selection Demonstrations Featured at Texas A&M Short Course  
COLLEGE STATION – Whether a novice or veteran beef producer, there's something of interest for everyone at the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course, organizers said.

July 19, 2006
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – Limited rain gave brief respite to a few areas of the state, but most counties remain parched, reported Texas Cooperative Extension faculty and staff.

July 19, 2006
Bob Benson, 4-H EXCELL Golf Tournament is Aug. 15th  
LUBBOCK – Can't drive like Tiger Woods, or putt like Vijay Singh? No matter. Dust off those sticks and join other South Plains golfers for the Aug. 15 Bob Benson Memorial 4-H EXCELL Golf Tournament in Plainview.

July 18, 2006
Grasshoppers Thrive in Hot, Dry Weather  
DALLAS – While crops and gardens suffer under the hot summer sun, grasshoppers thrive, eating more and growing faster, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

July 18, 2006
North Plains Research Field Day Set for Aug. 9  
ETTER -- An information-packed field day offering something for most agriculture producers is scheduled Aug. 9 at the North Plains Research Field southeast of Etter, said Dr. John Sweeten, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station resident director in Amarillo.

July 17, 2006
Burn Workshop Scheduled Aug. 17-19 in Sonora Area  
SONORA – A burn workshop is scheduled for Aug. 17-19 at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station near Sonora.

July 14, 2006
Landowners Can Learn About Winter Forage at Workshop in Buda  
AUSTIN – Summertime is a good time to get a head start on learning about winter forage, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert. That is why Extension is offering a Winter Forage Workshop from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on July 27 at Cabela's in Buda.

July 13, 2006
Pronghorn Symposium Slated for Aug. 15-17 in Alpine  
ALPINE – Pronghorn antelope are interesting creatures, but information on their management can be as hard to gather as the fleet-footed speedsters themselves.

July 13, 2006
Summertime Can Mean Blues for Lawns and Gardens  
AUSTIN – The old song goes "It's summertime and the livin' is easy," but that usually isn't the case for those tending lawns and gardens, said Texas Cooperative Extension experts in Travis County.

July 12, 2006
Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Provide Scholarship Endowment to Texas A&M  
SANTA ROSA – A $40,000 endowed scholarship to benefit minorities and economically disadvantaged students in Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties has been established at the Texas A&M Foundation. The scholarship is funded by the Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Inc.

July 11, 2006
Texas Crop, Weather  
COLLEGE STATION – Some parts of Texas received much needed rain this week; other parts went begging, reported county agents with Texas Cooperative Extension.

July 11, 2006
Congestive Heart Failure is Treatable  
AMARILLO – Congestive heart failure sounds fatal, but is actually a treatable condition, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

July 10, 2006
Plant Pathologist Joins Lubbock Center Staff  
LUBBOCK – South Plains cotton and peanut producers have a new ally in their fight against yield-robbing plant diseases.

July 07, 2006
Dry Weather Dents South Plains Cotton  
LUBBOCK – After back-to-back record cotton crops in 2004 and 2005, South Plains cotton farmers are watching the sky and keeping their fingers crossed. Rain is a badly needed, yet scarce, commodity for dryland and irrigated producers right now.

July 07, 2006
Angora Goat Performance Test Field Day and Sale Set July 27  
SONORA – The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station's annual Angora Goat Performance Test Field Day and Sale is set for July 27 at the Sonora Experiment Station.

July 07, 2006
Former Soviet Union Republic Looks to Texas Researcher for Answers  
AMARILLO – Dr. Charlie Rush is using knowledge gained in the sugar beet fields of the Panhandle to help the Republic of Azerbaijan, formerly a part of the Soviet Union, build economic stability.

July 07, 2006
Texas Crop, Weather  
HOUSTON – The National Weather Service has reported between 4 and 6 inches of rain along the Gulf Coast during the past 14 days, with some areas receiving as much as 10 to 14 inches. However, Texas Cooperative Extension agricultural agents in Southeast Texas reported a mix of benefits and concerns from too much rain too late.

July 07, 2006
Grazing Crops Program set July 21 in Reagan County  
BIG LAKE - Texas Cooperative Extension will conduct a multi-county "Grazing Crops Program" at 1 p.m. July 21 in the Reagan County 4-H Center in Big Lake.

July 06, 2006
Biofuels Could Boost Beaumont Area Ag Economy  
BEAUMONT – ‘Biofuels for Agriculture' will be the theme of the 59th Annual Rice Field Day at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in Beaumont. The center is located 6.5 miles west of Beaumont off U.S Hwy. 90 at 1509 Aggie Drive Activities will begin at 8 a.m., July 13.

July 06, 2006
Sam Houston Race Park Site for Extension Horse Workshop  
HOUSTON -- Texas Cooperative Extension of Harris County will present Equine Health, a horse care workshop, from 8:30 a.m. until noon on July 15 at the Sam Houston Race Park, 7575 N. Sam Houston Parkway W. in Houston.

July 05, 2006
Experiment Station Research to Assist National Urban Water Demand Planning  
COLLEGE STATION – As predicting future urban water use becomes more complex, a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station study could help lessen the burden facing city planners nationwide.

July 04, 2006
Study Shows You Can Have Your (Beef) Fat and Eat It Too  
COLLEGE STATION – A recent Texas Agricultural Experiment Station study indicates cattle fed longer on certain diets will produce beef with more of the "good" kind of fat.

July 03, 2006
Standing on Your Own: Help Prevent Osteoporosis  
COLLEGE STATION – Millions of people are suffering from a debilitating medical condition, and millions more could be at risk, said Texas Cooperative Extension experts.