July 2007 AgNews Links

July 31, 2007
Texas Crop and Weather  
COLLEGE STATION --While the persistent rains throughout most of the state have broken the long-standing drought, results have been both a blessing and a curse to farmers and livestock producers, according to Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

July 30, 2007
Alfalfa Workshop Set For Aug. 9 in Farwell  
FARWELL -- Crop producers, cattle raisers and grass farmers who are interested in alfalfa should mark Aug. 9 on their calendars. That is the date for a regional alfalfa workshop in Farwell, sponsored by Texas Cooperative Extension and New Mexico State University.

July 27, 2007
Texas A&M University System Regents Name Agricultural Agency Leaders  
COLLEGE STATION - New leaders have been named for two Texas agricultural agencies which are part of The Texas A&M University System.

July 27, 2007
New Texas Cooperative Extension Agent Hired in Sherman County  
STRATFORD – David Graf is coming back to Texas Cooperative Extension, and he's looking forward to working with youth again, as well as rejoining the family atmosphere of the agency.

July 26, 2007
Sorghum Producers Optimistic About Biofuel Potential  
COLLEGE STATION – Motorists traveling along Brazos bottom farmland just outside of College Station are doing double takes over a towering 12-foot sorghum crop.

July 26, 2007
San Angelo Center Readies for 34th Annual Sheep and Goat Field Day  
SAN ANGELO -- The impact bio-energy is having on the sheep and goat industry will be the focus of this year's 34th annual Sheep and Goat Field Day at the Texas A&M University System Research and Extension Center in San Angelo.

July 25, 2007
Two QuickBooks Short Courses Offered for Farmers and Ranchers  
AMARILLO – Courses covering the business accounting program QuickBooks Pro will be offered in Amarillo and Lubbock in August, a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist said.

July 24, 2007
Texas Crop and Weather  
COLLEGE STATION – Prolonged wet weather followed by a dry spell can mean trouble in anthrax-prone areas, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

July 24, 2007
Free August Seminar to Focus on Livestock, Wildlife  
SAN ANTONIO – Texas Cooperative Extension and the Bexar Beef Cattle Committee will present a free "Livestock and Wildlife Seminar" from 6-9 p.m. on Aug. 23. The program will be in Suite 208 of the Extension office in Bexar County, located at 3355 Cherry Ridge Drive, San Antonio.

July 23, 2007
Welch Named New State Extension Grain Marketing Economist  
COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Mark Welch has been named Texas Cooperative Extension state grain marketing and policy economist.

July 23, 2007
New Texas Cooperative Extension Agent Hired in Oldham County  
VEGA – Knowing the programs offered by Texas Cooperative Extension can be beneficial to both producers and students, Charlie Martin can't wait to start as the new agriculture agent in Oldham County, he said.

July 23, 2007
Familiar Pests Return Early  
DALLAS – They're like uninvited guests who show up too early for the party. To make matters worse, they get underfoot and smell.

July 20, 2007
R.B. Dooley ’39 Endowed Graduate Scholarship Established at Texas A&M  
COLLEGE STATION – An endowed graduate scholarship honoring the late R.B. Dooley, a professor of agriculture at Angelo State University in San Angelo for 30 years, has been established by family members at Texas A&M University.

July 20, 2007
Extension Sets 3 Dove Appreciation Days Across Texas  
SAN ANGELO – Widespread rainfall across Texas should mean excellent dove hunting for much of the state, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension wildlife expert at San Angelo.

July 19, 2007
Beef Marketing Course To Begin Aug. 21  
AMARILLO – Beef Marketing and Management 2010, a series of educational activities for people involved in the beef industry, kicks off in August, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

July 19, 2007
Can Artichokes Bring New Heart to Texas Agriculture?  
UVALDE – U.S. Department of Agriculture figures show that California produces almost all of the nation's commercial artichokes. But a team of agricultural researchers is working to change that, said Dr. Daniel Leskovar, a vegetable physiologist with Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.

July 18, 2007
Anthrax Case Reported in Tom Green County  
SAN ANGELO – On July 13, the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed that 17 head of cattle and a number of deer have died of anthrax in northern Tom Green County. The news release was posted on its Web site http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/ .

July 18, 2007
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION - - Weeks of frequent rainfall have southeast hay producers crying, "uncle," according to Wayne Thompson, Texas Cooperative Extension agent for agriculture in Harris County.

July 18, 2007
Field Day to Focus on Agriculture’s Role in Alternative Energy  
BUSHLAND – Agriculture is growing more than just food and clothing these days, local researchers say. Because energy is the latest potential crop to be harvested, a field day featuring agriculture's role in the energy industry is scheduled for Aug. 8.

July 17, 2007
In Preparing for Disasters, Who You Gonna Call? Try 2-1-1  
COLLEGE STATION – Fires ... floods ... hurricanes ... Sometimes the best way to survive a disaster – natural or otherwise – is to get out of its way.

July 16, 2007
Rangeland Management Workshop Set for Aug. 17  
MIAMI – A workshop and field day designed to help ranchers improve their plant identification skills is set for Aug. 17 at the Mesa Vista Ranch, said a Texas Cooperative Extension agent. The ranch is located 32 miles north of Pampa on U.S. Hwy. 70 in Roberts County.

July 13, 2007
Former Agent Named to National 4-H Hall of Fame  
COLLEGE STATION – From her days as a 4-H member and president of the Dallas County 4-H Council to her career as a 4-H agent in Belton, Tammera Beckham has dedicated her life to the 4-H program, said Preston Sides, chair of the Texas 4-H Hall of Fame Committee.

July 13, 2007
Mirkov Rewarded For Patented Sugarcane Research  
WESLACO -- A scientist in South Texas has earned a string of awards recently for developing patented methods designed to greatly expand where sugarcane can be grown -- and what it produces.

July 12, 2007
New Texas Cooperative Extension Leadership Announced  
COLLEGE STATION – Three administrators have been named for key positions with Texas Cooperative Extension, according to said Dr. Ed Smith, Extension director in College Station.

July 12, 2007
Playa Lakes Are A Valuable Plains Resource  
FLOYDADA – So how's your playa...is it holding water during this unusually wet year? Is it sporting a lush bloom of vegetation, in the water and on the land surrounding it?

July 11, 2007
Texas A&M's Borlaug To Receive Congressional Gold Medal  
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Texas A&M Agriculture's Dr. Norman Borlaug will be presented the Congressional Gold Medal July 17 for unparalleled efforts at "bringing radical change to world agriculture and uplifting humanity," according to the U.S. Congress.

July 11, 2007
Texas Crop and Weather  
COLLEGE STATION – With flood waters receding in most areas of Central Texas, the major chore of cleaning up now begins, according to Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

July 10, 2007
Extension Economist: Increased Consumer Demand for Milk Products Driving Up Prices  
COLLEGE STATION – The popular catch phrase ‘Got Milk?' is taking on new meaning after a spike in demand for milk-related products, a Texas Cooperative Extension economist said.

July 09, 2007
West Texas Deer Study Group to Meet Aug. 7-8 in San Angelo  
SAN ANGELO - ‘The West Texas Deer Study Group will have its 10th annual program Aug. 7-8 at the Texas A&M University System Research and Extension Center in San Angelo. Anyone interested in deer management is invited to attend. The meeting starts with registration at 8 a.m. Aug. 7.

July 09, 2007
Texas A&M System Awarded $5 Million for Bioenergy Research  
COLLEGE STATION -- Gov. Rick Perry announced today that The Texas A&M University System has received a $5 million grant from the state's Emerging Technology Fund for the Texas A&M Agriculture and Engineering Bioenergy Alliance. "The Texas A&M System has a reputation for excellence in research. We strive to maintain and improve upon that reputation by hiring outstanding faculty and providing them with the tools they need to rise to the top of their field," said Michael D. McKinney, chancellor of the Texas A&M System. "This funding from our state's leadership will be used for groundbreaking research to create alternative fuels to solve our world's energy challenges."

July 09, 2007
Officials Warn West Nile Virus Is Back  
CANYON -- Lots of rain leaves standing water. Standing water attracts mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can carry West Nile Virus. And July is the prime month for cases of the disease to start showing up, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

July 06, 2007
Researcher: Feeding Distiller’s Grains Vital to Future Livestock Operation Success  
AMARILLO – There's no reason the cattle-feeding industry in Texas cannot remain strong and viable if it incorporates distiller's grains into rations, said a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station researcher.

July 05, 2007
Expert: Federal Aid Available For Some Flood Victims  
COLLEGE STATION – If the rain clouds hanging over Texas have a silver lining, it might be this: Some people affected by the recent flooding could be eligible for federal aid, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

July 05, 2007
Day Care Decision No Small Matter for Parents  
COLLEGE STATION – Here's a question many parents must consider: Is putting their children in day care good, bad or indifferent?

July 04, 2007
Texas Cooperative Extension Announces New Agent in Briscoe/Hall Counties  
MEMPHIS – Missy Reynolds has been named Texas Cooperative Extension family and consumer science agent in Hall and Briscoe counties, according to Donna Brauchi, Extension district administrator.

July 03, 2007
Texas Crop and Weather Report  
COLLEGE STATION – While rain has been plentiful across Texas, it's throwing a kink into hay harvesting activities but producing bumper grain crop yields, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

July 03, 2007
Texas Wine Industry Participants Have Plenty to Ponder  
COLLEGE STATION – The domestic demand for wine is so great that Texas could produce twice as many wine grapes as it does – and sell far more wine, said a Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association official.

July 02, 2007
Texas Wheat Fairing Well Despite Rain-Delayed Harvest  
WACO – Though shaping up to be a great Texas wheat crop, continued rainfall is putting harvest efforts behind schedule. Producers should be mindful of several potential issues when things do dry out, according to one Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

July 02, 2007
b-fannin  
COLLEGE STATION – Hay production costs have risen sharply in recent years due to higher fertilizer, equipment, fuel, and labor prices. Supplemental feed costs have also increased.