September 2006 AgNews Links

September 29, 2006
Sterling/Coke Counties set Landscape School  
ROBERT LEE – Texas Cooperative Extension in Sterling and Coke counties will conduct a basic landscape school in two consecutive locations on Oct. 11-12.

September 29, 2006
Patchwork Strategies May be Best for Restoring Texas Rangelands  
VERNON – A patchwork quilt approach may best suit landowners trying to repair many years of overgrazing, continuous stocking and fire suppression on Texas rangelands, said a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station researcher.

September 29, 2006
Experts Say E.Coli Concerns Will Not Affect Texas Spinach Industry  
UVALDE – Recent concerns about E. coli will not affect Wintergarden producers' plans for planting spinach in upcoming weeks, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

September 29, 2006
Landscape Workshop for Professionals to Present ‘Water Smart’ Methods  
HOUSTON - The manicured landscapes that typify urban neighborhoods account for as much as 60 percent of urban water usage, according to Chris LaChance, project coordinator for the Watersmart Landscape Program of Texas Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant Program.

September 28, 2006
Oct. 19 Meeting Will Address Two New U.S.D.A. Programs  
SAN ANTONIO – Texas Cooperative Extension, the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Farm Service Agency will host a meeting on Oct. 19 to introduce two new U.S. Department of Agriculture programs. The meeting will be from 6:30-9 p.m. in room 100B of the Performing Arts building of Palo Alto College, 1400 Villaret Blvd., in San Antonio.

September 28, 2006
Financial Literacy Called 'Vital Life Skill'  
COLLEGE STATION – The facts of life involve birds and bees – and bucks, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

September 28, 2006
Healthful Lifestyle Starts With Clean Home  
COLLEGE STATION – As with nutrition and lifestyle choices, the environment inside a home can affect a family's health, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

September 28, 2006
Personal Inventory: Prepare for Disaster Before Trouble Comes  
COLLEGE STATION – Picking up the pieces after a disaster can be much easier if you already know exactly what pieces you have to pick up, said Texas Cooperative Extension experts.

September 28, 2006
Red River Quail Symposium Set for Oct. 11-13 in Wichita Falls  
WICHITA FALLS – Texas Cooperative Extension will co-host the "Red River Quail Symposium," Oct. 11-13 at the Multi-Purpose Event Center at 900 Fifth St. in Wichita Falls. Registration starts at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 11. Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be available for each of the three days (nine hours total).

September 28, 2006
Texas Crop and Weather Report  
SAN ANGELO – Much of West Central Texas has benefitted from early September rains but moisture is again short in much of that region, said Dr. Chris Sansone, Texas Cooperative Extension economist at San Angelo.

September 27, 2006
Rio Grande Valley’s Sago Palms Under Deadly Insect Attack  
WESLACO - One of the Lower Rio Grande Valley's most popular landscape plants is under severe insect attack, and the prognosis is not good, according to an expert with Texas Cooperative Extension.

September 27, 2006
Composting May Be Alternative in Wake of Horse Slaughter Bill  
AMARILLO – The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, making its way from the U.S. House to the Senate, could leave thousands of horses with no final resting ground.

September 27, 2006
Texas State Chemist Building Dedication Sept. 29  
COLLEGE STATION – The Office of the Texas State Chemist will unveil its new state-of-the-art facility with a dedication ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 29.

September 25, 2006
Texas Cooperative Extension Meeting in Roscoe to Explain Two New USDA Programs  
ROSCOE - Texas Cooperative Extension in Nolan, Fisher and Jones counties will host a meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 3 to introduce two new U.S. Department of Agriculture programs. The meeting will be at the Roscoe Community Center.

September 25, 2006
Millions of Kids, Parents Face Food Allergies Every Day  
COLLEGE STATION – Imagine being admitted to the hospital because you ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a bowl of cereal with milk.

September 22, 2006
International Institute Named to Honor Renowned Agriculturist, Humanitarian  
COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M System Board of Regents today announced the university's Office of International Agriculture will be renamed The Norman E. Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture. The change is effective immediately.

September 22, 2006
Extension to Offer Pesticide Applicators Continuing Education  
HOUSTON – Texas Cooperative Extension's agriculture program in Harris County will offer a pesticide applicator training series which will provide five continuing education units to licensed professionals upon completion of each one-day training session.

September 22, 2006
Texas Crop, Weather Report  
WESLACO - The year's first late-summer cool front to make it through the entire state brought welcome relief to agricultural concerns reeling from blistering summer temperatures and drought.

September 22, 2006
Master Marketer Program Returns to Lubbock in 2007  
LUBBOCK – Texas Cooperative Extension is now recruiting for its 2007 Master Marketer risk management education program at Lubbock. This in-depth, intensive program teaches participants how to identify and evaluate marketing opportunities, then design and follow through with sound marketing plans.

September 22, 2006
Fall Will Bring Increase in Urban Insect Activity  
AUSTIN – As fall arrives, urban residents can expect increased activity among many insects, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

September 22, 2006
Texas Cooperative Extension Meeting to Address Two New USDA Programs  
SAN ANGELO – Texas Cooperative Extension will hold a multi-county meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 26 to introduce two new U.S. Department of Agriculture programs. The meeting will be at the Texas A&M University System Research and Extension Center north of San Angelo on U.S. Highway 87.

September 20, 2006
Obesity Crisis in Insects? Not a Problem, Says Expert  
COLLEGE STATION – Ever seen a fat insect? Probably not. Dr. Spencer Behmer may have the answer why, and that could have implications for what is billed as the current human obesity epidemic.

September 19, 2006
Texas A&M Wins Quiz Bowl Competition  
COLLEGE STATION – The academic quiz bowl team from Texas A&M University's department of agricultural economics recently won its fourth national championship.

September 18, 2006
Bioenergy Offers Increasing Economic Opportunities for Rural Communities  
AMARILLO – The bio-based economy is one of the greatest opportunities rural Texas has to cash in on a national trend, said Bryan Daniel, U.S. Department of Agriculture state director of rural development.

September 18, 2006
Fall Tillage Clinic Set for Oct. 10 at Stiles Farm  
THRALL – A fall tillage and fertilizer placement clinic will be held Oct. 10 at the Stiles Farm Foundation in Thrall.

September 15, 2006
Texas Spinach Producers Working to Keep Product Safe from E. Coli  
UVALDE – Texas growers have begun producing more baby leaf spinach and have measures in place to ensure its quality and consumer safety, said an industry expert.

September 15, 2006
Minority Growers to Discuss Co-Op Ethanol Plant  
WESLACO – Longtime cotton farmer Donnie Valdez envisions three large factories in the Rio Grande Valley turning crops into bio-fuels and fuel additives. One factory would use vast quantities of sugarcane to produce ethanol, another would make biodiesel from cottonseed oil and a third would produce ethanol from corn and grains.

September 14, 2006
Relying on Home Health Testing Alone Could Be Dangerous  
AMARILLO – With the availability of community health screenings and home health testing kits, more Americans are playing doctor, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

September 14, 2006
Agriculture Termites Invading Urban Lawns in South Central Texas  
SAN ANTONIO – Termites traipsing through turfgrass in urban areas of South Central Texas are most likely no cause for alarm, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

September 14, 2006
South Texas Farm and Ranch Show Set  
VICTORIA – The 22nd annual South Texas Farm and Ranch Show will be held Oct. 25-26 at the Victoria Community Center.

September 13, 2006
Dead Deer Found in Some West Central Texas Counties in Recent Weeks  
SAN ANGELO – With deer season just around the corner, deer experts are concerned about reports of an unusually high number of dead deer in several West Central Texas counties.

September 13, 2006
Extension Program Helps Prepare Special-Needs Students for Life After High School  
COLLEGE STATION – An education is more than just ‘reading, writing and arithmetic,' said Texas Cooperative Extension experts.

September 12, 2006
Texas Crop and Weather  
COLLEGE STATION – Rainfall was welcomed relief for producers in the South Plains region where up to 8 inches was recorded over a four-day period, Texas Cooperative Extension reported Tuesday.

September 12, 2006
Forage Sorghum Silage Use Growing in Dairies  
BUSHLAND – More than six years of forage sorghum silage trials at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Bush Farm near Bushland are resulting in producers' growing acceptance, said Texas Cooperative Extension specialists.

September 12, 2006
Texas Cooperative Extension Seminar to Brief Producers on Two New USDA Programs  
BALLINGER – Texas Cooperative Extension for Runnels County will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. on Sept. 19 to brief producers on two new U.S. Department of Agriculture programs now available. The meeting will be at Saint Mary's Parish Hall on Crosson Ave. in Ballinger.

September 12, 2006
New Mobile AgNews Feature Debuts  
COLLEGE STATION - With news becoming consumed more and more on the go, Texas A&M University System Agricultural Communications has launched a new Mobile AgNews feature for those using PDAs and Blackberry phones.

September 11, 2006
Researchers Discover that Sheep Need Retroviruses for Reproduction  
COLLEGE STATION -- A team of scientists from Texas A&M University and The University of Glasgow Veterinary School in Scotland has discovered that naturally occurring endogenous retroviruses are required for pregnancy in sheep.

September 11, 2006
Angora Goat Futurity Adds Another Show Option for 4-H and FFA Youth Exhibitors  
SAN ANGELO – Oct. 1 is the deadline to buy animals for the Junior Angora Wether Goat Futurity.

September 08, 2006
Xeriscape Class Offers Drought Relief  
WESLACO – Lower Rio Grande Valley homeowners tired of drought-wilted plants and high water bills have the opportunity to learn Xeriscaping from an expert in the field.

September 08, 2006
Texas Cooperative Extension Sets September Cotton Tours  
BALLINGER – It's cotton-tour time, and Texas Cooperative Extension has two scheduled. They will be Sept. 21 and 22 in Runnels and Tom Green counties, respectively.

September 07, 2006
Within Limits, Fish Can Be Safe Part of Most Balanced Diets  
COLLEGE STATION – Fish is brain food, the old saying goes. But eating a lot of fish might not be very smart for some women.

September 06, 2006
Planning Ahead Can Save Home From Wildfires  
COLLEGE STATION – In spite of recent rains in some parts of Texas, the drought isn't going away any time soon, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist. And with drought comes the increased risk of wildfires.

September 05, 2006
New Mexico and Texas Schedule Dairy Meeting Oct. 11  
CLOVIS, N.M. - The New Mexico/Texas Dairy Highlights meeting has been scheduled for Oct. 11 at the Clovis Civic Center, a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist said.

September 04, 2006
Extension’s Fall Beef Cattle Workshop Set for October  
CONVERSE – The 2006 Fall Beef Cattle Workshop, sponsored by Texas Cooperative Extension, will be from 8:30 a.m.- 4:15 p.m. Oct. 14 in Converse. It will take place at the Connell Life Skills and Livestock Center at Boysville, 8555 E. Loop 1604 North.

September 04, 2006
Range and Wildlife Field Day Set for Oct. 5  
LOCKETT– Producers trying to manage livestock, vegetation and wildlife on the Rolling Plains will be able to get updates on the latest technology on Oct. 5, said a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station researcher.

September 01, 2006
Workshop Suggests Turning Problems into Biofuels  
COLLEGE STATION -- The twin problems of too much feedlot manure and too many mesquite trees could be solved by converting them into renewable bioenergy products, Texas A&M University System agricultural researchers, engineers and commercialization experts suggested Friday.

September 01, 2006
Research Focuses on Improving Taste of Meat Products  
COLLEGE STATION – The question isn't that old commercial's ‘Where's the beef?' said recent Texas A&M University graduate Susan Patricia Hemphill. Instead, the question for today's meat industry is how to provide consumers with higher-quality products with extended shelf-life.

September 01, 2006
College Doors Opening for Thousands of Rio Grande Valley Families  
WESLACO – In less than three years, an innovative program of the Texas A&M University System has reached thousands of low-income parents in the Rio Grande Valley who want their children to go to college.

September 01, 2006
Texas Cooperative Extension Encourages Citizens to be Prepared  
AMARILLO – Texas Cooperative Extension officials will spend September trying to help people statewide focus on being prepared for disaster – whether by natural forces or terrorism.