Region 12: South

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 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.

December 11, 2006
Cooler Weather Helps Texas Citrus Trees 
WESALCO – The arrival of cooler temperatures in the Lower Rio Grande Valley is a plus for the area's citrus industry, although harvest has gotten off to a slow start this year, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.

December 04, 2006
Retired Physician Thrives on Master Gardener Program 
WESLACO – When Harlingen physician Dr. Bob Hatcher was contemplating retirement and ways to fill his newfound leisure time, he came across Texas Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

November 21, 2006
Students Swamp Career Expo in South Texas 
WESLACO – Since opening in 2003 near the banks of the Rio Grande in Hidalgo, Dodge Arena has attracted many capacity crowds. Thousands of fans from South Texas and northern Mexico often pack the 6,800 seat multi-purpose complex to see top-notch entertainment, including Cher, Oscar de la Hoya, Alan Jackson and the Sesame Street cast.

November 06, 2006
Valley’s First Tree Conference Slated for Nov. 8-9 
WESLACO – The Lower Rio Grande Valley's first tree conference kicks off later this week to help improve the area's urban forest. The goal of RGV Tree Conference 2006 is to protect existing trees, plant more trees and improve the quality of tree care here, according to a conference organizer.

October 31, 2006
Citrus Insects Causing Fruit Drop Near South Padre Island 
WESLACO – Growers and homeowners with citrus trees are urged to be on the lookout for fruit drop caused by an insect with a sweet tooth that tends to gang up on a tree, a citrus expert said.

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 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 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.

June 22, 2006
South Texas Citrus Experts Supportive of Florida Citrus Quarantine 
WESLACO – Better safe than sorry: That's how Lower Rio Grande Valley citrus experts reacted to last week's quarantine of Florida citrus.

June 19, 2006
South Texas Citrus Experts Supportive of Florida Citrus Quarantine 
WESLACO – Better safe than sorry: That's how Lower Rio Grande Valley citrus experts reacted to last week's quarantine of Florida citrus.

June 12, 2006
Entomologists Join Faculty at Weslaco Ag Research Centers 
WESLACO – Two entomologists have recently joined the faculty of agricultural research agencies in Weslaco. Dr. Boris A. Castro has been named assistant professor and Extension entomologist at the Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Dr. Mamoudou Setamou has been appointed assistant professor in entomology at the Texas A&M-Kingsville Citrus Center.

June 05, 2006
Student Interns Returning to Mexico With Improved Irrigation Skills 
WESLACO – Two students from Mexico have completed a four-month irrigation internship here and say they are anxious to return home with their newfound knowledge.

May 18, 2006
Rio Bravo Ag Expo Celebrates Golden Anniversary, Joint Texas Research 
WESLACO – A weekend exposition and field day at Mexico's Rio Bravo agricultural experiment station will mark the facility's 50th anniversary.

February 20, 2006
Top English Herbalist to Highlight 2006 Herb Extravaganza 
WESLACO – After a four-year hiatus, the Cameron County Master Gardeners Association will be holding the 2006 Herb Extravaganza on Feb. 25 at the South Padre Island Convention Centre.

February 16, 2006
Honors Grow for Texas A&M Horticulture Students at Southern Competition 
COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M University Horticulture Club team placed first at the Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science, according to Dr. Dan Lineberger, horticulture professor and club advisor.

February 13, 2006
Bertha Garza Retires After Long Extension Career 
WESLACO – After a 36-year career with Texas Cooperative Extension, Bertha Garza thought she'd quietly "sneak out the back door" into retirement.

February 07, 2006
Master Gardener Class Taking Applications in Rio Grande Valley 
WESLACO – This year's window of opportunity to become a certified Master Gardener in the Lower Rio Grande Valley is quickly closing.

January 30, 2006
Winter Texans Scout for Diseased Citrus Trees 
WESLACO – A small army of Winter Texans has been deployed in the Lower Rio Grande Valley to watch for a possible invasion by a devastating citrus disease.

January 23, 2006
Rio Grande Valley Citrus Leader Wins Potts Award 
WESLACO – Longtime citrus educator Dr. Julian W. Sauls received the prestigious Arthur T. Potts Award at the recent 60th annual meeting of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Horticultural Society.

January 17, 2006
2005 Cotton Blue Book Now Available for Rio Grande Valley 
WESLACO – Considered by many in the industry as the area's cotton production bible, the 2005 Lower Rio Grande Valley Cotton, Grain Sorghum, and Corn Blue Book is now available. Free copies are available at local cotton gins or at any area Texas Cooperative Extension office.

January 17, 2006
Valley Meetings to Address Pressing Agriculture Issues 
WESLACO – The Lower Rio Grande Valley's new agricultural year kicks off with two traditional gatherings here. Both will focus on a variety of issues facing the industry.

December 30, 2005
Texas Growers Fortunate with Lesser-Known New Years ‘Good Luck’ Food 
UVALDE – While black-eyed peas get most of the attention in the southern U.S. as a New Year's Day's "good luck" food, another lucky food, cabbage, plays a more dominant role in Texas agriculture, said a Texas Cooperative Extension economist.

December 02, 2005
Addison Sets an EarthKind Example 
DALLAS - The Dallas suburb of Addison encompasses only 4.5 square miles and has only 14,000 residents, but it still manages to stand out from other cities. It has long been known for having the third-largest general aviation airport in the country. In August, Addison gained fame as the first citywide wireless city in Texas.

November 07, 2005
Retired Extension Director Doyle Warren Dies 
WESLACO – Doyle G. Warren, who served as Texas Cooperative Extension's district director for agriculture in South Texas for 15 years before retiring in 1997, passed away Nov. 1 at his home in Mission.

July 29, 2005
Weslaco Cotton Field Day Cancelled as Harvesting Resumes 
WESLACO – Texas Cooperative Extension's annual cotton field day in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, which was to be held the day Hurricane Emily made landfall south of Brownsville, will not be rescheduled.

July 19, 2005
South Texas Ag Community Braces for Hurricane Emily 
WESLACO – Texas Cooperative Extension's annual cotton field day in the Lower Rio Grande Valley has been postponed this week as the agricultural community braced for Hurricane Emily. Even without a direct hit, the storms's high winds and heavy rains could cause major problems for growers.

July 13, 2005
Harris County Master Urban Rancher Program to Begin Aug. 1 
HOUSTON – Like many other families, the Meuths both work in the city but live on a few acres within an hours drive from downtown. These small-acreage operations have become known as "ranchettes." Helping ranchette owners is the focus of Texas Cooperative Extension's Master Urban Rancher program.

July 12, 2005
Texas Crop and Weather Report 
COLLEGE STATION- Round bale, square bale or no bale, limited moisture has caused the state's hay fields to produce less-than-normal harvests, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.