http://agnews.tamu.edu/ Daily Agriculture News Mon, 12 Sep 2005 18:37:00 GMT en-us BROWNFIELD - Helping West Texas peanut producers make better crop management decisions will be the focus of the seventh annual Texas South Plains Peanut Production Workshop, set for 9 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. March 1 in Brownfield. The free workshop and luncheon conducted by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service will be in the American Legion Hall at 800 Seagraves Road. Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be available in the following ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1738 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1738 Agricultural Communications General Soil and Crop Sciences COLLEGE STATION - - When it comes to moisture, from one side of the state to the other, it ranged from extremely wet to extremely dry, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert. But in Texas, weather extremes are the norm, said Dr. Andy Vestal, director of AgriLife Extension's Homeland Security and Emergency Management program. "The weather is dynamic, as it usually is in Texas," Vestal said. "It goes from ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1742 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1742 Texas Crop and Weather Report LUBBOCK - When it comes to Texas Panhandle cotton, seed choices booked now are the best defense against the worst cotton disease in the Southern High Plains, according to a researcher with Texas AgriLife Research. Dr. Terry Wheeler, a cotton pathologist at Lubbock, said the fungus causing verticillium wilt has become the region's worst cotton profit-stealer. "Many farmers buy their seed now for spring planting," Wheeler said. "Planting varieties that yield well ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1743 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1743 Agricultural Communications General Soil and Crop Sciences AUSTIN - Texas produces some exceptional, high-quality wines which make excellent Valentine's Day gifts, said Gene Estes, president of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association. They also pair well with foods and flowers, according to other wine and viticulture experts. "The state's wine industry has grown significantly and Texans are now consuming Texas wines at a greater pace than those in many other states," Estes said. "That's because Texans are proud of their home-state products, ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1739 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1739 SAN ANTONIO - For years, volunteers from the Bexar County Master Gardener program of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service have been a fixture at the annual San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. "Nowadays dozens of Master Gardener volunteers collectively put in thousands of hours toward planning, designing, building, staffing and taking down multiple exhibits at the venue's Texas Experience pavilion," said David Rodriguez, AgriLife Extension agent for horticulture in Bexar County. Texas ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1740 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1740 Horticultural Sciences DALLAS - They embody traits few others share - beauty, toughness and easy maintenance - and that has earned them the highest distinction a rose can achieve, said Dr. Steve George, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist in Dallas.Cecile Brunner and Reve d'Or were recently named Earth-Kind Roses by a team of horticulturists with AgriLife Extension. Only 21 roses hold the title.Reve d'Or, originally released in 1869, earned an additional honor by being named 2010 Earth-Kind Rose ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1741 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1741 General Horticultural Sciences WHEELER - Wendy Hazzard joined the Texas AgriLife Extension Service team in Wheeler County on Feb. 1.Teamwork is an important part of any job, Hazzard said, and it is one aspect of her position as the new family and consumer sciences agent she said she looks forward to.In the position, she will serve as program leader for adult and youth education related to all areas of family and consumer sciences. She and coworker Kenny Brdecko will both support the 4-H and youth development program, ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1737 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1737 VERNON - Approval of a new application technology for an herbicide known to control sand shinoak will give land managers more flexibility for when and where they treat, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialist. J.F. Cadenhead, AgriLife Extension range specialist from Vernon, said sand shinoak, also called shinnery, is the shorter, shrubby species of oak that typically grows in dense stands in sandier soils in much of the western half of Texas. Not only can the ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1735 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1735 COLLEGE STATION - A joke among two Texas AgriLife Research scientists later turned into a fully-funded study found Viagra can aid fetal development in female sheep. Female sheep (ewes) are an agriculturally important species, which can serve as an excellent animal model for studying the physiology of human pregnancy, the researchers said. Viagra (sildenafil citrate), which is used to treat male erectile dysfunction, enhanced blood flow in pregnant female sheep, helping send vital amino acids ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1736 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1736 Animal Science COLLEGE STATION - Texas landowners and managers in the "ecotourism" or "agritourism" business can learn from some of the best in the industry through a specially designed tour of Costa Rica, the tour's coordinator said.The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will host the tour March 8-14 to be led by Miles Phillips, AgriLife Extension nature tourism specialist."This learning tour will provide tourism practitioners, ranchers, land managers or anyone else the opportunity to experience ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1732 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1732 General Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences COLLEGE STATION - - What's being billed in the Panhandle as the worst winter storm in 10 years might have been bad for drivers, but it was nothing but good news for wheat growers, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert. "Our wheat crop was getting very dry; we've been dry for about the last three months," said Dr. Brent Bean, AgriLife ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1733 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1733 Soil and Crop Sciences Texas Crop and Weather Report HUNT - Texas AgriLife Extension Service will conduct the Rio Grande Wild Turkey Management Conference on March 25-26 at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area located near Hunt at 2625 Farm-to-Market Road 1340. Activities on March 25 start with registration at 7:30 a.m. followed by the program which runs from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. The second day's schedule starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at noon. "The program, which is open to the public, covers a wide range of vital ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1734 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1734 Agricultural Communications General Rangeland Ecology and Management Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences COLLEGE STATION -- Dr. Robert G. "Bob" Merrifield, who helped lead agriculture research in Texas for almost 20 years, died Jan. 30 in College Station. Merrifield, 79, was known statewide as the deputy director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, the forerunner of Texas AgriLife Research, from which he retired in 1995. Services are set for 11 a.m. Feb. 2 at Covenant Presbyterian Church, at 220 Rock Prairie Rd., in College Station. He was named deputy director emeritus by the ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1731 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1731 Agriculture Program AMARILLO - A two-day short course, "Selecting, Developing and Working a Marketing Plan," will be held Feb. 8-9 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Amarillo, located at 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd. The focus of the course, taught by Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing and Management LLC headquartered in Omaha, Neb., is learning how to select an appropriate marketing plan for an individual operation and guidelines for executing the plan.Brugler will discuss ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1722 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1722 AUSTIN - Entomologists are being bugged again by erroneous pest control advice that's been popping up all over cyberspace like ants at a picnic, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service entomologist in Austin. "I've gotten several emails recently asking about club soda as a fire ant mound treatment," said Wizzie Brown, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management program specialist in Travis County. "This information has been floating around on the Internet since 2007, but seemed to ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1723 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1723 Entomology COLLEGE STATION--The bioenvironmental science degree program offered through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University has been rated as the second most popular environmental degree program in the U.S., according to http://www.stateuniversity.com, a Web site offering rankings of U.S. state universities ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1726 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1726 Plant Pathology and Microbiology LUBBOCK - Will it make moneye That's the question Texas Agrilife Extension Service economists will address during an alternative crops profitability workshop set from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock. The center is located on Farm-to-Market Road 1294, half a mile east of Interstate 27, just north of the Lubbock airport. Dr. Jackie Smith, AgriLife Extension economist at Lubbock, said the workshop's ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1727 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1727 Agricultural Communications General Soil and Crop Sciences FARWELL - The Texas AgriLife Extension Service office in Parmer County will conduct the Parmer County Cottonseed Variety Meeting from 9 a.m.-noon Feb. 10 in the Farwell Community Center. "Now is the time that many cotton producers book their seed for the coming season, so we have planned this meeting to let them know what is available for our High Plains area," said Benjamin "Benji" Henderson, AgriLife Extension agent in Parmer County. The meeting is free and open ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1728 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1728 Agricultural Communications General Soil and Crop Sciences COLLEGE STATION -- Does good fat exist? Evidently it does because a conference at Texas A&M University will be looking at good fat in the diet and its health benefits and risks.The 37th annual Texas Human Nutrition Conference is scheduled for Feb. 5 at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center on the Texas A&M campus in College Station. The 2010 conference theme is, "Slippery Slope to Health: Adding Good Fat Back to the Diet." Speakers will include health and nutrition experts from ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1729 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1729 Food and Nutrition EDINBURG -- A noted soil scientist and family doctor will discuss at an upcoming conference in Edinburg his theory that depleted soils may be reducing the nutritional value of the foods we eat, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel.Dr. Arden Andersen, a physician, scientist and author of several books, including "Real Medicine - Real Health," will present an all-day seminar as part of the Sustainable Ag and Organic Gardening Conference.The conference will be held Feb. ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1730 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1730 Agriculture Program WESLACO -- A prominent South Texas citrus farmer, Jimmie Steidinger, received the Arthur T. Potts Award at the recent 62nd annual meeting of the Subtropical Plant Science Society.The award was presented to Steidinger Jan. 25 by Dr. Jose Amador, retired director of the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco. Amador called Steidinger "a friend, a leader, a pillar and the best friend agriculture and agricultural research in South Texas could ever have."Since 1955, the ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1724 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1724 Agriculture Program SONORA - The annual Ram Performance Test Field Day and Sale is set for March 19 at the Texas AgriLife Research Station at Sonora. The event will be conducted by Texas AgriLife Research and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service at the station, which is located 28 miles south of Sonora on U.S. Highway 55. Dr. Dan Waldron, AgriLife Research geneticist at San Angelo who oversees the test, said this year's set of rams are gaining well. "The average gain at the Jan. 6 ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1711 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1711 Agricultural Communications Animal Science General Rangeland Ecology and Management AMARILLO - Before the next health inspection, eating establishments may want to review whether or not they have a certified food manager. If not, Texas AgriLife Extension Service is offering a course to help them meet state requirements. By law, food establishments are to have at least one staff member with a valid certification, said Sue Church, AgriLife Extension family and consumer science agent in Potter County. AgriLife Extension officials from Sherman and Potter ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1720 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1720 Consumer and Family Sciences Food and Nutrition SONORA - Plans are being finalized for the 2010 Angora Goat Performance Test at the Texas AgriLife Research Station at Sonora, located 28 miles south of Sonora on U.S. Hwy. 55. Dr. Dan Waldron, AgriLife Research geneticist at San Angelo and the test's coordinator, said at least 10 different breeders must enter a minimum of 50 bucks collectively for the test to occur. Breeders should notify the station at Sonora of their intent to enter goats by Feb. 4 by calling ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1716 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1716 Agricultural Communications Animal Science General Rangeland Ecology and Management TYLER - Feral hogs and vegetables are commonly not topics for the annual East Texas Spring Landscape and Gardening Conference, but times are changing, say horticulturalists. "Recent national surveys and local observations show an increased interest in home food production, so we added both a home vegetable gardening talk, and one on growing fruits in the home landscape," said Keith Hansen, Texas AgriLife Extension Service ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1717 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1717 Agriculture Program Horticultural Sciences DALLAS - Experts on family issues will offer advice on financial management, healthy eating, communication and other common family issues at the "Family Issues Summit" on March 4 in Dallas.The event's hosts set a theme tailored for typical families with common concerns: "What keeps you up at nightp Issues and solutions for today's families."The conference, organized by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1718 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1718 General COLLEGE STATION -- Whether it rained or not this past week, many areas remained too wet for field work, according to reports from Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel.Wet conditions persisted in the Coastal Bend, East, Southeast and http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1719 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1719 Agriculture Program Horticultural Sciences Texas Crop and Weather Report ABILENE - The annual Texas Farm, Ranch, Wildlife Expo is set for Feb. 23-24 on the grounds of the Taylor County Expo Center, 1700 state Highway 36 in Abilene. Show hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 23 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 24. The event is sponsored by the Abilene Chamber of Commerce and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. The show features educational seminars, equipment exhibits, product demonstrations, the Town and Country Women's Fair, the Rolling Plains Cotton Growers ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1721 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1721 Agricultural Communications General Rangeland Ecology and Management Soil and Crop Sciences Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences LUBBOCK - The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will conduct an educational program from 8 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. Feb. 9 in conjunction with the Southwest Farm and Ranch Classic in the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. Mark Brown, AgriLife Extension agent in Lubbock County, said the program is designed to give producers helpful production tips for 2010 while providing them a handy venue to earn continuing education units. "The farm show is free as is our ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1710 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1710 Agricultural Communications General Soil and Crop Sciences ABILENE - The Texas AgriLife Extension Service office in Taylor County will conduct the West Central Texas Urban Tree Symposium from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Feb. 9 in the AgriLife Extension offices located at 1982 Lytle Way in Abilene. Available continuing education units are 6.25 continuing education units for Certified Arborists licensed with the International Society of Arboriculture as well as continuing education units for individuals certified as Climber Specialists, ... http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1707 http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1707 Agricultural Communications General Horticultural Sciences