Monday, July 19, 2010

Agricultural Waste Pesticide Collection Events

Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Texas Department of Agriculture have announced 2010 Agricultural Waste Pesticide Collection Events. These disposal programs allow agricultural producers to properly dispose of unwanted pesticides. According to the TCEQ website:

The free collections, conducted rain or shine, give agricultural producers who use pesticides in Texas an opportunity to dispose of unwanted products that may pose a hazard to them, their families, and their surrounding farming and ranching communities. The program is strictly voluntary and no one is required to participate. All this is done at no expense to them.
The participants do not have to identify themselves. However, there is a short survey in which the participants are asked questions similar to the ones listed below.
- What county are you from?
- How long has your waste been stored?
- How did you hear about today's event?
- What type of material are you bringing today?
The reason for asking the participant the fourth question–regarding the type of material brought in–is to determine how to properly handle it.


The closest event to Navarro County is to be held in Ellis County on Thursday, September 16 at the Ellis County Youth Expo Grounds. For a complete liest of events that will be held this September and October go to http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/assistance/agwaste/FY_2011_schedule.pdf

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Brush Management Field Day Offering 5 CEU’s Set for June 11

Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Navarro County will host a Brush Management Field Day on June 11. The program is designed to assist landowners in making decisions about how and when to apply chemical and mechanical brush management practices. Brush species highlighted will include mesquite, cedar, cactus and others. The program will begin at 9am at the Navarro County Exposition Center. Topics will include: Using Pestman for Brush Control Decisions, Brush Species Ecology and Management, Mechanical Brush Control Options and Assistance from Federal Agencies. After lunch, we will travel to Tree Brand Ranches for a field tour that will include: chemical brush and weed plots, skid-steer demonstration for cut stump applications, three-point hitch grubbing attachment and other mechanical demonstrations. Representatives from Dow AgroSciences and Dupont will be on hand to discuss brush herbicides. Cost is $5 per person to cover the cost of the lunch. Please RSVP by June 8 at 903-654-3075.
Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers to Host Meeting June 3 Focusing on Cattle Theft Prevention and Membership

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association will be hosting a Ranch Gathering on June 3 at the Navarro County Exposition Center. The meeting will focus on membership, protecting your property from theft and a legislative update for landowners. Presenters will include Jimmy Dickson, TSCRA Special Ranger and Eldon White, TSCRA Executive Director and CEO. The meeting will begin at 5:30 pm and offer a free steak dinner. Sponsors for the event include: Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Smith General Store, Brazos Valley Equipment, Hubbard Livestock, Bayer and Helena. If you are interested in attending please RSVP by June 1 to Brooke Boddy at 800-242-7820 ext. 192 or rsvp@texascattleraisers.org.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Age Determination in Cattle

Determining the age of a cow can be an important factor in making decisions related to buying, culling, breeding, retaining, etc. Practices such as branding or tagging with ages are a good measure and can add value especially when selling bred cows. Unfortunately, many producers cannot or do not take the time for such practices (often times they may not be practical). Examination of the teeth can however provide an approximate age of a cow. This method evaluates the appearance of temporary and permanent teeth and the degree of wear. At maturity cattle have 32 teeth of which 8 are the incisors in the lower jaw which are typically evaluated. There are no upper incisors only a thick dental pad. Depending upon range and pasture conditions the degree of wear can vary. Cattle on sandy, rangeland type country typically wear quicker than cattle on higher clay content soil with improved pasture. Because this method is approximate it is important to note that it may not ascertain a cow’s biological age but rather gauge her youthfulness in terms of grazing ability. A second method to determine age would include looking at the brucellosis tattoo in the right ear. This would indicate the year the cow was a weaned calf. The first digit represents the quarter of the year it was tagged, the middle digits are a shield and the last number is the year vaccinated. A good resource and aging table can be accessed at http://www.avc-beef.org/AgingCattle-Griffin/AgingCattle-CL712.pdf.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Average Home Could Collect 25,568 Gallons of Rainwater Annually

Have you ever wondered how much water comes off of your roof in a major rainfall event? What about over the course of a year? Let’s assume the average home in Navarro County is 1200 square feet and that the average rainfall is 38 inches annually. For every square foot (horizontal square foot not roof area) we collect 0.623 gallons per 1 inch of rain. So the average home would collect 747.6 gallons per 1 inch of rainfall. If we figure 38 inches annually and a 90% collection efficiency, then the average home could collect 25,568 gallons per year! That water could go to a variety of uses. As the state of Texas faces increased population growth and demand on water resources, rainwater may be making a comeback. Want to know more?

A Rainwater Harvesting Workshop is scheduled for Thursday, May 6 from 5:30pm to 8:30 pm at the Sumner Family Property, north of Blooming Grove, TX. Highlighting the event will be Dr. Dotty Woodson, Extension Specialist for Water Resources who will present on the basics of rainwater harvesting and guide us in putting together rainwater barrels. A limited number of rain barrels will be available for purchase on a first come, first serve basis. Also, as part of the program we will view a 3,000 gallon rainwater collection demonstration as well as a unique project that is funneling rainwater to a surface tank. Directions: Take Highway 22 to Blooming Grove, TX. On the east side of town, turn north onto Pecan Street (this turns into NWCR 1420). Go 1.2 miles and turn left into the drive, look for signs. RSVP by April 28th at 903-654-3075

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Cattle Artificial Insemination and Palpation Training
Corsicana Livestock Auction – Angus, TX
April 23 – 25, 2010
Limited to the first 20 paid registrants
$275 per person

Tentative Schedule
Friday – April 23, 2010
1pm – Registration
1:30 – Orientation and Introductions
2:00 – Body Condition Scoring Cattle
2:30 – Artificial Insemination Basics
3:00 – Synchronization
4:00 – Live Animal Work
6:00 – Adjourn for the evening

Saturday – April 24, 2010
9:00am – Coffee and Visit
9:30 - Semen Handling
10:15 – Live Animal Work
12:00 – Break for Lunch (provided)
1:00 – Heat Watch and Detection
2:00 – Live Animal Work
3:30 – Conclude AI Instruction
4:00 – BioPreg Check Presentation
5:00 – Anatomy & Physiology of the Reproductive Tract
6:00 – Palpation and Pregnancy Stages
7:00 pm – Adjourn for the evening

Sunday – April 25, 2010
1:00 pm – Examine Uteri Tracts
2:00 – Live Animal Work
4:30 – Final Questions and Discussion
5:00 pm – Course Adjourned

This is designed to be a low-cost yet high quality training. Presenters are experienced educators and/or practitioners in their respective areas. FYI, the cost per person will help defray the costs for cattle, materials and food. Call 903-654-3075 with questions.

For the flyer and registration form, go to http://navarro-tx.tamu.edu/newsletters/Spring%202010.pdf to page 3.
Private Pesticide Applicator Training and Testing - April 13th

Tuesday, April 13
8am to 2pm
Corsicana Library Civic Room

This is the required 4 hour training that you must complete in order to obtain your private pesticide applicator license from the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Cost: $40 for study manuals available in the Extension office, please pick up before the training to familiarize yourself with the material

RSVP by April 7th at 903-654-3075