a g r i c u l t u r e / n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e...
TRANSCRIPT
A g r i c u l t u r e / N a t u r a l
R e s o u r c e s
Spring 2013
Mulch is a barrier covering soil in landscape beds. It can be
made of organic or inorganic materials. In addition to slowing
evaporation it can help suppress weeds, maintain soil tempera-
ture levels, and provide a decorative touch to the bed.
When using mulch, water savings are often realized. This can
benefit the plants it is covering and may even help with keep-
ing a more constant moisture level around your foundation.
The amount of water savings are related to depth of mulch
slope of soil, irrigation system, and proper application. It is
generally recommended to use 1 to 3 inches of mulch. Do be
cautious to avoid one of the most common mulching mistakes
is placing it too close to tree trunks – this can provide a habitat
for pathogens (fungus or molds).
Benefits of Mulching
Harvesting rainwater makes sense for a variety of economic and environmental reasons:
Rainwater is an economical alternative to public water, especially for exterior water uses such as land-
scape irrigation that require minimal filtration
Rainwater can supplement limited ground water resources. Which is especially important considering
Cooke County derives 85% of its water from groundwater sources and we have been experiencing de-
clines in groundwater levels.
Rainwater is low in mineral content; as groundwater levels decline salinity increases. Rainwater har-
vest can provide mineral free water for irrigating sensitive plants.
Harvesting rainwater reduces erosion by capturing the rain before it becomes runoff. Then it can be
slowly released into the environment, which reduces pollution and improves the health of waterways.
It’s possible to collect rainwater from roofs, parking areas, pavement, lawns, and almost any other surface,
but roofs typically yield the best quality water at the lowest cost. The type of roof surface is of little conse-
quence if rainwater is collected for irrigation.
A rainwater harvest result demonstration was constructed at the entrance of the office for Texas AgriLife
Extension Service in Cooke County by Alan Comer, a Cooke County Master Gardener. Construction of
the rainwater harvest result demonstration was completed by summer 2012. With dry conditions and very
limited rainfall, the newly established garden began to thrive. By late summer the garden was fully estab-
lished and many residents were commenting on the beautification project with approval.
2012 Cooke County Rainwater Harvest Result Demonstration
Upcoming Programs
Pages 2&3
Understanding and Maintaining Healthy Soil– 3 CEU’s
February 11, 2013- NCTC Little Theater– Gainesville
There will be a fee of $20, a meal will be included.
The program is designed to be of interest to people wanting to grow healthy plants and livestock. Topics
will include will soil types and textures, soil formation, soil’s role in water recapture and clean water,
soil life, soil sampling, understanding soil analysis, soil health, and web-based tools for producers and
homeowners.
Date: TBD
Equine Seminar– NCTC Little Theater
The program will focus on equine genetics
and other current equine topics. Also to be discussed
will be pastures and tree care and recovery from last
year’s drought.
February 7, 2013
Private Applicator Training
People interested in spraying or purchasing Restricted- Use pesticides (herbicides, insecti-
cides, fungicides or rodenticides) for their own usage should be aware of the Private Applicator Training Session Sched-uled for February 7, 2013. This course will begin at 8:30 A.M. at the Gainesville Civic Center located at 311 S. Weaver in Gainesville, Texas. The course is required prior to Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) administering a test.
The study material for the course is $50.00; there is no fee for the test.
Successful completion of the test allows Texas residents to send necessary documentation and
$60 to TDA’s State Office in Austin, from which they will receive their Private Applicator License.
Please RSVP to 940-668-5412 by February 5, 2013!
February 21, 2013
Tri County Farmer & Rancher
The 10th Annual Tri-County Farmer and Rancher Symposium will be held Feb 21st in the Gainesville Civic Center. This annual pro-gram provides people with Texas Department of Agriculture Pesticide Licenses the opportunity to gain necessary continuing education hours.
The program, which is hosted by Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Cooke, Montague, and Grayson Counties, and the Upper Elm-Red SWCD and will feature 5 different topics that should be of interest to many local farmers and ranchers. These topics will provide the following CEUs: 1 hour of “Laws and Regulations”; 1 hour of Integrated Pest Management; and 3 hours of “General”.
Guest speakers and there topics will include:
David Appel, Associate Department Head & Texas A&M Extension Program Leader– “Trees Under Stress, What to Expect”
David Waidler, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Research Associate– “Protecting Our Watersheds”
Dr. Vanessa Corhier, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist – “Choosing Chemical Products Based on Scientific Practices”
Don Renchie, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Specialist – “Laws & Regulations”
Henry Krusekopf, Texas Department Of Agriculture– “Drift & Neighbor Relations”
The cost for the program will be $25, with lunch and snacks included. Doors will open at 8:15 a.m., with the program concluding about 3:30—Please RSVP by February 18, 2013!
5 CEU’s!! 5 CEU’s
!!
Building Your Own Hoop House
A PVC hoop house can be a great addition to your garden. It is especially useful because it can
extend your warm-season gardening a month or more at both ends, and makes it possible for
year-round gardeners to grow a wider variety of plants through the winter. It is also useful for a
variety of other reasons: keep excessive rain off the plants, block the wind, raise daytime tem-
peratures 5-10 degrees and keeps frosts and heavy dew off the leaves.
PVC hoop houses are inexpensive to build. If you would like to see just how easy these useful growing houses are to build
plan on spending the afternoon with us on March 27 at 1:00 p.m. at the Frank Buck Zoo here in Gainesville. Steve Upson
with the Noble Foundation will instruct us on what is required, while Dr. Rebecca Parker, who is working with the Zoo and
with NCTC, will be getting the work done.
Spring 2013
Grass Establishment Field Day (NCTC)
As part of the PACE project (Promoting Agriculture and Conservation
Education) a grass establishment field day will be hosted this spring. Demonstration
Plots near GISD will consist of plots which feature monoculture and/or multispecies
plantings of these and/or other species: Tifton 85; Eastern gamagrass ; Switchgrass
– (Alamo-lowland variety, Blackwell-upland variety); Big bluestem; Indiangrass; Little
bluestem; Side-oats grama with bluebonnets; Kleingrass; WW-B Dahl; Wilman
lovegrass; Short Grass Plot including Buffalograss, Blue Grama; Cool Season plot in-
cluding Texoma MaxQ tall fescue, Jose tall wheatgrass, Flecha tall fescue; and a Sum-
mer Dormant plot.
This field day will occur while some of the planting and/or preparation is occur-
ring. Details will be forthcoming.
April 5, 2013
Basic Ag Field Day
The Basic Ag Field Day is an annual event hosted in Collin County with participation from
Cooke, Denton, Grayson and Fannin Counties. It will be at Myers Park in McKinney from 8-3 on
April 5, 2013. Vendors will be present. This year the tentative agenda is as follows:
Livestock - Morning 8-12
Water Development – Afternoon 1-3
Lunch will be 30 minutes and a 30 minute morning and afternoon break has been added. Regis-
tration will be from 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. The introduction will start at 7:50 a.m.
A small tradeshow will occur for participants to enjoy!
May 10, 2013
Small Grains Field Day
This year the small grains field
day will be held on May 10 and
will offer 3 CEUs for pesticide
applicators. We will tour wheat
plots to view the different culti-
vars and discuss yield potential
and disease resistance. Then we
will travel to a nearby meeting
location for further discussion
and a meal. The program will be
from 9 – Noon.
June 13, 2013
FAMANCHA Program
Goat ownership is increasing annually here in the county. One of the main management problems facing goat owners is managing
nuisances which come with livestock management: flies and parasites. This program will address ways to manage both. Speakers will
discuss products and procedures to minimize flies and Dr. Frank Craddock, Extension Sheep and Goat specialist, will conduct a training
for FAMACHA on June 13 beginning at 6:30 p.m. FAMACHA is the technique & use of the specifically designed scoring card to as-
sess the mucus membranes of the eye to determine anemia. By monitoring anemia one can decide when to treat with de wormers and
identify resilient and susceptible animals.
If you would like to be on our
email list for notices on any
upcoming events on
CEU’s, Horticulture, Cattle, Eq-
uine or Marketing Club please
send us an email
at
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Office #: (940)668-5412
Fax: (940) 668-5402
Wayne Becker
CEA– Ag/NR
301 S. Chestnut
Gainesville, TX 76240
Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin. The Texas A&M University
System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissions Courts of Texas Cooperating. Any one needing assistance should call 940-668-5412.
Information on “The Web”
Research-based knowledge and scientifically-proven practices are fundamental to educational programs and fact sheets of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. As more of us are turning to electronic resources for information, to manage all aspects of our lives, it can be-come difficult to know for certain if the information we are locating is reliable. Because of this fact, it may be useful to be aware of internet sites and educational programs that are non-biased which are available for those wanting information to use with your home, garden, or farm. Here are a few:
· Horticulture and small acreage: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/. This site gives access to many publications (both on traditional and organic management).
Crops & Soils: http://publications.tamu.edu/
Grass & Forage: http://forages.tamu.edu/
All Subjects: https://agrilifebookstore.org/
Reliable Non-Extension websites with a ‘natural’ appeal included: https://attra.ncat.org/ and http://www.kerrcenter.com/ .
In addition, the fast-paced world we live in makes it difficult to attend meetings and educational programs. Having some of these available in the comfort of our own home could be beneficial. The following Drought Management "Webinars" internet education are available to the public. Please contact us if you are interested, we can get you detailed instructions so that you can view these webinars from the comfort of your own home, or if space allows, you can come to the office to view them on our computer. Each program begins at 10:00 A.M.
January 30: Managing Drought Risk on the Ranch: The Planning Process, by Jerry Volesky, Range and Forage Specialist at the UNL West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, Nebraska, and Lynn Myers, owner of Tippets-Myers Ranch in western Nebraska.
February 27: Avoiding Analysis Paralysis: Monitoring and Setting Critical Dates for Decision Making During Drought, by Dwayne Rice, Rangeland Management Specialist, NRCS, Kansas; Ted Alexander, owner of Alexander Ranch in south-central Kansas; and Cal Adams, owner of Adams Ranch in north-central Kansas.
March 27: The New Cumulative Forage Reduction (CFR) Index: Assessing Drought Impacts and Planning a Grazing Strategy, by Pat Reece, owner and senior consultant of Prairie Montane Enterprises and Professor Emeritus of the University of Nebras-ka – Lincoln.
April 24: Using a Drought Calculator to Assist Stocking Decisions, Stan Boltz, State Range Management Specialist, NRCS, South Dakota.
May 29: Economic Factors to Weigh in Making Decisions during Drought, by Matt Stockton, Agricultural Economist at the UNL West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, Nebraska.
Thank You for your continued support
of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Service!!!