April 2008 Archives

April 22, 2008 marks the 38th anniversary of Earth Day, a day devoted to thinking about this third planet from the sun that we all share.  Here are a few links that you might want to look at while Earth Day is on your mind.

Texas IPM - Integrated Pest Management is a pest management system that combines the proper identification of pests, determining if an identified pest is truly causing a problem, assessing if the pest is causing an economic loss, and then finding a proper method for control (proper methods could be chemical, physical, or biological in nature).

Earth Kind - Earth Kind is a homeowner gardening program designed to combine traditional and organic practices to promote environmental responsibility along with aesthetic enjoyment.

Organic Farming Regulations - The Texas Department of Agriculture regulates the Organic Certificaiton program for crops and livestock in the state.  For more information on what is involved in transitioning from a traditional to an organic farm, see this site and its links.

USDA NRCS - The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service has several environmental programs that farmers can sign up for to conserve soil, reduce erosion, improve wetlands and riparian areas, and enhance wildlife habitat on private lands. 

Proper sprayer calibration is an important, yet often overlooked, first step in the spraying program. Calibrating your sprayer and tractor enable you to know with confidence how much volume of product and water you are applying per acre, how many acres your tank will treat between fill-ups, and how much undiluted chemical to add to your tank to achieve the proper application rate. A properly calibrated sprayer can save you money and reduce the risk of injury to the plants you are treating.

Always calibrate a sprayer using only water in the spray tank and wearing chemically resistant gloves to avoid contact with residue that may be in the system or on the sprayer.

Follow these tips for calibrating a boom or boom-less sprayer. You will need a stopwatch (or watch with second hands), a tape measure, flags or stakes, and a container that can catch water and measure in ounces (for boom sprayers) or pints (for boom-less sprayers).  You will also need a trash bag or piece of tire inner tube for catching water from the boom-less sprayer.

The Sabine-Neches Resource Conservation and Development Area, the City of Tyler, Keep Tyler Beautiful, and Smith County are teaming up to provide a FREE Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Saturday, April 26, 2008, from 9 AM to 2 PM in the parking lot of the Harvey Convention Center in Tyler. 

View the following flier for what you CAN and CAN NOT bring to the event: HHW Flyer.pdf

The Texas Beef Quality Producer program is a FREE training devoted to assisting cattlemen in producing a safer, more wholesome food product.

A Level I and Level II training will be held Friday, May 2, at the Kinzie Community Center in Poole Park in Lindale (912 Mount Sylvan Road, aka FM 849).  Registration begins at 7:30 AM and the meeting concludes around 5:00 PM.

Pre-registration by April 29th is requested to Ms. Stacy Fox with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) at 1-800-242-7820 or sfox@texascattleraisers.org

This meeting is sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Serivce, the TSCRA, and the Texas Beef Council.  A flier for the meeting can be found by clicking on the following file: 2008Lindale.pdf

From April 28 to May 6, 2008, Smith County Veterinarians and Community Leaders will be teaming up to conduct 21 low cost Rabies Vaccination Clinics for dogs and cats.  Weekday clinics will be held at 7 PM.  The Saturday clinics will be held at 2 PM.  Cost is $7 per dog or cat vaccinated.  Participants are asked to bring correct change with them to the clinic and to keep their pets on a leash or in a kennel at all times.  The linked file that follows provides the dates for each specific location.

2008RabiesWebSchedule.pdf

The Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton is hosting "Surviving High Fertilizer & Fuel Costs" on Friday April 18, 2008, to address the concerns of area livestock and forage producers.

The conference will start at 930 AM and conclude around 330 PM.  Cost is $20 per person and includes lunch.  There will be no pre-registration for the event.  Just come on out and learn.  Call 903-834-6191 for more information.  See you there!

Topics:

- Fertilization & Liming

- Using clovers and other legumes to reduce commercial nitrogen use

- Nutrient supplements needed for cattle grazing poor quality forages

- Lengthening the grazing season, shortening the winter feeding period

- Adjusting stocking rates and nutrient recycling

For directions to the Texas AgriLife Overton Center, visit their web site.