May 2008 Archives

My Sunday Ag Biz column for the June 1 Tyler Morning Telegraph discusses tips for handling cattle during the summer.  To help reduce cattle stress, provide adequate water, shade, work animals slowly and deliberately, and pay attention to the Temperature Humidity Index (THI) which is similar to the Heat Index normally reported by local weather forecasters during the summer months.  If possible, avoid stressing cattle when the THI is above 84. 

A link to a Temperature Humidity Index for cattle can be found on the following web site.

Tips for reducing cattle handling stress can be found on the following web site.

A deadline of July 18, 2008 has finally been announced for the end of the sign up period for the 2005-2007 Livestock Compensation Program and Livestock Indemnity Program offered by the USDA Farm Service Agency. 

This spring has seen more than its fair share of snake calls at the Smith County Extension office.

Fortunately, most of the snakes you might encounter around the home will be of the non-venomous variety. But any encounter with a snake can be traumatic - for both the snake and the human.

The 'call of the spring' so far has been a shed snake skin of about 3 feet in length that was brought in by a very concerned father whose 5 year old had found it hanging from a shoe tree on the back of her bedroom closet. The shed keyed out to be from a non-venomous snake (most likely a Texas Rat snake) but that did little to quell concerns because they had not yet seen nor caught the home invading snake that left the shed skin behind.

A FREE Recreational Pond Management Seminar will be held Tuesday, May 27th at 6 PM at the Texas Parks & Wildlife Nature Center in Tyler (11942 FM 848). 

Topics to be discussed include: aquatic weed Identification and control options for private waters, maintaining pond water quality, and invasive aquatic vegetation in Texas.

Speakers will be Drs. Rick Ott (Texas Parks and Wildlife) and Billy Higginbotham (Texas AgriLife Extension). 

Bring: Water Samples from your pond(s) for free water quality analysis and aquatic weeds for identification and control recommendations.

For more information call (903) 590 - 2980.

 

Clearing muddy ponds can be a challenge to say the least.  Sometimes the true reason behind the murky water is something out of the landowners control.  Sometimes it can be improved with just a simple fix.