Recently in Pesticides Category

The Smith County Extension office will be hosting a Private Pesticide Applicator training and testing class for people wishing to obtain an applicator's license

The class will be held beginning at 8:30 AM on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at the Smith County Extension office (1517 W Front St, Ste 116, Tyler). 

Cost for the course is $25 per person, which includes the study guide which should be purchased and read before the class.  Call 903-590-2980 to register for this event.

This link to the Texas Department of Agriculture descibes the types of pesticide licenses in Texas.

This link to the TDA provides a list of Regulated Herbicides in Texas.

Pasture weed control can be an on-going and expensive process.  Some methods, like mowing pastures, can provide short term 'clean looking' pastures and a perverse form of recreation for some landowners looking for a little alone time, but really do not get at the root (so to speak) of the problem. 

Using herbicides to control pasture weeds can be very cost effective and efficient.  The Smith, Rains, Van Zandt, and Wood County Extension offices have teamed up to conduct herbicide control plots for blackberry/dewberry plants in Rains County.  This year, control plots for Carolina Horse Nettle have been added in a separate location in Wood County.

We are hosting a FREE tour and LUNCH of these plots on Friday, August 29, 2008, beginning at 8 AM and lasting until 1 PM.  We will begin near Hogansville (Rains County) and conclude with lunch in Golden (Wood County).

You must RSVP by August 22 to either b-triplett@tamu.edu or by calling (903) 590 - 2980 in order to help us in the head count and to get directions to the first stop.  Lunch is being sponsored by Dow AgroSciences.

If you are not sure of what blackberries or Carolina Horse Nettle look like, check out these links: Blackberry/Dewberry , Carolina Horse Nettle. 

To view a copy of last year's demonstration report, click on the link: blackberrydemoreport2007.pdf

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 Smith County Extension office will be holding a Private Pesticide Applicator Training and Testing Session on Tuesday, March 25, 2008, beginning at 8:30 AM at our office in the Smith County Cotton Belt Building (1517 W. Front St, Ste 116, Tyler).