Blogging with Brian

Private Pesticide Applicator Class - August 28, 2008

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0600

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 Field Tour

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0600

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

Smith County Hay Show Entries Sought

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Time has arrived for Smith County, Texas forage producers to enter the annual hay show.

The show is a platform for local producers to obtain forage test information on the hay they produced this year for a reduced price and to benefit local youth and conservation education efforts at the same time.

Entering the hay show is easy, all we need is a feed sack full of hay from a round bale or an entire square bale of hay from hay produced as small squares.

The hay is analyzed for Crude Protein and Digestibility and then ranked based on a pre-set formula. The top 25 entries are sold at a benefit auction that takes place September 22 during the Howdy Neighbor Barbecue event at the East Texas State Fair.

Hay can be entered at any one of 13 locations in Smith County on or before August 22.

Click on the document below for a complete set of rules for the 2008 show. 2008hayshowrules.pdf

Pond Renovation Season Is Here

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:49:42 -0600

Hot, dry weather is normally not the best of conditions under which to be tackling major pond related activities. However, if your fish population has become stunted or if your pond has been overtaken with unwanted species of fishes, hot, dry weather can be your friend.

Raising Chickens (Broilers) At Home

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:58:48 -0600

Last month I wrote about raising your own eggs. I often also get questions about raising chickens for meat. Raising your own chickens to produce broilers, fryers, roasters, whatever you want to call them, might not be less expensive than purchasing them from the store, but some people enjoy the peace of mind of knowing where their chicken came from and how it was raised. Raising your own livestock also teaches children responsibility and helps them make the connection between farming and the food that they eat.

Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:31:59 -0600

Country of Origin Labeling or COOL as it is know in the industry, has been a topic of conversation among livestock producers since it was first introduced with the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (aka the 2002 Farm Bill). Implementation of COOL for all but fish and shellfish was delayed until 2004 and then again until 2006.

Grasshopper Season in East Texas

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:18:07 -0600

A few reports are coming in from area farmers about grasshoppers in pastures and whether or not they should spray. The following are a couple of considerations that should help you in making the best decision for your operation.

Raising Your Own Eggs

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:53:11 -0600

The past two weeks my columns in the Tyler Morning Telegraph have focused on raising your own eggs at home. There seems to be a renewed interest in this topic and it might have something to do with the increasing food costs at the grocery store, a desire to know how your food was raised, or a little bit of both.

Before you start out, make sure your city or subdivision does not have any regulations keeping you from raising chickens. Also know that you might want to only raise hens in order to reduce stress on your layers and to keep the noise level down. Roosters are only needed if you are wanting to produce fertile eggs to raise your own chicks. So keeping them out of the henhouse will lower feed costs a little and keep the neighbors happy.

Under normal conditions, you can plan for at least 3 to 6 eggs per hen per week, so plan your final number of hens based on your family's normal egg consumption or if you plan to sell some to the neighbors.

FAMACHA Training July 1st in Tyler

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:43:13 -0600

FAMACHA, a technique for strategically de-worming, is being adopted by sheep and goat raisers in order to delay the development of resistence of the internal parasite Haemonchus contortus to antihelmetics.

Summer Cattle Handling Tips

Fri, 30 May 2008 09:21:57 -0600

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.

Sign Up Deadline Nears for Two USDA Livestock Programs

Fri, 30 May 2008 09:13:49 -0600

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.

Snakes Around the Home

Tue, 20 May 2008 13:15:43 -0600

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.

Recreational Pond Management Seminar - May 27

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:12:32 -0600

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

Thu, 01 May 2008 11:10:21 -0600

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.

Happy Earth Day

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:03:00 -0600

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.