Pasture managment program set for Feb, 17th in Overton

              

     The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will hold an East Texas Pasture Management Program Feb. 17 in Overton.

The program begins with registration at 12:30 p.m. at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 1710 N. Farm-to-Market Road 3053.

Cost is $25 per person if preregistered by Feb. 15 or $35 the day of the event. Register online at  or call AgriLife Extension Conference Services at 979-845-2604.

     Five Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator continuing education units including one laws and regulations, one integrated pest management and three general will be available.

     “One advantage to this program is that it provides five CEUs for a half-day course,” said Vanessa Corriher-Olson, AgriLife Extension forage specialist in Overton. “And there is some pertinent information regarding pesticide use, especially for pastures and hay production.”

     Topics and speakers include:

– Does storage of pesticides impact efficacy? and How to properly dispose of empty containers and old pesticides – Dr. Mark Matocha, AgriLife Extension agriculture and environmental safety specialist, College Station.

– Adjuvants for pesticide use – Matocha.

– Using herbicides under trees: Is it possible? – Dr. Chad Cummings, Dow AgroSciences field research scientist.

– Effective weed control with weed identification, proper timing and herbicide selection – Corriher-Olson.

– Save money by understanding active ingredients, residual control and herbicide cost – Dr. Jason Banta, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, Overton.

A compact disc with herbicide price comparison information updated for 2017 will be provided to help attendees make more economical choices when it comes to selecting herbicides, Corriher-Olson said.

   

 East Texas Pasture Management Program set Feb. 22 at Overton

All new topics and five continuing education units offered this year

     Each year, the program planners for the East Texas Pasture Management Program try to cover new topics or at least examine older topics from new angles, according to Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service forage specialist, Overton.

This year’s program, scheduled 12:30 –6 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, is no exception, Corriher-Olson said.

One of the new topics Corriher-Olson will be presenting is “Fertilizer Best Management Practices and Products That Are Too Good To Be True.”

“Every year, products come out that seem too good to be true, but in times of crisis, as during a drought, we seem to see a lot more of them,” she said. “And often, as they are ‘new,’ these are the first products seen when you walk into the feed store.”

     Corriher-Olson said not all these product claims are outlandish, but most often they are. She will be evaluating many of the new arrivals on the market and offering guidelines on how producers can make their own evaluations.

     But the most common guideline is common sense, she said.

     “As my mother told me, ‘If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” she said.

     Registration is $25 online before Feb. 21, or $30 at the door on the day of the event. To register online, go to  and enter the keyword “pasture.”

     The training will start at 12:30 p.m. with check-in and registration. Registration will include break refreshments, educational materials and an herbicide price-comparison CD.

     The price-comparison CD has been updated for 2013, Corriher-Olson said

“The CD will help you make more economical choices when selecting an herbicide,” she said.

Other topics and presenters will be: “Effective Weed Control with Weed Identification, Proper Timing and Herbicide Selection,” Corriher-Olson; “How to Determine and Adjust Stocking Rates,” Dr. Jason Banta, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, Overton; “How to Use the Herbicide Cost Comparison CD,” Banta; and “External Parasite Control,” Banta.

     Attendees can earn five continuing education units toward the renewal of their Texas Department of Agriculture private applicator’s licenses, one hour in laws and regulations, one in integrated pest management and three in the general category.

     The Overton center is about two miles north of Overton on 1710 Farm-to-Market Road 3053. For maps and detailed driving directions, go to and click on “Info, Maps and History,” or call Michelle Sensing at 903-834-6191 for more information.

 

*  Adam Russell, 903-834-6191,  Contact: Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, 903-834-6191, vaco  OVERTON