Ag News

Clint Perkins County Extension Agent, Ag & Natural Resources
Posted 4/16/14

Tri-County New Landowner Workshop

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For the past several years, we have been getting phone calls from residents that have bought parcels of land (10- 25 acres) and wanting ideas on how to utilize their land to help offset input cost. So, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Wood, Rains, and Van Zandt Counties are Conducting the Tri-County New Land Owner Workshop which will be held on May 2, 2014 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Office located at 410 Tawakoni Drive in Emory. Registration starts at 12:30 p.m. with the educational program starting at 1 p.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m. There is a $10 cost for the workshop that is payable at the door. Topics on the program are listed below:

1.) "Investing in Your Operation" Dr. Blake Bennett- Assistant Professor & Extension Economist. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

2.) "Agriculture and Wildlife Tax Valuations" Mr. Kevin Passons-Van Zandt County Agricultural Appraiser, Van Zandt County Appraisal District

3.) "Natural Resources Available" Mr. John Stone, NRCS, Wood County

The Wood County Master Gardener Association will have educational booths covering Composting/ Insect Integrated Pest Management, Rainwater Harvesting, Soil Amendments and Texas Super Star Planting Guides. Please RSVP to the Wood County Extension Office Located at 618 S. Main in Quitman, or call 903-763- 2924 by 4-30-14. This will let us have an accurate participant count for the amount of door prizes to be given. We will also be having booth exhibits from various agricultural related industries. Everybody should walk away with several items to use on you small/new farm. I look forward to see everybody at the conference!

Are you prepared for another hot, dry season in your garden? Forecasters are predicting more droughts and heat for Texas; so we need to make plans for conserving our precious water supply now and for future generations. Experts are estimating that Texas's population will increase over the next forty years from 25 million to approximately 45 ½ million. It seems more people want to get out of the constant snow and extreme cold up north and move to our beautiful, sunny state of Texas.

With the increase in population comes an increase in demand for water, which is projected to increase by only 33% during the same time frame. So this is a wake-up call for Texas. We need to find ways to conserve what water we have, store it for the future and do it as economically as possible. To help achieve this goal the Wood County Master Gardeners are presenting a gardening/rainwater expo at the Mineola Nature Preserve on May 3, 2014 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in the Wildscape Garden. This program is made possible with funds received from a grant thru "TransCanda Charitable Funds at East Texas Communities Foundation".

Speakers will lead three informational sessions starting at 10:15 am with "Vericomposting" (harvesting worm castings for natural fertilizer), followed at 11:15 am with "Using Native Plants in your Landscape," including a tour of the gardens, and concluding at 12:15 pm with "Rainwater Harvesting" using the collection system constructed at the gardens. Door prizes will be awarded after each speaker.

Master Gardeners will be available to answer questions, explain the Master Gardener program and distribute informational literature. Items for sale that day will include their famous "Tip Book" and rain barrels.

So grab a picnic lunch, bring your family and come meet your local Master Gardeners who work hard to keep you informed and build beautiful gardens for you to visit and enjoy with your family and friends. Your Wood County Master Gardeners have won numerous state awards over the last seven years acknowledging their contributions to Wood County.