22nd Annual Central Texas Small Grain Field Day – April 20th

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Our Annual Small Grain Field Day will be held on Thursday April 20th near McGregor, TX.  There are 11 Hard Red Winter Wheat varieties planted in a side-by-side demonstration located off of Smith Road, which is about halfway between Waco and McGregor, on the north side of the road. We will have Extension signs out on Hwy. 84 for the field day.  Signs will go up this week.

 

On April 20th we will start in the field of Kevin Huffman.  Breakfast will be provided by Lone Star Ag Credit. Dr. Reagan Noland will lead us on a walking tour of the Hard Red Winter Wheat Varieties. He will be discussing the “characteristics of each variety entered.” Mark Nemec of MJN Consulting will provide a “Small Grain Insect Scouting Report on Insects and Disease.”

 

We will move to the McGregor Research Center, located South of McGregor for the remainder of the program.  Dr. Jason Johnson will speak there on “Agriculture Commodities and Current Factors Affecting Markets.”  Tyler Mays, Hill County IPM Agent will present his findings on local research work with “Hessian Fly and Their Impact on the 2023 Wheat Crop.”  We are looking forward to the City of Waco Fire Department presenting on “Grain Rescue.”  Dr. Noland will also be speaking on “planting rate, fertility and other pertinent topics relating to this years’ wheat crop.”  We will have the famous Tenderloin Steak Tips for lunch.

 

This program will offer 2 TDA CEU’s and 4.5 Certified Crop Advisor Credits. Please RSVP before April 10th by calling the office at (254)757-5180 or emailing Candace Chapman at candace.chapman@ag.tamu.edu

 

Pecan Field Day – April 4th

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On April 4th, 2023, the Extension offices in Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Hill and McLennan Counties will host a Pecan Field Day at Russell Pecans, 12633 Gholson Road, Waco, Texas. One (1) IPM CEU will be offered. $10 to register.  Registration will open at 8:30 a.m.

 

Our topics and speakers include Pecan Grafting – Tools Methods and Demonstrations; Pecan Tree 101 for Homeowners; and Effective Crow Control Techniques.  Monte Nesbitt, Extension Pecan/Fruit/Citrus Specialist and Robert Irving, Founder of Texas Crow Patrol will be our featured speakers.

 

The McLennan County Master Gardeners will be providing breakfast.  Seating is up to you! Don’t forget to bring your own lawn chair! Please register by calling the Bosque County Extension Office at 254-435-2331.

 

Private Applicators Pesticide Training

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Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Bosque County will be hosting a Private Applicators Pesticide training on Friday, February 24, 2023, located at 104 S Fuller in Meridian. Registration will begin at 8:15 a.m. with the training starting at 8:30 a.m. and continue until noon.

 

The training is open to the public. The cost of the class is $75.00. A Laws and Regulation Manual and a Private Applicator Study guide is mandatory and included in the class cost.

To register or if you need more information, please call the Bosque County Extension Office at (254) 435-2331 or http://bosque.agrilife.org/.

Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid, service or other accommodations in order to participate in Extension sponsored events are encouraged to contact the County Extension office a week prior to the class to determine how reasonable accommodations may be made.

Nominate a Volunteer

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Each year, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Bosque County and the Commissioner’s Court host a Volunteer Recognition Banquet to recognize outstanding volunteers who serve the residents of Bosque County.  These volunteers give their time and energy to serve in civic and community organizations and to improve our communities.  The Volunteer Recognition Banquet is a special time to honor these extraordinary volunteers.

We invite organizations or individuals in Bosque County to nominate outstanding volunteers in the following categories:

  • Agriculture & Natural Resources
  • Civic Organizations & Community Service
  • Community Festivals & Events
  • Fire Department & First Responders
  • Family & Health Services
  • Youth Services
  • Other

 

Please visit the Bosque County Extension Office’s Website to nominate a volunteer at https://bosque.agrilife.org/ or at 254-435-2331. Nomination forms are due back to the Extension Office by December 31, 2022.  The Leadership Advisory Board of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension will review each nomination and select the awardees to be recognized at the 2022 Volunteer Recognition Banquet on Monday, January 30, 2023.  Tickets for the event are available at the Extension Office.

DISTRICT 8 FARM AND RANCH SEMINAR, December 8th

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 A multi-county Farm and Ranch Seminar for farmers and ranchers conducted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in District 8 is scheduled for December 8, 2022.  The District 8 Farm and Ranch Seminar will be offered at 14 locations across Central Texas.

Bosque County Texas A&M will be hosting this program at the Meridian Civic Center located at 309 W River Street in Meridian, TX. Program registration cost is $60, which includes lunch, breaks and handout materials.  Registration will begin at 7AM with presentations starting at 7:30AM and running till 4:00PM. Persons interested in this program on December 8th should pre-register by contacting the Bosque County Extension Office at 254-435-2331 or online at https://bosque.agrilife.org by December 5, 2022.

The December 8th seminar will provide participants with the opportunity to receive up to eight (8) CEUs. Of these eight (8) hours, three (3) hours will be in General, two (2) hours in IPM, two (2) hour in Laws and Regulations, and one (1) hour in Drift.  Licensed commercial and non-commercial applicators will be able to obtain their required five hours within the first five hours of the program.

Topics and speakers include: Pasture Management and Drought Recovery (1 General CEU Credit) presented by Dr. Larry Redmon, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; TDA Laws & Regulations Update (1 L&R CEU Credit) by Dr. Don Renchie, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; Pesticide Drift Management (1 Drift CEU Credit) by Dr. Ben McKnight, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; TDA Laws & Regulations Compliance (1 L&R CEU Credit) by Elizabeth Prokop, Texas Department of Agriculture; An IPM Approach to Insect Management in Forages (1 IPM CEU Credit) by Dr. David Kerns, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; External Parasite Control in Livestock (1 IPM CEU Credit) by Dr. Sonja Swiger, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; Alternative Herbicides for Weed Control in Pastures (1 General CEU Credit) by Dr. Scott Nolte, Texas A&M AgriLife State Extension; I.D. & Management of Insects in Trees & Drought Stress and Recovery (1 General CEU Credit) by Dr. David Appel, Texas A&M University.

Private Applicators License holders must obtain 15 hours of CEUs every five years to renew/recertify their license; including two hours of Laws and Regulations, two hours of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and any mix of these and General hours to equal the required 15 hours of CEUs. Licensed commercial and non-commercial applicators are required to recertify every year by obtaining five continuing education credits with one credit each from two of the following categories: laws and regulations, integrated pest management or drift minimization.

Individuals with disabilities requiring an auxiliary aid or special accommodations in order to participate in this program are asked to contact the Bosque County Extension Office at 254-435-2331 to determine how reasonable accommodations may be met by December 2, 2022.

 

Pond Management

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The Texas AgriLife Extension Service of Bosque, Johnson, Somervell and McLennan Counties will be hosting a Pond Management Workshop on September 30, 2022, at the Cross J Ranch, located at 18765 FM 56 Kopperl, TX. (Signs will be posted).

 

Registration will be from 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. with the program lasting till 3:00pm. This in the field workshop will cover Pond construction and maintenance, water quality, fish management and aquatic food webs, aquatic vegetation Id and management. Registration fee is $30.00 per person payable at the door, lunch meal will be provided. For more information or to pre-register for the program contact please go to  https://bosque.agrilife.org/ or call Bosque County Extension Office at 254-435-2331.

 

We will seek to accommodate all persons with disabilities for these programs.  Please contact us at 254-435-2331 at least 72 hours before the program begins so arrangements can be made.

 

 

CenTex Beef Symposium

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The CenTex Beef Cattle Program is an annual nine-county educational program that rotates each year to a site within one of the host counties. The Beef and Forage Committees within these counties are dedicated in identifying issues and needs that will economically benefit cattle and forage production in Central Texas.

 

The 14th Annual CenTex Beef Cattle Program will be held on Friday, September 23, 2022 at the W4 Ranch, located at 1809 FM 927 in Morgan, Texas. Registration is at 8:00 a.m. and program starts at 8:30. A variety of Ag Commercial Vendor booths will be set up for you to visit before, during and after the program. Door prizes will be drawn throughout the day. The 2022 program includes the following topics:  Chute side Etiquette, Feeding with Limited Forages, Pasture Management & Restoration, Bull Selection Using EPDs, Wildlife & Hunting and Beef Cattle Market Updates.

 

Registration fee of $20.00 is payable at the door. Registration includes breakfast and steak lunch. YOU MUST CONTACT YOUR COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE TO RSVP NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 21, 2022. One pesticide CEU will be offered. Hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Beef & Forage Committees in Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Hamilton, Hill, Johnson, Limestone and McLennan Counties. To RSVP in Bosque County please call 254-435-2331 or online at https://bosque.agrilife.org/.

Bosque County Hay Show Collection Event set for 9-9-2022 at Extension Office

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The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office – Bosque County will be collecting hay samples for the 44th Annual Bosque County Hay Show & Scholarship Fundraiser. If you are interested in submitting hay samples into this year’s contest, entries may be dropped off at the Bosque County Extension Office (located at 104 S Fuller in Meridian) between 8:30AM and 11AM on Friday, September 9, 2022. Sampling will close on September 9, but you may also drop samples off early at the Extension Office or by 3pm on Thursday, September 8 to your local Bosque County FFA Advisors.

 

Samples will be taken from the conventional bales and/or round bales on the 9th so that the protein analysis can be made. Cost is $10 for first bale, $5 for each additional bale per participant. A new class has been added this year to the contest: Purchased out of County.

 

This year’s Scholarship Auction and Educational Program will be held on Monday, October 17, 2022, at the Meridian Civic Center starting at 5:30PM.  The Hay Show Committee is also collecting donations for their annual Bosque County Hay Show and Scholarship fundraiser. If you are interested in contributing towards this, please contact Chelsea Dorward at 254-435-2331 or chelsea.dorward@ag.tamu.edu.

 

Sheep and Goat Program

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The Bosque, Coryell, Hamilton, Mills and Lampasas County AgriLife Extension Offices will be hosting a Sheep & Goat Workshop on Friday, August 26, 2022, at the Hamilton County Commission Company, in Hamilton, Texas.

 

Two CEU will be offered to those holding a private applicators pesticide license. The registration will start at 8:45am with the program to start at 9:00am. Presentation topics include Market Trend & QA, by Derek Poe, General Manager of Hamilton Co. Commission Company; Internal Parasite Vaccination, by Dr. Jake Thorne, TAMU Extension Sheep & Goat Specialist; Forage & Control by Dr. Barron Rector, TAMU Extension Range Specialist; Livestock Guardian Animals, by Bill Costanza, TAMU Research Associate II.

 

Registration fee is $20 and includes a noon meal.  For more information or to pre-register contact the Coryell County Extension Office at 254-865-2414, Hamilton County Extension Office at 254-386-3919 or Bosque County Extension Office at 254-435-2331.

 

Master Gardener

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Calling all Gardeners…

 

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office of Bosque County Extension Office will be offering a Master Gardener Training starting on September 1, 2022. If you are an avid gardener or someone who enjoys learning about horticulture this is a great opportunity. Training topics will include in-depth classes on plant diseases, soil fertility, trees, grasses, vegetable production, irrigation, organic gardening, entomology and more.

 

You may ask yourself what exactly is a Master Gardener?   A Master Gardener is an individual who has completed extensive training and has served the community by sharing their gardening knowledge through the activities of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. If you are accepted into the training program, complete the classroom training portion, and pass the final exam at the end of the course, you will be required to complete a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer service by August 31, 2023. Your volunteer hours will be spent on various Extension-approved projects, which will be explained to you during the program. By conducting the Master Gardener Program the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service – Bosque County Office strives to increase the availability of horticultural information and improve the quality of life with horticultural projects.

 

For more information contact Chelsea Dorward at the Bosque County Extension Office at Chelsea.dorward@ag.tamu.edu or 254-435-2331. Applications are available on the Bosque County Extension Website http://bosque.agrilife.org/ and in the Bosque County Extension Office, located at 104 S Fuller, Meridian, Texas. Applications are due back to Extension Office by August 12, 2022.   The fee for the 2022 Master Gardener program in Bosque County is $200, this includes Master Gardener Training Manual, field trip fees and all other training fees.