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 20, 2024. The Leadership Advisory Board of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension will review each nomination and select the awardees to be recognized at the 2024 Volunteer Recognition Banquet on Thursday, January 30, 2025.

 

 

District 8 Farm & Ranch Seminar

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Join us on Thursday, December 12th, 2024, for a multi-county Farm & Ranch Seminar for farmers and ranchers conducted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in District 8. The Bosque County program will be held in-person at the Clifton Civic Center, located at 403 W 3rd Street, Clifton. This seminar will provide participants with the opportunity to receive up to eight (8) CEUs. Of the eight (8) hours, three (3) hours will be in General, two (2) hours in IPM, two (2) hours in Laws and Regulations and one (1) hour in Drift. Commercial License Holders will be able to obtain their required five hours within the first five (5) hours of the program.

 

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.

 

Program registration cost is $60.00. Breakfast and lunch are included. Persons interested in attending the in-person program on December 12th in Bosque County, can register by contacting the Bosque County Extension office at (254) 435-2331 or online at bosque https://bosque.agrilife.org/.

 

 

“Where’s the Water?”

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Did you know that Bosque County is a Priority Groundwater Management Area (PGMA) and delineated by TCEQ that we are experiencing, or expected to experience, within 50 years, critical groundwater problems including shortages of surface water or groundwater, land subsidence resulting from groundwater withdrawal or contamination of groundwater supplies.

 

If you are interested in learning more about Bosque County’s future groundwater issues, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be hosting a “Where’s the Water?” program starting at 5:30PM on November 14, 2024, at the Meridian Civic Center, located at 309 W River Street. The program will include a meal followed by a presentation by Patrick Wagner, General Manager of the Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District. This program is free to the public, but an RSVP is requested for meal planning purposes. To RSVP go to bosque.agrilife.org or call 254-435-2331.

 

46th Annual Bosque County Hay Show & Scholarship Auction

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The 2024 Bosque County Hay Show will be held at the Meridian Civic Center, located at 309 W River Street, in Meridian on Monday, October 21, 2024. This year 137 hay bale samples were entered into the contest.

 

We will kick off the event at 5:30pm at Meridian Civic Center. This will be followed at 6:15pm by the Kenneth Schrank Memorial Scholarship Auction and will conclude with an educational presentation “Pests in the Hayfield” by Tyler Mays, IPM Agent – McLennan/Hill County. One CEU will be offered for those with a pesticide license.

Tickets for the steak meal are available at the Bosque County Extension Office or maybe purchased onsite for $10/each.

 

The Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion bales of hay will be auctioned off in the Kenneth Shrank Memorial Scholarship Auction, which supports the youth of Bosque County.  To date, 316 scholarships for $266,100 have been awarded to Bosque County High School Seniors who are members of FFA and/or 4-H. If you are an individual who would like to help contribute to this scholarship auction, please reach out to the Extension Office in Meridian at 254-435-2331.

14th Annual Central Texas Stocker Cattle Seminar

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The 14th Annual Central Texas Stocker Cattle Seminar will be held Wednesday, June 26th at the West Auction Barn located at 20645 N. I-35, West, Texas 76691. This multi-county programming effort will be hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Beef and Forage Committees in Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Hill, Limestone and McLennan Counties. Cost for the program is $20.00 per person, payable at registration.

 

Topics for the program will be: Agriculture Financing in a Changing World; Defining the Dollar Value of Cattle, Live Cattle Demonstration; Importance of Securing a Safe Food Supply; Proper Vaccination for Carcass Integrity; Nutrition, Forage First; and Cattle Market Update.

 

Breakfast provided by AgTrust Farm Credit. Steak lunch included. RSVP is required for the meal by June 18, 2024, by calling (254)435-2331.

 

Sheep & Goat Conference

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The Bosque, Bell, Coryell, Falls, McLennan, Johnson, Hill, Hamilton, and Limestone County AgriLife Extension Offices will be hosting a Sheep & Goat Conference on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at The Exchange Events Center, located at 300 S Jefferson Ave in McGregor, Texas.  The registration fee is $30 and includes breakfast and a noon meal.  For more information or to pre-register contact the Bosque County Extension Office at 254-435-2331 by Friday, May 24, 2024.

 

The registration will start at 8:00am with the program to start at 8:30am. Presentation topics include Managing Internal Parasites in Small Ruminants, Dr. Andrew Roemisch, Cottonwood Creek Veterinary Hospital; Texas Solar Sheep, JR Howard; Nutritional Needs of Sheep, Panel Discussion; Type/Kinds of Sheep & Goats, Dr. Jake Throne; Goat and Lamb Market Update: Price Seasonality and Opportunities, David Anderson TAMU Ag Economist and Livestock Guardian Dog: Best Management Practices, Bill Costanzo from TAMU.

 

 

Vines & Wines Program 5-7-2024

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The 7th Annual Central Texas Vines & Wines Program will be held on May 7, 2024, at the 15:5 Vineyard, located at 3405 Southwinds Drive in Lorena, TX. Registration will start at 8:30AM with the program to follow at 9:00AM and should conclude around 2:30PM.

 

This program will feature TAMU Viticulture Specialists – Michael Cook, Dr. Patrick O’Brien, Fran Pontasch and Dr. Justin Scheiner; Attorney Kimberly Frost; Vineyard owners Robert and Donna Alston; TAMU Horticulture Department Head Dr. Amit Dhingra. Topics include Moisture Monitoring and Floor Management, Water: Limitations and Opportunity; Pest and Disease Concerns during a Drought, TTB & TABC Winery permitting Requirements; Grape Varieties for Texas, BioChar and Soil Health and include a Walking Tour of 15:5 Vineyard.

Three CEUs (2IPM, 1 General) will be offered for individuals holding a Private Applicator’s Pesticide License. 6 CCCA’s (Nutrient Mgt, Soil and Water, Crop, Prof. Development).

 

The cost of the program is $40.00 and can be paid at the door, includes a steak lunch. For any questions or to confirm your attendance please contact the Bosque County Extension Office at 254-435-2331. Breakfast provided by Capital Farm Credit.

 

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status.

 

 

Tree & Lawn Program 5-9-2024

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Bosque County Extension Office will be hosting a Tree & Lawn Health 101 Program on Thursday, May 9, 2024. This program will be held at the Clifton Fairgrounds Home Economics’ Building located at 108 E 7th Street in Clifton. Registration will start at 8:45AM with the program to follow at 9:00AM and should conclude by noon.

 

This program will feature Renee Burks of B&H Oak Wilt, covering Practices to Improve Tree Health, Making Informed Decisions on Trees; Robert Hawthorne with Texas Forestry Service, covering Oak Wilt – What it is & What to Do? and McLennan County Master Gardener Mark Barnett covering Lawn Weed Control. One General CEU will be offered for individuals holding a Pesticide License.

 

Cost of the program is $15.00 and can be paid at the door. For any questions or to confirm your attendance please contact the Bosque County Extension Office at 254-435-2331 or pre-register online at bosque.agrilife.org.

 

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status.

Two Upcoming Programs for Bosque County Agriculture Producers

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The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office has partnered with nearby counties to host two upcoming programs for agricultural producers and horticulturalist. On Thursday, April 11, 2024, a Pecan Field Day will be held at Russell’s Pecan Orchard, located at 12633 Gholson Road outside of Waco, TX. Presentations on Pecan Grafting: Tools, Methods, and a Demonstration; Pecan Variety Selection and Irrigation & Factors that Can Limit Pecan Production. Registration starts at 8:30 am and will conclude at noon. This program is $10/person payable, but please RSVP for planning purposes. One (1) IPM continuing education credit for those with a pesticide applicator’s license and please plan to bring your own lawn chair!

 

The following week on Thursday, April 18, 2024, the Central Texas Small Grains Field Day will be held. Field location is Kevin Huffman Farm, 1.9 miles East of McGregor on North Side of Hwy 84. The program will conclude at the McGregor Research Center, located at 773 Ag Farm Road, McGregor.  This year’s topics include a tour of the variety plots, Small Grain Insect Scouting Report; Commodity Market Update; Small Grain Update, Agriculture Applications with Drone Demonstration, and a tour of the Small Grains Research at McGregor Research Center. Registration will open at 7:30 am in the field, cost is $10/person and includes lunch. Two TDA continuing education credits will be offered (1 IPM, 1 General) and 5.5 Certified Crop Advisor Credits will be offered (2.5 IPM, 3 Crop Management).

 

For more information or to pre-register for either of these programs please call the Bosque County Extension Office at 254-435-2331.

 

Texas Community Futures Forum

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The Texas Community Futures Forum is being held in Bosque County to assist local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Agents and the Leadership Advisory Board identify the most critical issues affecting local citizens.  Our local Extension program has a rich history of providing educational programs that address the most critical issues in the county, related to Agriculture and Natural Resources, Families and Health, Youth Development and Community Development.  To make sure that the programs being planned are on target, we invite your participation in the TCFF process.

We invite your participation in at least one of the Texas Community Futures Forum to be held on March 26, 2024, from Noon to 1PM at the Bosque County Extension Office in Meridian, Texas or on April 9, 2024 from 5:30 to 7:00pm at the HE Building located at the Clifton Fairgrounds in Clifton, Texas. Your opinion is highly valued in our community, so we truly hope you can join us.  Our expectation is that the forum will last about one hour, as we understand the value of your time.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Extension office at 254-435-2331.  Please RSVP to the same telephone number with your ability to join us or online at  https://bosque.agrilife.org/.  Thank you very much for your involvement in this forum, and we look forward to seeing you on March 26 or April 9, 2024. If you are unable to attend in person but would like to provide input, please go to: tx.ag/RjWOuV0; be sure to select Bosque County.