Welcome To My Country Tractor: 1/25/09

Monday, January 26, 2009

Texas Agrilife Extension Pesticide Applicator Re-Certification Training

Mark your calendar for the Annual Texas Agrilife Extension Pesticide
Applicator Re-Certification Training to be held on January 30, 2009 at
the First United Methodist Church in Centerville, Texas. Registration
will begin at 8:00 a.m., followed by the program from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. Participants will be eligible for five Continuing Education Units
credit toward Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator
license re-certification tentative upon TDA approval (1 CEU laws and
regulations, 1 CEU drift minimization, and 3 CEUs general. Registration
for the day will be $35 and will include a catered lunch, handouts and
break refreshments. Topics and speakers will include; “Mud Farms-The
Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” and “Land Application of Alternative
Fertilizers,” Dr. Sam Feagley, Extension State Soil Environmental
Specialist; “Laws & Regulations, & Recordkeeping,” Dr Don Renchie, Texas
Agrilife Extension Specialist; and an update on the Farm Bill,” Dr.
Jason Johnson. Contact the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Leon
County Office at 903.536.2531if you need further information. Please
register in the office by January 28, 2008 so that we may plan the meal
and handouts accordingly. You can mail a check or money order, made
payable to: Program Development Fund c/o Leon County Extension Office,
P.O. Box 188 Centerville, Texas 75833. The following are a few facts
from the TDA laws and regulations manual. Licensed private applicators
are required to re-certify every five years by obtaining 15 continuing
education credits including at least two credits in laws and regulations
and two credits in integrated pest management before the last day the
license expires.
Licensed commercial and noncommercial 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, IPM or drift minimization.
And one last reminder. If your license is soon to expire, your renewal
notice will be mailed directly to you. If your mailing address has
changed anytime during the last licensing cycle (five years for private
applicators and one year for commercial or noncommercial applicators),
you need to contact the TDA at 800-TELL-TDA and provide your new mailing
address.
You may also find a copy the change of information form online at
www.agr.state.tx.us/pesticide or e-mail license.inquiry@agr.state.tx.us
Individuals who require an auxiliary aid, service or other
accommodations to participate in Extension sponsored events are
encouraged to contact the Johnson County Extension Office by Dec. 5 to
determine how reasonable accommodations may be made. Extension programs
serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color,
sex, religion, disability, or national origin.

Tommy Neyland, CEA-Ag
Texas Agrilife Extension Service

4-H Livestock Project Day

The Leon County 4-H programs will again sponsor a Livestock Project Day at the Yellow Rose Arena on January 17, 2009. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from quality leaders in the livestock industry on feeding, showmanship, and proper care of livestock projects. The day will began at 9:00am with a session on Quality Counts, which is a 4-H and FFA Character Education program for members involved in livestock shows. Following this the participants will divide into groups according to interest such as Beef, Horse, Swine, Poultry, Sheep, Goats, and Rabbits to discuss in depth specie concerns. At the conclusion of the project clinics everyone will reconvene for a noon meal provided by local sponsors. A special Thank you goes to all local sponsors A&A Feed, Centerville Feed, Cattle Country, Davis Feed, and McGill Feed.

pic caption:
CEA from Waco, Shane McLellan explains the importance of presentation during 2008 4-H Livestock Project Day.

Tommy Neyland, CEA-Ag
Texas Agrilife Extension Service

Earthkind Lanscape School

Once you start looking for landscaping "don'ts," you'll find them everywhere: a huge oak tree planted close to a house; a holly bush planted beneath a window and covering the view; a solitary island flower bed, floating by itself, disconnected from all the other elements of the landscape. All were decisions made by well-meaning people that just turned out poorly. You didn't want to end up making such mistakes, so before you start reworking your own yard, set out to learn a little about landscape design. Here are some approaches road-tested and some thoughts about how to make them more useful to you. Each year around the end of January Texas Agrilife Extension Service in Leon County host a Home Landscape School. The Keynote speaker this year will be Texas AgriLife Extension landscape horticultural specialist Dr. Steven George. Each year the program has grown and this year we are expecting over 150 people to attend the session, which will take place at the Centerville High School Cafeteria. This years event, will mark the 4th year of the program. Dr. George will speak in the morning on topics including landscape bed layout and prep, plant placement, general design principles and, his foremost interest, EarthKind gardening and landscaping principles. He is a charismatic, engaging speaker who fits a lot of useful information into just a few hours. The pace will be brisk but understandable. He makes effective use of an overhead projector, sketching freehand the best places to put things like trees, shrubs and planting beds. For example, at one point Dr. George will show a sketch of a front landscape on the overhead and draws a big circle over the yard space to illustrate best places for turf, bedding plants and trees. Imagine a circle (as big or small as you want it) in the middle of the yard. That's for the turf. The areas that remain outside the circle are where you would place flower beds, shrubs and/or trees. This design technique is simple and, of course, there are other ways to effectively plan a landscape. But that circle stuck in my mind, and in many cases it jumps out at me when I notice good-looking properties. During class registration, participants receive design handouts, booklets on Texas plants, and graph paper. Participants sign up during class for a 30-minute consultation with a landscape professional that takes place at the event after lunch. The project goal is to use the class information to sketch a landscape plan and then review the plan during the event. The class is a great, time-effective way to learn solid landscape-design basics and get a plan going. The trick to getting the most of out of this class will be to focus effort on one manageable area. Pick the front or back yard or focus on an even smaller area to maximize the time you spend with the landscape professional. Participants must pre-register in the Texas Agrilife Extension office on or before January 27, 2009 and space may be limited. Their will be a $65.00 fee due upon registration of this event. Check in will begin at 9:30am on January 31, 2009 a noon meal, three CEU'S for the private applicator license holders and break snacks will be provided along with event materials. For more information please contact the Texas Agrilife Extension Service at 903.536.2531 or at leon-tx@tamu.edu We will seek to provide reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities for this event. We request that you contact Texas Agrilife Extension three days before the event to advise us of the auxiliary aid or service that will be required. Extension programs serve of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.

PIC CAPTION:
Texas Agrilife Horticulture Committee Member and part owner of Bo Bo's Ginger Vibral provides training to local Master Gardeners on successful shrubs for our area.

Tommy Neyland, CEA-Ag
Texas Agrilife Extension Service

Texas Agrilife Extension Pesticide Applicator Re-Certification Training

4th Annual 4-H Project Day Success!

Over 300 4-H members and adult leaders participate at the 4th Annual Leon County 4-H Livestock Project Day. This event was held at the Yellow Rose Arena on January 17, 2009. Participants had the opportunity to hear from quality leaders in the livestock industry on feeding, showmanship, and proper care of livestock projects. The day began at 9:00am with a session on Quality Counts, which is a 4-H and FFA Character Education program for members involved in livestock shows. Following this the participants divided into groups according to interest such as Beef, Horse, Swine, Poultry, Sheep, Goats, and Rabbits to discuss in depth specie concerns. At the conclusion of the project clinics everyone enjoyed a noon meal provided by local sponsors. A special Thank you goes to all local sponsors A&A Feed, Centerville Feed, Cattle Country, Davis Feed, McGill Feed and the Yellow Rose Arena.

Pictures are highlights from different specie clinics:

4-H Volunteer Mr. Joe Harris provides instruction to rabbit exhibitors during the rabbit clinic.

4-H Volunteer Dustin Coufal provides instruction to swine exhibitors during the swine clinic.

4-H Volunteer Dianne Dunn provides instruction to horse participants during horse clinic.

4-H Volunteer Dr. Jason Cleere provides instruction to exhibitors during beef clinic.

4-H Volunteer Charles Sealy provides instruction to goat participants.

Tommy Neyland, CEA-Ag
Texas Agrilife Extension Service