Feed Grains Conference

A Feed Grains Conference will be held Feb. 28, hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Bailey County. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the program following from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Bailey County AgriLife Extension office, 118 West Ave C in Muleshoe. Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education credits, two general and one integrated pest management will be available. A $10 registration fee will be payable at the door. For more information contact the AgriLife Extension office in Bailey County at 806-272-4583.

Last Chance Pesticide Applicator CEU Course

A “Last Chance Pesticide Applicator CEU Course” will be offered by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. The event will be held February 28 at the Bailey County Extension office, 118 West Avenue C, Muleshoe, Texas.

The pesticide applicator training will be begin at 1:00 and will include 1 hour of laws and regulations and 2 hours of IPM. This opportunity will provide producers a “last chance” to earn continuing education units (CEU) they may need to renew their pesticide applicator license. There will be a $10.00 registration fee.

Licensed private applicators are required to recertify every five years by obtaining 15 continuing education credits, including two (2) credits in laws and regulations and two (2) credits in integrated pest management (IPM), prior to expiration of the license.

For more information call (806) 272- 4583.  

Green Insecticides

Dr. Mike Merchant has written a nice article about "green" insecticides at his blog. You can view it at...
Insects in the City: It's not easy finding green:

Lesser Prairie Chicken Stakeholders' Conservation Strategy Information Meeting Scheduled for Jan. 23 in Morton

By Shawn Wade

            The next landowner outreach and information meeting for the Stakeholders' Conservation Strategy for the Lesser Prairie Chicken and the LEPC Habitat Exchange Program has been scheduled Thursday, January 23, in Morton, Texas.

            The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. CDT at the Cochran County Activity Center in Morton. A meal will be provided to attendees. RSVPs are appreciated to help plan for the meal; please contact Shawn Wade at PCG at (806) 778-6256.

            Non-governmental stakeholder groups that encompass agriculture, the oil and gas industry, and the environmental community have come together to develop the Stakeholders’ Conservation Strategy for the Lesser Prairie Chicken.

            The Stakeholder Conservation Strategy and the LEPC Habitat Exchange are independent efforts and are not affiliated with any other LEPC conservation programs, including the Interstate Working Group’s LEPC Range-Wide Conservation Plan.

            The primary purpose of Stakeholders' Conservation Strategy for the Lesser Prairie Chicken is to provide a market-based response to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services proposed listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken as a "Threatened" species under the Endangered Species Act.

            Once approved by the USFWS, the Stakeholder Conservation Strategy will work to translate interest in continued energy production inside the LEPC range, and the resulting habitat mitigation need, into opportunities for voluntary landowner participation through the sale of mitigation credits, while also satisfying the desires of the USFWS and environmental community to benefit the species via voluntary conservation. 

            Successful implementation of the Stakeholders' Conservation Strategy for the Lesser Prairie Chicken will provide beneficial habitat preservation and restoration for the species through the creation of a market-based mechanism that provides opportunities for private landowners to develop alternative income streams in exchange for the implementation of habitat conservation and management practices that benefit the species and facilitate the continuation of valuable oil and gas activity within the LEPC range.

            Agriculture groups involved with the effort include Plains Cotton Growers, the Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas Farm Bureaus and many other Ag groups representing landowners within the currently identified LEPC range.

Lesser Prairie Chicken, USDA Forest Service  image

Bed Bugs

"The quest for home remedies for bed bugs appears to be never-ending. However, according to the latest reports, it seems that very few over-the-counter insecticides, or home remedies, are worth the time or trouble when battling bed bugs." (Mike Merchant) For more information click here.

Bed bug. Photo by Mike Merchant.

ACE Prep Class and Updated ACE Exam to be offered at A&M Workshop

The newly updated Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) exam, along with a Prep Class for prospective ACEs, will be offered next month in College Station at the Texas A&M University Urban Pest Management Conference and Workshop. For more info click here.

Southwest Beef Symposium

January 9-10, 2014

Clayton Civic Center

124 North Front Street

Clayton, NM 

While rangeland conditions improved in the latter part of the growing season, southern plains cattle producers still have a lot to evaluate as thoughts of rebuilding herd inventories continue. Cattle industry experts will address global industry issues, timely nutrition and health management strategies, and the economics and risk associated with restocking ranches during the Southwest Beef Symposium.

This is the 10th year for the Southwest Beef Symposium which is coordinated by specialists  from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service.   The conference rotates between annually between New Mexico and Texas.

For more information  click here.