This year’s East Texas Pasture Management Program, set Feb. 12 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Center at Overton, will concentrate on not just control of weeds but identification as well, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service forage expert.
“Effective weed control and pasture management begins with proper weed identification and control,” said Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, AgriLife Extension forage specialist.
Another factor in weed control is weather, Corriher-Olson said.
“So far, our winter here in East Texas has been mild and wet, which likely means we’ll have a lot of spring weeds to deal with,” she said.
The program will begin at 12:30 p.m. with check-in and on-site registration. Advance registration by Feb. 10 is $25; on-site registration will be $35. To register in advance, go to https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or call Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Conference Services at 979-845-2604. The presentations will begin at 1 p.m. and end by 6 p.m.
Five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units for pesticide users will be offered–one in laws and regulations, one in integrated pest management and three in the general category.
Program speakers will be Corriher-Olson; Dr. Jason Banta, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, Overton; and Dr. Billy Higginbotham, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, Overton.
In addition to the talks on effective weed control and identification, there will be presentations on controlling Bermuda grass stem maggot and sugarcane aphids in pastures. Higginbotham will talk about the latest research on controlling wild hogs, and Banta’s presentation will be about common misconceptions on chemicals and hormones.
“Among other things, I am going to talk about how all things have hormones, and how they are required for life. There’s no such thing as hormone-free,” Banta said.
As in previous years, this year’s program will offer the latest in management strategies, as well as a newly updated herbicide price-comparison CD, which is included with registration.
The Overton center is about 2 miles north of Overton at 1710 Farm-to-Market Road 3053.
For more information, call Michelle Sensing at 903-834-6191.