Good Problems to Have by Dr. Mario Villarino
Earlier in the week, a phone call of one of our hay producers was very interesting to me. As he shared with me his pasture situation after the rain, we started talking about the clover in his meadow. According to the rancher, his meadow had a large number of clovers in it. With the rain, he was having trouble getting his cattle to eat it. We talked about the need of “pushing” the clover with cattle and the benefits of high nutritional...
Vegetable gardening: The mighty tomato by Dr. Mario Villarino
County Extension Agent for Ag and Natural Resources- Hopkins. Tomato is considering by many, the ultimate crop for the home garden. Personally, tomato are a fundamental part of our family diet. Having both French, Italian and Mexican influences growing up, I vividly remember my mother preparing a roma tomato with salt as a mid-day snack. Joe Masabni, Texas AgriLife Extension horticulturist indicated that tomatoes are the most popular...
Getting Prepared During Cold Weather By Dr. Mario Villarino
Recently we delivered poultry projects for our NETLA participants and discussed proper care of those chickens. Young chickens are very sensitive to cold and cannot tolerate temperatures below 90 degrees. During the day, I visited several retailers looking for heating lamps and found out several places without heating lamps. This reminded me about the importance of being prepared for severe cold weather. EDEN, an emergency...
If You Are Having Ant Problems, by Mario Villarino
Developed by Dr. Mario A. Villarino, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Hopkins County, Texas During a recent trip to a producer hay field I noticed several ant mounts in his field. If you are having ant problems, the first step is to identify the species. There are hundreds of ant species in the southern United States, including some...
Forage Grasses and How Best to Handle Them in Different Regions of Texas, by Mario Villarino
Developed by Dr. Mario A. Villarino, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Hopkins County, Texas Cool-season annual forage grasses are well adapted to most regions of Texas with soil texture generally the most important factor in adaptability of each species. The choice of therefore, is largely dependent on the producer’s management philosophy and livestock production needs. Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Texas...
How to Get the Biggest and Best Yields For Cattle, by Mario Villarino
Developed by Dr. Mario A. Villarino, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Hopkins County, Texas The beef industry in Texas is huge. As I was reporting on this during the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services Beef Cattle Short Course many topics presented during this event related to ranch profitability. Profitability is defined by Dr. Dan Posey, Extension Veterinarian as net return to owner’s equity;...
Prepping for Gardening in September and October, by Mario Villarino
Developed by Dr. Mario A. Villarino, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Hopkins County, Texas If you haven’t already done so, this is the time to begin sowing seeds for fall transplants. By starting now, you can have pansies, calendulas, Johnny-jump-ups, flowering cabbage, lettuce and othe cool season transplants ready to plant in the garden in September or early October. If starting your own...
Keep an Eye on the Herd Bull, by Mario Villarino
Developed by Dr. Mario A. Villarino, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Hopkins County, Texas Many seasoned ranchers are fully aware of the importance of the herd sire and the potential consequences of making a wrong sire selection. Bulls are an expensive, labor intensive part of the herd management. Because of its size, financial investment and impact on the herd offspring, many attributes (and drawn backs)...
Fall Armyworms: How to Spot Them and What to Do, by Mario Villarino
Developed by Dr. Mario A. Villarino, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Hopkins County, Texas Recent rainfall events have been a major problem this summer. As a result of this rainfall, fall armyworms (Spodoptera frugiperda) are thriving across the northern, central and eastern portions of Texas. Below is some information on the biology of the pest, how to scout for them, and control options to mitigate...
Garden Checklist for July, by Mario Villarino
Developed by Dr. Mario A. Villarino, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Hopkins County, Texas Garden Checklist for July Trim off faded flowers on crape myrtles to encourage later re-bloom. The more modern hybrids of the old-fashioned Lagerstroemia indica and L. faureii have larger, more conspicuous panicles of flowers, but these often...
