Soil Test By Mario Villarino
March 29, 2023- With the First Day of Spring and the most recent warm weather and sunny days we start thinking about our warm season pastures and hay meadows. A few things to keep in mind as our warm season forages begin to break dormancy: Soil Test! Soil Test! Soil Test! If you have not done so for this year, please consider obtaining a soil test now. There is not much that can be done regarding the high cost of fertilizer, but...
State Steer And Heifer Validation Pre-Orders Due March 31, 2023 At Noon. By Mario Villarino
The mission of the youth livestock validation program is to promote a positive youth development environment focused on ensuring rules for livestock exhibition are being followed under the supervision of County Extension Agents and Agricultural Science Teachers. This helps to foster integrity, virtues, and values of youth and families. The purpose of validation is to encourage positive relationships with County Extension Agents,...
Block Supplements For Grazing Cattle By Mario Villarino
Supplementing (adding nutrients to an existing diet) is a common nutritional tool to provide extra nutrients to improve cattle body condition. Block supplements are a convenient mechanism for delivering supplemental nutrients to grazing beef cattle. As the labels on most blocks or tubs state, they are meant to be used as supplements, not feeds. Success or failure of a block/tub supplementation program will depend on the availability...
Are Your Trees Dead? by Mario Villarino
Feb. 22, 2023- Recent winter storms in Texas will leave its lingering effects for months. Many Texas trees are still showing signs of stress from last year storms. Tufts of leaves give some a patchy, inverted look – while others are losing vast amounts of bark, or seemingly dying overnight – leaving many Texas home and land owners wondering what they should do. Texas A&M Forest Service send a unified message across the state:...
NETLA Show February 23-25, 2023, by Mario Villarino
Feb. 14, 2023- Texas is unmatched in youth livestock project ownership and participation. Students engaging in this project gain invaluable life skills such as work ethic, responsibility and accountability. Supporters of these exceptional youth invest nearly $100 million annually in the futures of these young agriculturalists. What can become lost in a barn full of livestock, exhibitors, trophies, banners, buckles, premiums and...
Limb Removal Safety, By Mario Villarino
Feb. 7, 2023- The recent ice storm created a lot of damage in aged and mature trees. From “up the hill” where I live in Sulphur Springs, I could see the extreme damage of weight of the ice in power lines and tree branches. Life with many others properties, I started the recovery process after the storm by evaluated the magnitude and type of damage suffered. Upon evaluation, it was clear to us that the removal of tree material was too...
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...
