Mom, What Do You Do? By Johanna Hicks
Mom, What Do You Do?
Recently, I had an eye-opening experience. Our family was dining at a local restaurant, and we were discussing school, athletics (our daughter, son and daughter-in-law are all employed with the Sulphur Springs ISD), movies, and work projects. My son commented that he knew that I taught diabetes education, nutrition, and sewing, but said, “Mom, what DO you do? Your job is confusing!”
Hmmm, I thought that if my own family member was confused about my work, others might be, too. Of course, if you have been following my column during the past few weeks, you have gotten a glimpse of what I do, but you, too, might not fully understand what Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is all about. So, for clarification, here are a few facts about our agency, and my position, in particular.
Texas A&M University (originally named the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas) was the state’s first public institution of higher education. The land-grant mission was expanded beyond teaching to research with the approval of the Hatch Act in 1887, providing federal support for the establishment of agricultural experiment stations and resources to solve critical problems confronting agriculture. The department of agriculture and science was designated the School of Agriculture, later to become the College of Agriculture and, in 1989, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Texas A&M’s programs in teaching, research, extension, and service reached people in towns and cities as well as on farms and ranches.
In 1915, the Texas legislature organized the Texas Agricultural Extension Service (now known as Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service), which would bring scientific information from the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (now Texas A&M AgriLife Research) to every farm and community. County Ag/Natural Resources agents, home demonstration agents (now known as Family & Community Health Agents), specialists, and volunteers provided this outreach. Boys’ and girls’ corn clubs and tomato clubs, organized between 1903 and 1914, were the forerunners of the remarkably successful Extension 4-H clubs, which today are expanding to serve an increasingly urban youth population.
Today, Extension’s scope has expanded further than its originators could have imagined. Our mission is no longer isolated to “agriculture and the mechanic arts.” Agriculture and the life sciences have gone global. Every county in the state of Texas has access to resources and staff from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Agents are considered to be faculty because we bring research-based information and education to the communities where we live. In addition, every state in the United States has an Extension Service, supported by a major university in that state.
That still doesn’t answer the question, “Mom, what DO you do?” My responsibilities are multi-dimensional and very difficult to put into a neat, concise paragraph. Every day is different. My title is Extension Family & Community Health Agent. Each Extension agent may focus on his or her own strengths and interests, so program offerings vary from county to county. My particular interests are diabetes education (Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes and Cooking Well with Diabetes), nutrition education for adults and youth (Better Living for Texans, multiple nutrition resources), food safety, wellness (Walk Across Texas and Walk & Talk), marriage education (Twogether in Texas), and Master Wellness Volunteers. I also enjoy leading sewing workshops and implementing the annual Christmas Joys Holiday program, which reached approximately 270 individuals in 2017. In addition, my co-worker and I share responsibilities for our 4-H program, which include camps, projects, contests on county, district, and state levels, exchange trips, County 4-H Council meetings, community service projects, and special 4-H events.
As Extension educators, our volunteer base and networking partners are vitally important. These individuals and agencies help extend our reach and impact. We have three trained groups of volunteers in Hopkins County – Master Wellness Volunteers, Master Gardeners, and Certified Judges for Fairs, Festivals, and Events. We also work with episodic volunteers, 4-H leaders/club managers, and committees. Our programming direction is guided by our Leadership Advisory Board and Program Area Committees, which meet three times annually. Some of our other committees meet more frequently to plan, implement, and evaluate events and programs.
I prepare three newsletters on a regular basis: 4-H Gazette, Better Living for Texans nutrition newsletter, and Volunteer Connection for my Master Wellness Volunteers. We provided weekly newspaper columns and frequent radio interviews. Also, check out my Hopkins County Family & Consumer Sciences Facebook page (be sure to click on the Texas page! Another state has the same Facebook page name.) Dairy Festival Board, Fall Festival Board, Community Chest Board, Community Resources Coordination Group (CRCCG), Community Health/Wellness Alliance, Sulphur Springs and Como-Pickton School Health Advisory Councils (SHAC), and Book Buddies also are part of my work endeavors. Dates for programs and series for 2018 have been set, but I also am available for civic organizations, scouts, churches, or other groups…if I have enough notice!
Our office is located at 1200 W. Houston (next door to the Southwest Dairy Museum) in Sulphur Springs. We are open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday (closed during lunch and major holidays), and you’ll often find us here after hours and on Saturdays! Our district office is located in Dallas, and our state headquarters is located in College Station.
So, I hope I answered any questions you might have about “what I do.” Drop by for a visit sometime!
Closing Thought
Never judge a person until you have walked in their shoes – unknown
Johanna Hicks
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Family & Consumer Sciences
1200-B W. Houston
P.O.Box 518
Sulphur springs, TX 75483
903-885-3443 – phone
903-439-4909 – Fax
[email protected]
Lady Cat Soccer Win First Two Tourney Games; Wildcats Lose First Two
West Mesquite 4, Wildcats Soccer 1
Forney 2, Wildcats Soccer 0
The Wildcats’ soccer team opened regular season play with a pair of losses against tough opponents in a Forney tournament Thursday. The Wildcats lost to West Mesquite, 4-1. The Wranglers led at the half 3-0 and both teams tallied second half goals. The Wildcats then lost to Forney, 2-0. The Wildcats are 0-2 for the season. Friday in the Forney tournament, the Wildcats will play Royse City at 12:30 p.m. and Amarillo Tascosa at 6:30 p.m. The tournament will continue on Saturday.
Lady Cats Soccer 12, Dallas A Plus Academy 0
Lady Cats Soccer 4, Lindale 0
The Lady Cats’ soccer team opened the regular season with two impressive shutout wins in a Terrell tournament Thursday. The Lady Cats scored six goals in each half to overwhelm the Dallas A Plus Academy Lady Knights, 12-0. Later the Lady Cats defeated Lindale, 4-0. The Lady Cats led 3-0 at the half and tacked on one more goal in the second half. The Lady Cats are 2-0 for the season. They will play Athens in the Terrell tournament Friday at 12:45 p.m.The Terrell tournament wraps up Saturday.
Alexander Files for County Clerk
In a news release Reiko Alexander announced that she has filed for the March Democrat Primary as she seeks the position of Hopkins County Clerk.
“My name is Reiko Alexander and I am running for the position of Hopkins County Clerk. I was born and raised in Hopkins County. My parents were the late Cleveland and Wanda Alexander, also Hopkins County residents. I graduated from Sulphur Springs High School in 1994. I am blessed with three wonderful children, Shaquille, China and Iverson. I am very active in my church MLK Church of Christ. I have had the privilege of being a Bible school teacher, financial secretary and assistant youth director for my church. I am very active in the community with school events and service organizations. My children keep me busy with their academics and sporting events. I am currently the manager at a local loan business. I have more than ten plus years of executive experience in management, accounting, finance, purchasing and customer service.
“Between home, work and church, I started a community organization in Sulphur Springs called, “Gems of Color”. I saw a need for an adult volunteer mentoring organization for girls. I developed the “Gems of Color” program and asked successful, positive women role models in our community speak to and help mentor the Hopkins County middle and high school girls of all backgrounds who have joined the program. It has been a great success so far and will continue to produce positive results.
“I believe in giving back to my community through public service. It is why I decided to run for the office of Hopkins County Clerk. I have been blessed to live and work among many wonderful people in Sulphur Springs. I feel that my personal and executive skills will be useful to the citizens of Hopkins County as its County Clerk. I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know many more Hopkins County residents throughout this campaign. I will listen, learn and address any concerns of yours, so that the clerk’s office runs efficiently and responds to the needs of our residents. I would love your support in my campaign and will work HARD to earn your vote!”
Tira News-January 5th, 2018
By Jan Vaughn
Yvonne Weir reported that they had a busy Christmas. They had 10 extra on Saturday night, with Dustin and Destri and their families, and then the Dacy and her family came on Sunday and they all snacked and opened gifts. The kids had a good time running around playing together. Sarah and Lucas came on Christmas Day. Yvonne adds, “We met Dustin and Eleanor and Lukkas Kuffner, as well as Dacy, Elise, and Eli at Shenaniganz in Greenville on New Year’s
Day. Laser tag and bowling and video games were a big hit.”
Sherry Smiddy reports, “On December 16, 2017, Cross Spur Cowboy Church of Sulphur Springs Youth Team donated 90 hand tied blankets to the Scottish Rites Hospital of Dallas. Paige Baber and Conner Ragsdale of Winnsboro have been teaching the kids 8 and up for the past 3 years. They wanted to do a service project with the children this year.”
Chip and I took our daughter, Tiffany, and grandchildren, Kenden and Jaidyn, to Piney Shores Resort on Lake Conroe on Wednesday, December 27 th , which was Kenden’s 16 th birthday. We celebrated with dinner at Red Lobster. The weather was too cold for many outside activities, but we enjoyed swimming in the warm indoor pool and playing games in the lodge. We went to the Woodlands Ice Rink on Thursday evening and Chip, Tiffany, Kenden, and Jaidyn enjoyed
ice skating. On Friday, Chip and I drove to pick up our great-granddaughter, Dixie, at her home near Beaumont, and then returned to the resort. Dixie enjoyed swimming with us. On Saturday Dixie, Kenden, and Jaidyn slept late, while Chip, Tiffany, and I played games and started packing up to leave. The temperature was a little warmer, so we played mini-golf before checking out. After a late lunch, we headed back to Tira and dropped Dixie off to spend a few days with Landon, Laiken, Rylan, Brailon, and Slaiden.
Chip and I enjoyed celebrating on New Year’s Eve, with friends at the home of James and Vickie Longino. Others there included Eddie and Karen Northcutt, Greg and Karon Adams, Brad and Jeanine Fain, and Mike and Susan Smith. We enjoyed soup, snacks, and desserts, and then playing games.
On the evening of New Year’s Day, Landon, Laiken, Rylan, Brailon, Slaiden and Dixie enjoyed a meal of black-eyed peas, cabbage, and sausage, and a family game night. Landon and Dixie were sick on New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Day Tiffany and Jaidyn joined Chip and me for black-eyed peas and cabbage, and then came back for a snack supper and game night that evening.
I hope everyone is enjoying a good start to the New Year!
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-945- 2190 or 903-438- 6688 or [email protected].
Soil Liming: Beware of Lime Alternatives By Mario Villarino
Over the past few days, farmers have asked about liquid lime. According to the University of Kentucky, a recent (2015) investigation found that what was being marketed as a liquid lime with neutralizing value was in fact calcium chloride (CaCl2). This was bad news because CaCl2 provides no liming value, and is in fact not “liquid lime.” Calcium chloride is used for many purposes, including road salt or tractor tire ballast, however, it cannot be used to neutralize soil acidity. This article is intended to provide some information on liming materials, the lime reaction and explain why CaCl2 is not a lime source. Maintaining soil pH in the proper range is one of the most important parts of soil fertility management. Soil pH is considered the “master variable” because it influences so many of the chemical and biological functions of the soil. Maintaining soils in the optimum pH range often requires liming. East Texas soils are naturally acidic, even though much of the soils sit on top of limestone. Nitrogen fertilizers also contribute acidity when ammonium (NH4+) is nitrified to form nitrate (NO3–). Notice that ammonium has four hydrogens and nitrate has none. When ammonium transforms to nitrate, it releases hydrogen ions to the soil solution and pH is a measure of the activity or concentration of hydrogen ions (H+), which is represented mathematically as pH = –log[H+]. The more hydrogen ions present, the lower the pH value, since it is a negative logarithm. Values below 7 are considered acidic and values above 7 are considered alkaline. For most crops grown in Hopkins County , the target pH is 6.4-6.8. In this range the essential mineral nutrients are most available to growing plants. At pH below 5.0, soluble aluminum, iron and manganese may be toxic to the growth of some plants and phosphorus availability is decreased.
How Lime Works
So what is lime and how does it work? Liming materials are typically oxides (O2-), hydroxides (OH–), carbonates (CO32-) or silicates (SiO44−) of calcium (Ca) or magnesium (Mg). Some examples (with their chemical formulae) are calcitic lime (CaCO3), dolomitic lime (CaMg(CO3)2, quick lime (CaO), and hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2). Many people mistakenly believe it is the calcium or magnesium that works to “lime” a soil (i.e. neutralize acidity), but this is not true. It’s the oxide, hydroxide, carbonate or silicate that removes the H+ ions from solutions and raises the soil pH. The lime reaction is a two-step process, where first the lime dissolves in solution producing an anion. In the second step, the anion reduces the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in solution forming a water molecule. The anion produced by dissolving calcitic lime is a hydroxyl (OH–) anion, which then removes an H+ ion from solution forming a water molecule. In this example we can see that the calcium or magnesium actually does not reduce soil acidity, but instead it is the anion associated with the metal that is doing all the work.
Liquid Lime
What is liquid lime? It is simply a liming product that is dissolved in water. It is typically a high-quality lime with small particle size that dissolves easily in water. Liquid lime usually has a high relative neutralizing value (RNV) so it can quickly modify soil pH. However, since lime is dissolved in water, it typically consists of approximately 50% lime and 50% water by weight. Therefore, per ton of liquid lime applied, you would only be getting ½ ton of lime. If you needed 2 tons per acre of 100% effective lime you would probably need to apply over 4 tons per acre of the liquid lime — well in excess of 700 gallons per acre. That’s a lot of liquid to apply in one application, so you’d probably have to make multiple applications throughout the year to get the amount of effective lime on the field recommended by your soil test. Liquid lime is an actual product with some distinct advantages (fast acting) and distinct disadvantages (takes a lot of material to get the amount of carbonates required). However, CaCl2 is not liquid lime and has no liming ability. When researching the product being marketed in parts of the United States that the farmers were referring to as liquid lime, the product website says “liquid calcium presents growers with an alternative solution to lime applications.” The website also states that “Calcium neutralizes soil acidity.” This is simply not true, because as shown above , it’s not the metal (calcium or magnesium) in lime that reduces the H+ activity, but the associated anion.The other sales pitch made was the need for available calcium, an essential plant nutrient. The marketing materials implied that CaCl2 provides calcium you are not getting from your lime, saying “ag lime tends to be insoluble and can take years to break down and show its effectiveness.” It is true that limestone can be moderately soluble, but the finer particles in limestone are soluble and provide available calcium fairly quickly. One manufactured product available in the market is 10% calcium (as CaCl2). At the recommended application rate of 2-5 gallons (11.07 pounds per gallon) per acre, that’s 2.2-5.5 pounds of calcium. There are 800 pounds of calcium in a ton of calcitic lime (assuming 100% effective calcium carbonate). Even low-grade agricultural lime will typically provide a couple hundred pounds of soluble lime in the first year after application. Typically calcium deficiencies are not common for row crop production when proper pH management practices are followed. In summary, as is often the case, the buyer must beware when salesman start making claims that are too good to be true. There is no substitute for lime. The calcium or magnesium in agricultural lime are not what is responsible for its liming action. Furthermore, it is very unusual to need calcium or magnesium fertilizer in Texas soils, which typically have plenty of both available for plant growth with proper pH management. However, if you do need calcium or magnesium, using a calcitic or dolomitic limestone source is a great way to meet those needs.
For more information on this or any other agricultural topic please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443 or email me at [email protected].
Mario Villarino DVM, Ph.D.
Hopkins County Extension Agent for Ag and NR
1200B Houston Street
Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482
903-885-3443
Game Day: Wildcat and Lady Cat Soccer in Tournaments
Both the Wildcats and Lady Cats’ soccer teams begin the regular season Thursday (January 4) in separate tournaments.
The Wildcats are competing in a three day Forney tournament. The Wildcats played West MesquiteThursday morning. A match against Forney started at around 12:30 p.m. Thursday. Both West Mesquite and Forney are teams the Wildcats could possibly face in bi-district playoff action. Friday the Wildcats will play Royse City, another possible bi-district foe, at 12:30 p.m. and also Amarillo Tascosa at 6:30 p.m. Wildcats Soccer Coach Nicky Wiggins was on KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show last Saturday and he explained that the Forney tournament has a lot of teams in it from the Wildcats’ district and the district they face in bi-district play. The two district’s get matched up to keep district teams from meeting each other.
Meanwhile the Lady Cats’ soccer team begins play in a three-day Terrell tournament Thursday. They face Balch Springs Christian Academy at 2 p.m. and Lindale at 5:45 p.m. Thursday. The Lady Cats will compete against Athens Friday at 12:45 p.m. and Garland on Saturday at 8 a.m. Lady Cats Soccer Coach Joel Bailey was also on KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18 TV’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show last Saturday and he said if all goes as planned, the Lady Cats should have a nice long run in the Terrell tournament.
soccer ball net
NETBIO Hosts Two Sales to Start 2018
The Northeast Texas Beef Improvement Organization, in cooperation with the Sulphur Springs Livestock Commission, will host two big NETBIO sales events to kick off 2018.
Pre-conditioned calves and yearlings will be offered at the Jan. 17 and Feb. 21 NETBIO sales.
The first of the new year will be the regularly scheduled NETBIO Pre-Conditioned Stocker/Feeder Calf Sale on Wednesday, January 17. The second 2018 sale will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 21, the newest addition to the NETBIO annual sale schedule. Both sales will begin on 1 p.m. and will be held at the Sulphur Springs Livestock Auction.
The second sale, slated for Feb. 21, has been added to the NETBIO schedule due to the increased demand from organization members wanting to sell their pre-conditioned calves and yearlings.
The consignment book on the January 17 sale was closed before the end of the year after registering nearly 8,000 head for sale.
“We want to accommodate all of the producers who have pre-conditioned cattle ready for the NETBIO sale,” said Sulphur Springs Livestock co-owner David Fowler.
Producers have already consigned more than 2,000 head for the February sale. The consignment book for that sale will remain open and producers are urged to consign their cattle and schedule their delivery as early as possible. Just call the Livestock Sale office for ear tags and scheduling.
Fowler and co-owner Joe Don Pogue are expecting the demand to be good for the cattle selling at these two winter months.
Like all the NETBIO sales, these two sales will be broadcast on the Internet and the Sulphur Springs Livestock Auction will be accepting bids at LMA Auctions.com. Internet buyers should register in advance in order to bid.
For more information on these sales, call 903-885-2455 or visit their Web Site at www.sslivestockauctions.com.
Video Presentation: O’Rourke Seeks U. S. Senate Seat; Visited Hopkins County Wednesday
Kendal Scudder, Democrat candidate for Texas State Senate District 2, introduced Beto O’Rourke, a three-term congressman from El Paso, and Democrat candidate for the U. S. Senate Seat held by Republican Ted Cruz. It has been more than two decades since a Democrat has won a statewide election in Texas. However, O’Rourke, who is taking no PAC or special interest monies, is seeking to change that fact.O’Rourke’s visit to Hopkins County came as a surprise to local Democrats.
In a poll conducted this week, Cruz has an 18-point margin over O’Rourke if the election were conducted now. O’Rourke is making a whirlwind tour of Texas counties as his first step to introduce himself across the state. O’Rourke said his fight is to do the most necessary—jobs, health care, immigration, or “taking back our democracy” so that people and not corporations are represented. He stated 10,000 people have signed up to volunteer for his campaign.
Chicago Woman Arrested Locally for Possession of Fictitious ID, Information, Marijuana
She said her name was Cynthia Morris but with the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle and from her person, several things did not seem correct to the Hopkins County Deputy that made the traffic stop on West Shannon Road.
The woman handed the deputy a clear plastic bag containing a green leafy like substance believed to be marijuana and her backpack. In the backpack were four credit cards with the name Cynthia Morris and a large sum of United States currency secured by rubber bands. She stated that she had obtained the money by “selling herself”. In further discussion, she presented her proper identifying information. Her true name is Ciara Monique Chatman, 28, of Chicago, Illinois.
Ciara Monique Chatman
Chatman is in Hopkins County Jail charged with Possession of Fraud Use/Possession Identifying Information Items more than 5 but less than 10 (a Felony 3), Failure to Identify Giving False/Fictitious Information, and Possession of Marijuana less than 2 oz. She is being held on a $30,000 for Possession of Fraud Items, $2,500 for fail to identify, and $1,000 for possession of marijuana.
