Hopkins County Has Gone Hog Wild
By Savannah Owens What is going on with all these wild hogs? KSST set out to find out the best ways to manage the hog problem. We spoke with Extension Agent Mario Villarino, TAMUC’s Dr. Johanna Delado-Acevedo, and Wild Boar Outfitters Owner, Marcus Keith to get to the root of this major problem. Don’t be confused by the names! Wild hogs, Wild pigs, Feral pigs, etc. all are the same animal. However: wild hogs are not Javelinas....
A Year in Review: 2018 Hopkins County Water Conservation
Developed by Dr. Mario A. Villarino,County Extension Agent forAgriculture and Natural ResourcesHopkins County, Texas Relevance: Water quality and conservation have emerged as predominant issues across Texas as indicated through local input, elected officials/legislative actions, and numerous other indicators. Water for domestic and agricultural use is becoming...
Agrilife: September Critical Month for Gardens
September is a critical month for our gardens. With temperatures starting to drop, it make a perfect time for working on the garden. The recommended activities for the garden for September by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Dr. Welch, Horticulture) are as follows: Sustaining adequate moisture in the garden and landscape is the #1 priority for late summer and fall. Water trees and shrubs by giving them at least one inch of water per...
Agrilife: Bees and Food Production
As I wrote this segment, temperatures in Hopkins County are steadily maintained in the upper 90’s. Our landscapes and agricultural fields suffer the consequences of high temperatures. Wild flowers and late summer crops in gardens are producing their last crop for the season. Insects and pollinators are working intensively. When referring to honey bees, Dr. Mike Merchant, extension urban entomologist with Texas A&M AgriLife wrote:...
Control of Grassburs: Proper Timing is Critical
by Mario Villarino This time of the year most of our pastures and lawns remain idle. The cold temperatures make our Bermuda based pastures become dormant waiting for warmer weather. This is the time for us to start planning our noxious weed control during pasture and lawn dormancy, since grasses do not get terribly affected by non-targeted herbicides. According to Dr. McAfee, former Turf Specialist (deceased) for Texas A&M...
NETBIO’s First Cattleman’s Classic and Ribeye Roundup!
NETBIO CEO Dwight Bell and Dr. Mario Villarino, Secretary/Treasurer, discuss the October 16/17 Beef event in Sulphur Springs. In addition to education seminars at the Civic Center on Friday October 16, the committee has planned a steak cook-off and dinner with concert that evening on Celebration Plaza. Entertainment will be Hopkins County’s own Johnny Lee and the Urban Cowboy Band. An added feature will be a 5K “Run for...
NETBIO Plans October Ribeye Round up
The Northeast Texas Beef Improvement Organization (NETBIO) founded in 1998 has established a reputation throughout the Southern United States for its preconditioned calf sales. Their focus is on improving the genetic makeup of area cattle herds, enhancing management practices to meet the national quality assurance standards and producing healthy pre-conditioned calves that will perform from the time they leave the ranch until they...
Mosquito Control in Texas
This time of the year, the temperature and high humidity levels are an invitation to outdoor activities where mosquitoes can be a problem. When it comes to mosquito control devices, about the only thing that works is common sense, says a former entomologist with Texas A&M University. Meanwhile, many Texas citizens are using devices or controls costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars that may offer only marginal control or...
Energy and Plant Development
Energy is in constant debate because we as a culture and society have created our surroundings dependent of energy. Most of our housing, offices and building codes are meant to satisfy safety and personal appeal, not energy efficiency. One very effective way to harness energy is using plants, probably the most effective biological energy collector systems today. However, even plants require light and heat to propagate from seeds. A...
National 4-H Week
4-H has a long, proud history in Hopkins County. All across the nation, 4-H’ers will be recognizing National 4-H Week, October 5-11. County 4-H clubs and groups have the opportunity to showcase what they have gained from their membership at the local and county level, said Dr. Toby Lepley, assistant state 4-H leader for the Texas 4-H Youth Development Program. A fundamental purpose of the 4-H program is to highlight our program’s...
