IN BRIEF: Webinar on stocking small ponds

Feb. 4—The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host a Feb. 13 webinar focused on diverse stocking strategies for small ponds as well as ponds greater than one acre.

The webinar takes place from 6-7:30 p.m., and registration cost is $35. To register, visit https://tx.ag/SportfishStocking.

Stocking strategies covered include:

—Four stocking strategies and two variations for ponds smaller than 1 acre in size.

—Two stocking strategies with several variations for ponds larger than 1 acre in size.

"Most importantly, we will cover the correct stocking order," said Todd Sink, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension aquaculture specialist and associate professor in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. "Stocking at the correct time in the correct order is critical to establishing a well-balanced pond that will provide decades of good fishing."

Undesirable fish species that should not be stocked in ponds due to their potential negative effect on the fishery will also be discussed.

A 30-minute Q&A session will conclude the hour-long webinar.

For more information, email brittany.chesser@tamu.edu.

'Driven' at First Baptist

First Baptist-Gainesville continues its consideration of the Book of John Sunday. Pastor Jeff will present "Driven to Testify" John 7:1-24. Two services are held each Sunday morning in the Summit, 308 E. Broadway in Gainesville. The contemporary Early First Service is 9-10 a.m. each Sunday morning, followed by the traditional service from 11 a.m.-noon.

The church invites the public to come for any service. Call 940-665-4347 for more information.

Help wanted

Workforce Solutions Texoma will host hiring events for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department over the next two weeks. They will take place at the Workforce office, 1311 N. Grand Ave. Ste. 200 in Gainesville, 10 a.m.-noon on Feb. 8 and 15. To find out more information about the job requirements, check out www.workintexas.com.

AARP tax help now available

AARP tax assistance packets are now available at the Cooke County Library in downtown Gainesville.

This packets include instructions on how to prepare 2023 tax returns. Clients will need to fill out the booklet and then contact AARP, as per the instructions attached with it.

Clients will need to make appointments this year. Instructions on how to make appointments will be attached with the AARP paperwork. This information can be found on an attached postcard. The first appointments won't be available until Tuesday, Feb. 5. Appointments will be from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesdays only. At this time, this service will be offered until Tuesday, April 9.

The library staff has no involvement with this service. The library is just the location, and the AARP Tax Aides are volunteers.

For any general questions, call the Cooke County Library at 940-668-5530. The library is located at 200 S. Weaver St.

Cooke County library Spanish storytime Feb. 21

Parents and their kids can join Ms. Og and Ms. Itzel for the Cooke County Library's first Spanish/Bi-Lingual children's storytime. The topic for this event, set for Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 10:30 a.m., will be Amor.

Just like the weekly children's class, this storytime will include songs, stories and a craft. This storytime will become a monthly event at the library. It will be held on the third Wednesday of each month.

For more information or questions on this event, please call the library at 940-668-5030.

In addition, the library will close Monday, Feb. 19, for President's Day. It will reopen Tuesday, Feb. 20, for normal business hours.

United Way now taking grant apps

Cooke County United Way is taking grant applications from local nonprofits through Feb. 9.

Grants are available from funds raised during the annual Campaign cycle, which opened in August 2023 for Pacesetters and then to the general public and small businesses in September.

These funds are provided to local agencies through grants awarded by the United Way's Community Investment Volunteer Committee.

The committee includes local community members who review all grant applications, visit each agency and interview potential candidates for funding.

They deliberate as a group and make recommendations to the Cooke County United Way Board of Directors, which votes to approve the funding and distributions as recommended.

Any local nonprofits that wish to learn more should email agrangruth@cookeuw.org.

Extension Farm and Ranch meeting Feb. 29

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension will host the Tri-County Farmer and Rancher Symposium Feb. 29 at First Christian Church in Gainesville.

The meeting, hosted for farmers and ranchers in Cooke, Montague and Grayson counties, will run 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Signup is $50 and can be done at the door. A light breakfast and lunch are included, along with five Continuing Education Units.

Call Leslie Kittrell in the Cooke County Extension office at 940-668-5414 for more information, or send an email to Leslie.Kittrell@ag.tamu.edu.

USDA repays can be made online

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that most farm loan borrowers will be able to make payments to their direct loans online through the Pay My Loan feature on farmers.gov in early February.

Pay My Loan is part of a broader effort by USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) to streamline its processes, especially for producers who may have limited time during the planting or harvest seasons to visit a local FSA office; modernize and improve customer service; provide additional customer self-service tools; and expand credit access to assist more producers.

"Farmers and ranchers have responded to some difficult challenges over the last few years and their time is a precious commodity," said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. "Having the option to conduct business online is essential, and the Pay My Loan feature allows customers to take care of business seamlessly. The online payment feature is just one of many ways the Farm Service Agency is modernizing its Farm Loan Programs and enhancing the customer experience for this incredibly hardworking group."

The Pay My Loan feature can be accessed at farmers.gov/loans.

To use the payment feature, producers must establish a USDA customer account and a USDA Level 2 eAuthentication ("eAuth") account or a Login.gov account. This initial release only allows individuals with loans to make online payments.

For now, borrowers with jointly payable checks will need to continue to make loan payments through their local office.

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For more information, call 940-665-5511.