Texas A&M AgriLife to host ag conferences in the region

Special to the Globe-News
·5 min read

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be hosting multiple ag conferences in the coming weeks in the region, including events in Clarendon, Dumas, Dalhart, Plainview and Stratford; here are some details about a few of the ones announced this week.

Southeast Panhandle Agriculture Conference

WHAT: Southeast Panhandle Agriculture Conference, focusing on cotton crops and weed management

WHEN: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16

WHERE: Donley County Activity Center, 4430 Texas Highway 70 in Clarendon

DETAILS: Hosted by the AgriLife Extension offices in Donley, Hall and Briscoe counties, the event will offer a total of five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units, including three general, one laws and regulations, and one integrated pest management. There also will be demonstrations from local and area representatives showcasing new technologies and products for 2024.

The cotton market will be one of the topics discussed at the 2024 Southeast Panhandle Agriculture Conference on Jan. 16 in Clarendon.
The cotton market will be one of the topics discussed at the 2024 Southeast Panhandle Agriculture Conference on Jan. 16 in Clarendon.

COST / CONTACT INFO: Registration is $20 and is payable at the door, but an RSVP is required. Lunch will be provided. To RSVP, contact the AgriLife Extension office in Donley County at 806-874-2141.

SPEAKERS AND TOPICS: The conference topics will include:

  • Management of cotton diseases and nematodes – Terry Wheeler, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant pathologist and professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Lubbock.

  • Cotton market outlook – John Robinson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension cotton economist and professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station.

  • Cotton weed management decisions for 2024 – Peter Dotray, Ph.D., AgriLife Research weed scientist and professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Lubbock.

  • Crop budgets – DeDe Jones, AgriLife Extension risk management program specialist, Amarillo.

  • Laws and regulations update – Leonard Haynes, AgriLife Extension ag and natural resources agent in Donley County. Cotton agronomics – Ken Lege, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension cotton agronomist, Lubbock.

Cotton will be one of many crops that will be discussed during the first Northwest Panhandle Crops Conferences that will be held on Jan. 17 in Stratford. There will be additional conferences later in January and in February.
Cotton will be one of many crops that will be discussed during the first Northwest Panhandle Crops Conferences that will be held on Jan. 17 in Stratford. There will be additional conferences later in January and in February.

3 Northwest Panhandle annual crop conferences

WHAT: Northwest Panhandle Crops Conferences

WHEN: Each event's programming will be 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., with lunch included, on Jan. 17 in Stratford, Jan. 25 in Dumas and Feb. 6 in Dalhart.

WHERE: For Stratford, the conference will be in the Sherman County Exhibit Barn, 501 S. Maple St.; for Dumas, it will be held in the Moore County Community Building, 1600 S. Maddox Ave.; and for Dalhart, it will be held in Frank Phillips College, 2890 Farm-to-Market Road 281.

DETAILS: Producers from the northwest Panhandle can hear the latest updates on agronomic and pest management issues at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Northwest Panhandle Crop Conferences during three separate events being held in the region this month and February. Dennis Coker, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomy agent in Dallam, Sherman, Moore and Hartley counties; Marcel Fischbacher, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Moore County; and Laura Taylor, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Dallam and Hartley counties, coordinated the events.

COST / CONTACT INFO: The programs are free; however, advanced registration is requested at the following AgriLife Extension offices: Moore, 806-935-2594, Dallam-Hartley, 806-244-4434; or Sherman, 806-366-2081.

SPEAKERS AND TOPICS: All the programs and speakers will be the same at each location. The topics and speakers include:

  • Overview of second-year plant mapping progress and its contribution to a standard target development curve for the northwest Texas Panhandle – Craig Bednarz, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research crop physiologist and director of the Semi-Arid Agricultural Systems Institute and associate professor at West Texas A&M University, Canyon.

  • Acreage optimization tools for crop water management – David Parker, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension water engineering specialist and associate professor at West Texas A&M, Canyon.

  • Survey of soil carbon levels in cotton and corn cropping systems on different farms scattered across the northwest Texas Panhandle and comparison to soil carbon levels elsewhere in the High Plains – Joseph Burke, Ph.D., AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension cropping system agronomy and weed scientist and assistant professor in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Lubbock.

  • Market outlook for cotton and grains cropping systems, coping with increasing input costs and protection measures for adverse weather – DeDe Jones, AgriLife Extension program specialist, Amarillo.

  • What is going on with the use of biologicals in crops? – Cameron Murley, Ph.D., senior station superintendent, Oklahoma Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Goodwell, Oklahoma.

Pest management, weed management and regenerative agriculture are some of the topics that will be discussed during the Mid-Plains Ag Expo on Jan. 18 in Plainview.
Pest management, weed management and regenerative agriculture are some of the topics that will be discussed during the Mid-Plains Ag Expo on Jan. 18 in Plainview.

Mid-Plains Ag Expo

WHAT: Mid-Plains Ag Expo, addressing regenerative agriculture and pest management, among other topics

WHEN: 7:45 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 18

WHERE: At the assembly room in the Hale County Justice Center, 225 Broadway St. in Plainview

DETAILS: There will be a total of seven Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units available, including one laws and regulations, four general, one integrated pest management and a second laws and regulations CEU for those who attend the auxin training. Lunch will be provided, and sponsorships will also be available.

COST/CONTACT INFO: Registration is $30 per person and $100 per vendor booth. An RSVP is required for both individuals and vendors. To RSVP, call the AgriLife Extension office in Hale County at 806-291-5267 or visit https://tx.ag/MidPlainsAgExpo.

TOPICS AND SPEAKERS: The program agenda includes the following:

  • Laws and regulations – Mark Navarrete, inspector, Texas Department of Agriculture, Plainview.

  • Regenerative agriculture and nutrient management – Katie Lewis, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research soil chemistry and fertility scientist and professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Lubbock, and Joseph Burke, Ph.D., AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension cropping system agronomy and weed scientist and assistant professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Lubbock.

  • Update on herbicide resistant weeds – Peter Dotray, Ph.D., AgriLife Research weed scientist and professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Lubbock.

  • Residue management using cover crops – R.N. Hopper, farmer, Harmony Farms, Petersburg.

  • Water quality – Jourdan Bell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist and associate professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Amarillo.

  • Advances in integrated pest management and impact of 2023 research results – Blayne Reed, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management agent in Hale County.

  • Farm Bill updates – Kody Bessent, chief executive officer, Plains Cotton Growers, Lubbock.

  • Auxin training – Kristie Keys, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Castro, Hale and Lamb counties.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Texas A&M AgriLife to host ag conferences in the region