Writer: Robert Burns, 903-834-6191, rd-burns@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, 903-834-6191, VACorriher@ag.tamu.edu

All new topics and five continuing education units offered this year

OVERTON – Each year, the program planners for the East Texas Pasture Management Program try to cover new topics or at least examine older topics from new angles, according to Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service forage specialist, Overton.

Identifying and controlling common and unusual weeds, such as coral bean, will be one presentation at the East Texas Pasture Management Program. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)

This year’s program, scheduled 12:30 –6 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, is no exception, Corriher-Olson said.

One of the new topics Corriher-Olson will be presenting is “Fertilizer Best Management Practices and Products That Are Too Good To Be True.”

“Every year, products come out that seem too good to be true, but in times of crisis, as during a drought, we seem to see a lot more of them,” she said. “And often, as they are ‘new,’ these are the first products seen when you walk into the feed store.”

Corriher-Olson said not all these product claims are outlandish, but most often they are. She will be evaluating many of the new arrivals on the market and offering guidelines on how producers can make their own evaluations.

But the most common guideline is common sense, she said.

“As my mother told me, ‘If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” she said.

Registration is $25 online before Feb. 21, or $30 at the door on the day of the event. To register online, go to https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu and enter the keyword “pasture.”

The training will start at 12:30 p.m. with check-in and registration. Registration will include break refreshments, educational materials and an herbicide price-comparison CD.

The price-comparison CD has been updated for 2013, Corriher-Olson said

“The CD will help you make more economical choices when selecting an herbicide,” she said.

Other topics and presenters will be: “Effective Weed Control with Weed Identification, Proper Timing and Herbicide Selection,” Corriher-Olson; “How to Determine and Adjust Stocking Rates,” Dr. Jason Banta, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, Overton; “How to Use the Herbicide Cost Comparison CD,” Banta; and “External Parasite Control,” Banta.

Attendees can earn five continuing education units toward the renewal of their Texas Department of Agriculture private applicator’s licenses, one hour in laws and regulations, one in integrated pest management and three in the general category.

The Overton center is about two miles north of Overton on 1710 Farm-to-Market Road 3053. For maps and detailed driving directions, go to http://overton.tamu.edu and click on “Info, Maps and History,” or call Michelle Sensing at 903-834-6191 for more information.

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via East Texas Pasture Management Program set Feb. 22 at Overton | AgriLife Today

For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Courtney Coufal at cacoufal@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.