AgriLife Extension Wildlife & Fisheries
AgriLife Extension Wildlife & FisheriesTeaching, Research, Extension and Service

Livestock predator program set Sept. 17 in Brownwood

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Livestock guardian dogs will be one of the ways to manage predators discussed on Sept. 17 in Brownwood. (AgriLife Extension photo by Susan Himes)

BROWNWOOD — The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be holding a livestock predator program on Sept. 17 at the Brown County Fairgrounds, 4206 U.S. Highway 377 S. in Brownwood.

The program will address the question of what livestock and/or wildlife producers can do to manage predators.

The cost is $30 if preregistered by Sept. 10 and $40 after that date. Fees are payable at the door, and cost includes a catered lunch. To preregister,  contact the AgriLife Extension office of Brown County at 325-646-0386.

Five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units are available, three in integrated pest management and two general.

“Coyotes, bobcats, feral hogs, black-headed vultures, mountain lions and a few more wild animals are all currently causing livestock and deer losses due to predation,” said Scott Anderson, AgriLife Extension agent for Brown County. “These livestock predators are in Brown and every other surrounding county. It seems that predator numbers continue to grow each year.”

Program topics and speakers include:

  • Utilizing guardian dogs to manage predators – Bill Constanzo, AgriLife Extension livestock guardian dog specialist, San Angelo.
  • Wildlife Services predator management – Mike Bodenchuk, Texas state director, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, San Antonio.
  • Wild Pig Control and Management – Josh Helcel, AgriLife Extension associate, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, College Station.
  • Managing coyote, mountain lion and bobcat predators – John Tomecek, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, San Angelo.
  • Nuisance wildlife predator management – Maureen Frank, Ph.D.,  AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, Uvalde.

The event is presented by the AgriLife Extension offices of Brown, Mills and San Saba counties. For more information, call 325-646-0386 or email Anderson at sa-anderson@tamu.edu.

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Preparing for spring planting, CEU ‘shootout’ program set Dec. 18 in Leming

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Writer: Paul Schattenberg, 210-859-5752, paschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu

Contact: Dale Rankin, 830-569-0034, dw-rankin@ag.tamu.edu

LEMING – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Atascosa County, in collaboration with the Atascosa Cattlemen’s Association, will present the Preparing for Next Spring on the Farm and Ranch and CEU Shootout program Dec. 18 in Leming.

The program will be held at the AgriLife Extension office for Atascosa County, 25 E. 5th St.

Cost is $30 and an RSVP is requested by Dec.10 to the AgriLife Extension office at 830-569-0034.

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the program from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch is included.

“This program will offer six Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units for private, commercial and non-commercial applicators,” said Dale Rankin, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, Atascosa County.

Program topics and AgriLife Extension presenters will be:

— Feral Hog Management and Nuisance Animals, Dr. Maureen Frank, wildlife specialist, Uvalde.

— Prickly Pear Herbicide Update and Brush Application Timing, Dr. Bob Lyons, range specialist, Uvalde.

— Cattle Fever Tick Update and External Parasites, Dr. Joe Paschal, livestock specialist, Corpus Christi.

— Laws and Regulations and Applicator Update, Dr. Mark Matocha, specialist, agricultural and environmental safety, College Station.

— Corn, Cotton and Grain Sorghum Technology and Variety Update, Dr. Joshua McGinty, agronomist, Corpus Christi.

— Integrated Pest Management in Pastures and Hay Fields, Rankin.

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Menard County Range Workshop set for Oct. 3

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Media contact: Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259, b-fannin@tamu.edu

MENARD – The 2018 Menard County Range Workshop sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Menard County Soil and Water Conservation District is set for Oct. 3 at the Murchison/Whitehead Memorial Youth Complex, 190 W. U.S. Highway 190 in Menard.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with the program starting at 8 a.m. Cost is $25 per person or $35 per couple. Lunch is included and sponsored by Capital Farm Credit. Five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered: two integrated pest management, two general and one laws and regulations.

“From range management and current leasing legal issues to predator control, we have a variety of topics that will be of interest to all producers,” said Lisa Brown, AgriLife Extension agent for Menard County.

Topics and speakers will be:

– Individual Plant Treatment and Sprayer Calibration, Dr. Bob Lyons, AgriLife Extension range specialist, Uvalde.

– Leasing Laws, Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist, Amarillo.

– Predator Control Using Livestock Guardian Dogs, Bob Buchholz, rancher.

– Chemical Management of Live Oak Wilt, Dr. David Appel, Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant pathologist, College Station.

– Wild Pig Management, Dr. John Tomecek, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, Thrall.

– Identifying and Treating Mexican Needle Grass, Dr. Barron Rector, AgriLife Extension range specialist, College Station.

 

To register, call 325-396-4708 or 325-396-4787 by Oct. 2.

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Multi-County Wildlife Management Workshop slated for Oct. 17 in Luling

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Writer: Paul Schattenberg, 210-859-5752, paschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu

Contact: Julie Zimmerman, 512-398-3122, julie.zimmerman@ag.tamu.edu

LULING – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and others will present the Multi-County Wildlife Management Workshop Oct. 17 at the Luling Foundation Farm, 523 S. Mulberry in Luling.

There will be a Multi-County Wildlife Management Workshop on Oct. 17 in Luling. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)

The workshop will begin with registration from 7:45-8:15 a.m., followed by a welcome and presentations to start at 8:20 a.m. The program will conclude at 3:30 p.m.

“Presentations relating to wildlife management will be given by AgriLife Extension personnel as well as experts from the Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Meadows Center,” said Julie Zimmerman, AgriLife Extension agent, Caldwell County.

Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units —  one integrated pest management, one laws and regulations and one general — will be offered to commercial, non-commercial and private pesticide applicators.

There is an early bird registration fee of $15 for registration by Oct. 11. Payment is by check only, payable to “Demonstration Fund” and delivered or mailed to the AgriLife Extension office in Caldwell County, 1403-B Blackjack St., Lockhart, Texas 78644.

On-site registration will be $25, payable by check or cash. No credit cards will be accepted.

Morning workshop topics and presenters will be:

— Wildlife Rules and Regulations, Joann Garza-Mayberry, Texas Game Warden.

— Wildlife Group Membership and Legislative Updates for 2019 Session, David Yeates, CEO, Texas Wildlife Association.

— Range Herbicide Labels and Product Use, Dr. Bob Lyons, AgriLife Extension range specialist, Uvalde.

— Wildlife Habitat Management and Doe Population, Robert Trudeau, wildlife biologist, Texas Parks and Wildlife.

From 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. attendees will have lunch, participate in a tabletop discussion and have the opportunity to visit educational booths. From 12:45 – 1:15 p.m., tabletop discussion reports will be presented, and there will be an “ask an expert” segment in which they may have questions about wildlife answered.

Afternoon workshop topics and presents will be:

— Nature Tourism: Integrating Alternative Income from Wildlife, Dr. John Tomecek, AgriLife Extension state wildlife specialist, Thrall.

— Wild Pig Management – Balancing Population Control and Game Use, Jacob Hetzel, wildlife biologist, Texas Wildlife Services/U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

— Regional Approach to Wild Pig Management, Nick Dornak, watershed services program manager, Meadows Center.

Afternoon presentations will be followed by a short wrap-up and evaluation.

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AgriLife Extension sets Concho Valley Wild Pig Management Workshop Sept. 12 in San Angelo

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Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu

Contact: Josh Blanek, 325-659-6523, j-blanek@tamu.edu

SAN ANGELO – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will conduct the Concho Valley Wild Pig Management Workshop on Sept. 12 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo.

The center is located north of town on U.S. Highway 87. The free multi-county workshop opens at 8:30 a.m. with registration, followed by the program from 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

The AgriLife Extension counties involved with the event are Tom Green, Irion, Sterling, Coke, Runnels, Concho and Schleicher.

This event is provided through a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Lunch will be provided courtesy of the Coke County Livestock and Wildlife Protection Association and the Sterling Wildlife Conservation Association.

RSVP before Sept. 7 to any of the participating AgriLife Extension offices. More information is available there or by contacting Josh Blanek, AgriLife Extension agent in Tom Green County, at 325-659-6523, j-blanek@tamu.edu .

Four general Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered.

“The old axiom about two kinds of landowners — those with feral hogs and those who are about to — sure rings true in our area,” Blanek said. “We’ve seen a huge influx of the pests here in recent years, which is the reason we are having this workshop and involving so many counties.

“Our goal is to bring landowners, managers and really, anyone facing the influx, abreast of the situation and what can be done to manage it.”

Topics and speakers will include:

-Wild Pig Biology, Impacts and Control, Josh Helcel, AgriLife Extension associate with Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, Burnet. Helcel will discuss the biology and impact feral hogs have on the environment and discuss control options including trapping and exclusion fencing.

-Wild Pig Safety and Disease Concerns, Dr. Pete Fincher, veterinarian, Texas Animal Health Commission, Region 6 director, Lampasas. Fincher will discuss health concerns for humans, livestock and wildlife, to include the hunting, handling and processing of feral swine.

-Development of an Oral Toxicant for Wild Pigs, Dr. John Tomecek, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, Thrall. Tomecek will speak on new developments and projected uses of oral agents for wild pig control once they become available, including their proper use and rules and regulations.

-Wild Pig Trapping and Snaring Demonstration, Doug Steen, Texas Wildlife Services district supervisor, San Angelo. Steen, along with Helcel and Tomecek, will talk about and show different methods to control wild pigs through the proper use of baits, traps and snares.

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