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Welcome to SantaAnna News.comJames Pelton's News for and about folks from Santa Anna Texas
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On Saturday, February 24, 2007, the Santa Anna Historical Development Organization will dedicate an interpretive sign at the Santa Anna Community Center at 10:00 a.m. Funded by matching grants from Texas Commission on the Humanities and the Coleman County Foundation, the sign memorializes the life and work of stone mason and sculptor Thomas T. Perry, resident of Santa Anna till his death in 1943.
The agenda includes:
• The Perry Family Heritage
• Humanities Texas information
• Coleman County Foundation information
• Information about the value of heritage tourism
WHAT: Dedication Ceremony
WHEN: Saturday, February 24, 2007, 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: Santa Anna Community Center
300 South Houston, Santa Anna
WHO: Descendents of T.T. Perry, historians, those interested in local history and
heritage tourism, general public
Feb. 22, 2007
Writer: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872,ka-phillips@tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – Labor and environmental issues are among the greatest concerns for plant nursery operators, but niche marketing and alliances offer opportunities that could help businesses survive.
That's according to Jim Prewitt of Coppell, owner of Landmark Nurseries, Inc., who recently keynoted the third Distinguished Lecture Series on International Floriculture at Texas A&M University. The lecture is sponsored by the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture in the department of horticultural sciences.
Prewitt said while state and federal governments grapple with labor issues and immigration reform, local municipalities and small businesses are bearing the brunt of costs involved in managing labor.
"I lost 30 percent of my workforce after Hurricane Katrina because they could get higher paying jobs in cleaning up after the storm, and I haven't gotten them back," said Prewitt, whose company has several production, distribution and sales outlets in Texas. "To lose people who are trained and skilled is a tremendous drain on a company."
Prewitt said he "bristles" when he hears the plant industry referred to as low-paying, saying his non-skilled laborers are paid about $8 per hour, an amount higher than minimum wage and which he said is typical in the plant nursery industry in surveys he has seen.
He said plant producers struggle with increasing energy costs and with seeking ways to be more environmentally friendly with the products they use and discard.
"We have to both heat and cool our greenhouses," he said. "Anyone who doesn't believe that, doesn't live in Texas."
He said industry leaders are developing new ways to create energy, such as by burning biomass or recycled plastics which have been pelleted.
All of these efforts – from labor to environmental techniques – require money, he noted, and that gets passed to consumers. Yet consumer demand for plants and other "outdoor living" items is strong.
"We live in an increasingly urbanized world and people want more and more green space, so they seek products for that," he said. "Our land is chopped up with houses and concrete and that means people have a stronger desire for plants."
Prewitt said two things – student interns and more research – can help the industry learn how to meet current consumer demand.
Student interns not only learn by working for a company in their major, they also bring information to employers and back to faculty and thus help each be more current on topics such as consumer trends, for example.
In the meantime, Prewitt said, plant companies should continually look for niche markets and perhaps new alliances to stretch dollars into profitability.
Feb. 22, 2007
Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576,s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contact: John Begnaud, 325-659-6528,j-begnaud@tamu.edu
SAN ANGELO – The pecan may be the state tree of Texas, but if there's a runner-up, it's probably the live oak.
"No other tree is so widely planted as is this popular oak variety," said John Begnaud, Texas Cooperative Extension horticulture agent for Tom Green County.
"Green is always a welcome color in dry west Texas landscapes," he said. "The same holds true even in wetter climates during the grey cold days of winter. Other than the pines which are conifers, or needle producers, few large trees can deliver evergreen foliage the way live oaks do."
Live oaks are not deciduous, according to Begnaud. They don't drop their leaves for a winter rest period. This evergreen oak's leaf-drop is very brief, unlike most oaks which remain bare all winter.
Live oaks are drought-tolerant Texas natives that are well adapted to a wide range of soils. Although considered slow growers, these trees can grow quickly if they are watered and fertilized two to three times a year when they are young.
Live oaks are true giants, Begnaud warned. In home landscapes, plant them no closer than 20 feet from the home, 15 feet from solid surfaces and at least 35-40 feet away from the nearest tree, he advised.
"The No.1 complaint about live oak trees is the mess they make from dropping leaves, acorns, occasional aphid sapping and roosting birds," Begnaud said. "These reasons and their size make planting them away from water features and outdoor living areas a good idea."
The trees' thick multiple-branched canopy provides cover for birds and animals, Begnaud said. Most hanging deterrents, such as rubber snakes and owls, usually don't impress roosting birds enough to make them move. Selectively pruning crowded, rubbing or duplicated branches makes birds feel less safe and exposed to cats and other predators.
Pruning also lets sunlight through the canopy and helps turf grow under the trees, he said, adding that February is the best time to prune live oaks. Large, old trees benefit from occasional pruning, but, unlike younger trees, need no fertilizer unless stressed from disruption to the root system.
Ideally, pruning should end before leaf shed and warm spring weather, especially in oak wilt areas, Begnaud said.
Cold weather may turn live oak leaves brown, but Begnaud said not to worry, because the discolored leaves will drop in early spring. New leaves sprout and grow in spring and early summer, but unlike many evergreens, live oak leaves only last a year.
"This leaf shed and re-leafing can be unnerving to some and is sometimes so dramatic it leaves the trees naked for one or two weeks in the spring," Begnaud said. "Genetics and environmental influences determine the degree of live oak leaf color, size and shedding."
Root sprouts or suckers can be a real problem with some live oaks. A considerable amount of research has been done on the topic with no real answers yet, he said.
"To date, there are no repellants, hormones or chemical sprays that reliably suppress or remove these suckers without harming the mother trees," he said. "Hand-grubbing or deep-root pruning can reduce these suckers for a few years, but they come back. Planting ground covers beneath these root sprouters, such as Asian jasmine, which has a similar leaf form, can help hide these suckers."
Now is the time to plant container and balled and burlapped live oaks, Begnaud said. It's also a good time to dig trees from pastures or relocate volunteer trees.
Just remember to give these mighty oaks plenty of room to grow, Begnaud said. The result will be a majestic natural treasure that should last for generations with a minimum of care.
Feb. 22, 2007
Writer: Paul Schattenberg, 210-691-5929,paschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Randy Smith, 210-472-5456, ext. 238,randy.m.smith@aphis.usda.gov
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SAN ANTONIO -- In a semi-rural section of northwest San Antonio, dozens of vultures congregate on high-tension electrical towers as if holding a meeting. Others make lazy circles in the air, waiting for an opportunity to land and join them.
"The large black birds we see throughout Texas and refer to as buzzards are actually vultures," said Randy Smith, staff biologist with Texas Wildlife Services in San Antonio. "We have two species of vulture in Texas -- the turkey vulture and the black vulture."
Texas Wildlife Services, part of Texas Cooperative Extension, receives dozens of reports each year about "conflicts" between vultures and humans in Central Texas, Smith said. "Some are isolated or individual instances, while others represent more repetitive or persistent problems," he said.
In this region, vultures have damaged electrical high-tension towers, power lines and buildings, Smith said. They also create a potential hazard to commercial and military aircraft. And vultures in rural areas, especially black vultures, sometimes attack sheep, goats and cows while giving birth, often killing their newborns.
Vultures often congregate on electrical high-tension towers and have been known to damage power lines and insulators, causing electrical shorts or interruptions, according to biologists with Texas Wildlife Services. In Central Texas, vultures have damaged high-rise buildings and caused problems for aircraft. In rural areas, they sometimes attack sheep, goats and cows while giving birth, killing their newborns.
(Texas Cooperative Extension photo by Paul Schattenberg)
"The black vulture is the one that causes the most damage," Smith said. "Turkey vultures are usually more guilty by association since they're frequently in the company of black vultures."
Black vultures are smaller but more aggressive than turkey vultures, he said. The turkey vulture has a bald red head and neck, while the black vulture has a featherless black head and neck.
While vultures sometimes damage property or injure or kill livestock, they play an important part in the ecosystem, helping speed along disposal of dead animals, Smith said. "Vultures are nature's sanitation crew," he said. "They perform an important service by disposing of carcasses that might possibly cause the spread of disease. But sometimes we need to control them. We do this by non-lethal means whenever possible."
The vulture population in Texas has been steadily growing, Smith said, and this leads to the occasional clash between the vulture and human culture.
"There's been a marked increase in vulture complaints over the past 10 to 15 years," he said. "We know there are more of them than in recent history."
One location where vultures cause damage is electrical high-tension towers, Smith said. The height of these towers and amount of available space where the birds can land and gather make them an attractive roosting place. They also provide a "thermal lift," allowing vultures to take off and soar with minimal effort.
"But the weight of these vultures on the power lines, along with their acidic droppings, can affect electrical lines and their insulators," he said.
"Vultures have been known to short out power lines," Smith said. "And even if they don't cause shorts, they can still cause power spikes or interruptions. For businesses that require a consistent flow of electricity, like a microchip manufacturer, that fluctuation can cause problems and possibly lead to a significant loss of time and money."
Vultures also damage buildings, especially tall ones, he added.
"In addition to the mess made by their droppings, people tend to be disturbed by the presence of vultures outside their office windows," Smith said. "Frequently after they've landed on the ledge of an office building, they will peck at the black rubber stripping around the nearby windows. They peck at this rubber material until the entire seal is removed, compromising the integrity of the window."
Vultures in the vicinity of airports and military air bases create another potential problem, Smith said.
"With vultures within a certain proximity to airfields, there's the possibility of an 'air strike' between them and a plane, especially during takeoff or landing," he said. "And while the chances of vultures actually downing an aircraft are remote, it has happened before."
The greatest potential for damage during vulture/plane contact is what the Federal Aviation Administration calls "engine ingestion" of the bird, Smith said.
"Planes have been downed by much smaller birds than vultures getting sucked into an engine and causing the engine to fail," he said. "And even when the plane lands safely after such a strike, there can still be significant damage to the engine."
Over the past several years in San Antonio, wildlife services has provided vulture control for Southwest Research Institute, City Public Service, owners and managers of various high-rise office and apartment buildings, and restaurant owners.
In the Austin area, wildlife services has done vulture control on electrical high-tension towers, high-rise office buildings and residential areas in the city, said Jacob Hetzel, wildlife damage management biologist for the agency in Austin.
"We've also done control in rural areas of Travis County where there livestock has been attacked," Hetzel said.
Recently the agency helped resolve a vulture problem in New Braunfels.
"Vultures were roosting in trees and other areas in a public park," said Doug Steen, assistant district supervisor for the wildlife agency. "The population had grown and had started to spill over into an adjacent neighborhood. They were roosting in people's trees and on their homes, defecating on their lawns and houses."
Inside the park, vultures were damaging vehicles, including eating wiper blades and vinyl seats, pecking at the caulking in the pool area and defecating on picnic tables.
"We were concerned about the damage and the possible threat to human health in terms of possible disease transmission," Steen said.
After about two weeks of harassment with pyrotechnics, wildlife services was able to drive the vultures out of the neighborhood and reduce their population at the park.
"Some of them are returning to the park, so we'll probably have to go out and harass them again with some more pyrotechnics to get them to move to another location," Steen said.
"We're about the only people who have the expertise and equipment to address problems associated with damage caused by vultures," said Mike Bodenchuck, state director for the organization. "It's appropriate for homeowner associations, utility companies or building owners to contact us in the event they're having a vulture problem. Once we've been contacted, we'll investigate and make an assessment of what we might do to help control the problem."
Depending on the nature and extent of a problem, wildlife services can provide either technical expertise or hands-on assistance, Bodenchuck said.
"In most cases where it's a small problem with a single animal or small number of animals and there's no real threat to human health or safety, we can instruct people what to do to handle the situation themselves," he said. "But if the problem is more serious and persistent, posing a threat to human health or safety, we may have to get directly involved."
In Cental Texas, the agency has provided technical assistance or direct control toward managing racoons, snakes, skunks, coyotes, vultures and other wildlife.
The main form of wildlife control is harassment, Smith added. Other forms of control include trapping and relocating animals or trapping and euthanizing them.
"With vultures, try to drive them from their roosting area with pyrotechnics, especially those with a loud bang or whistle," Smith said. "We also shine laser lights into their faces and eyes to frighten and annoy them. Black birds are especially sensitive to red light." Another means of harassment include firing off propane cannons and hanging vulture "effigies" near roosting areas.
"We also use duck decoys and paint them black to simulate vultures, then hang them off electrical towers or trees," Smith said. "It spooks the vultures because they don't like to see what appears to be one of their own kind dead. It's an effective means of control."
Because vultures, like many other species of bird, are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a federal depredation permit is needed to trap or euthanize them, Smith said.
"You don't need a permit from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to harass vultures, and so that's usually the first means of controlling the birds," he said. "The next step up is to apply for a permit that allows you to trap and release the birds or trap and kill the birds."
Wildlife services will only euthanize a vulture if that is the only effective means of control, Smith said.
"As with other types of wildlife control, the more tools you have at your disposal, the better the chances for effective results," he said. "But we do whatever we can to preserve vultures or other animals whenever possible. Wildlife plays a vital role in our ecosystem -- and we respect that."
Feb. 22, 2007
Funds will enable Texas' efforts to find a cure for cancer
Today at events in Houston and Dallas, Gov. Rick Perry joined leaders in cancer research and technology to champion a $3 billion research initiative focused on finding a cure for cancer. With the sale of the lottery, the state can dedicate $300 million annually toward research efforts. This funding will give stability to important scientific projects, while making Texas a national leader in cancer research.
“Steady funding is particularly important in research endeavors to ensure uninterrupted progression of scientists' work,” Perry said. “This funding will unite today’s brightest minds in cancer research to work together with our universities and research institutions toward a common goal: curing cancer.”
Today, Texas is home to 400,000 cancer survivors. This year 95,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer, and 34,000 lose their battle with the disease. The resources made available through the cancer research initiative will be used to focus primarily on how cancer metastasizes and pharmaceutical development. Steady financial support also allows Texas to draw many esteemed researchers to the state to work together with universities and other research institutions.
In recent years, the lottery has yielded approximately $1 billion annually. However, this funding is an unstable source of revenue. Selling the lottery for a conservatively estimated $14 billion allows the state to invest in secure trust funds which would annually generate nearly $1.3 billion interest, $300 million more than yearly lottery returns. Gov. Perry proposes using the annual interest gained from the sale of the lottery to establish trust funds in perpetuity for cancer research efforts, public education, and a premium assistance program for the uninsured.
“How we finance cancer research is secondary to whether we do finance cancer research,” Perry said. “We have to reach for the stars today so we can promise a brighter future for the next generations of Texans.”
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Dragnet also catches two Louisiana fugitives hiding in Texas
CORPUS CHRISTI – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s Fugitive Unit has arrested 12 convicted child sex offenders and two Louisiana criminals during a one-week South Texas fugitive operation.
The Attorney General’s investigators, working with local law enforcement officers in several South Texas counties, arrested eight men for violating Texas sex offender registration requirements. Six parole or probation violators were also arrested in the sweep, including two Louisiana fugitives who went into hiding during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuation.
“Texans expect law enforcement to closely monitor convicted sex offenders. Protecting children is our highest priority,” Attorney General Abbott said. “The Fugitive Unit will continue aggressively pursuing violent felons and missing parolees who pose a threat to our children. We are grateful to the local police and county sheriff’s departments that helped us locate and arrest these dangerous criminals.”
| Unregistered Sex Offender Arrests | |||
 Alvin Smith |  Pedro Arredondo |  Richard Lemon |  Salvador Cantu |
 Oliver Brown |  Shelvy Grant |  Robert McMullen |  Patrick Schweikert |
| Fugitive Arrests | |||
 Lindsey Duckworth |  Gilbert Fraga |  Roy Guzman |  Eugene Fleming, Jr. |
| Louisiana Fugitive Arrests | |||
 Billie Robertson |  Dominic Lampton | ||
Feb. 20, 2007
Writer: Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259,b-fannin@tamu.edu
Contact: David Anderson, 979-845-4351,danderson@tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – Cold weather sweeping through a portion of the nation's feedlot industry could be playing an even bigger role on live cattle weights than the price of corn, a Texas Cooperative Extension economist said.
Even though corn prices have increased due to growing ethanol production, Texas-Oklahoma steer and heifer live weights have declined more than 2 percent from a year ago, said David Anderson, Extension livestock marketing economist.
"The weight data would suggest the declines are actually due to weather and not due to higher feed prices," he said, noting 2006 feedlot-finished weights were close to 2005 levels, with weekly changes less than 1 percent.
Corn price swings due to ethanol demand is putting a squeeze on the profitability of feedlot operations. With already lighter weight cattle coming into feedlots, operators are faced with feeding more expensive corn to add more gain.
Drought conditions throughout Texas last year yielded lighter-weight cattle, Anderson said.
"The rule of thumb that ‘the lighter they go in, the lighter they come out' is also an issue affecting weights," Anderson said.
Ranchers were forced to send lightweight calves to market due to poor pasture conditions. Lack of rainfall and scorching temperatures in 2006 sent large numbers of calves to sale barns earlier than normal.
During the 1992-1993 winter, similar cold weather systems blew through the Plains cattle feeding industry. Those severe winter conditions led to weight loss, sickness and increased death loss, Anderson said.
"During that winter and spring, cattle weights were lower than in the same week the year before for 34 consecutive weeks," Anderson said. "Weight declines exceeded 3 percent some weeks."
Meanwhile, the recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Cattle Inventory Report indicated total cattle inventory increased 301,000 head from Jan. 1, 2006. That's only three-tenths of a 1 percent increase, indicating cattle herd expansion "is continuing in this cycle, albeit slowly," Anderson said.
"But the really interesting part was in the beef cow herd," he said. "While the total inventory was up, beef cow numbers were down 100,000 head. That also amounted to a small, three-tenths of 1 percent decline, but it confirmed the impact of the drought on the Southern Plains cow herd."
Beef cow replacements were also down significantly, he noted. Texas' beef cows dropped 152,000 head or 3 percent from a year ago, while Oklahoma saw a decline of 75,000 head (4 percent). Missouri, Montana, Kansas and South Dakota saw a combined 3 percent decrease in beef cows.
However, Kentucky (8 percent), Colorado (7 percent) and New York (34,000 head) all saw increases in beef cow numbers, Anderson notes.
"So where are we headed?" Anderson said. "While the total inventory was up slightly – indicating a continued cattle cycle headed higher in inventory – that was influenced by the large number of cattle on feed. The productive part of the cow herd, the cows and replacements, was smaller than a year ago.
"We can attribute that to the drought that affected the two largest cow states – Texas and Oklahoma. Those two states alone reduced cow numbers by 227,000 head."
Calf prices should remain historically high in 2007, Anderson said, but around late 2006 levels, with the higher corn prices figured in.
"What drought has taken away, rains may bring back," he said. "With calf prices at these levels, good pasture and range conditions may restart herd expansion in the drought-affected states. All told, this would suggest a very slow expansion beginning again when pasture and range conditions are accessed by producers."
Consumers may notice few changes at the retail meat counter, Anderson said. "While cattle weights are lower, beef production is expected to be a little larger than a year ago, leaving prices about the same to the consumer."
Editor's Note: The following information can be used for a breakout fact box:
* Even though corn prices have increased due to growing ethanol production, Texas and Oklahoma steer and heifer average live weights have declined more than 1 percent from 2006. Severe cold weather affects feed consumption of feedlot cattle, can lead to sickness and, in some cases, death loss. Drought conditions in Texas and parts of the Midwest last year attributed to the lighter weights. Higher corn prices may be forcing some feedlots to send cattle to slaughter sooner as a result of expensive feed.
* The recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Cattle Inventory Report indicates total cattle inventory increased 301,000 head from Jan. 1, 2006.
"That's only three-tenths of a 1 percent increase, indicating cattle herd expansion is continuing in this cycle, albeit slowly," said Dr. David Anderson, Texas Cooperative Extension livestock marketing economist. Source: Texas Cooperative Extension
Dr. David Anderson, Texas Cooperative Extension livestock marketing economist, points to trend data while discussing how cold weather is causing declines in feedlot cattle weights. Consumers may notice few changes at the retail meat counter, Anderson said. "While cattle weights are lower, beef production is expected to be a little larger than a year ago, leaving prices about the same to the consumer."
(Texas Agricultural Experiment Station photo by Blair Fannin)
Feb. 19, 2007
Writer: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872,ka-phillips@tamu.udu
Contact: Dr. Bill Welch, 979-845-8564,wc-welch@tamu.edu
NEW ORLEANS – This is the story of a rose. A nameless rose. A rose that had no thorns, not one.
It came to Peggy Martin as a little cutting from a friend. Her friend had gotten a cutting from a relative who had in turn gotten it from another relative. Peggy planted the rose by an old shed that she wanted to cover – an ugly old shed. And soon enough the rose covered the shed with its beautiful pink clustered blossoms and long graceful canes.
Dr. Bill Welch, Texas Cooperative Extension horticulturist, didn't expect a cutting of the Peggy Martin rose to do as well in Texas as in its New Orleans location. But the rose is thriving along a fence that hides an air conditioning unit.
(Photo courtesy of Dr. Bill Welch)
That was 18 years ago. And that's how it stood all those years in Louisiana, showing its beauty to visitor after visitor, standing out as the pride of Peggy's garden – her own Eden – until 2005.
This is also the story of rebirth. A rekindling of joy. A realization that good returns, abundantly.
Peggy and her husband, Marcus, left the nameless, thornless rose that August fleeing from Katrina. When they returned, the rose was the least of Peggy's thoughts. She went home after the hurricane to claim the bodies of her mother and father who drowned after refusing to leave. What's more, there was nothing left of her home, nor of her beautiful garden. More than 450 rose bushes and all other plants she had nurtured over the years, washed away. The home place stood under 20 feet of saltwater for at least two weeks.
But when the water receded and Peggy returned once more, there was just a glimmer of green under the muddy remains where the rose bush had been. And ultimately, as the sun continued to shine and rain fell at the right time, the rose bloomed again and again and again.
Now the rose is being cultivated by five nursery owners who got cuttings from Peggy's bush. A portion of the proceeds from their sales will fund horticulture restoration programs in New Orleans and other hurricane-damaged botanical and historical gardens and parks. And the abundant plant now has a name – the Peggy Martin Rose.
"It has been a wonderful bright spot for me. It has kept me from dwelling on my sadness," said Peggy, who now lives in Gonzales, La.
The rose had been a catalyst for Peggy joining a gardening club, she recalls. That enabled her to meet fellow gardeners – many of them well-known horticulturists who came to address the New Orleans members.
"I always loved that rose, and all those years, any time anyone came, I could get them to come look at the rose to see if they could tell me what its name was," Peggy said.
That is how Dr. Bill Welch, Texas Cooperative Extension horticulturist came to know the rose.
It's thornless, and it grows fast. But one of the most attractive feature of the Peggy Martin rose is its vivid pink clusters of flowers that bloom almost all year long in southern climates.
(Photo courtesy of Dr. Bill Welch)
In 2003, when he was in New Orleans to speak at her garden club, Peggy brought Welch and his wife, Diane, to her garden. He didn't know its name but was intrigued by the thornless bush with flower-loaded canes cascading around the shed.
She told Welch about the hand-me-down cutting and offered him a snip of it as well.
The Welches rooted their cutting in their yard by a fence that surrounds air-conditioning equipment. But they were skeptical the plant would thrive in the extreme heat and different soil around their place in Washington County, Texas.
"I saw the cutting quickly mature into a vigorous specimen that spans most of the 15- by 4-foot fence," Welch said. "It is literally covered with clusters of dark, pink flowers each spring from mid-March through May. It starts blooming again in late summer and repeats until a hard frost slows it down for the winter."
The bush, he felt, was destined to be developed as a hearty variety for home gardens.
"I was convinced that the rose deserved to be widely available and enjoyed by gardeners," Welch said. "It's disease resistance, thornless stems and colorful displays of bright, pink flowers along with a graceful vining form make it a logical choice. The lush growth of her thornless climber rose is a testament to its toughness and status as a true survivor."
But it was a "middle of the night" thought, Welch said, to use the rose as a fundraiser for restoring gardens in the hurricane areas, an effort started by the Garden Club of Houston.
With Peggy's agreement, several nurseries were mustered to grow cuttings for sale, with a portion designated for the restoration fund.
"A great rose and a great cause," Welch said. "That's a hard combination to beat."
Peggy has a cutting from the original plant in her new garden, and her original is still thriving on the old home place. She'd still like to know what its name was.
"I'm still on that quest. I still want to know its true name," she said of her namesake rose.
As for the restoration effort, the Peggy Martin Rose is selling rapidly. The five nurseries involved in the project maintain waiting lists to fulfill orders as cuttings mature.
The nurseries are: Antique Rose Emporium, http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com; Chamblee's Rose Nursery, http://www.chambleeroses.com/; Petals from the Past Nursery, www.petalsfromthepast.com; King's Nursery in Tenaha, Texas, 409-248-3811; and Naconiche Gardens, www.naconichegardens.com.
Feb. 19, 2007
Writer: Rod Santa Ana III, 956-968-5585,r-santaana@tamu.edu
Contacts: Dr. John Goolsby, 956-369-8125,jgoolsby@weslaco.ars.usda.gov
Dr. T-X Liu, 956-968-5581,tx-liu@tamu.edu
Dr. Boris Castro, 956-968-5581,b-castro@tamu.edu
WESLACO – Federal and state agricultural research scientists in South Texas have teamed up to combat a disorder in potatoes that affects the production of potato chips. So far, its cause is unknown.
Potato plants affected by Zebra chip disorder show foliar symptoms of leaf curl and yellowing.
(USDA-ARS photo by Dr. John Goolsby)
The disorder, called Zebra chip for the dark stripes it leaves in the flesh of raw potatoes, is not harmful to human health, but causes serious and expensive reductions in crop yields and quality, the scientists said.
South Texas scientists collaborating on finding solutions to Zebra chip disorder in potatoes include, from left, Dr. John Goolsby, USDA-ARS; Dr. T-X Liu, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station; and Dr. Boris Castro, Texas Cooperative Extension.
(Texas Agricultural Experiment Station photo by Rod Santa Ana III)
Crops have been affected in Guatemala, Mexico, Texas and as far north as Colorado. Symptoms are especially pronounced when potatoes are sliced and fried to make potato chips, causing frying plants to reject entire loads of affected potatoes. It also affects fresh market potatoes.
"Zebra chip defies typical diagnostic techniques that would point to a known bacteria or a virus causing this disorder, so we suspect it's something more complex," said Dr. John Goolsby, a research entomologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Kika de la Garza Subtropical Research Center at Weslaco.
Goolsby, who began studying the disorder in 2005, suspects whatever is causing Zebra chip is transmitted by insects.
"It appears to be vectored by an insect because when we place a cage over potato plants to exclude insects, the plants don't get Zebra chip," he said. "And of the insects we've evaluated, we believe it is vectored by the potato psyllid, an insect native to this part of the world. But we're not sure what the pathogen is."
Potato psyllids migrate north and south through the Great Plains of North America, overwinter in native vegetation in South Texas, but have never been a problem in the Rio Grande Valley, Goolsby said.
"What caused the change? We don't know," he said. "This happens often in insects. A different genotype emerges or a different pathogen becomes associated with the insect, but we suspect this is all caused by a native insect, not an exotic that has come in."
While USDA scientists continue basic research on the disorder and the vector insect, Texas A&M University System researchers are evaluating economic impacts of the disorder and ways to help growers deal with the issue.
An economic impact study by Texas A&M's department of agricultural economics showed that, left unabated, losses from Zebra chip would reach $100 million in lost business in Texas and almost 1,000 jobs.
"These economic impacts represent what could occur in Texas if Zebra chip is not controlled and eventually eliminated," the study said. "It appears likely that the condition could become more prevalent in the southern parts of Texas and in some regions may result in a complete loss of potato acreage. If this occurs, the economic impacts would be more severe, leading to greater losses in business activity, income and employment."
Jack Wallace Jr. grows about one-third of the Rio Grande Valley's 3,000 acre potato crop, located mostly in the McCook area. He and his family have been growing potatoes since 1964 and had no major problems until Zebra chip showed up in 2000.
"It's first noticeable as the plants are growing," he said. "You get foliar symptoms, usually after flowering. You see leaf curl, the upper leaves die off and a there's a yellowing effect."
Severity of Zebra chip varies from year to year and within a field, Wallace said.
"Last year was tough," he said. "This year the crop looks nice and pressures seem to be low, which could be attributable to the cool, wet winter we've had. But it's important to find out what's causing this Zebra chip because the livelihood of a lot of families depends on potato production. We've expressed this problem to our state senator, Juan ‘Chuy' Hinojosa, who was very receptive, concerned and supportive of our plight."
To help growers in the short-term, Dr. T-X Liu, a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station entomologist in Weslaco, is evaluating 20 insecticides for their ability to control potato psyllid.
The tiny insects feed on juices of leaves using their piercing-sucking mouthparts and may be injecting some pathogens or toxins in the process, Liu said.
"We'll be evaluating 20 insecticides that were developed by five different companies for use on other pests," Liu said. "Hopefully, one or more will be effective against potato psyllid. We should start seeing results in April or May and have data a few months later."
Like growers, his research field plots of potatoes were planted at the Texas A&M Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Weslaco in December and will be harvested in the spring, Liu said. He is currently rearing populations of potato psyllids to be released into those field plots.
Dr. Boris Castro, a Texas Cooperative Extension entomologist, will be involved in developing long-term, integrated pest management solutions to control Zebra chip and potato psyllids, which can also affect tomato crops.
Goolsby said solutions developed here will be applied to other potato production regions.
"Zebra chip is not limited to Texas," he said. "But South Texas is where the problem first showed up in the U.S. in 2000, so this is where we've assembled the research team to combat this problem. We're investigating every possible aspect, and once we figure out how to manage Zebra chip, those solutions will be shared with potato production zones farther north."
Feb.16, 2007
Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576,s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contact: Rick Minzenmayer, 325-365-5212,r-minzenmayer@tamu.edu
SAN ANGELO – The seventh Concho Valley Cotton Conference is set for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 21 in the San Angelo Convention Center.
"This year's program will look at some new areas of interest in the cotton industry that could well affect our area's producers," said Rick Minzenmayer, Texas Cooperative Extension entomologist for Runnels and Tom Green counties.
"One of those areas is how cotton fits into the ethanol picture and another is work being done on extremely drought-hardy cotton," he said. "We'll also have updates on some old problems such as cotton root rot and weed management."
The event will include a trade show that will remain open throughout the day.
The Southern Rolling Plains Cotton Growers Association will hold its annual meeting at 3:30 p.m.which will include reports from commodity groups, an update on Texas boll weevil eradication and election of officers. Other conference topics will include: harvest-aid challenges, the economics of early season insect control, reniform nematode/verticillium wilt, weed resistance and efficient fertilization.
The conference is sponsored by Extension's Runnels/Tom Green Integrated Pest Management Committee, the Tom Green and Runnels County Crops Committees, the Southern Rolling Plains Cotton Growers Association and the Runnels/Tom Green counties' Extension staffs.
Four Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered to those staying for the entire program.
Registration is free and includes a noon meal and snacks, but participants must pre-register by March 16. After March 16, individual registration is $10.
To pre-register, call the Extension office in Runnels County at 325-365-2219, the Minzenmayer's office at 325-365-5212 or the Extension office in Tom Green County at 325-659-6523.
Feb 16, 2007
Writer: Robert Burns, 903-834-6191,rd-burns@tamu.edu
Contacts: Dr. Billy Higginbotham, 903-834-6191,b-higginbotham@tamu.edu
Dr. Vincent Haby, 903-834-6191,v-haby@tamu.edu
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OVERTON – "Few people get to see a bass this big – ever," said Duel Glass, East Texas lake owner.
The bass Glass holds as he speaks is nearly 2 feet in length and weighs about 12 pounds. Though trophy size, the bass not a trophy "catch," but a "casualty."
Glass has just netted the huge bass and another one just like it off the bottom on a chilly February afternoon. It is one of thousands of large and small bass, perch and other species of fish recently killed by a drastic drop in the pH of his large-acreage lake near Joinerville in Rusk County.
Glass is not alone in his loss. Pond owners in many areas of East Texas may be experiencing similar losses. Glass' bass were a casualty of a combination of factors: drought, acidic East Texas soils, and heavy rain in January, said Billy Higginbotham, Texas Cooperative Extension fisheries and wildlife specialist.
"Each of the last two winters, we've had scenarios occur with our drought conditions that have led to extensive fish kills in private ponds throughout East Texas," Higginbotham said. "The common denominators of these kills have been ponds or reservoirs that have been extremely low due to the drought conditions. Then during January, some heavy rainfall runoff events filled ponds to capacity where they may have had only a half or a third of their total volume present, prior to the rainfall."
In many areas of the state, these run-off events would not cause problems, he said. But most counties in East Texas have highly acidic soils. And this causes the run-off water from the watershed to be highly acidic too.
The result is "either a drop in pH to a level that meets the acid-death point – around a pH of 4 to 4.5 for most of our freshwater species – or, the pH changed so dramatically in a short period of time it put the fish into pH shock," Higginbotham said.
A way to prevent pH shock of rain following an extended drought– or at least lessen it – is to maintain the pH of the drainage areas into ponds, said Dr. Vincent Haby, soil scientist with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.
"It's important for pond catchment areas that these soils be adequately limed in order to keep the pH of the water in the ponds up or you can lime the pond water according to procedures that Dr. Higginbotham and the wildlife science people have developed for this region," Haby said.
Many areas in East Texas have acidic soils for a combination of reasons, Haby said, all related to the sandy nature of the surface soils, which have a "low resistance to chemical change."
"These soils are naturally acidic because they lack the limestone that is in the alkaline higher clay-content soils such as in the Blackland areas," he said. "Acidity in East Texas soils increases because of organic matter decomposition that forms low concentrations of mineral acids such as sulfuric, nitric and carbonic acids."
Another factor arises when erosion or deep tillage exposes iron pyrite to the air. The sulfur component of the pyrite then oxidizes to form sulfuric acid. The loss of basic elements such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium by leaching out of the soil or because of plant uptake also contributes to soil acidity.
Also, soil acidity is increased as ammonium-based fertilizers are converted to nitrate by naturally occurring soil bacterial processes.
"Finely ground limestone must be applied to these sandy East Texas soils in order to maintain pH in a favorable range for crop growth and pH in runoff waters," Haby said.
Currently, overcoming soil acidity in East Texas has been made harder by the expense of liming , Haby said.
"It's becoming more difficult for producers to maintain their soils in an adequately limed state because of the increased transportation costs for limestone and the increased spreading costs due to the high fuel costs that we receive," he said. "So producers may be putting off liming (watershed areas) for these ponds."
Tests of soil samples from the exposed bottom of Glass' lake showed it had a pH of 3.0, which could also be a factor in the increased acidity of the lake, Haby said.
Soils of lake and pond bottoms are apt to contain lots of organic matter, which in turn has a high concentration of sulphur compounds. When lake waters recede and the sulphur in the pond bottom is exposed to air, it can quickly oxidize to form sulphuric acid, he said.
In the case his lake, Glass said, the pH was already low. Moreover, much of the catchment area is composed of pine and hardwood forest, making spreading lime difficult. Before the heavy January rainfalls, his lake's pH measured about 5.5 to 6.0, which is fairly acidic.
Before the January rains, Glass estimated his lake was 12- to 14-feet low. The rains raised the water level about 5 or 6 feet, he said, but dropped the pH to about 4.4. according to lab tests. This drastic drop likely threw large and small bass alike into shock, Higginbotham said.
"To our knowledge – based on our reports – this is pretty much a phenomenon based in East Texas where we have extremely acidic soils," he said.
But just because some East Texas pond owners haven't experienced fish kills already doesn't mean they're out of hot water, Higginbotham said. Many may have seen loss of fish populations because of the drought of the last two years. Now that their ponds are mostly filled again, they may be considering restocking. But if they do so without first testing the water, they could get a surprise.
"In the absence of a water test, they run a real risk of killing every fish they stock," he said.
All of the Extension offices in East Texas counties that have acidic soils and therefore likely acidic pond water have water testing kits. However, before pond owners call their Extension office, they should be aware that the problem is confined to East of Interstate 35 – and only in those counties with soils that are prone to be acidic, Higginbotham said.
How do East Texas pond owners know if the soils in their county are acidic?
"A good way to check on that is that if you've got liming service that routinely applies agriculture limestone to pastures and hay meadows, then that's a pretty good indication that there acid soils present in that county," Higginbotham said.
Feb. 15, 2007
Writer: Linda Anderson, 979-862-1460,lw-anderson@tamu.edu
Contact: Janie Harris, 979-845-3850,jlharris@tamu.edu
Lisa Norman, 979-845-3850,LMNorman@ag.tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – Hurricanes devastate the Gulf Coast. The space shuttle falls out of the sky. The Panhandle goes up in wildfires. Tornadoes rip up parts of West Texas.
When disaster strikes Texas, volunteers like Lisa Norman help pick up the pieces. After Hurricane Rita ripped through parts of the state in 2005, she was on hand to help evacuees find shelter in the Brazos Valley.
"I volunteered with Brazos County Standing Ready and the American Red Cross," she said.
Her duties included processing evacuees' applications for assistance, helping assign them to shelters and working one-on-one to help those with special health needs find medical care.
"I worked an eight-hour shift for two days," she said. "It was a great, great service."
But as Texas Cooperative Extension assistant for disaster preparedness, she also knows volunteers need to receive training first.
"Untrained volunteers can be more of a hindrance than a help," she said.
Norman went through the Community Emergency Response Teams training. According to information on its Web site, this agency "educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations."
Norman's training included lessons on basic triage, basic first aid and light search and rescue, she said, adding that this training is not as intense as that for first responders.
Because all disasters are local, this training has the potential to mean the difference between life and death when disaster strikes, she said.
"The information could be very useful in situations, say, if a tornado hit your neighborhood and you are the only CERT member on the block (and needed to) go check on your neighbors. It would be very beneficial in a residential setting."
She likened the training to first aid: "You might not need it very often but it's good to have in case you do need it."
Janie Harris, co-chair of Extension's emergency management steering committee,
said the training "helps you become a responder before the first responders get there."
Harris is an Extension housing and environment specialist.
The agency's Web site information put it this way: "While people will respond to others in need without the training, the goal of the CERT program is to help people do so effectively and efficiently without placing themselves in unnecessary danger."
For more information go to http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/index.shtm .
Other opportunities for volunteer training in Texas are listed on the Texas Extension Disaster Education Network Web site at http://texashelp.tamu.edu/ .
Disasters can happen at any time, and when they do, volunteers are needed, Norman said.
"Get training beforehand if you want to be a volunteer," she said. "Also try to make sure your own family is prepared (for a disaster). You have to be prepared (at home) first. How can you volunteer in (disaster) situations if your family is not taken care of first? Then get the training so you can be of use to others."
For herself, volunteering has been "a wonderful experience," Norman said. "I definitely plan to continue."
Submitted By Debbie Hailey, County Extension Agent-Family & Consumer Sciences
Have you found out you have diabetes? Are you feeling: • worried about diabetes really is and what it means for you? • concerned about health problems that might develop? • afraid that you won’ t be able to enjoy good food and family gatherings? • isolated and "different" from everyone else? • unsure about making changes in your lifestyle? • frustrated because you don ’t have enough information?
You’re not alone. Almost everyone who learns he or she has diabetes feels this way, too. The good news is that, with good information and few changes, you can do well and be well with diabetes!
The Coleman County Extension Office and local health professionals, including Peggy Hensley, FNP, and Denise Rogers, FNP, will sponsor a Do Well Be Well with Diabetes class series in February and March. These ladies and other health professionals in this area will also teach lessons on topics, including:
Feb. 24 What is Diabetes - Peggy Henley, FNP
Nutrition: First Step to Diabetes Management - Denise Rogers, FNP
Mar. 3 Managing Your Blood Glucose - Dr. Atwood
Diabetes Medicines - Dr. Atwood
Mar. 10 One Diabetes Diet - No Longer the Sole Option
Nutrition Labels,
For Good Measure at Home and Eating Out - Marcie Prachyl, RD, LD
Mar. 17
Preventing and Managing Complications - Wound Care Center Professional
Mar. 24 Diabetes & Exercise -Jenny Carnes. PT
Eye Care - Dr. Robbins
Do Well Be Well Wrap-up - Debbie Hailey, CEA-FCS
In the Do Well Be Well with Diabetes classes, you will:
get the facts from diabetes experts and professional educators.
ask the questions you want answered.
make new friends who have same the same concerns you do.
learn in a supportive, caring environment.
take home recipes and references you can share with friends and family.
get the encouragement you need to make positive changes.
Learn how you can do well and be well with diabetes.
You may be asking how Do Well Be Well with Diabetes can help you. Knowledge is the key, and that’s where Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes can help!
It’s a series of classes, designed especially for people like you, with quality information on taking care of yourself and eating delicious foods that are good for you!
You will learn what you can to do to take control of diabetes and to live the kind of life you want to live.
To find out how you can do well and be well with diabetes, call the County Extension Office.
Classes will be held at the Santa Anna Fire Station Meeting Room, at 300 N. 2nd, on Saturday mornings February 24 through March 24, from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon. There will be a minimal registration fee of $10.00 cover for materials and speakers. Please call Debbie Hailey, County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences, at 325-625-4519, if you are interested in attending, so that we may prepare educational materials.
HOUSTON - Two companies that are receiving NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services funds achieved significant milestones this month in their efforts to develop and demonstrate space cargo launch and delivery systems.
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completed a preliminary design review for its first orbital demonstration mission. Rocketplane Kistler completed a system requirements review for its cargo services system. The two companies want to offer commercial delivery services for cargo, and possibly crews, to the International Space Station in the future. In August 2006, NASA and the companies signed Space Act Agreements that established a series of milestones and criteria for assessing progress toward their individual goals.
"These milestones demonstrate genuine progress toward a new way of doing business for NASA and pave the way for the commercial purchase of transportation services needed to maintain the International Space Station," said Alan Lindenmoyer, manager of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. "If these companies can continue this rapid pace, the first demonstration launches are right around the corner."
On Feb. 8 SpaceX, of El Segundo, Calif., received NASA approval of a preliminary design review for the first orbital demonstration of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon reusable spacecraft. That flight, planned for September 2008, will be the first of three outlined in NASA's agreement with SpaceX. The company completed a project management review for the mission in September 2006 and a system requirements review in November 2006. SpaceX delivered its preliminary design review data to NASA Jan. 22. The critical design review is set for this summer.
On Feb. 6, Rocketplane Kistler of Oklahoma City established the requirements for interfaces between its two-stage K-1 reusable cargo transportation system and the International Space Station. The requirements review was the third of numerous milestones NASA will use to measure the company's progress toward a full demonstration of its launch capability. Both the first and second stages completed critical design reviews before Rocketplane Kistler joined the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Project. Those vehicle components are being transported to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to begin the assembly phase.
Rocketplane Kistler achieved its first two program milestones, completion of a program implementation plan and an initial round of private financing, in September and November 2006, respectively. Preliminary and critical design reviews of a new cargo module are planned later this year.
SpaceX and Rocketplane Kistler both won a 2006 competition to share up to $485 million in NASA funding to help finance their activities. Earlier in February, NASA signed unfunded agreements to work with two other companies with similar goals - Transformational Space Corp. (t/Space) of Reston, Va., and PlanetSpace Inc. of Chicago.
The overarching goals of NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program are to stimulate commercial enterprises in space; facilitate U.S. private industry development of reliable, cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit; and create a market environment in which commercial space transportation services are available to government and private customers.
Once industry has demonstrated safe and reliable capabilities, NASA may choose to purchase transportation services from commercial providers to support the International Space Station under a second phase of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Project.
For more information on NASA on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
James Hartman has been named as the only finalist for the superintendent's position at Marion ISD. James, a member of the SAHS Class 89, is the 36 year old son of Eddie and Mary Ann Hartman and brother of Mike Hartman of Snyder. James and his wife, Tanya, have two daughters, Maegan and Katie, and son, Hayden.
Marion ISD is a 3A school located in Guadalupe County between Seguin, New Braunfels, and San Antonio. Marion is about 25 miles North of San Antonio but only has a population between one and two thousand. The Marion ISD includes about 1500 students and includes the nearby communities of New Berlin and Santa Clara.
James has a master's degree in education and completed the superintendent's certification at Angelo State University. He is planning to work on his doctorate while at the Marion ISD.
James has been serving as the Bangs ISD Superintendent for the past several years and was key in getting their nine million dollar school bond passed last May. James, who has a two year contract left at the BISD began looking for another school district when the BISD Board failed to extend his contract for another year in January.
In a Seguin Gazette-Enterprise article by Ron Maloney Bangs ISD Board member Fern Sheppard said she was devastated when Hartman called her to say he'd found a job, just as he'd said he would back in January. "He told us if we didn't extend his contract, he'd start looking," Sheppard said. "I voted to extend it. He's left our district in fine, fine shape. I think he got a raw deal. They don't realize what a good job he's doing and what a smart person he is. I don't know what more they could have wanted. I can't imagine anyone wanting to search for anyone better, but that's what we're up against now. I really hate it."
For more information see:
Bangs school board votes to end superintendent's tenure at end of 2008-09 year - Abilene Reporter-News
No contract? No problem - Abilene Reporter-News
Marion board picks lone super finalist - Seguin Gazette-Enterprise
REPORT CARD: MISD finalist gets high marks - Seguin Gazette-Enterprise
Hartman is lone finalist for Marion - Brownwood Bulletin
Bangs calls March 19 meet to consider superintendent
James comes from a great Santa Anna family and he was raised right. I was surprised to hear that James was denied a contract extension in January because he has done such a good job over there. But I wasn't surprised to hear that he was leaving. I think that Bangs will have a tough time finding a better person and Marion has made a great choice for their new superintendent. It sounds like he will have some tough shoes to fill in Marion as their former superintendent is leaving after 26 years and a bit of controversy.
The Santa Anna Lady Mountaineers fell to the Spur Spurettes in an Area Championship at Jim Ned, Friday by a score of 39-34.
The Lady Mountaineers played a great game.
Cindy, Dawson, and I made it to the game and I managed to take a few pictures and I will try to get them up a little later this week.
Congratulations to Coach Libby and the Lady Mountaineers on a great season!
Teamwork!
Kendra puts one up
Jelesa takes a shot
See the Area Championship Game Photo Album. for more photos.
Submitted by Debbie Hailey, Coleman County Extension Agent-Family & Consumer Sciences
Contributed by Judy Gully, CEA-FCS, Taylor County
The ninth annual Town and Country Women’s Fair, held in conjunction with the Texas Farm-Ranch-Wildlife Expo, will be Tuesday, February 20. Plan to join women from Abilene and the surrounding area in the Modern Living Mall on the Expo Center fairgrounds in Abilene for a day of fun and education. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the day will end at approximately 2:00 p.m. This event is free to the public and the sessions on a variety of topics will be of interest to all. You can spend the day with us or pick and choose the sessions you want to attend. Conference facilities are accessible for physically disabled.
The schedule includes:
8:30 a.m. Registration and coffee
9:00 a.m. MasterScapes® Inc. - Scott Warren
10:00 a.m. Break & Door Prizes
10:15 a.m. Preserving, Using and Appreciation of Vintage Sewing Machines by Marilyn Hale, Llano County Extension
11:00 a.m. Identity Theft by Officer Dwight Kinney, Abilene Police Department
Noon Lunch & Fashion Show
1:00 p.m. Crayon Quilt by Bluebonnet Mercantile
2:00 p.m. Evaluation Door Prizes
The opening session on gardening will include ideas for getting your beds ready and plants suitable for shady and sunny locations. Scott Warren with Masterscapes®, Inc. will present this colorful session. After hearing Marilyn Hale, County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences in Llano County, you will appreciate the history and value of Grandma’s sewing machine in the back closet. You will learn how to dust it off and display it proudly. Identity Theft is a topic we all need current information on and Officer Dwight Kinney, of the Abilene Police Department, will provide us with tools to keep your personal information private. A natural fibers show featuring the latest fashions for all ages will be presented during lunch. No, that box of crayons is not for just your kids and grandkids any more. The Bluebonnet Mercantile from Winters will inspire us to complete a crayon quilt after watching their demonstration. The Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Committee has planned a day filled with fun and creative ideas to promote agricultural food and fiber products. The slogan is, “if you eat and wear clothes, you are involved in agriculture.” We look forward to seeing you on the 20th of February for the Town and Country Women’s Fair in the Modern Living Mall on the grounds of the Taylor County Expo Center.
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