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Friday Night Lights

The 6-2 Santa Anna Mountaineers will take on the 2-7 Panther Creek Panthers in Panther Creek Friday night.

The Mountaineers dropped to 50th in the combined rankings and 36th in Division I this week and are picked to win by 40 over the Panthers who are ranked 95th overall and 56th in Division I according to SixManFootball.com.

Dave Cambpell's 2007 Texas Football magazine lists the players to watch as Wade Halfmann, Stephen Hoelscher, and Ethan Griffin.

Who they have played:
Lost to Lohn 35-46
Lost to Paint Rock 20-59
Lost to Sidney 14-64
Lost to Water Valley 20-65
Lost to Veribest 52-62
Beat Brookesmith 80-34 (Santa Anna beat Brookesmith 57-12)
Lost to May 20-65
Beat Rising Star 54-40 (Santa Anna beat Rising Star 54-30 with the game called due to an injury)
Lost to Blanket 23-70 (Santa Anna lost ot Blanket 54-56)

See ya at the game!

Totino’s and Jeno’s Frozen Pizzas Recalled Due to Possible E. coli Contamination

Submitted by Debbie Hailey - Coleman County Extension Agent Family & Consumer Sciences

11/01/2007

MINNEAPOLIS — Totino’s and Jeno’s today announced a voluntary recall of frozen pizzas with pepperoni toppings because of possible contamination of the pepperoni topping with E. coli O157:H7.  

The recall affects approximately 414,000 cases of pizza products currently in stores and all similar pizza products in consumers’ freezers.  It includes eight SKUs (stock keeping units or UPC codes) of Totino’s brand frozen pizza and three SKUs of Jeno’s brand frozen pizza with pepperoni topping, or incorporating pepperoni in combination with other toppings.

The specific products in the recall include:

The frozen pizza products were produced in the company’s Wellston, Ohio, plant and distributed to retail establishments nationwide. 

The potential problem was uncovered by state and federal authorities investigating 21 occurrences of E. coli-related illnesses in 10 states.  Approximately half of the individuals who became ill were hospitalized as a result.  The earliest case reported to state authorities occurred on July 20, and the latest case reported occurred on Oct. 10.  Nine of the 21 people reported having eaten Totino’s or Jeno’s pizza with pepperoni topping at some point prior to becoming ill.  Since July 1 of this year, Totino’s and Jeno’s have distributed more than 120 million pizzas nationwide.

Totino’s and Jeno’s, working in cooperation with federal and state food safety authorities, launched an investigation immediately upon learning of the potential problem. 

In response, General Mills, the parent company of Totino’s and Jeno’s, initiated a voluntary Class I recall as a precaution.  The investigation is ongoing, and the company continues to cooperate fully with all involved state and federal authorities.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration.  Seniors, the very young, and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness. 

Any consumers concerned about an illness should contact a physician. Anyone diagnosed by a physician as having an illness related to E. coli O157:H7 is also urged to contact state and local public health authorities.

Consumers can contact Totino’s / Jeno’s for product replacement by clipping the UPC (bar code) symbol from each pizza box and sending their UPC's, along with their name and address to:

Totino's / Jeno’s
P.O. Box 200 - Pizza
Minneapolis, MN  55440-0200

The product itself should be thrown away.  Consumers with additional questions about the recall should contact the company at (800) 949-9055. 

4H Canned Food Drive

Submitted by Heather McMillan, President of the Santa Anna 4-H.

The Santa Anna and Panther Creek 4H groups are having their canned food drive.

They have a contest every year to see who can collect the most canned foods.

If you would like to help out they will be setting up a table on Thursday night in Santa Anna at the jr high football game, and in Panther Creek on Friday night.

All of the 4-H members would love to see everyone bring a canned good of some sort to the games.

Thank you,and hope to see you at the games.

Trunk-or-Treat

There will be a Trunk-or-Treat at First Baptist Church on Wednesday from 6:00-7:00PM.

They would like to get many as possible to participate if anyone wants to bring their decorated car trunk, they would love to have you.

Cash Prizes will be awarded for best decorated trunks!

Trunks need to start getting in line and setup at 5:30 to be ready for Trunk-or-Treaters at 6:00pm.

Kid friendly trunks encouraged!!!

Boll Weevils Down But Not Out

Contributed by Luther Dunlap CEA-Ag/NR Coleman County

Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contacts: Dr. Chris Sansone, 325-653-4576, c-sansone@tamu.edu
Richard Minzenmayer, 325-365-5212, r-minzenmayer@tamu.edu

SAN ANGELO – The cotton industry’s No. 1 enemy, the boll weevil, may be down but is still not out, said Texas Cooperative Extension experts.

"The boll weevil eradication program continues to make good progress overall, but 2007 will go down as a real learning year for the 13- year-old program," said Dr. Chris Sansone, Extension entomologist at San Angelo. "Boll weevil eradication in the Southern Rolling Plains Zone, made up of parts of nine West Texas counties was almost 100 percent successful until this year."

Sansone said when the program began in the fall of 1994, monitor trap catches of 3 million weevils were not uncommon. Today’s catches of 2,000-3,000 seem insignificant in contrast, but those familiar with the pest know constant vigilance is paramount to keeping it in check.

"The boll weevil situation the Southern Rolling Plains Zone is not good," said Richard Minzenmayer, Extension entomologist for Runnels and Tom Green counties. "The Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation has sprayed a cumulative 230,000 acres (most fields needed no treatments, however, others required multiple treatments) of the zone’s almost 210,000 acres. "Basically, the whole southern part of the zone is affected," Minzenmayer said. "Weevils are actually reproducing in some areas. To complicate matters, windy conditions are preventing aircraft from applying pesticides to affected fields."

As of Oct. 22, aerial applicators were behind in spraying by about 10,000 acres, he said.

"It’s not a good situation, and producers are encouraged to get cotton harvested and the remaining plant material destroyed as soon as possible," he added. Minzenmayer said problems started showing up in September when it became apparent that Tropical Storm Erin and other weather systems brought weevils along with some much-needed rain.

"These fronts pushed weevils from southern zones into our area," Minzenmayer said. "To add to the problem, South Texas has had lots of problems this year. Wet weather there made weevil numbers high, the cotton crop very late, and the fronts made it easy for weevils to enter the Southern Rolling Plains Zone resulting in the serious problems we’re now having."

Minzenmayer said volunteer cotton re-sprouting on its own from last year’s crop is proving to be a major problem because it serves as a host for boll weevil reproduction.

"Most producers in this area plant the new genetically engineered Roundup (glyphosphate herbicide)-resistant varieties and practice conservation tillage," he said. "These are good practices, but cotton that comes up the following year is a weed, and because it is Roundup-resistant, it is hard to kill with herbicides.

"Tillage is the best way to control volunteer cotton, but producers practicing conservation tillage want to leave the crop residue on top of the soil to conserve moisture. As a result, we have lots of acres of fallow ground growing volunteer cotton. It’s a major problem."

Despite the problems, Sansone said the weevil eradication program is working well for the majority of the state. Even in the Southern Rolling Plains, pesticide applications are expected to be less than one application per acre for the season. That’s far less than the multiple pesticide applications once necessary to procure a crop in pre-eradication days.

"Dr. Charles Allen, Program Director for the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation, reports that the St. Lawrence area had only caught 54 weevils in their monitoring traps through mid September compared with 667 weevils caught during the same period last year," Sansone said. "The Permian Basin Zone is also well below last year’s levels. The only other captures in West Texas have been a single weevil south of Morton in the Southern High Plains/Caprock Zone and two weevils in the southwestern part of the Rolling Plains Central Zone."

Six West Texas zones - El Paso/Trans Pecos, Northern High plains, Northern Rolling Plains, Northwest Plains, Panhandle and Western High Plains - with more than 2 million cotton acres, have not caught a single boll weevil this year, he said. Nearly all of the fields in the West Texas region have been trapped all season without catching a boll weevil, Sansone said.

The five South and East Texas boll weevil eradication program zones are another story.

"They’ve had many obstacles to overcome during the extremely wet 2007 growing season," Sansone said. "Trapping muddy turn-rows and getting fields treated as the rains continued week after week were challenges. The rainy weather also made control treatments less effective. In spite of these difficulties, populations were reduced by over 70 percent in the five zones. Compared with last year, the Northern Blacklands and Upper Coastal Bend zones had population reductions of over 90 percent. The Southern Blacklands and the Lower Rio Grande Valley dropped 75 and 68 percent respectively from 2006."

The South Texas/Winter Garden area saw no reduction in weevil numbers.

"The continued harvest with producers effectively removing the weevils’ food source will help the Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation control the weevil outbreaks," Sansone said. "The open weather will also allow aircraft to spray and producers to destroy stalks that have been serving as hosts for the boll weevil.

"Though this season has been troubling, it has served as a reminder that vigilance is the key to keeping the boll weevil in check. We just can never let our guard down."

Tiny Beetle Showing Promise in Handling a Big Problem

Contributed by Luther Dunlap CEA-Ag/NR Coleman County

Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Mark Muegge, 432-336-8585, ma-muegge@tamu.edu
Dr. Allen Knutson, 972-952-9222, a-knutson@tamu.edu

FORT STOCKTON – When imported ornamental trees turn renegade, sometimes it takes an imported killer to chew them down to size.

Texas Cooperative Extension entomologists are using beetles from Crete, Greece to combat invasive saltcedar along the Pecos River in West Texas.

Saltcedar was first introduced from southern Europe and Asia for erosion control and as an ornamental in the 1800s. The trouble is it was too adaptable and now thick stands of rogue trees choke many of the state=s environmentally sensitive western waterways, sucking up water to the exclusion of native vegetation and municipalities.

Back in 2004, Dr. Allen Knutson, Extension entomologist at Dallas and Dr. Jack DeLoach, Agricultural Research Service scientist at Temple, successfully established a small population of saltcedar leaf beetles along a creek near Big Spring.

Knutson said those beetles have since spread along five miles of the creek and defoliated 40 acres of saltcedar.

Last year Extension organized the Saltcedar Biological Control Implementation Program to release more beetles at sites in the Upper Colorado River Watershed and along the Pecos River.

The goal is to establish new populations of beetles at additional sites and thus speed the rate of biological control, Knutson said. Releases of beetles by Knutson's colleague Dr. Mark Muegge, Extension entomologist at Fort Stockton, at two sites on the Pecos River have been especially successful.

Beetles were released in mid-summer of 2006 and defoliated several trees before cold weather stopped them. Muegge said the adult beetles overwintered and began feeding and reproducing in April.

Populations at both Pecos River sites increased and dispersed during the summer.

By mid-October, beetles had defoliated more than 500 saltcedar trees across about 90 acres along the Pecos River, said Muegge. The rapid success at these sites demonstrates the potential these beetles have for long-term suppression of saltcedar on the Pecos River.

The saltcedar leaf beetle eats the trees= leaves, Knutson said. Without leaves, the tree can not manufacture food. Once defoliated, the saltcedar regrows new leaves which are soon eaten by another generation of beetles. After repeated defoliation, the trees slowly starve to death.

After four consecutive years of defoliation, trees at the original Big Spring site are starting to die,@ Knutson said."We think the same will happen on the Pecos River." Muegge said most of the Pecos River saltcedar was killed by an aerial herbicide program conducted by the Pecos River Ecosystem Project during 1999-2005. However, he said some landowners did not give permission for herbicides to be applied to the saltcedar on their land, or efforts to contact the landowners were unsuccessful. An estimated 3,000 acres of unsprayed saltcedar remain in the Pecos River corridor.

These islands of living saltcedar pose an imminent threat to re-infesting the Pecos through seed dispersal, Knutson said. ATrees defoliated by saltcedar leaf beetles produce very few blooms and, as a result, few if any seeds.

Thus, while it may take four or five years of repeated defoliation by saltcedar beetles to kill a saltcedar tree, the lack of leaves due to the beetles= feeding creates stress on the tree which limits seed production and allows grasses and other desirable plants to grow where saltcedar once dominated.

The Biological Control Implementation Program plans to establish saltcedar leaf beetles at other sites in the Pecos River watershed in 2008.

Muegge said research by U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists demonstrated that the beetles feed and reproduce only on saltcedars and do not pose a threat to any crop or native plant. Both adults and larvae feed on saltcedar leaves, but larvae eat more leaves.

Knutson said federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, approved the release of the beetles in Texas. The saltcedar biological control project on the Pecos River was conducted in cooperation with the Reeves County Water Improvement District #2 and the Pecos County Water Improvement District #3.

For more information contact Knutson, at 972-952-9222 or Muegge at 432-336-8585.

2007 Area D Marching Band Contest

The 2007 Area D Marching Band Contest was held last Saturday at Belton ISD Stadium.

According to the Area D Marching Band Contest results webpage the Santa Anna Mountaineer Band appears to have finished seventh. Three of the thirteen 1A schools advanced to the State Marching Contest.

Good job Band and Mr. Mitchell... We are proud of you!

14th Annual Holiday Fair this Saturday!!

Written by Lynn Corbett

I hope by now you have all marked your calendars for the Extension Education Association’s 14th annual Holiday Fair on Saturday November 3rd at the Catholic Church Parish Hall, at 201 San Saba St. in Coleman from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The fair gives you an opportunity to start or finish your Christmas shopping, see old friends and enjoy a delicious meal. As always we will be serving stew and cornbread with drink and dessert for just $5.00. Lunch will be served from 11am 'til 2pm. Once again takeouts are available. There will be various non-profit organizations with booths featuring gifts as well as baked goods and information. If you are a non-profit organization who would like to have a booth at the fair please contact the extension office at 625-4519.

The theme for this year’s Holiday Fair will be "Jingle Bell Christmas". We will have a small token for everyone who attends.

This year we will have a guessing game at the door, a jar filled with "Jingle Bells". The person who guesses closest to the correct number will receive a prize. The winner will be announced during lunch, and you must be present to win.

As always we will be having two programs for you to attend but this year they will both be in the morning. One program will be presented by Martha Crawford at 10 a.m. entitled "Chocolate Delights" this should interest all you "Chocoholics" out there and the other program will be given by the Sesquicentennial Committee at 11:30 a.m. entitled "Coleman - 150 years Strong".

We will also be giving away a door prize each hour. These door prizes are donated by the non-profit organizations participating in the fair. You must be present to win. We appreciate the support of all the people of Coleman County attending the Holiday Fair. So do make plans to join us for a wonderful Holiday Fair, Saturday November 3rd.

HARVESTING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES:
WATER, WIND AND SUN

Contributed by Luther Dunlap CEA-Ag/NR Coleman County

Tuesday, November 6, 2007
12:30 pm - 4 pm
First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall
Coleman, Texas

12:00pm Registration

12:30 pm Welcome
Luther Dunlap, Coleman Co. Cooperative Extension
Coleman, Texas

"RAINWATER HARVESTING"
Billy Kniffen, Texas Cooperative Extension
Menard, Texas

2:00 pm "NATIVE PLANTS FOR SUCCESS"
Ricky Linex, Zone Wildlife Biologist
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Weatherford, Texas

2:45 pm "HARVESTING WIND AND SUN" and its practical application for the homeowner/farmer/rancher
Byron Neal, U.S.D.A, Bushland, Texas

4:00 pm CEU's and Certificates
Luther Dunlap

Announcements
Jane Padgitt, Chairman, Town and Country Garden Club
Coleman, Texas

Closing Comments
Nan K. Markland, Town and Country Garden Club

Sponsors
Texas Cooperative Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Central Colorado Soil and Water District, Chamber of Commerce, Coleman
First United Methodist Church, Town and Country Garden Club, Coleman

Cattle Women’s Christmas Ball Dec. 8th at Bill Franklin Center

The Circle C CattleWomen’s organization is completing plans for the annual Cattlewomen’s Christmas Ball, to be held Saturday evening, December 8th at the Bill Franklin Center (Rodeo Grounds) in Coleman at 6:30 p.m.

Crystal Rae is general chairman of the Ball, which is a popular event for many area people and a major fundraiser for the women’s organization. Proceeds of the event are used by the CattleWomen’s organization to help promote and support beef through various local projects such as donating scholarships to Coleman County High School graduates who apply and are majoring in Agriculture; and awarding money to each beef exhibitor in the county 4-H livestock shows. They also support local area brisket cook offs such as the Fiesta De La Paloma and the Santa Anna Frontier Days. The CattleWomen also sponsor National CattleWomen’s Beef Certificates, Beef for Father’s Day at Shoppin Basket and other projects.

The dinner will be catered by Home Creek Cookin’ of Valera, with special desserts provided by ladies of the organization. The popular Kelly Spinks & the Miles of Texas band will play for dancing and entertainment following the meal.

Also included in the evening’s entertainment will be an auction of special items and a silent auction of different gift items and specialty Western goods.

Tickets to this fundraiser event are $30.00 per person if purchased by November 23rd. After November 23rd tickets will be $40.00 until the purchase deadline of November 30th. Tickets may be purchased at the Coleman Chamber of Commerce or from any Circle C CattleWomen member. Only 250 tickets will be sold so make sure you get yours before they are all gone. Be sure to note the last day to purchase tickets is November 30th, so find a cattlewoman quickly to make sure you don’t miss this great event.

Everyone in the Coleman County and the surrounding area is invited to attend this special event. Hope to see you there.

Halloween Story Hour

The Coleman Public Library will be having a Halloween Story Hour for toddler to pre-school ages on Wednesday October 31st, 10:00 in the morning. Story books will be read, a craft, treat bags for all who attend and refreshments will be served by the Friends of the Library.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DEER HUNTERS FESTIVAL

The Deer Hunters Festival is scheduled for Friday, November 2nd at the Bill Franklin Center located at the Coleman Rodeo Grounds.

Volunteers are needed to help with this Festival. If you are willing to volunteer your time for this event, please contact the Coleman County Chamber of Commerce at (325) 625-2163.

Area businesses and landowners, to show appreciation for all of the hunters and their families coming into our community, sponsor this event.

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Thanks for coming by SantaAnnaNews.com and come back soon!

NRCS Texas Accepts Applications for EQIP Funding

Submitted By: David L. Dunlap CEA-Ag/NR

Temple, Texas – Texas agricultural landowners interested in participating in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) need to apply by Nov. 16, 2007, if they have not already done so to be eligible for the next round of funding, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

"Although EQIP is a continuous sign-up program, some producers may not have signed up yet," said Don Gohmert, NRCS state conservationist for Texas. "We will rank all eligible applications received by the end of the ranking period on Nov. 16 for 2008 funding. There is a strong possibility that EQIP funds will become available in October."

EQIP promotes agricultural production and environmental quality. Through EQIP, farmers and ranchers receive financial and technical assistance to help install conservation practices and to implement management systems that promote conservation. Financial assistance is on a cost-shared basis with the producer. The technical assistance is provided at 100 percent of the cost by NRCS. According to Gohmert, there are a few changes in EQIP for 2008.

NRCS is adding another statewide resource concern to the program at the recommendation of the State Technical Committee. Funding will be provided in 2008 specifically for conservation practices that improve habitat for the pronghorn antelope in west Texas.

Also new in 2008 will be a process to streamline payments. Instead of the traditional percentage-of-cost rates, NRCS will offer flat-rate payments based on a schedule for each conservation practice.

"Landowners will know up-front what the payment in dollars will be," Gohmert said.

"One important component of EQIP that remains the same is the input needed from the local level to make EQIP address the most pressing resource concerns there," Gohmert said. "Our local offices may be holding program development group and local working group meetings very soon to gather that input." NRCS offices and local soil and water conservation district officials will have more information about local meetings.

To sign up for EQIP or to get more information, contact the NRCS office serving your county. Look in the phone book under "U.S. Government, Department of Agriculture," or find your service center on the Web at http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app.

You can also get information about Texas NRCS conservation technical assistance and programs at www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov.

Texas 4-H Center - 4-H Camps in November

The Texas 4-H Center at Lake Brownwood would like to announce two upcoming camps. "Camp Character - Military Style" for Junior age members(ages 9 to 14) and "Do It For the Dance" for Senior 4-H age members (ages 14 to 19). Registration for each of these camps may be made using the 4-H Connect system. Read below for more information for each of these camps:

"Camp Character - Military Style", Junior Leadership Retreat - November 9 -11, 2007
Cost - Junior age youth (ages 9 to 14) $110, Adult Chaperones $74 ; Registration includes 2 nights lodging, 4 meals, snacks and program supplies.
Who - Junior age 4-H members ages 9 to 14 and adult sponsors
Objective & Purpose - This Junior Leadership Retreat was designed to utilize Texas 4-H Council members who will teach leadership development to younger 4-H members allowing 4-H members to develop communication, teamwork, cooperation and leadership skills.
Service Project - 4-H members who attend this retreat are asked to bring one "Huggable" (small stuffed animals) for distribution to children who have a family member who is deployed.
Theme - Camp Character Military Style recognizes the commitment and leadership of our U.S. Military.
Theme Dance on Saturday - Boot Camp! Don't forget your costume!
Registration opens on 4-H Connect September 15 through November 2nd, 2007

"Do It for the Dance" - Learning to Serve at the Texas 4-H Conference Center
Fall Leadership Retreat - November 16 - 18, 2007
Cost - Senior age youth (ages 14 to 19) $110, Adult Chaperones $74. Registration includes 2 nights lodging, 4 meals, snacks and program supplies.
Who- Senior age 4-H members ages 14 to 19 and adult sponsors
Objective & Purpose - This state-wide leadership development opportunity will focus on basics in communication skills, leadership, impromptu speaking, team building, etiquette, service learning how to manage groups, and more.
Service Project - To commemorate the 100th birthday celebration of Texas 4-H, the Fall Leadership participants have an opportunity to "leave their mark" on the 4-H Conference Center. During this service learning activity 4-Hers will assist in renovating the common area of nine dormitories ( painting, polishing, sewing and re-decorating). 4-Hers can earn a "Do It For the Dance" t-shirt during this weekend retreat.
Registration opens on 4-H Connect September 15 through November 2nd, 2007

For a tentative event schedule and other important information regarding these two camps, come by the County Extension Office, 2nd floor County Courthouse.

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