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Wichita County Ag Outlooks

“A local discussion of current science and issues concerning agriculture in Wichita County , Texas”

May 27, 2012 New Blister beetles being found in Wichita County

A local Master Gardener found three-striped blister beetles in her yard this week. Blister beetles are commonly found in the yard and garden. They’re a unique insect because they cause all kinds of reactions on people and pets. They readily feed on plants and insects and their body contains cantharadin, a known toxin, which is the real culprit. When handled, the beetles will release cantharadin which can cause nasty blisters to form on the skin. Blister beetles readily infest vegetables and fruits and organic gardeners commonly come in direct contact with them while unknowingly removing them by hand from infested plants. Be careful not to handle or touch them; reactions vary from person to person. Out in the yard, a good option for large areas would be a product that contains Lambda-cyhalothrin and is labeled for use on plants and gardens. Lambda-cyhalothrin belongs to a group of chemicals called pyrethroids. Pyrethroids are manmade chemicals that are similar to the natural insecti-cides pyrethrins. Products containing either can be labeled for control of blister beetles.

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May 26, 2012 Time to spray Pecan Trees

 Each year about this time I get questions on the pecan nut casebearer (PNC). The pecan nut casebearer is one of the most important nut infesting insect pests of pecans. Casebearer larvae tunnel into nutlets shortly after pollination, often destroying all of the nutlets in a cluster. The most effective and reliable method of control is a well-timed insecticide application(s) made in the spring to kill hatching larvae before they tunnel into the nutlets. However, insecticides should only be applied if infestations and nut load justify treatment. Typically, we will start looking for PNC in Wichita County around May 10 and spraying will progress late in the month, but it is all based on scouting for the first egg hatch.

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May 21, 2012 Youth Clinic Set For May 27

Young horse enthusiasts are encouraged to attend a training session from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Pony Express Memorial Arena on Sunday, May 27. The arena is located at the J. S. Bridwell Agricultural Center at 111 N. Burnett in Wichita Falls. Local trainers will be available to critique riders and offer suggestions. This program will be especially valuable for youth competing at the district 4-H Horse Show in Vernon next month, however everyone is invited and there will be no fee for the program.

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May 20, 2012 Horse Owners Need To Be Vigilant

On April 30, 2012, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, confirmed a finding of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection (New Jersey serotype) on an equine premise in Otero County, New Mexico. The two affected horses had clinical signs and positive VSV serology. Three other horses on the premises show no clinical signs of disease. The premiss is currently under State quarantine. As of May 20, no new VSV-positive premises have been identified in the United States.

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May 18, 2012 Check Your Signage Concerning Texas Equine Liability Act Changes

The Texas Equine Liability Act was amended in June of 2011. To see the new text of the statute click here. The changes relate to including more animals under the Act. The Act has now been changed to Liability Arising from Farm Animal Activities or Livestock Shows.

A farm animal includes: horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, hogs, chicken, and ratite (ostrich, rhea, and emu).

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May 14, 2012 Quality Counts Now Required at Heart O’ Texas Livestock Show

This year at the Heart O’ Texas Livestock Show will be following along with other Major Livestock Shows across Texas and supporting the Quality Counts Program.  Along with the State Fair of Texas, this fall we will be requiring the Quality Counts Verification Number to be included on the entry forms in order for the exhibitors to show at any of our Junior, Jackpot and Scramble Shows.

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May 7, 2012 Wichita County Master Gardeners Earn State Recognition

At the 2012 Texas Master Gardener Convention in San Antonio last week the Wichita County Master Gardener Association where recognized with awards in three categories. According to Awards Committee Chairman Jackie Godwin, “ We are pleased to be recognized for our efforts in the community and will use the judges comments to improve our future programs.”

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May 1, 2012 Wheat Field Day Set for May 17

The multi-county annual Wheat Field Day will be held on Thursday, May 17 at the Syngenta Cereals Breeding facility in Lockett, TX.  Registration will begin at 9 AM.

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April 26, 2012 Consumers Protected By USDA Safeguards

 

On Tuesday USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford released a statement that read “As part of our targeted surveillance system, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the nation’s fourth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from central California… Samples from the animal in question were tested at USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. Confirmatory results using immunohistochemistry and western blot tests confirmed the animal was positive for atypical BSE, a very rare form of the disease not generally associated with an animal consuming infected feed.

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April 23, 2012 USDA Numbers Paint a Nuetral Outlook For Cattle

The USDA cattle-on-feed report on Friday showed a total inventory of cattle on feed showed that as of April 1 there were 11.482 million head of cattle on feed, 2% more than a year ago and in line with pre-report estimates. Feedlot operators placed 1.792 million head on feed during March, 6.4% less than a year ago but 1.3 points higher than pre-report estimates. The higher than expected placements were offset by larger than expected marketings.

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