Writer(s): Mike Jackson, 972-952-9232, mcjackson@ag.tamu.edu
Contact(s): Clint Wolfe, 972-952-9635, c-wolfe@tamu.edu

MCKINNEY - The City of McKinney will host a grand opening on May 30 of McKinney Green Gardens, a public demonstration of water conservation and green infrastructure in landscape design.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the gardens at Gabe Nasbitt Park, 7001 W. Eldorado Parkway, McKinney.

McKinney Green Gardens was created in an educational partnership between the city and the Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension Service Urban Solutions Center in Dallas. AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension are agencies of the Texas A&M System.

The one-acre gardens were designed by the AgriLife Urban Solutions Center using research-based information and techniques, said Clint Wolfe, project coordinator with the center.

The grounds were designed to demonstrate that landscape, through proper plant selection, can be beautiful and conserve water at the same time, Wolfe said. The gardens will help educate children, homeowners, developers and landscapers about water-conservation practices.

"It's a beautifully designed collection of six small gardens that contain native plants and grasses or those well adapted to the North Texas environment," he said. "Visitors can stroll the property on winding paths or congregate in the center."

The gardens' educational program is supplemented by a free interactive Web site where visitors can view a layout of the grounds and review pictures and descriptions of plants and grasses. To see the site, visit http://McKinneyGreenGardens.tamu.edu .

Beginning at 10 a.m., McKinney Mayor Bill Whitfield will open the ceremony and introduce speakers including:

- Dr. Frank Gilstrap, AgriLife Urban Solutions Center director. - U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, of Rockwall. - U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, of Plano. - Jim Parks, North Texas Municipal Water District general manager. - Frank Regan, McKinney city manager. - Dr. Dotty Woodson, AgriLife Urban Solutions Center program specialist for water resources.

The McKinney Green Gardens project is a product of a public-private relationship between McKinney and the AgriLife Urban Solutions Center, Wolfe said. Forged in March 2007, the partnership combines the center's expertise and the city's desire to integrate water conservation policies and practices in an ever-growing community that imposes increasing pressures on the region's water supply.

Writer(s): Mike Jackson, 972-952-9232, mcjackson@ag.tamu.edu
Contact(s): Janet Hurley, 972-952-9213, ja-hurley@tamu.edu

HOUSTON - The Houston-area Klein Independent School District has won the annual "IPM Pride Award" for superior integrated pest management in Texas public schools.

The Arlington and Plano school districts near Dallas also earned praise, receiving honorable mention from the Southwest Technical Resource Center, based at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas.

"The districts were recognized for running first-rate IPM programs that employ a variety of non-chemical pest control techniques when and where they are appropriate," said Janet Hurley, Texas AgriLife Extension Service program specialist for school integrated pest management.

Integrated pest management provides quality pest control using up-to-date knowledge of pest biology together with the least-hazardous chemicals and pest-control techniques, according to the technical resource center's stated mission.

Hurley said judges noted three main factors in Klein's success: The pest management program has full support of the district's administration; it has well-trained, dedicated leadership; and it has grown consistently.

The state mandates integrated pest management in schools, but it is difficult to do well, Hurley said.

"Klein will serve as a role model for other districts where administrators want to upgrade their IPM programs," she said.

"The health of our teachers, staff and students is important to us, so we take our IPM program very seriously," said Tim Myers, who oversees Klein's program.

The programs in the Arlington and Plano districts have progressed well in recent years, Hurley said. Program leaders in the districts have worked hard to teach administrators, teachers and other staff members about pest control and supporting health and safety in buildings.

"I truly believe their programs will continue to improve in years to come," Hurley said.

Announcement of the 2008 awards were made at a mid-April meeting of Gulf Coast Maintenance and Operations, a branch of the Texas Association of School Business Officials. Administrators of the three winning school districts will be given the awards this summer at school board meetings, Hurley said.

Dr. Dotty Woodson, Extension Program Specialist - Water Resources will be teaching this class and will provide participants the opportunity to construct a 55 gallon rain barrel as well as discuss installing an efficient irrigation system. The rain barrel is yours to take home!

Cost: $40.00 each class (covers cost of rain barrel materials)
Please click here to register and for more information on the classes!

Classes are limited, so register today!

Questions? Contact Tamaron Hunt at t-hunt@tamu.edu

Wednesday, April 22, 2009, the Urban Solutions Center will host a variety of natural resource classes including a rainwater harvesting class where you get to learn how rainwater harvesting systems work and build your own rainwater harvesting barrel to take home!

Please click here for more information on each class.

Classes are limited, so register today!

DALLAS - The Texas AgriLife Extension Service has set a Wellness in Texas Master Volunteer training for five dates in February and March, an AgriLife Extension agent said.

Training will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 5, 12, 19 and 27, and March 5, said Carrie Brazeal, an AgriLife Extension family and consumer sciences agent in Collin County. It will be held at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 17360 Coit Road, in Dallas, which is located between the President George Bush Turnpike and Campbell Road.

"This training would be excellent for businesses, school districts and other organizations that are looking for ways to complement or start wellness programs for employees," Brazeal said.

Applications will be accepted through Jan. 23, she said. The $60 registration fee, which includes training materials and lunch on all days, must accompany the application.

Volunteers receive 40 hours of training in the areas of health, nutrition and wellness and are expected to pay back 40 hours of service, Brazeal said.

Payback time can be spent teaching classes, coordinating activities, assisting with presentations and testing recipes, she said, and the hours can be customized according to the interests of each volunteer.

While opportunities for payback time vary greatly, volunteers are expected to work within their own organizations after training, she added.

For additional information, contact Brazeal at 972-424-2460, Ext 4233 or email c-brazeal@tamu.edu .

A Workshop manual containing dozens of publications on pasture and livestock management is provided. Breakfast and break refreshments along with two noon and two evening meals are included.

Lodging is available at several Kilgore motels (approximately 12 miles). For your convenience, their phone numbers are:

• Best Western: 903-986-1195
• Holiday Inn Express and Suites: 903-986-3533
• American Best Value Inn: 903-988-2880
• Hampton Inn: will be open January 2009

Cost is $350 per person. Enrollment is limited to 50 individuals per week.

Registration form
More information and schedule

Conference sponsors are the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Waco Chamber Commerce.

This year's location change is due to the renovations being conducted at the Waco Convention Center, according to organizers.

On Feb. 3, Don Montgomery of Luminant Energy and Barry Sterling of Skydrill Power Systems will provide an overview of the energy climate in Texas and an in-depth look at alternative energy options with applications for agricultural producers and large landowners.

Other conference topics will include fertilizer efficiency in relation to grain and cotton production costs; comprehensive vegetable gardening; legume and clover options for improved pastures; native grass blends and small acreage wildlife management.

The Family Issues Summit will feature feeding the family on a budget, cooking on a budget, and "Managing the Medicare Mania", as well as other topics.

The annual B.I.G. Conference is one of the most extensive agricultural production conferences of the year, said Rebecca Parker, AgriLife Extension regional program director for agriculture and natural resources.

"We've identified several important topics that will be of interest to everyone during these rough financial times," Parker said. "Our goal each year is to bring in the most knowledgeable speakers available who can offer homeowners, landowners, farmers and ranchers the best ideas to enhance production in this region."

Grant Teaff, former head football coach at Baylor University and executive director of the American Coaches Association, will serve as luncheon speaker on Feb. 2. Teaff is known for his inspirational speeches re-enforcing family values and leadership skills.

There will be the presentation of 10 scholarships to Blackland high school seniors during the luncheon, Parker said.

Registration for the Feb. 2 sessions will be $15 per person for the entire day. Lunch is included.

Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units, Beef Quality Assurance and Certified Crop Advisor credits will be offered for those registered.

Producers are encouraged to download the brochure at http://dallas.tamu.edu/BIG to see specific CEU allocations and sessions for Feb. 2 - 3, Parker said.

AT A GLANCE:

The following is a list of concurrent sessions scheduled Feb. 2-3 as part of the 47th Blackland Income Growth Conference at the Heart of Texas Fair Complex in Waco:

Feb. 2:

* 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.: The Family Issues Summit; pre-registration is $15 and includes lunch. Mail pre-registration to Colleen Longbotham, P.O. Box 191, Groesbeck, Texas, 76642, by Jan. 23. Make checks payable to: Family Issues Summit. Participants may also register at the door for a $20 fee.

* 9 a.m. - noon: Grain session topics include fertilizer efficiency, benefits of different cropping systems, and risk management.

* 9 a.m. - noon: Horticulture topics include comprehensive vegetable gardening presented by Tom LeRoy.

* 9 a.m. - noon: Beef topics include legume and clover options for improved pastures, managing costs of the cow herd and a marketing price outlook.

* 2-4:30 p.m.: Cotton topics include fertilizer timing and placement, cotton varieties, cotton prices in relation to grain prices and a boll weevil eradication program update.

* 2-4:30 p.m.: Forage topics include insurance and other tools for rangeland producers, establishing and managing seeded Bermuda grass varieties, soil fertility issues in the Blackland, establishment and management of improved pastures, and alternative native grass blends for forage.

* 2-4:30 p.m.: Wildlife topics include simple techniques for managing wildlife and their habitat on small acreages, as well as white-tailed deer management essentials for every ranch.

A meeting of the Blackland Cotton and Grain Producers Association at 1:30 p.m. is also scheduled.

Concurrent sessions scheduled for Feb. 3 are:

* 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.: A pesticide license re-certification training workshop will be offered for $30. Topics include on-farm environmental and economic impacts of poultry litter and dairy compost fertilizer; armyworm and grasshopper control in pastures; managing pesticide use to protect water quality; weed and brush identification and control, and pesticide laws and regulations. This workshop is appropriate for Texas Department of Agriculture license holders needing to acquire continuing education units to renew their license. There will be five continuing education units offered (one land and resource, one integrated pest management and three general). Call 254-757-5180 to register (McLennan County AgriLife Extension Office - Master Gardeners.)

* 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.: A private applicator training and testing workshop for landowners wanting a TDA applicator license for their own land will be offered. Registration is $50 and includes lunch. Information is available from the AgriLife Extension office in Coryell County at 254-865-2414. Registration can be mailed to: Lyle Zoeller, Box 129, Gatesville, Texas 76528.

* 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.: A New Era for Food Course will feature discussion on the recent changes in the economy and the implications it has for overall food security. Topics will include seeking relief for families, businesses, and the national economy; food marketing; opportunities in community-supported agriculture in central Texas; the Texas farm-to-school program; and advertising and branding for the organic and local consumer. Pre-registration for this course is $12 and $20 at the door. Registration includes materials and lunch. Call 254-968-1984 for registration information, or mail by Jan. 27 to Beth Underwood, Box T-0040, Stephenville, Texas 76402.

* 3-5p.m.: Renewable Energy Session. The free session will provide an overview of the "Energy Climate in Texas" and detail alternative energy options available. Experts will be on hand to answer energy related questions from those attending in this new field.

For a complete brochure with program sessions and speakers, visit http://dallas.tamu.edu/BIG/.

• Indoor Water Efficiency Practices
• Irrigation Check-up
• Making a Rain Barrel
• Outdoor Water Efficiency Practices
• Rain & Freeze Sensor
• Rainwater Harvesting
• Water Efficient Landscaping
• Weather Based Landscape Irrigation

Rainwater Harvesting Publication B-6153
Russell A. Persyn, Dana O. Porter and Valeen A. Silvy

A series of urban and agricultural nonpoint source best management practices were ranked by stakeholders at the previous meeting and results of that ranking process were presented for consideration. Lee Munz, a Natural Resource Specialist with the TSSWCB, said "it's good to see that the stakeholder process being used for this project is a genuine effort, and the landowners and producers who will be asked to voluntarily implement management practices are the ones making the recommendations." Potential reduction percentages for sediment and nutrients were suggested for consideration by stakeholders, and the group chose to make that a topic for further discussion at the next scheduled meeting. In addition, the floor was opened to a general discussion of stakeholder views. Community education efforts toward nonpoint source pollution and illegal dumping seemed to be viewed as quite important and key to overall reductions.

The 34,000-acre reservoir, southeast of Dallas, is the first of five reservoirs managed by the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) that is being studied. After conducting 15 years of monitoring in Cedar Creek, TRWD confirmed increasing levels of chlorophyll-a. Chlorophyll-a, an indicator of excessive algae growth, is accelerated by excessive nutrients flowing into the reservoir from the surrounding watershed. TRWD officials said they hope to avoid mandatory regulation by engaging in stakeholder-based watershed protection planning focused on holistic solutions to water pollution by examining the impacts of upstream activities.

Watershed-based planning is a relatively new approach to pollution reduction in all sizes of water bodies. The process evaluates the relationship of water quality to land use, soils, hydrology and climate within a single geographic area. "Watershed protection planning is based on the management of activities that take place within the land mass that drains into a specific body of water," said Clint Wolfe, grant and project coordinator with Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Urban Solution Center at Dallas and manager of the project. "By incorporating water quality testing and computer modeling, we are able to assess the condition of Cedar Creek Reservoir and its tributary streams to develop a specific plan of action to address the excessive pollutants."

The overall North Central Texas Water Quality Project is collaborative effort of EPA, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, TSSWCB, TCEQ, TRWD, Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Urban Solutions Center at Dallas, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Espey Consultants Inc. and Alan Plummer and Associates, Inc.

The TSSWCB awarded Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Urban Solutions Center at Dallas and Kaufman-Van Zandt SWCD a Clean Water Act, Section 319(h) grant to support efforts to improve water quality in the Cedar Creek Watershed. Utilizing grant funds, Kaufman-Van Zandt SWCD will work with local agricultural producers in developing water quality management plans (WQMPs). These WQMPs will include the best management practices identified in the watershed protection plan to voluntarily implement on agricultural lands to reduce soil and nutrient loss. Additionally, funds will be made available to landowners in the watershed as an incentive to implement best management practices. The grant funds from the TSSWCB will also be used by the Texas AgriLife Urban Solutions Center to demonstrate the effectiveness of several agricultural best management practices identified in the Cedar Creek Watershed protection plan such as the conversion of cropland to pastureland, grassed waterways and filter strip. These data will serve as reference for future modeling efforts and additional water quality projects for the State of Texas.

Contact: Dave Mayes, 979-845-2803, d-mayes@tamu.edu
Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872, ka-phillips@tamu.edu
Mike Jackson, 972-952-9232, mcjackson@ag.tamu.edu

Two state agricultural agencies that have served Texans for a combined 224 years are beginning 2008 with new names and renewed missions.

Texas AgriLife Research is the new name for the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, which annually conducts more than $150 million in agriculture and life sciences research in such areas as improving food and fiber production, enhancing human and animal health, and conserving water, soils, wildlife and other natural resources.

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service is the new name of Texas Cooperative Extension, which provides Texans in all 254 counties with non-biased, research-based education programs and services in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H and youth development, family and consumer sciences, and community economic development.

"We are making these changes to better communicate the life-sustaining and life-changing impacts that both AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension deliver to the people of Texas and beyond," said Dr. Mark Hussey, director of AgriLife Research.

Both agencies remain members of The Texas A&M University System, with the same commitment to their partners, clients and mission.

"But we also want to tell our story to a larger audience and a changing state population, attract new resources and build new partnerships, while strengthening our existing ones," Hussey said.

"In this way, we hope to better serve the people of this great state."

The name changes are part of a re-branding initiative launching this year after two years of study and planning. These efforts were led by former vice chancellor Dr. Elsa Murano, who was named president of Texas A&M University on Jan. 3.

"The re-branding efforts are centered on one foundational message: 'Agriculture is Life!'" Hussey said. "The central idea is that life itself is the core value that our agencies seek to sustain and enhance.

"People usually don't realize how much we all depend on agriculture and the life sciences. Discoveries and innovations in these fields directly impact the quality of the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the homes we live in, and, more and more, even the fuels we pump into our vehicles."

"This is more than a name change, or even a new logo design," said Dr. Ed Smith, director of AgriLife Extension. "These new brands will impact not only our marketing materials and signage, but also the way we position and prioritize our programs and work with our federal, state and county partners to serve the state of Texas. It is vitally important to tell our story and that people connect our agencies to the tremendous impacts they have on the state."

One of the drivers of the re-branding initiative was a market study that showed that the work of the research and extension agencies was not widely known across the state of Texas.

"We hope to help people better understand the vital role that agriculture and life sciences still play in improving the prosperity of their lives," said Smith. "We believe that if they come to know us better, they will see that connection more clearly, even within a state population that is now 85 percent urbanized."

AgriLife Research, established in 1887, employs a team of 425 scientists on the campus of Texas A&M University and at 13 centers across the state. Research has made many innovative advances over the years, including development of the Texas 1015 onion and the TAM Mild Jalapeno pepper, which revolutionized the U.S. salsa industry.

Current major research includes the efficient use and conservation of water resources, the development of fruits and vegetables with higher levels of disease-fighting compounds, and the adaptation of crops and other agricultural products for making biofuels.

AgriLife Extension, established in 1915, provides Texans with continuing education programs and services. More than 900 professional educators team with some 90,000 volunteers to serve families, youth, communities and businesses throughout the state. Some 600,000 children annually participate in Extension's 4-H and youth development programs.