STRATFORD and DALHART, Texas — Producers from the Dallam, Hartley, Moore and Sherman counties can hear the latest updates on critical and local agronomic issues at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Northwest Panhandle Crop Conferences on Jan. 19 at Stratford and Jan. 26 at Dalhart.
This year’s theme is “Tools for the Agronomics and Economics of Crop Production During Drought, Elevated Input Costs and Volatile Markets.”
Each day’s educational programming will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with lunch included. The Jan. 19 event will be at the Sherman County Exhibit Barn, 501 S. Maple St., Stratford, and the Jan. 26 event will be at the Frank Phillips College, 2890 Farm-to-Market Road 281, Dalhart.
The programs are free, with sponsorship by Western Equipment. However, advanced registration is requested at the following AgriLife Extension offices: Moore, 806-935-2594; Dallam-Hartley, 806-244-4434; or Sherman, 806-366-2081.
One integrated pest management Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education unit will be provided at each meeting, as well as six Certified Crop Adviser credits – one each in nutrient management, soil and water, pest management and professional development, and two in crop management.
Coordinating the events are Dennis Coker, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomy agent for Dallam, Sherman, Moore and Hartley counties; Marcel Fischbacher, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, Moore County; and Mike Bragg, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Dallam and Hartley counties.
On the agenda
The topics will be identical at both locations, and the speakers will be the same, unless otherwise indicated.
• Plant mapping in cotton, multiseason development of a target growth curve for the Northwest Panhandle, expected benefits for growers upon project completion — Craig Bednarz, Ph.D., crop physiologist with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and West Texas A&M University, Canyon.
• Economics of crop production and addressing challenges, market outlook, comparison of return on investment for three tillage treatments in the first year of the study — Justin Benavidez, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist, Amarillo.
• Agronomics of sorghum forage production for silage under limited irrigation, comparison to corn, and other species suitable for silage production — Jourdan Bell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist, Amarillo.
• Strategies and considerations about composted manure management, land application, effects on soil health and future crop production — at Stratford, Jake Mowrer, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension state fertility specialist, Bryan-College Station; at Dalhart, Zong Liu, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Bryan-College Station.
• Irrigation management strategies for the production of feed grains that improve water-use efficiency and development of a crop acreage allocator tool — David Parker, Ph.D., water engineering specialist with AgriLife Extension and West Texas A&M.
• Background overview of new AgriLife Extension entomology specialist on board for the Texas Panhandle region and plan for educational programming and research on integrated pest management and addressing entomology concerns across all major commodities grown — Jose Santiago, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension entomologist, Amarillo.
–Kay Ledbetter
Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
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