The Spring 2024 Arroyo Colorado Newsletter has been published!
Read about the Rio Grande Valley Drought Contingency Irrigation and Water Supply Workshop, Rio Hondo Middle School Native Plant workshop and more in this issue!
Spring 2023 Arroyo Colorado Newsletter
The Spring 2023 Arroyo Colorado Newsletter has been published!
Read about the 29th Annual RGV Birding Festival, workshop success serving socially disadvantaged farmers and more in this issue!
Free soil testing to save money
Save money by testing your soil! A soil test will determine the amount of nutrients on your field and help you calculate the amount of fertilizer needed for your next crop. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas Water Resources Institute are once again offering free soil testing for agricultural producers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. This program supports the implementation of the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Protection Plan and will result in reduced nutrient loading to area waterbodies all while saving the producer’s input costs.
Instructions for soil sampling and sample bags can be picked up at the Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy County AgriLife Extension offices, the TSSWCB Harlingen regional Office, or USDA service centers in those three counties. Once soil samples are collected, they can be dropped off at those same locations for shipping to the Soil Water and Forage testing laboratory at Texas A&M University in College Station. Test results will be sent directly to growers via email address provided on the sample form.
This soil testing campaign is being funded by a State Nonpoint Source Grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. Samples will be accepted and analyzed free of charge for agricultural producers from now until the spring of 2023 or until grant funds are expended.
To learn more about the soil testing campaign, please contact Mr. Jaime Flores at: jjflores@ag.tamu.edu or your local County Extension Agent, USDA-NRCS, and TSSWCB Offices at:
| Cameron County Extension Office 1390 W Expressway 83 San Benito, TX 78586-7633 (956) 361-8236, cameron-tx@tamu.edu | Cameron County USDA NRCS Office 2315 W Expy 83 # 103, San Benito, TX 78586 (956) 399-2522 |
| Hidalgo County Extension Office 410 N 13th Ave Edinburg, TX 78541-3582 (956) 383-1026, hidalgo-tx@tamu.edu | Hidalgo County USDA NRCS Office 2514 S Veterans Blvd, Edinburg, TX 78539 (956) 381-0916 |
| County Extension Office 170 N 3rd Street Raymondville, TX 78580-1940 (956) 689-2412, willacy-tx@tamu.edu | Willacy County USDA NRCS Office 255 FM Rd 3168, Ste 2 Raymondville, TX 78580-3608 Phone: 956-689-2542 |
| District 12 Extension Office 2401 East Highway 83 Weslaco, TX 78596-8344 (956) 968-5581, d12south@ag.tamu.edu | Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board Office 1824 W Jefferson Ave STE A, Harlingen, TX 78550 (956) 421-5841 |
2022 Arroyo Colorado Newsletter
The 2022 Arroyo Colorado Newsletter has been published!
Read about a soil testing campaign in the Arroyo Colorado watershed, the Llano Grande Lake Restoration Preliminary Feasibility Project and more in this issue!
2021 Master Marketer Program to be held in Weslaco
The 2021 Master Marketer Program, developed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University, will be held from Sept. 28 through Nov. 11 in Weslaco.
Participants will meet in person at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 2401 E. U.S. Highway 83. Morning sessions, with the exception of the optional Leveling Workshop on Sept. 28, will be live-streamed and recorded. Recordings will be made available on the Zoom platform for those unable to attend in person. On or about Sept. 15, instructions to online access will be emailed to registrants.
The program cost is $350 and includes noon meals and educational materials. Registration is available at tx.ag/MasterMarketer21.
About the Master Marketer Program
“The Master Marketer Program is designed for agricultural producers and agribusiness leaders experienced in marketing commodities and having some knowledge of futures and options markets,” explained Mark Welch, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist, Bryan-College Station. “It contains 64 hours of intensive marketing training that focuses on cotton, grains and livestock.”
Attendees are trained in marketing techniques, marketing plans, technical analysis, futures and options, and other marketing-related skills.
Master Marketer events are held annually in different parts of the state, with next year’s program taking place in Amarillo. Since 1996, more than 1,200 participants throughout Texas have graduated from 32 Master Marketer programs.
“This course will help attendees learn how to reduce risk and get more profit from their farm or ranch operation,” said Samuel Zapata, AgriLife Extension agricultural economist based at the Weslaco center. “Program participants report increased financial returns to their farming and ranching operations as well as an increased understanding of risk management concepts.”
2021 Master Marketer Program dates and details
Dates and topics for the 2021 Master Marketer Program are:
— Sept. 28, Leveling Workshop. The optional one-day Leveling Workshop reviews the basics of futures and options markets. Master Marketer participants should have at least a working knowledge of futures and options markets. This workshop provides a foundation for those who do not have this knowledge and a refresher for those who do.
— Sept. 29-30, Budgets, Farm Policy, Developing a Marketing Plan, and Marketing Tools and Strategies. Day one addresses the foundation of price-risk management, starting with the importance of having a marketing plan. Basic pricing marketing tools and marketing strategies are presented including a discussion of seasonality and working with a lender. There will also be an update on agricultural policy. On day two, participants will break into commodity groups and begin developing a specific marketing plan for the coming year.
— Oct. 13-14, Weather, Financials, Technical Analysis, Crop Insurance Overview and FARM Assistance. These two days will cover weather outlook and climate trends, as well as a broad range of issues related to crop and livestock insurance products. A discussion of changes to insurance products for 2022 is included.
— Oct. 27-28, Hemp and Specialty Crops, Grain Fundamentals, Cotton Fundamentals, Ag Insurance with an Agent, Legal Issues, and Trading Simulation Exercise. This session’s discussions will be on the potential for hemp and specialty crops, as well as supply and demand fundamentals for cotton and grain. A trading exercise will let participants put their marketing skills to the test. Also included is a discussion of legal risks and challenges.
— Nov. 10-11, Livestock Fundamentals, Hire Education, Legal Issues and Tying It All Together. Included will be a discussion of supply and demand fundamentals for livestock and of educational programs and applied research related to farm management and marketing. Additional discussion will cover legal risks and challenges.
“Graduates of Master Marketer programs receive much more from their education than just financial benefit,” Welch said. “They are more likely to adopt or implement a marketing plan, and graduates surveyed also report a significant increase in confidence in employing the marketing tools they learn about in the program.”
More information on the Master Marketer Program can be found at https://mastermarketer.tamu.edu or by contacting Zapata at 956-968-55810, samuel.zapata@ag.tamu.edu, or Welch at 979-845-8011, jmwelch@tamu.edu.
Funding for the Master Marketer program has been provided by Cotton Inc.‐Texas State Support Committee, Southern Risk Management Education Center, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Grain Sorghum Producers, Texas Wheat Producers Board and AgriLife Extension.
Soil & Forage Management Virtual Workshop
A Soil & Forage Management Virtual Workshop is to be held on September 30, 2021. The workshop is free.
Sustainable Agriculture Program-Soil & Forage Management Virtual Workshop
Topics include:
Understanding the Pasture, Range, and Forage (PRF) Program (Dr. Samuel Zapata, Economist, TexasA&M Agrilife Extension Service)
Reading a Soil Analysis & Use of Fertilizer Calculator (Dr. Tony L. Provin, Professor and SoilChemist Soil and Crop Sciences Texas A&M AgriLifeExtension Service)
Soil Web GIS Platform (Dr. Richard Griffin, Proffesor& Research Scientist, Prairie View A&M University)
Control of the Bermuda Stem Maggot (Dr. Holly Davis,Entomologist, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service)
For More information please contact CEP EA- Ronnie Zamora, Willacy County Office PH: (956) 689-2412. Email: rrzamora@PVAMU.EDU or Ronnie Ramirez, Conservation Planner TSSW Harlingen TX. PH: (956) 421-5841. Email: rramirez@tsswcb.texas.gov
TWRI’s newest issue of txH2O magazine has been published
The Texas Water Resources Institute recently published the Winter 2021 issue of its magazine, txH2O, spotlighting the Rio Grande.
Staff writers interviewed water researchers, irrigation experts, water district managers and more to learn about the issues along the big river and research efforts in place to overcome these challenges.
The articles Getting to Know the Rio Grande and How the Rio Grande Came to Be provide a historical framework for the Rio Grande.
Other articles detail past and current research efforts focused on transboundary collaboration and the unique agricultural landscape and irrigation practices along the river. The final article of this issue offers perspectives and solutions for the future of the Rio Grande.
“In this issue of txH2O, we only scratch the surface of the many challenges that the Rio Grande faces, but we provide a more in-depth look at some of the efforts aimed at addressing these challenges,” said TWRI assistant director Allen Berthold in the opening letter to the magazine.
Read the complete issue on Issuu or download the pdf. Subscribe to txH2O magazine for future publication updates.
Sustainable Agriculture Programs-Improving Forage Management Virtual Program
Hello Arroyo Partners,
Please make note of the correct date for this program-10/8/20. I had listed the wrong date on my previous email.
I wanted to announce the next Sustainable Agriculture Program-Improving Forage Management Virtual Program scheduled for October 8, 2020 from 9:00-11:30 am. Topics include:
Brush Control on Pastures (Dr. MeganClayton, Range Specialist, Texas A&M AgrilifeExtension Service)
Pasture Rainfall Insurance Decision Making Tool (Dr. SamuelZapata, Economist, Texas A&M AgrilifeExtension Service)
Forage Planning & Farm Design (Mr. Henry Gonzalez, USDA NRCSConservationist- Willacy County)
Register here.
For More information please contact CEP EA-Ronnie Zamora, Willacy County Office PH: (956) 689-2412 Email: rrzamora@pvamu.edu or Ronnie Ramirez Conservation Planner TSSW Harlingen TX, (956) 421-5841 Email rramirez@tsswcb.texas.gov
Jaime Flores, P.G.
Arroyo Colorado Watershed Coordinator
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
jjflores@ag.tamu.edu
Texas Water Resources Institute | twri.tamu.edu
2401 East Highway 83 | Weslaco, TX 78596
Tel. 956.969.5607 cell 956.495.5532 | Fax. 956.969.5639
Enjoy September’s Conservation Matters
Hello Arroyo Partners,
Please enjoy this issue of Conservation Matters-September 2020.
Jaime Flores, P.G.
Arroyo Colorado Watershed Coordinator
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
jjflores@ag.tamu.edu
Texas Water Resources Institute | twri.tamu.edu
2401 East Highway 83 | Weslaco, TX 78596
Tel. 956.969.5607 cell 956.495.5532 | Fax. 956.969.5639
Beef Cattle Production Webinar
Good Morning Arroyo Partners,
I received this announcement from Marco Ponce, CEA – Agriculture. I want to inform you of an upcoming free virtual program “Beef Cattle Production Webinar” scheduled for Tuesday, September 22, 2020 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
*2 CEU’S OFFERED!
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is hosting an upcoming Beef Cattle Production Workshop for RGV Ranchers and Landowners that are seeking learning opportunities in the area of beef production.
To Register click here – Beef Cattle Production Webinar
Deadline to register – September 18th (Registered participants will receive link to webinar on Monday, September 21st)
For any questions or concerns, please contact the Cameron County Extension Office at (956) 361-8236.
Jaime Flores, P.G.
Arroyo Colorado Watershed Coordinator
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
jjflores@ag.tamu.edu
Texas Water Resources Institute
2401 East Highway 83 | Weslaco, TX 78596
Tel. 956.969.5607 cell 956.495.5532 | Fax. 956.969.5639
