Writer: Susan Himes, 325-657-7315, Susan.Himes@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: John David Gonzales, 806-272-4583, johndavid.gonzales@ag.tamu.edu
MULESHOE — The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will hold the South Plains Scout School May 30 at the City of Muleshoe Training Facility, 303 S. Main St. in Muleshoe.
The Scout School is a free training designed for field crop consultant workers, farmers, farmhands, AgriLife Extension county agents and their interns, and any agricultural-related worker.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units in integrated pest management will be offered. Registration will begin at 8 a.m., and the event will run from 8:15 a.m. to noon. RSVPs are required by May 23 to John David Gonzales at 806-272-4583 or 318-439-4758.
“Scout School is an opportunity for consultants, farmers and anyone working closely with field crops to spend a day with AgriLife personnel learning about cotton, corn and grain sorghum pests and research-based action thresholds to help ensure growers are getting the full yield potential of their crops,” said Gonzales, AgriLife Extension agent for integrated pest management, Bailey, Castro and Parmer counties.
“We will cover cotton insect pests and diseases, as well as a hands-on plant mapping demonstration conducted by the AgriLife IPM agents,” Gonzales said. “On the corn and grain sorghum side, we will have a presentation on general agronomy of those crops, and later discuss the insect pests and diseases that affect the different stages of development.”
Topics and speakers will include:
- Cotton Insect Pests and Scouting – Dr. Suhas Vyavhare, AgriLife Extension cotton entomologist, Lubbock, and Blayne Reed, AgriLife Extension IPM agent, Hale and Swisher counties.
- Hands-on Cotton Plant Mapping – AgriLife Extension IPM agents.
- Diseases in Cotton and Corn – Dr. Terry Wheeler, Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant pathologist, Lubbock.
- Corn and Grain Sorghum Agronomy – Dr. Calvin Trostle, AgriLife Extension agronomist, Lubbock.
- Corn and Grain Sorghum Insect Pests – Dr. Pat Porter, AgriLife Extension entomologist, Lubbock, and Gonzales.
- Beneficial Insects for Corn and Grain Sorghum – Vyavhare and AgriLife Extension IPM agents.
For more information, contact the AgriLife Extension office in Muleshoe at 318-439-4583.
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