Multi-County New Landowner Educational Series Begins Aug. 20
The Multi-County New Landowner Education program is a series of eight informational meetings, seminars, and field days designed to make new landowners in Austin, Colorado, Fayette, and Washington Counties aware of what types of agricultural enterprises are best for their property. Participants in the program will hear from experts in a variety of fields in agriculture about best management practices that can be implemented on their own property.
This innovative program assists new landowners in understanding the concepts of rural living. Participants in the program are given exposure to ideas on raising livestock and horses, plant identification, fence building, applying pesticides, soil testing, stock pond management, pond construction, fruit and nut production, rainwater harvesting, turf management, and much more. The program also serves as a way for new residents of the four counties to network and meet new people in their communities, find out what can be done on their land, what operations can be successful, and possibly what opportunities they have to serve the community.
The programs will be held on the third Friday of the months of February through June and August through November. Each month’s meeting will be held at different locations in one of the four counties. The meetings begin at 1:30 p.m. and will last between four and five hours depending on the topic and possible tour stops. The cost for the program series is $125 per person, $200 per couple for all eight meetings, $20.00 per person per meeting. Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) for pesticide applicators will be offered as they are applicable. A great selection of refreshments will be provided at each session. Participants who sign up for the entire series will receive a notebook at the beginning of the series to fill as we progress through the program with handouts and reference material that will be useful as they move forward with improvements on their property.
Aug. 20: Bees and Trees for Homeowners
Sept. 17: Horticulture Production - Fruit Trees, Pecans, and Grapes for Landowners
Oct. 15 - Wildlife Management and Native Prairie Restoration
Nov. 19 - Emerging Issues for Rural Landowners
The August meeting for the 2021 series will take place on Friday, Aug. 20, at the Washington County Expo Sales Facility in Brenham.
Beekeeping continues to be a hot topic, especially for medium to small acreage landowners. Before you jump in head-first and order the equipment and a hive of bees, come learn what to expect. We will hear from several area beekeepers on what it takes to raise honeybees in this area of Texas, some of the challenges they face, and what they’ve found to be good solutions. In addition to bees we will take a portion of the afternoon to talk trees. In Texas and especially in our part of Texas trees are a valuable commodity that landowners care about and strive to keep them healthy and vigorous. Come learn about tree biology, how to recognize common tree problems, and how to manage tree health. We will “leaf ” no question unanswered, discussing planting, pruning, watering, fertilizer, insect and disease control. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity. Two CEUs (1 General, 1 IPM) will be offered for all licensed pesticide applicators.
The 2020 and 2021 Multi-County New Landowner series is generously supported by: Citizens State Bank-Somerville, Capital Farm Credit-La Grange and Bellville, AgWorkers Insurance, Texas Casual Cottages By Partners in Building.
For more information please contact the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office in Austin County at (979) 865-2072) at Colorado County (979) 732-2082, Fayette County at (979)-968-5831, or Washington County at (979) 277-6212.
Registration materials and more information can also be found on our website, https://washington.agrilife.org/nlo.