Multi-County New Landowner Educational Series Begins May 21
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, & 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, or $20 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.
• May 21: Forage & Livestock Production Options for Small Acreage Operations
• June 18: Pond Management
• 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 third meeting for the 2021 series will take place on Friday, May 21 at the Sandy Creek Ranch located in New Ulm. For this session preregistration is required, only those who preregister will be sent the directions. The goal of this session is to help landowners who want to establish or recover their pasture and hay meadows along with fertility and weed control options. Then look at options for overseeding pastures with winter forages, and learn about the process and benefits. Lastly, we will cover livestock production by learning some tips and tricks to help you have a more successful herd. Two CEU (2 Gen) will be available for licensed pesticide applicators.
For more information, please contact the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office in Austin County at (979) 865-2072, Colorado County at (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/ag/nlo/.