Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status.

The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating ********************************************************************************************************************************

Commercial products and trade names are used for information purposes only.

By: Roy Walston – CEA-Ag/NR

Top of the Windmill News

Winter 2015

Kerr County AgriLife Extension Service

3775 Hwy. 27

Kerrville, TX 78028

(830) 257-6568

kerr@ag.tamu.edu

Kerr.agrilife.org

Calendar of Events Oct. 28th - Kerr Co. Hay Show &

Forage Production

Seminar (2 CEUs)

Nov. 4th - Chronic Wasting Disease

Town-Hall Meeting

Nov. 10th - Pesticide Applicator

Continuing Education

Program (5 CEUs)

Nov. 10th - Beginner Bee Keeping

Program

Nov. 12th - Private Pesticide

Applicator Training

Nov. 30th - Olive Production &

Management Seminar

Dec. 1st - NAP Application

Deadline

Dec. 8th - Hill Country Pecan Show

If you would like to receive the Top

of the Windmill via email, please

send an email to: kerr@ag.tamu.edu

with the Subject title as: Top of the

Windmill.

Private Pesticide Applicator Training Offered

Need a license to kill unwanted brush and weeds? If you’re looking at pricklypear, cedar, and other weedy plants on your land you may find that to purchase the products that do the best, you need a private pesticide applicators license to purchase them. The Private Pesticide Applicator License is needed for application of state limit use and restricted use pesticides.

To become licensed you must take a course provided by your local office of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Once you complete the course you will be required to take a 100 question exam at an approved testing facility to complete the course requirements. The private applicators course is a “one time” training course. The course fee is $35 and the license fee is $60. Once you complete the course, testing and pay your fees you gets a license good for 5 years.

The course takes around 4 hour to complete. In order for you to keep the license after the fifth year, you will need to obtain 15 continuing education credits (CEU’s) over the 5 year life of the license period. There is a CEU requirement with 2 credits in Laws and Regulations and 2 in Integrated Pest Management. Training opportunities are offered by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service offices here in the Texas Hill Country year round.

On November 12th, starting at 9:00 AM, there will be a Private applicator license training conducted at the Kerr County office of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. The office is located at 3775 Hwy. 27 in Kerrville. Registration fee is $50.00 and this will provide you with the needed study materials to pass the 100 question test administered by the Texas Dept. of Agriculture. For more information and to register for the training stop by the Kerr County Extension office or give us a call at 830-257-6568.

Kerr County Hay Show & Forage Production Seminar

The Kerr County Hay Show & Forage Production Seminar is just around the

corner. The show will be held Wednesday, October 28 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

at the Kerr County Extension office. Private, Commercial and Non-Commercial

applicators will receive 2 hours of CEU’s during the seminar. Registration for the

seminar will be $10.00 per person with a maximum of 45 participants.

Pre-registration may be made by contacting the Kerr County Extension office by

October 27 at (830) 257-6568. During the program Dr. Larry Redmon, Extension

Forage Specialist will discuss management of various forages and provide producers an update on new

herbicides and insecticides available.

Winners of the 2015 Kerr County Hay Show will be recognized following the conclusion of the

seminar. This year’s show includes 14 entries from producers around Kerr County. Samples have been

submitted to the Texas A&M Forage Testing lab to determine protein and energy contents and feed

value of the hay. Classes include; Sorghum Sudan, Winter Annuals, Legumes, Perennial Grasses,

Coastal Bermuda, and other bermudagrasses. This is a good opportunity for producers to get their hay

tested and determine the quality of your hay as a feed supplement for this winter. Reservations for the

Forage Seminar and information on the Hay Show please contact the Texas AgriLife Extension office

at 830-257-6568.

Cool Season Weed Control

Controlling annual weeds in home lawns can be a chore, but there are ways to combat them. Cool season (winter) weeds usually germinate in early fall and hang around to late spring. A pre-emergent herbicide applied prior to germination is the best method to use, some pre-emergent herbicides to control winter weeds can include; Balan, XL, Team or Dimension. Any of these products should not be used if overseeding is or will be done. Otherwise post-emergent herbicide applications will be needed. The main point to remember is to clobber these annual winter weeds when they are

small and immature. If you wait until January or February, you’ve waited much too long. At this point, they are well-established, mature plants and cannot be controlled by post-emergent herbicides. Remember to always read the label and apply the appropriate herbicide at the appropriate labeled rate.

Chronic Wasting Disease In July, Chronic Wasting Disease was detected in a white-tailed deer in Medina County, Texas.

This disease, first discovered in 1967 in Colorado, affects the nervous systems of white-tailed and mule deer, elk, moose, and red deer. For the first time, the disease was seen in white-tails in Texas, creating significant concern among wildlife professionals, deer breeders, and hunting industry professionals. Although there is no evidence of transmissibility of the disease to humans or livestock, the seriousness of the disease for wild animals demanded a quick response.

While much effort has been spent on the part of various organizations to address the concerns and needs of landowners, we would like to reach out more specifically to the hunting public regarding education on this disease.

Although there is no indication yet that CWD has infected deer outside of the closed, high-fenced facilities in Medina and Lavaca counties, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Animal Health Commission are working to assess the scale of the situation, including potential infection of wild white-tails. Hunters are the critical piece in the puzzle for monitoring and managing CWD: hunters can contribute tissue samples from harvested deer, and maintaining healthy deer densities, as Texas wildlife managers have done for years, is the best tool to prevent the spread of CWD.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Texas Wildlife Association will be hosting a series of "town-hall" style meetings for hunters to educate them about the disease, its history, symptoms, and transmission, as well as informing hunters how they can participate in monitoring efforts and reminding hunters of safe carcass handling practices.

The first of these meetings is scheduled for November 4, 2015, from 6:30-8:30PM, at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Grounds Dairy Center, 723 AT&T Center Parkway, San Antonio, TX. Admission will be $10 to help defer associated costs and refreshments. Pre-registration is encouraged and can be found at:

http://www.texas-wildlife.org/resources/events/cwd-townhall-san-antonio-2015

Additional meetings will be held: Houston, 12 November 2015, Location TBD Austin, 17 November 2015, Location TBD Fort Worth, 23 November, Location TBD

Information provided by a Chronic Wasting Disease - Texas Parks & Wildlife Fact Sheet

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a neurological disease in North American Elk, Red Deer, Mule

deer, Black-Tailed Deer, White-Tailed Deer, Sika deer, and Moose, collectively known as

“cervids.” The disease was first recognized in 1967 in captive mule deer in Colorado, and has

since been documented in captive and free-ranging deer in 23 states and two Canadian provinc-

es. This disease presents numerous challenges for state wildlife agencies across North America.

Of primary concern is the potential for decline within deer, elk, or other susceptible cervid popu-

lations. In addition, CWD could impact hunting and hunting-related economies. In Texas, hunting

is a $2.2 billion economic engine, supporting many rural towns across the state.

Because eradication is nearly impossible once CWD becomes established in a population, it is

imperative that a sound CWD management program is established to reduce the severity of impli-

cations resulting from the disease. Of course, disease prevention is the best approach to protect

cervid populations and avoid social and economic repercussions. Texas Parks and Wildlife De-

partment (TPWD) and Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) are working cooperatively to ad-

dress risks, develop management strategies, and protect resources from CWD in captive and free

-ranging cervid populations from CWD.

What is Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)? Chronic wasting disease belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalo-

pathies (TSE) or prion diseases. Other TSEs include bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle,

scrapie in sheep, feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE) in cats in Europe, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob

disease (CJD) and a new variant (vCJD) in humans. While CWD is similar to BSE, there is no evidence

that CWD can be transmitted to people.

CWD is invariably fatal in cervids, and is believed to be transmitted through prions, which are misfolded

proteins that attack the nervous system of the host. These prions accumulate in the brain, spinal cord,

eyes, spleen, and lymph nodes of infected animals, but are found ubiquitously throughout the animal.

How does it spread?

CWD can spread through natural movements of infected animals, and transportation of live infected ani-

mals or carcass parts. There is no known treatment or vaccine for CWD. Deer and other cervids may

become infected with CWD by animal-to-animal contact or by animal contact with a contaminated envi-

ronment. Prions are shed from infected animals in saliva, urine, blood, soft-antler material, feces, or from

the decomposition of an infected animal which ultimately contaminates the soil and environment in which

deer and other cervids live. Prions shed into the environment can remain capable of infecting other ani-

mals for an undetermined number of years. As more deer become infected over time the number of in-

fectious CWD prions in the environment increases. Once CWD prions become established in an area,

deer are more likely to become exposed to CWD by coming into contact with prions shed in the environ-

ment. Conversely, in areas where CWD is not well established, and where the environment is relatively

uncontaminated, animal to animal contact is the most likely source of transmission of CWD to uninfected

deer.

There are no known management strategies to mitigate the risk of indirect transmission of CWD once an

environment has been contaminated with infectious prions. This makes eradication of CWD almost im-

possible in areas where CWD may have been established for a long period before initial detection. Re-

moving infected animals from the population early in an outbreak offers some hope of limiting the geo-

graphic extent of the disease as well as prevalence within the deer population by reducing direct trans-

mission between animals and limiting the potential for environmental contamination.

Where has it been found?

CWD has been detected in captive and free-ranging deer and elk in 23 states and two Canadian Prov-

inces: Colorado, Wyoming, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Wisconsin, New Mexico,

Minnesota, Oklahoma, Illinois, Alberta, Utah, New York, West Virginia, Kansas, Michigan, Virginia, Mis-

souri, North Dakota, Maryland, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas.

How can you tell if a deer has CWD?

The disease cannot be diagnosed by symptoms alone since other diseases or conditions can cause the

animal to exhibit similar symptoms. Definitive diagnosis is made by post-mortem laboratory testing of

distinctive parts of the brain and lymph nodes in the throat. Symptoms of infected animals include emaci-

ation, excessive salivation, lack of muscle coordination, difficulty in swallowing, excessive thirst, and ex-

cessive urination. Clinically-ill animals may have an exaggerated wide posture, may stagger and carry

the head and ears lowered, and are often found consuming large amounts of water. These symptoms

don’t occur until the terminal stages of the disease process. It is also important to remember that an in-

fected animal may be shedding infective prions well before symptoms become apparent.

What should I do if I see a deer that shows symptoms of CWD?

Accurately document the location of the animal (record GPS coordinates if possible), take pictures if

possible, and immediately contact the nearest TPWD Wildlife Division or Law Enforcement Division of-

fice, or call TPWD headquarters in Austin toll-free at (800) 792-1112 and enter 5 for wildlife and 1 for

general wildlife information; or contact TAHC toll-free at (800) 550-8242. Do not attempt to touch, dis-

turb, kill or remove the animal.

Is CWD dangerous to humans?

Researchers with the Federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, and

along with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, have studied CWD and have

found no evidence that CWD poses a serious risk to humans or domestic animals. Years of monitoring

in the affected area in Colorado has found no similar disease in people or cattle living there. The World

Health Organization (WHO) has likewise advised that there is no current scientific evidence that CWD

can infect humans. However, as a precaution, the WHO and the CDC advise that no part of a deer or elk

with evidence of CWD should be consumed by people or other animals.

What precautions should hunters take?

Health officials advise hunters not to consume meat from animals known to be, or believed to be,

infected with CWD or any other disease. Since it’s not always apparent that a deer may be carrying a

disease, hunters should take simple precautions such as wearing latex gloves when field dressing

carcasses, and washing hands and instruments thoroughly with a 2% chlorine bleach solution after field

dressing is complete. Another precautionary recommendation is to bone out meat and avoid the

lymphatic and neurological tissue (i.e., lymph nodes, brain, and spine). Also, see TPWD publication

Common Sense Precautions for Handling and Processing Deer (PWD LF W7000-859) for more

information about processing deer. Finally, when taking deer to a game processor, hunters may consider

requesting their animals be processed individually, without meat from other animals being added to meat

from your animal.

Can I have deer venison tested? Deer “venison” cannot be tested. However, appropriate tissue samples can be tested from a harvested

deer. TPWD biologists will be collecting tissue samples from hunter-harvested deer throughout the state.

Test results from TPWD’s check station sampling will be conveniently posted on the TPWD CWD

website within several weeks of collection. In addition, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic

Laboratory (TVMDL; http://tvmdl.tamu.edu/) can test tissue samples for CWD at the owner’s expense. If

you wish to have your harvested animal tested, please DO NOT freeze the head, but chill the head as

quickly as possible to keep sample viable. The tissue sample must be removed soon after harvest. You

may ship the appropriate tissue samples preserved in formalin or the entire head in the water-tight

container directly to TVMDL. It is acceptable to remove the antlers and the top of the skull. It is advisable

to contact the lab (979-845-3414) before you send the sample. Arrangements can also be made through

your local veterinarian to collect the correct tissue sample and store it in formalin. Once the sample is

stored in formalin, it can be sent by regular post.

What can hunters do? Hunters should report any suspected cases of CWD to TPWD or TAHC immediately. Proper disposal of carcasses is strongly recommended for big game harvested in any area identified as a CWD endemic zone in order to minimize the risk of spreading CWD via infected carcass parts to other areas of the state. Unused carcass parts, especially the brain or spinal tissue, need to be handled responsibly and could be disposed of at the site where the animal was harvested, in a landfill, or buried. Hunters should also support Texas surveillance efforts and should report any suspected importation violations. Finally, hunters should become familiar with information about CWD as well as practical tips they may use in the field to help prevent spread of CWD and minimize any risks associated with the disease.

tpwd.texas.gov/cwd

Beginner Bee Keeping Program – Nov. 10th

Double L Feed and Texas A&M Agrilife Extension in Kerr County is partnering to offer a Beginner Bee Keeping program on Tuesday, November 10th at 6:30 p.m. at the Hill Country Event Center located at 3775 Hwy. 27 in Kerrville, Texas. This program is for individuals interested in learning about beginning bee production. Mrs. Molly Keck, Texas AgriLife Extension Entomologist from Bexar County and certified entomologist will discuss hive placement, setting up new hives, tools and maintenance.

To RSVP for the program please contact Double L Feed at 830-367-4100.

Don’t Miss Out - 2016 NAP Coverage Signup for Grasses - Deadline is December 1st

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers to review available USDA crop risk protection options, including federal crop insurance and Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage, before the fall-seeded crop deadline of December 1, 2015.

Federal crop insurance covers crop losses from natural adversities such as drought, hail and excessive moisture. NAP covers losses from natural disasters on crops for which no permanent federal crop insurance program is available, including forage and grazing crops, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, floriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf grass, ginseng, honey, syrup, bioenergy, and industrial crops.

2016 NAP application deadline: December 1, 2015 for Native and Improved Grasses and Grapes.

USDA has partnered with Michigan State University and the University of Illinois to create an online tool at www.fsa.usda.gov/nap that allows producers to determine whether their crops are eligible for federal crop insurance or NAP and to explore the best level of protection for their operation. NAP basic coverage is available at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of expected production, with higher levels of coverage, up to 65 percent of their expected production at 100 percent of the average market price available, including coverage for organics and crops marketed directly to consumers. Crops intended for grazing are not eligible for additional NAP coverage.

For more information on this and other federal programs for producers contact

the Kerr County USDA Farm Service Agency.

Pesticide Applicator Continuing Education Program – Nov. 10th

If you are a private, commercial or non-commercial pesticide applicator you will

be interested in this upcoming program. There will be a pesticide applicator

Continuing Education training in Fredericksburg on November 10th at the

Gillespie County Extension office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. This will be a

5 hour CEU program targeted at Private, Commercial and Non-Commercial

Applicators. Agricultural pesticide applicators will receive 1 hour in laws and

regulations, 1 hour in integrated pest management and three hours in general. Structural

pesticide applicators will receive 1 hour in lawn and ornamental, 1 hour in pest control, 1 hour

in weed control, and 2 hours in general. This program is designed to help all applicators that

may work with county and city governments, school districts, golf courses, commercial

pesticide applicators and private pesticide applicators.

The program will include Mr. Vick Alexander with the Texas Department of Agriculture

discussing laws and regulations, Wizzie Brown, Travis County Extension Agent to talk on

stinging and biting pests, Ricard Cruz, Univar USA-Termite to cover termite control.

Following a lunch at Catfish Haven, Roger Havlak with the City of San Angelo Parks Director

will cover Weed and Turf Management. Trees, shrubs and fungal disease and insect controls are

among other topics to be covered.

Registration is $75 per person and may be made by contacting the Gillespie County Extension

office at 830-997-3452 by November 5th.

Do we need to fertilize our lawns in the winter?

Depending on where you live in Texas, warm season grasses such as St. Augustinegrass, Bermudagrass, Zoysiagrass, Buffalograss, etc. will be going dormant very soon. Once this occurs and they become somewhat straw colored, these grasses are no longer growing actively. Our recommendation is to fertilize your turfgrass only when these plants are actively growing and apply the appropriate type and rate of fertilizer based on a soil sample analysis. Spring, summer, and fall applications would be very appropriate depending on the grass type, use, soil type, etc. for warm season grasses. A good rule of thumb is to put out your fall application at least 30 days before the average first frost date and begin with the spring application approximately 30 days after the average last frost date for your area. This approach is not only best for the turf, but also for our environment. If you overseed your turf or have a cool season turfgrass such as Tall Fescue, Perennial or Annual Ryegrass, then late fall and winter applications would be recommended. You need to apply approximately 75% of the total nitrogen required for this species during this period of time and much less in the late winter and early spring.

Olive Production & Management Seminar

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas Olive Oil Council will be conducting an Olive Production and Management Seminar on Monday, November 30 at the San Antonio Livestock Exposition -Dairy Barn from 10 am – 4 pm. This seminar is open to commercial olive producers, small acreage farm operators and the general public interested in growing olives. If interested RSVP early with registration fee of $30, payable to the Bexar County Master Gardeners, Attn: Angel Torres, 3355 Cherry Ridge, Suite 212,San Antonio, TX 78230, or call 210 631-0400.

Hill Country Pecan Show With the cooler weather here many homeowners and commercial growers are

anxiously awaiting the Hill Country District Pecan Show, set for December 8th, 2015 at the Kerr County Event Center in Kerrville. Growers throughout Texas

are having the best crop in years and should have plenty of pecans for this year’s shows. Each year pecan growers from the Hill Country area, Bandera, Kendall, Kerr and Real counties collect and enter their pecan entries to compete for awards, recognition and advancement to the South Texas Regional Show.

Growers will compete for ribbons and plaques with the Champion Commercial, Classic and Native all receiving plaques.

Growers from this area may enter one entry of each improved variety and as many native entries as they like. Each entry must consist of 45 nuts of one variety and must be grown by the exhibitor and from this year’s crop. What makes a good sample? Good pecan entries are uniform in color, shape and size; free of disease and insect markings with very little discoloration or white at the end of the pecans. Pecans should be free of splits or cracking to insure a good sample. Pecans may not be altered by marking, filing or excessive polishing, which will disqualify the entry. Each entry will be selected based on a random sampling of 10 nuts selected from the entry. The 10 nuts are then weighed in shell, shelled and a kernel weight is then taken. Based on the size of the nuts, percent edible kernel, color and appearance the nuts are placed.

If you would like to compete in this year’s Hill Country District Pecan Show please bring your

pecans to the Kerr County Extension Office no later than Friday, December 1st . Questions can be

directed to 830-257-6568.

Kerr County AgriLife Extension Office

3775 Hwy 27

Kerrville, Texas 78028