Agriview
by Rick Hirsch

"The Changing Dynamics of the Texas Beef Industry" is the theme for this year's Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course. The short course will be August 6-8 at Texas A&M University in College Station.

The U.S. beef industry has experienced many changes in the past few years. Rising fuel, fertilizer, equipment and labor costs are on the minds of most cow-calf producers and will be addressed at this year's short course.

Input costs are not the only big change that cattle producers have faced. U.S. consumers increasingly want more information on the foods that they purchase.

According to conference officials, consumers are willing to pay a premium for beef that can be traced back to the ranch where that calf was born.

Natural, organic and grass-fed beef are also gaining interest among consumers because they are perceived as being more healthful. The demand for such products continues to grow, according to the 2005 national Beef Quality Audit. The audit projected domestic and international demand for natural beef would grow 2 percent to 4 percent each year for the next decade.

How will ethanol production and its impact on corn supplies affect feed costs and cattle prices? How long will current cattle prices hold? What about rising fuel and fertilizer costs? Randy Blach, executive vice president of Cattle-Fax, will address these questions among others at the short course.

The short course will also feature 16 other specialized workshops that are part of the Cattleman's College sessions. The August 8th sessions will feature several live animal demonstrations and an opportunity for participants to obtain pesticide applicators' license.

Short course registration costs $140 per participant. It will be $180 after July 30th. The registration includes admission to the twoand a-half-day conference, the Cattleman's College, a copy of the 300-page short course proceedings, trade show admittance, tickets to the "Famous Aggie Prime Rib" dinner, noon meals and morning and afternoon refreshment breaks.

Producers interested in attending may register online at http://beef.tamu.edu or by contacting the Henderson County Extension Office at 903-675-6130.

Ranchers can learn how recent changes in tax laws may affect their estate plans by attending a seminar scheduled for August 8-9 at the College Station Conference Center, 1300 George Bush Drive.

This event will be held in conjunction with the Texas A&M University Annual Beef Cattle Short Course, slated for August 6-8.

The goal is to help families make wise estate planning decisions by providing information on tax and estate planning matters. This information should be useful for married couples, potential estate executors and those who want to make estate settlement less burdensome for their loved ones.

The seminar will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on August 8th, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on August 9th, with lunch served at noon.

The first day's agenda will cover basic estate devices such as wills, living trusts, estate tax deferral and gifts. The second day's agenda will focus on estate taxes, how to keep the ranch running well, corporations and partnerships, special use land valuation, and life insurance in estate planning.

There are new tax rules that affect estate plans. What should you include in the taxable estate? What deductions and expenses are available to reduce the taxable estate?

Time will also be spent calculating your potential estate tax bill.

Registration costs $125 per person. The fee covers all materials, refreshments and lunch on August 9th. Enrollment is limited.

For more information or to register, contact Sharon Wehring at 979-845-2226 or by email at swehring@ tamu.edu.

HARVEST:

The 2007 gardening season is entering the harvest period with good results, but there are a few problems; some gardeners are noticing wilting, stunting and premature death of their plants. Often, gardeners discover the roots of these unthrifty plants are infested with root knot nematodes. Controlling root knot nematodes in a home garden is a yearround job, but can pay off with high quality produce.

Several practices can be initiated to reduce nematode populations in the soil. But none will result in eradication. First, determine where damage most frequently occurs and plan a rotation program so that resistant or less susceptible crops are grown in those areas. Another practice is to summer fallow. Keep the soil tilled as deep as possible to allow maximum heating and drying. Tilling should be often enough to eliminate all plant growth.

When possible, use resistant varieties. The best resistance is found in tomatoes with some pear and bean varieties also having resistance. No okra variety is resistant to root known nematodes.

Planting a fall cover crop of annual rye and turning it under in late winter increases soil organisms which are antagonistic to nematodes.

The organic matter produced is also helpful in other ways. This practice may not be practical if proper tillage equipment is not available.

SUMMER ROSE CARE:

Two diseases are common on roses in Texas - blackspot and powdery mildew. This means if you grow roses in Henderson County, there is a good chance you will encounter one or both of these problems.

The first signs of blackspot are large, fringed black spots on the leaves, usually surrounded by a yellow area. Severely infected leaves turn completely yellow. Infected leaves soon fall, weakening the plant. Blackspot can occur at any time during the entire growing season.

* Keep the leaves as dry as possible using drip irrigation or run sprinklers in the morning.

* Remove fallen leaves from around the plant. They are a source of infection.

* Prune out infected or dead canes.

* Several fungicides can be used for blackspot control, including Funginex, Daconil 2787 and lime sulphur. Apply weekly during the growing season. Treating several hours before a rain is effective in preventing further infection of healthy leaves.

Powdery mildew is another common disease of Texas roses. Symptoms are powdery white covering on the leaf. Patches start as small circular areas that soon cover the entire leaf surface. Fortunately the same fungicides used for blackspot also control powdery mildew.

IMPORTANT DATES:

August 6-8 - Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course, College Station.

(Rick Hirsch is the Henderson County Extension Agent-Agriculture for Texas cooperative Extension. Visit his web page at http://henderson- tx.tamu.edu.)