‘On the Line with AgriLife’ CARES Act webinar set April 30

AgriLife Extension experts cover agriculture assistance aid available

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will present a special “On the Line with AgriLife: Paycheck Protection Program and CARES Act Information for Agricultural Entities and Small Businesses” webinar on April 30.

The free webinar will start at 8:30 a.m. and will last around 30 minutes. The meeting link is available on the “On the Line with AgriLife” website page; participants also have the option to join by phone.

Guest speakers will be Bart Fischer, Ph.D., co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University, College Station, and Rebekka Dudensing, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist and Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Economics associate professor, College Station.

They will cover the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides small businesses with resources to maintain payroll, hire back laid off employees and cover applicable overhead. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, CARES, Act is the economic relief package that provides economic assistance for workers, families and small businesses.

“This webinar is targeted at agricultural entities as well as small businesses,” said Emily Grant, AgriLife Extension agent for Val Verde County. “The CARES Act and Paycheck Protection Program are topics that are time sensitive and we wanted to be able to present that information to our stakeholders as quickly as possible and share important information about these federal programs while money is still available.”

“On the Line with AgriLife” webinars are typically held the third Tuesday of each month and feature various AgriLife Extension agents and specialists discussing topics important to West Texans. Each webinar features a short presentation followed by a Q&A period.

Additional information on the On the Line with AgriLife series may be found on the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Far West Texas District 6 Facebook page. A schedule of specific topics for each date will also be available online. Reminders about upcoming programs are available by texting @OTLWA to 81010.

AgriLife Extension agents Grant, Cody Trimble, Glasscock County; Tanner Hash, Martin County; Payton Keifer, Pecos County; Dakota Kempken, Glasscock County; Sami Lindsey, Crane County; Jessica McCrory, Terrell County; and Matlin Sain, Presidio County, organized the series. These agents also produce a joint newsletter for their stakeholders and are organizing a West Texas Farmers and Ranchers Convention for July.

The first webinar covered internal parasites in sheep and goats. The May 19 webinar will feature Jeanette Castanon, AgriLife Extension horticulture agent. She will cover good and bad bug in your garden and how to utilize beneficial insects. The June 16 topic will be cotton.

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