Cattle feeding tips for small producers will highlight several topics and crop tours featured at the Stiles Farm Field Day June 15 in Thrall.
There is no registration fee to attend. Registration and vendor time will begin at 4:20 p.m. at the Stiles Farm Foundation headquarters, 5700 Farm-to-Market Road 1063. Field tours begin at 5:20 p.m.
Marketing beef
“We are excited about this year’s field day and moving to a late afternoon-evening format, allowing more producers to attend and take part in the program,” said Ryan Collett, farm manager, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. “This year’s field tour will not only include agronomic lessons learned, but also a discussion on smaller-scale feeding. We are continuing to see the niche market of direct beef purchases from the farm, and this presentation will give beef producers a clear understanding of what it takes to market these products.”
Collett said in addition to AgriLife Extension specialists he was glad Ross Rinderkneckt from Williamson County Equipment was included on the tour.
“With the long freeze this year, we thought producers could use a primer on winterizing and calibrating their sprayer,” he said. “Ross will also touch on some of the new planter technologies available.”
The following field stops will be part of the field tour:
- On the Ranch Cattle Feeding-Tips to Satisfy Consumers’ Palate, Jason Cleere, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Bryan-College Station.
- Post Emergent Herbicide Technology in Grain Sorghum, Statewide Grain Variety Trials, Agronomic Questions and Answers, Ronnie Schnell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension grains specialist, and Scott Nolte, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension state weed specialist, both Bryan-College Station.
- Post-Planting Applications for Cotton Root Rot Control and Corn Rootworm/Bt Resistance, Tom Isakeit, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension plant pathologist, and David Kerns, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension entomologist, Bryan-College Station.
- Planter Technology Setup/Sprayer Winterization and Calibration, Rinderkneckt.
One general and one integrated pest management continuing education unit will be offered. As in past years, CEU registration costs will be covered by Williamson County Farm Bureau.
Scholarships, awards
A catered meal, courtesy of local agribusiness sponsors, will be served at 7:30 p.m. followed by the presentation of two Stiles Farm Foundation 4-H scholarships, the Texas Farm Bureau Agriculturalist of the Year Award and door prizes.
The Stiles Farm Foundation was established by the Stiles family at Thrall in Williamson County. According to the foundation, J.V. and H.A. Stiles wanted to commemorate their father, James E. Stiles, and the land he worked. They also wanted to help neighboring farmers and others throughout the Central Texas Blacklands region learn new farming practices.
In 1961, the Stiles Farm Foundation became part of the Texas A&M University System. The farm is used by AgriLife Extension and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, which conduct field experiments and use the facility as a teaching platform.
For more information in the Stiles Farm, visit https://stilesfarm.tamu.edu/.
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