The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Crop Production and Protection Seminar on Dec. 21 at locations across the Panhandle and South Plains.

A sorghum field with two silos in the background. The Dec. 21 Texas A&M AgriLife Crop Production and Protection Seminar will feature the latest research for producers.
The Dec. 21 Texas A&M AgriLife Crop Production and Protection Seminar will feature the latest research and strategies to protect crops from weeds and other pests. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Laura McKenzie)

The speakers will be virtual, but AgriLife Extension agents in the agency’s District 1, headquartered in Amarillo, and District 2, headquartered in Lubbock, will host an in-person event for producers, said Danny Nusser, AgriLife Extension program leader for the North Region.

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. at each location. The fees and lunch arrangements will vary from location to location. A complete list of the 37 in-person locations and contacts for more information is available at https://tx.ag/NorthRegionDec21 (closed).

“We want to make sure everyone across the region has the same opportunity to hear these speakers and obtain the same continuing education units,” Nusser said. “We will utilize the Microsoft Teams platform to bring all the speakers together from across the state without having to make anyone travel any further than their home county.”

Five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units – one general, two integrated pest management, one drift, and one laws and regulations – will be offered at each location.

On the agenda

The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. and include the following topics and speakers:

  • Know your pesticide laws and regulations – Comprehensive look at the pesticide laws and regulations, EPA updates and licensing/certification guidelines Don Renchie, Ph.D., professor and AgriLife Extension specialist and program leader for the Agricultural and Environmental Safety Unit, Bryan-College Station.
  • Weed control mishaps and how to manage success: Potential issues related to herbicide or management failures in controlling weed pests, including resistance, management decisions, timing, herbicide selection, application, equipment and mother nature – Peter Dotray, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research weed specialist and professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences,  Lubbock.
  • Reducing risk of off-target drift, off-label decisions and updates on new regulations affecting pesticide availability – Scott Nolte, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension state weed specialist in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
  • Available tools for management of brush and weed problems in pastures – Morgan Treadwell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range specialist and associate professor in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, San Angelo.
  • Unlocking the genetic potential of corn/sorghum hybrids:  How to protect your investment and select technologies that not only optimize yield but mitigate risk from issues such as weed, disease, drought and insects – Jourdan Bell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist, and Kevin Heflin, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomy program specialist, both in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and based in Amarillo.
  • Updates from commodity partners.