Castro County Crops Conference set for Jan. 9 in Dimmitt

By Rob Williams

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host the Castro County Crops Conference on Jan. 9 in Dimmitt.

The free conference will be held from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at West Texas Coffee, 107 E. Bedford St. An RSVP is encouraged. To RSVP, contact the AgriLife Extension office in Castro County at 806-647-4115

There will be a total of three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units available, including two laws and regulations and one integrated pest management. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Conference agenda

The topics and speakers will include the following:

• Overview of cotton variety selection considerations – Jane Dever, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension cotton breeder in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and associate director, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock.
• Assessing the impact of seed size across the cotton supply chain – Reagan Heinrich, Texas A&M AgriLife Research research assistant, Lubbock.
• Acreage optimization tools for crop water management – David Parker, Ph.D., water engineering specialist with AgriLife Extension and West Texas A&M University, Canyon.
• Farm bill and ag policy – Joe Outlaw, Ph.D., Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University co-director in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station.
• Timing of topdressing nitrogen on wheat – Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension Service agronomist in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Lubbock.
• Integrated pest management updates – John Thobe, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management agent for Bailey, Castro and Parmer counties, Muleshoe.
• Evaluations and CEU certificate handouts.
• Auxin training – Kristie Keys, AgriLife Extension agronomy agent in Castro, Hale and Lamb counties, Dimmitt.