Ranching Archives - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Texans can take steps to prevent spread of oak wilt

October 15, 2019

Source: AgriLife Today

The Texas A&M Forest Service is urging Texans to help prevent the spread of oak wilt by minimizing the transportation of firewood this winter.

Oak wilt is one of the most destructive tree diseases in the U.S. and has been blamed for epidemic proportions of tree kills in Central Texas. Because the disease primarily spread by moving firewood from one region to another, the forest service asks residents to be cautious when collecting and purchasing firewood this time of year.

Herbicide-resistant kochia invading Texas High Plains

October 10, 2019

Source: AgriLife Today

Kochia, a kind of tumbleweed, has long been associated with the Texas High Plains, but its abundance is starting to alarm Texas A&M AgriLife officials as regional producers are experiencing challenges controlling kochia as herbicide resistance is mounting.

Muthu Bagavathiannan, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research weed scientist in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, College Station, said kochia has been a major multiple herbicide-resistant weed problem for some time in parts of the Great Plains – Kansas, Colorado, Montana and surrounding states, and even in Canada.

Things you need to know about wild pigs

October 10, 2019

Source: AgriLife Today

Whether you refer to them as feral hogs or wild pigs, Sus scrofa is a species that is negatively impacting nearly every part of Texas.

Not only do wild pigs wreak havoc on pastures, fields and golf courses alike, they contaminate our water sources and destroy native species. They can also spread disease to both man and beast. Wild pigs cause widespread damage to agricultural lands by destroying crops, the depredation of livestock, and competing with wildlife for resources.