The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Service Center in Austin/Washington County is hosting a disaster assistance and hurricane recovery workshop on October 11, 2017, at 10:00am at Washington County Fair Grounds Sales Facility.

The USDA’s Farm Service Recovery Agency is offering disaster assistance and low-interest loans to assist agricultural producers affected by Hurricane Harvey.

The Mill Creek Watershed Partnership is pleased to announce Josh Helcel, Feral Hog Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be providing a Feral Hog presentation at the upcoming quarterly meeting. The public is invited to attend, we will learn about feral hog management and its impact on water quality.  During the meeting, we will also provide updates on current implementation efforts within the Mill Creek Watershed, including water quality testing. 

The basic premise behind a bill (S. 130) pending before the United States Senate titled the “Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, Milk, and Cheese To Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday Act” or abbreviated as the “DAIRY PRIDE Act.” is that “Only actual milk should be called milk in order to avoid misleading consumers.” “It should not be called milk because it is not milk.”

After six complete weeks of walking, the Walk Across Texas participants reported they have walked 67,235 miles!

Anyone interested in private water well management is invited to a Texas Well Owner Network training April 28 in Brenham.

The Blinn College livestock judging team was named reserve champion at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Blinn’s Agricultural Sciences Program is one of the largest in the nation with almost 800 students enrolled – roughly four times the size of any other two-year agricultural program in the state.

Last week the U.S Department of Agriculture’s latest biannual report of farm incomes painted a very bleak picture for the American farmer. In its first forecast for 2017, the USDA saw real farm cash receipts down 14% versus 2015 and 36% from the previous high set in 2012 as farm debt continued to soar and leverage surged to all-time highs.

Much has changed since 1970, when Johnnie Schroeder came to Blinn College as an instructor. But his commitment to student success has remained a constant presence in the Agricultural Sciences Department. After teaching engines, welding, engineering, and wood construction for 46 years, Schroeder announced his retirement from full-time work in December.