The Multi-County New Landowner Education program is a series of 8 informational meetings, seminars, and field days designed to make new landowners in Austin, Colorado, Fayette, & Washington Counties aware of what types of agricultural enterprises are best for their property.  Participants in the program will hear from experts in a variety of fields in agriculture about best management practices that can be implemented on their own property.  This innovative program assists new landowners in understanding the concepts of rural living.  Participants in the program are given exposure to ideas on raising livestock and horses, plant identification, fence building, applying pesticides, soil testing, stock pond management, pond construction, fruit and nut production, rain water harvesting, turf management, and much more.  The program also serves as a way for new residents of the four counties to network and meet new people in their communities, find out what can be done on their land, what operations can be successful, and possibly what opportunities they have to serve the community.

The programs will be held on the third Friday of the months of February through May and August through November.  Each month’s meeting will be held at different locations in one of the four counties. The meetings begin at 1:30pm and will last between 4 and 5 hours depending on the topic and possible tour stops.  The cost for the program series is $125.00 per person, $200.00 per couple for all eight meetings, $20.00 per person per meeting.  Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) for pesticide applicators will be offered as they are applicable.  A great selection of refreshments will be provided at each session.  Participants who sign up for the entire series will receive a notebook at the beginning of the series to fill as we progress through the program with handouts and reference material that will be useful as they move forward with improvements on their property.

 

 

November Program – Emerging Issues for Rural Landowners – Online Program    

The November meeting for the 2020 series will take place on Friday, November 20, 2020!  Be sure to join us online from the comfort of your own digital device! This month we will focus on emerging issues facing rural landowners. Feral hog mitigation continues to be a hot topic, especially for medium to small acreage landowners.  In this session participants will understand how the feral hog problem started, and practices to implement to keep these unwanted trespassers at bay. As we are in the middle of hunting seasons we will hear from a practicing lawyer and avid hunter on how to navigate hunting leases, and what you should know before letting folks hunt on your property. To round out the afternoon, we will be joined by one of our state entomologists to discuss how to control the small armies of ants in our gardens, lawns and pastures. You don’t want to miss this wonderful opportunity!  Two CEUs (1 General, 1 IPM) will be offered for all licensed pesticide applicators. 

The 2020 Multi-County New Landowner series is generously supported by:

Citizens State Bank, Somerville — Ag Workers Insurance

Texas Casual Cottages by Partners in Building — Capital Farm Credit, LaGrange and Bellville!

Be sure to remember them for all your banking, lending, building, and insurance needs. Additional contact information for each of these sponsors will be provided at the monthly New Landowner Sessions.

For more information please contact the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office in Austin County (979-865-2072), Colorado County (979-732-2082), Fayette County (979-968-5831), or Washington County (979-277-6212).  Registration materials and more information can also be found on our website, https://agrilife.org/coastalbend/nlo/