Four States Ag Expo Set For Feb. 8

TRACY COURAGE

TEXARKANA, ARKANSAS

Growers and producers from Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma will find the latest research-based information on row crops, livestock and forages, forestry, horticulture, integrated pest management, pollinators, mushrooms and more at the Four States Ag Expo on Feb. 8.

The expo is scheduled from 8:30 a.m.–3:15 p.m. at the Four States Fairgrounds, 3700 E. 50th St. in Texarkana. The event is a joint project of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Experts from both agencies will host workshops throughout the day.

 “We’ll be offering a variety of educational sessions to help our growers and producers learn best practices for their operations,” said Jennifer Caraway, Miller County extension staff chair and one of the organizers. “It’s also a great time to network with others in the agriculture industry.”

Organizers are expecting 350 attendees, Caraway said. She and Arkansas extension agents in Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Sevier, Polk, Howard and Hempstead counties served on the expo planning committee along with agents from Bowie, Morris, Cass and Red River counties in northeastern Texas.

“We’re proud to partner with Texas A& M AgriLife Extension on this event that has been growing in scope for the past several years,” said John Anderson, director of the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. “Our collaboration helps us both of our agencies get research and resources for best practices into the hands of those who make their living in the agriculture industry.”

The expo is free, open to the public and includes a hamburger lunch. Texas Restricted Use Applicators can obtain up to five continuing education units (CEUs) at the expo.

Concurrent sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. and include the following topics and speakers:

8:30 a.m.

• Controlling Biting Flies through Cattle Minerals containing IGRs — Dr. Shane Gadberry, Livestock and Forestry Station director, UADA
• Managing Common Household Pests around the Farmstead — Dr. Jon Zawislak, entomology and plant pathology instructor, UADA
• Native Plants for Pollinators — Phyllis Ballard, Texas Master Gardener

9:45 a.m.

• Growing Cucurbit Crops — Dr. Joe Masabni, assistant professor and extension horticulturist (vegetables), Texas A&M
• Easy Cattle Forage Calculator, Dr. Shane Gadberry, Livestock and Forestry Station  director, UADA
• Corn and Wheat Insect, Disease and Weed Updates — Dr. Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains agronomist, UADA

11 a.m. 

• Oak and Loblolly Pine Tree Decline, Dr. Vic Ford, associate vice president of agriculture and natural resources, UADA
• Controlling External Parasites of Livestock — Sonja Swiger, professor and extension Entomologist, Texas A&M Greenhouse Management
• Joe Masabni, assistant professor and extension horticulturist, Texas A&M

1 p.m.

• Mushrooms in the Wild — Dr. Vic Ford, associate vice president of agriculture and natural resources, UADA
• Reversing Declining Forage Stands — Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, professor and extension forage specialist, Texas A&M
• Controlling House Flies around Livestock Barns — Sonja Swiger, professor and extension Entomologist, Texas A&M

2:15 p.m.

• Following the Pesticide Label to Ensure Applicator Safety — Ples Spradley, pesticide assessment specialist, UADA
• Arkansas Restricted Use Pesticide Applicator Training — Jennifer Caraway, Miller County extension agent, UADA
• Texas Auxin Training — Dr. Brian Triplett, Red River County agent, Texas A&M

For more information, visit https://www.uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/4-states-ag-expo.aspx. ∆

TRACY COURAGE: University of Arkansas