Category: Agriculture

By Rick Hirsch/County Extension Agent

Plants play an important role during the Christmas holiday season. Christmas trees, poinsettias, holly, mistletoe – all have various uses.

Christmas tree selection can be one of the more enjoyable aspects of the holiday season. The acquisition of the Christmas tree has truly turned into a family affair as everyone has their own ideas as to what constitutes the “perfect tree.” Fresh trees need a little help to stay fresh and beautiful through the holidays. When you and your family shop for a “real” tree, there are a few simple guidelines to follow in selecting and maintaining your tree choice.

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By Rick Hirsch/Extension Agent

Turkey and dressing. Mounds of steaming vegetables. Shining, freshly baked bread. Pumpkin pie. Sounds good, doesn’t it? The abundance of food during the holiday season, and throughout the rest of the year for that matter, is a tribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of the industry that we call agriculture. It is one of the most important industries in Texas and the United States. Many businesses, financial institutions and individuals are involved in providing supplies, credit and services to the men and women who work as farmers and ranchers.

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By Rick Hirsch/County Extension Agent

Proper pruning enhances the appearance of almost any landscape tree and shrub, while improper pruning can ruin or greatly reduce its landscape potential. Pruning is also an essential task for fruit trees, berries, grapes and muscadines. The keyword here is proper, for in most cases, it is better not to prune than to do it incorrectly.

Pruning requires knowing what you are doing to achieve success. The old idea that anyone with a chain saw can be a landscape pruner is far from the truth. It helps if you have read reviews of small chainsaws at pluginpartners.org and have the right one for the job, but it still doesn’t mean you’ll know what you are doing. In fact, more trees are killed or ruined each year from improper pruning than by pests. There are several reasons to prune. Removal of damaged plant parts, reduction of surplus growth, and increasing available energy for the development of flowers, fruits and limbs are three of the most important. If you are worried you might damage the trees, leave this job to professionals. Learn more on https://galvintreecutting.com/ and get your free estimate asap.

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By Jacob Cole

Hunting is a passion for me; I am a 14-year-old young man, who enjoys the outdoors and everything in it, that is why I believe that wildlife conservation is so important to pass the tradition and love of hunting. There are so many wonderful ways to hunt too. If you like hunting and you can find more about this, then go through zoomtargets.com site. A popular choice is the glock 43, which can be modded out with accessories like a glock 43 light. I got started in hunting through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) a few years back. Through them my brothers and I have harvested a bunch of deer, some hogs, a blackbuck antelope, and my sister shot her first doe and a coyote on a managed ranch, through the Texas parks and wildlife youth hunting program, of which we are huge fans. She wasn’t completley confident so she did use a red dot sight to make it easier for her to see what she was shooting. After reading Rifle Scope Level’s red dot guide, she was able to find out which one would enhance her shooting technique the most. Without that, she might not have had such a successful day of shooting! Of course, to go hunting with this program you have to make sure you have the right equipment, especially your choice of guns. If you don’t have a gun or need a new one to go hunting, consider buying one of these 9mm handguns online. I am also a fairly recent, but huge fan of the Texas Brigades, a program I will explain in a bit. Through these two programs, I have learned a great deal about leadership and integrity.

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By Rick Hirsch/County Extension Agent

Hunting season has arrived. Outdoorsmen are welcoming the start of another deer season. Firearms and hunter safety are the most important aspects of any outdoor firearm activity. Using deer feeders is a great pastime for animal lovers and the budding camera enthusiast. For locals, the idea of feeding deer is more about maintaining the population for hunting season. Regardless of why you want to feed, study or learn the facts about them, it all starts with knowing how to choose the best deer feeder.

Hunters and other sportsmen should make safety a top priority. Accidents with firearms just don’t happen. They are caused by haste, carelessness or disregard for safety rules. With hunting season at hand, all hunters should review and practice firearm safety rules.

The golden rule of firearm safety is to treat every gun with the respect accorded to a loaded gun. Other rules include: the ability to control the direction of the muzzle, keep the barrel and action clear of obstruction and use the proper ammunition for your gun. You must visit the site Bulkmunitions.com for more information about ammunition.

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