With planting season on the horizon and Southwest Texas producers strategizing for the New Year, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is hosting the 2023 Southwest Texas Crop Kick-Off, Jan. 18. in Uvalde.

"Crop and forage production are significant parts of the agricultural industries in Frio, Medina, Uvalde, and Zavala counties,” says Brianna Gonzales, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agent, Pearsall. “It is important that producers attend this educational program as many critical issues and programming needs are targeted towards disease management, herbicide resistance issues, proper use of new technology, salinity management, nutrient management, irrigation efficiency, etc.”

Dana Porter, professor, Extension program leader and associate department head, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Lubbock, will discuss irrigation management in water-limited conditions.

“There are some very good irrigation technologies commercially available and widely used in agriculture,” Porter says. “Management is key to realizing the benefits of potentially efficient advanced irrigation technologies.”

Porter will touch on irrigation scheduling strategies using weather-based estimates of crop water requirements and knowledge of crop response to water by growth stage. “Understanding of soil water holding capacity and soil moisture monitoring can help better match irrigation timing and rate to meet crop water needs.”

She will also discuss the keys to success in water-limited production environments including crop selection and traits, integrated crop management, integrated pest management, advanced irrigation technologies and improved irrigation management.

Tom Isakeit, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension plant pathologist, Bryan-College Station, will provide growers options to minimize the impact of mycotoxins on corn and peanut production. “I will talk about the use of atoxigenic strains for controlling aflatoxin on corn and peanuts, and how the selection of a corn hybrid adapted to the growing area, particularly in response to drought stress, can mitigate the impact of aflatoxin and fumonisin.”

Program topics and speakers include:

The event will be held at the Southwest Texas Junior College Auditorium, 2401 Garner Field Road, Uvalde. Advance registration by Jan. 13 is required by calling 830-591-9046 or visiting https://tx.ag/Jan18SWCrop. The cost is $15.

The program begins at 8 a.m., with presentations following at 8:30 a.m. An optional auxin training will follow lunch. The meal is sponsored by Medina Electric Cooperative.

Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units are available— one general and two integrated pest management. One additional unit in laws and regulations will be available for the auxin training.