The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices in Bexar and Guadalupe counties, along with Bexar County Master Gardeners and Alamo Area Beekeeper associations, have scheduled their activities and presentations for the 2018 San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo.

They will take place from Feb. 9-14 at the H-E-B Little Buckaroo Farms tent on the San Antonio Livestock Exposition grounds.

 “Little Buckaroo Farms is a truly Texas family experience sponsored by H-E-B in cooperation with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and others,” said David Rodriguez, AgriLife Extension horticulturist and an exhibit coordinator. “The exhibits offer visitors a chance to see the agricultural origins of the food and fiber needed for daily living. They also show agricultural production from farm and ranch to the kitchen table.”

Rodriguez said the Bexar County Master Gardeners association will have information and plant sale booths at the tent where visitors can ask experts about any gardening topic and purchase ornamental plants and the 2018 Sunbrite rodeo tomato.

Ruby Zavala, AgriLife Extension youth gardens coordinator, said AgriLife Extension will also host several school tours during the event.

“We will have school tours Feb. 12-16 and again Feb. 20-21,” Zavala said. “The tours are typically in the morning and we usually host 2,000-2,500 youth each tour day. Those on the tours are mainly from elementary schools in the Bexar County area, but we also have some middle-schoolers.”

Zavala said the school tours are given by volunteer 4-H members who show them around the grounds and take them to the Little Buckaroo Farms tent. At the tent, adult docents show the youth various displays and explain their significance.

Dates and times for other scheduled activities at the Little Buckaroo Farms tent include:

Rodriguez also said the tent will have displays of vegetable gardening and themed gardens as well as treats from HEB for children visiting the farm-related exhibits. He also said there will be presentations for youth and adults by AgriLife Extension professionals. The dates, times and topics will be:

“Path to the Plate is a research-based AgriLife Extension education program designed to help consumers understand how their food choices affect their heath,” Rodriguez said.

“Beekeeping and creating gardens to draw bees, butterflies and other pollinators have become popular activities,” said AgriLife Extension entomologist Molly Keck. “These presentations will provide a good introduction to both of these fun and interesting topics.”

Bexar County Master Gardeners and Alamo Area Beekeeper associations will also present talks for youth and adults. The times for each of these presentations will be 6:30 p.m. The dates and topics will be:

“We hope people will come take advantage of these many fun and educational activities and presentations at the Little Buckaroo Farms tent,” Rodriguez said. “We’ll have something of interest for just about everyone.”