Regional Poultry Flock And Vegetable Gardening Seminar July 20

A regional small poultry flock and vegetable gardening seminar conducted by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service is slated for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on July 20 at the Kosse Community Center in Kosse, Texas.

Registration is $30 and includes lunch, breaks, and handout materials. Call 979-828-4270 to register for the seminar, which will help in accurate planning for a lunch country.

The payment for registration can be received at the door.

"The intended audience are people that have thought about getting a few chickens and raising a garden," says Ed Schneider, AgriLife Extension agent for Robertson County and workshop coordinator. "Some may already have both, but need information or help with improvements. We think that a lot of folks that have recently retired—or are looking at retirement—want to be more sustainable. They want to raise their own food to save money and to take pride in doing something they grew up doing. This workshop will offer something for everyone."

Scheduled topics and speakers for the morning session are:

--"Raising Broilers in the Backyard—Management," by Dr. Greg Archer, Texas AgriLife Extension poultry specialist;

--"Backyard Laying Hen Facilities and Nutrition Management," Dr. Craig Coufal, AgriLife Extension poultry specialist;

--"Selling the Goods Produced by your Backyard Flock—Regulations," Coufal;

--"Brown Eggs, White Eggs, Red Chickens, White Chickens, Checkered Chickens—So What Breed Do I Buy?" by representative of Ideal Poultry; and

--"Guineas or Turkeys—Why or Why Not," by Ideal Poultry representative

Afternoon session topics and speakers are:

--"Home Gardening-Soil, Irrigation and Size and Type of Garden," by Dr. Joseph Masabni, AgriLife Extension horticulturist;

--"Insect Control in Home Poultry Flock and the Home Garden," Dr. Sonja Swiger, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist; and

--"Heritage Gardening, Selecting What To Grow, Selling Produce," and "Organic versus Non-Organic versus Mixture," Masabni.