Growing Tomatoes Seminar this Thursday in Greenville

Texas Pecan Shortcourse Scheduled

By: Kathleen Phillips

Writer: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872, ka-phillips@tamu.edu
Contact: Monte Nesbitt, 979-862-1218, mlnesbitt@ag.tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION — The Texas Pecan Short Course  – an “immersion class” for prospective growers, new orchard managers, county agents and horticulture students — will be  Jan. 27-31 at Texas A&M University in College Station, according to Monte Nesbitt, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist.
Registration is $150 for general participants and $50 for students and spouses.
An updated pecan handbook will be provided with registration, and a tour of the pecan orchard at Texas A&M on Thursday will include a steak dinner. Participants also will receive a Texas Pecan Variety Board — a unique display of the 48 most common pecan varieties grown in the state.

 (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Kathleen Phillips)
Program coordinators Nesbitt and Dr. Larry Stein, AgriLife Extension horticulturist in Uvalde, will host several guest lecturers during the five-day program, including Dr. George McEachern, who has been lecturing at the event since its beginnings in the 1960s and author of the Texas Pecan Handbook.
Topics include plant physiology, health benefits of pecans, marketing, tax planning and integrated pest management.
“With pecans gaining national recognition for the increased export trade to China, short course enrollment in the last four years has been high,” Nesbitt said.  “Attendees not only get introduced to the basics of pecan growing, but they will get to see the U.S. Department of Agriculture Pecan Breeding Laboratory at Snook and the Texas A&M Storey Teaching & Research Pecan Orchard.”
Registration can be completed online at http://events.tamu.edu/EmsRegics/TexasPecanShortCourse2014. For more information, contact Nesbitt at 979-862-1218 or mlnesbitt@tamu.edu.

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