Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service: Resources
With a vast network of 250 county Extension offices and some 900 professional educators, the expertise provided by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is available to every resident in every Texas county.
The resources located on this page are available for you to read to have a better understanding of an issue or situation. This will help you make the best decision for resolution.
You may contact us directly if you have further concerns or questions, (972) 825-5175 or ellis-tx@tamu.edu
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service: Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Soil, Water, and Forage Testing Laboratory are housed in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University. The laboratory’s primary mission is to provide research-based analysis and non-bias recommendations for agronomic and non-agronomic soil analysis, plant tissue analysis, forage nutritive analysis, and non-drinking water analysis. The laboratory also aids the research and extension communities with analysis needs. We also work closely with several Texas A&M University service laboratories, other state agency laboratories, and private laboratories with method development, troubleshooting, and quality assurance/quality control issues, as well as, forwarding clientele to ensure their needs are met.
Click on the links below to print the required form when submitting a soil, water, and/or forage sample to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service testing laboratory. The Ellis County AgriLife Extension office supplies complimentary soil sample bags. Feel free to stop by during business hours to obtain the bags.
You can access all the Testing Laboratory forms by Clicking Here
CLICK HERE to be directed to the Soil, Water, and Forage Testing website.
Texas A&M Medical Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
Submitting Samples
The first step in submitting a sample to TVMDL is completing a submission form. There are two methods clients may choose from when it comes to completing a form. The first and easiest method is completing the submission form through the TVMDL online portal. This method ensures the submission form is completed accurately and thoroughly. Once the form is completed in the portal, print it out and include it in the specimen package before shipping it to TVMDL.
Click Here to access the TVMDL forms, including other information and instructions for submitting samples.
Texas A&M Agriculture & Life Sciences: Department of Animal Science – 2021 February Beef Cattle Browsing
CLICK HERE to read Weaning Weights from Fall and Winter Calving Seasons: Influence of Stocking Rates on Pasture by Dr. Joe Paschal and Dr. Stephen Hammack, Texas A&M Extension specialists in Livestock and Beef Cattle, respectively.
Wheat on May 12, 2021, in Burleson County. (Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
Texas Row Crops Newsletter – Current News
The Texas Crops Newsletter is developed by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. This newsletter aims to provide timely and multi-discipline crop management information to Texas’ producers, consultants, and allied industry. The information provided within each issue is provided by crop scientists, soil scientists, pathologists, and entomologists and will be based on the relevant research from across Texas and the nation. Each issue will contain multiple articles from crops across the state, including cotton, corn, sorghum, wheat, and other row crops. As appropriate, regional management articles will also be included.
CLICK HERE to access Texas Row Crops Newsletter
For specific questions or comments, please contact Dr. Ronnie Schnell @ 979-845-2935 or ronschnell@tamu.edu
Aggie Horticulture
Aggie Horticulture began serving gardening and horticultural crop production information in October 1994. Our factsheets, guides, and databases are based on years of testing and practice. More than 50 teachers, scientists, and Extension specialists contribute their work to this website. Our goal is to serve the students, producers, professionals, and gardeners of Texas…and the World.
CLICK HERE to access Aggie Horticulture website
Aggie Horticulture and the other servers of the Aggie Horticulture Network are information providers of the Texas A&M University System Horticulture program, including the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension referred to collectively as Texas A&M AgriLife.
AgriLife TODAY is a great resource for current and up-to-date information on topics impacting Texans.
Click on the image below to learn more!
Protecting the State’s Natural Resources
Challenges are affecting our State’s natural resources and impacting the environment. To learn how Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has responded to these challenges and ways we can help manage natural resources within our communities and private properties, Click Here.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offers online courses for professionals seeking to fulfill state-mandated requirements or for citizens interested in learning more about our state’s environment and natural resources. Explore the available courses for both adults and youths (Click Here)!
Volunteer programs such as the Texas Master Naturalist™ program can be an intricate part of a community’s response to improve, maintain, and educate the importance of preserving our natural resources. To plant seeds of environmental awareness in kids and adults within our community becomes the necessary step in successfully demonstrating good conservation practices. To learn more about Texas Master Naturalist™ in Ellis (and Navarro) County (Indian Trail Master Naturalists), Click Here. Or to send an email with your inquiries to an Indian Trail Master Naturalist, Click Here.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offers The Economic and Legal Considerations for Hemp Production in Texas Video Series
Recently released from AgriLife Extension Economists, a series of videos completed with funding from the Southern Risk Management Education Center. The series will provide a comprehensive set of tools for managing economic and legal risks during the production of hemp. The series is completely free to all viewers. We hope that you will watch the videos yourselves and distribute them to your clientele. If you only view a single video from the series, please take the survey which helps with our grant reporting.
The video series details are as follows:
- An overview of the hemp plant, and basics of hemp production
- The laws and regulations to know and comply with when producing hemp in Texas
- A brief overview of budgets for hemp production
- Crop insurance for hemp
- The FARM Assistance program and its potential use when growing hemp.
You can find all the video’s in this series by CLICKING HERE (YouTube)
Charcoal Rot
Charcoal Rot in particular has been an issue in Central Texas. Below are a few educational videos of issues we are seeing at the farm this year.
- Dr. Tom Isakeit on Charcoal Rot in Corn – – – – https://youtu.be/JlIXV1HGbUA
- Dr, Tom Isakeit on Aflatoxin and Ear Rot – – – – https://youtu.be/j8FnddS6ixc
- Dr. Ronnie Schnell on Charcoal Rot in Corn – – – – https://youtu.be/SHruG2X-9H4
- Dr. Ronnie Schnell Soil pH Issues in the Blacklands – – – – https://youtu.be/wFrrEdU2QpM
More Resources for Texans
Texas A&M AgriLife Learn offers a robust selection of documents and information sheets, many of which offer a FREE downloadable version, as well as available books and other materials that expand on the topic(s).
Start exploring now! Click Here to access AgriLife Learn.
The Ellis County Master Gardener website contains a lot of informational resources.
