Mansfield Grower Program

Erfan VafaieJune 17, 2019June 17, 2019General, Growers, Integrated Pest Management, NotesLeave a comment

This week, one of our Texas growers held an internal full-day training program and were kind enough to allow me to take notes and share them with the rest of you growers! One of the many things I continue to really appreciate and like about the green industry in Texas: they are collaborative and help each other out. See below for speakers and notes related to their presentations.

Please note that I do not personally endorse the products mentioned by the presenters below – the notes provided below are “as-is”, as written as accurately I could based on the information provided by the presenters. Any lack of information or misinformation is not intentional.

Dr. Ann Chase – Recognizing plant diseases and how to manage them.

Dr. Ann Chase – Common diseases of poinsettias.

Dr. Raymond Cloyd – How to deal with mite pests in horticultural production systems.

Dr. Raymond Cloyd – Thrips management.

Gary Volmer – Best Practices and 2018 season challenges with poinsettia production Continue reading “Mansfield Grower Program”

Greenhouse and Nursery Regulatory Compliance Workshop 2018 – Notes and Resources

Erfan VafaieDecember 21, 2018June 6, 2019AsideGeneral, Growers, Integrated Pest Management, Notes, ProgramsLeave a comment

If speakers provided permission to provide PDFs of their presentations, they are found at the end of the notes associated with that section.

Speakers:

Safety is a “Hot” topic: Heat illness prevention for outdoor workers. Dr. Shaadi Khademi, UT Health Science Center at Tyler (PDF)
WPS Training Resources and Staying Compliant. Ms. Kathy Newton, TDA (PDF)
Start clean, stay clean: Strategies for practical preventative measures against pathogenic problems. Dr. Kevin Ong, Texas A&M
Pesticide Handling, Storage, and Disposal. Dr. Mark Matocha, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (PDF)
Recent advances in pest management. Mr. Erfan Vafaie, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (PDF)

Notes from 2018 Ornamental & Turf CEU Meeting

Erfan VafaieJune 29, 2018June 6, 2019General, Growers, Integrated Pest Management, Notes, ProgramsLeave a comment

Below are some notes taken from some of the speakers at the 2018 Ornamental & Turf CEU Meeting held by Helena Chemical Company at the Rose Center, Tyler TX on June 26th. Disclaimer: the notes below do not represent endorsement, research, or vetting by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and the AgriLife IPM Program Specialist Program. Notes below as provided as is from the speakers who provided the information.

Full program, including sponsors, is attached at the end of this document.

Rotation Strategies in Turf & Ornamentals – Kathie Kalmowitz, BASF

Irrigation Pond Management – Clint Formby, SePro

Key Turfgrass Insect Pests – Gary Brooks, Bayer

Laws & Regulations Update – Don Renchie, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (additional links and resources included)

Continue reading “Notes from 2018 Ornamental & Turf CEU Meeting”

Seville In-house Full-day Educational Program

Erfan VafaieJune 18, 2018June 18, 2018Growers, Integrated Pest ManagementLeave a comment

Mr. John Wilson arranged with the help of some sponsors a full day of green industry professionals to provide talks for their growers on June 15, 2018 in Mansfield TX. John was kind enough to invite me and allow me to share detailed notes from the meeting with other grower in the industry. Below are the notes provided as taken. Disclaimer: the notes below do not represent endorsement, research, or vetting by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and the AgriLife IPM Program Specialist Program. Notes below as provided as is from the speakers who provided the information.

Continue reading “Seville In-house Full-day Educational Program”

One way to know if an insecticide will work

Erfan VafaieJune 20, 2017June 29, 2018General, Growers, Integrated Pest Management1 Comment

With the plethora of pesticides out there, it can be challenging to know which will actually work an which wont. Many blogs and websites suggest different home remedies or natural products, but how can you know whether what the blogs are saying are reliable?

Continue reading “One way to know if an insecticide will work”