A Message from Executive Director, Susan J. Kibbe

Dear Members,

I know our lives in the Ag Business are getting more challenging in so many ways: cost of goods have increased greatly, along with fuel prices, and the squeeze of urban growth cannot be minimized.

What as an association can we do about it? Our recent partnership with EarthOptics and Grassroots Carbon is one way to help add income on property you’re already managing well. Grassroots Carbon and EarthOptics are privately owned companies and are not Federally or State owned or influenced.

We hope you will take a look at how it could possibly benefit you. Give us a call if you’d like to discuss it. For those of you that have been waiting for the Landowner Compensation Program to kick off, the final rules were supposed to be published this week. Unfortunately, due to some employee turnover in the crime victims department of the attorney general’s office, that did not happen, and the program is still on hold pending those final rules. We will let you know as soon as we know anything different.

It is officially “Kissing Bug” season. For those of you that don’t know, the Kissing Bug can carry the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, that can cause Chagas disease, which can negatively affect your dogs and you.

Yesterday morning I opened the door to let, Patch, my Jack Russell Terrier inside. As soon as he got up to come in, crawling away was a Kissing Bug. After grabbing the proper handling equipment, I picked the bug up and squished him, and sure enough he was full of blood and had been feeding on Patch. I’ll have to get Patch tested soon to ensure he is parasite free; and if not, he’ll have to go on treatment.

The exterminator is coming today to spray around the house and the yard. Just one more thing we contend with in South Texas. If you need information on the Kissing Bug and Chagas disease, let me know.

Here are some links that will help: Kissing Bugs & Chagas Disease, UT Health San Antonio and 4R Ranch.

Also, a big Thank You to all of our sponsors, volunteers, and participants at our 2nd Annual Sporting Clays Fundraiser.

Please let me know if you have issues or concerns. We are here to help make a difference.

Until next month,

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Susan J. Kibbe
Office (361) 522-5194
Susan@STPRA.org

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