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Written by Scott Anderson – Ah, Christmas. A time to celebrate. A time of togetherness. A time to stop and be thankful for all the good in our lives. This year, I’m especially thankful for Texas farmers and ranchers. I’m always grateful to them. But as I put a little more thought into it, I realized just how blessed we are to be right here in the Lone Star State, especially during the holiday season.

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Without our farmers, we wouldn’t have many of our Christmas traditions.

Christmas trees. If you have a live tree, there’s a good chance it came from a Texas Christmas tree farm. But a Texas-style Christmas is about more than the tree. It’s about the experience and families sharing a special part of their year together. Texas Christmas tree farmers help make those lasting memories.

Sugar. All those Christmas cookies and candy we look forward to with a childlike expectancy each year? Without sugar, those goodies wouldn’t be near as tasty. A large percentage of pure cane sugar is still grown and refined right here in Texas.

Wheat. Those homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning? Tasty dinner rolls for your Christmas feast? They’re made from wheat. And Texas farmers grow both hard and soft winter wheat—varieties used to make yeast breads, hard rolls, cakes and pastries.

Beef, poultry, pork. Your holiday festivities aren’t complete without a little protein. Texas ranks number one in cattle production. So, if you’re eating prime rib, steak or carne guisada, that beef might have been raised by a rancher right here in our great state. But our farmers and ranchers also raise poultry and pork. Even if the animal wasn’t raised in Texas, guess what? Its food might have been.

Corn is another top commodity grown in Texas. Field corn, used mainly for livestock feed, makes up more than 96 percent of corn grown in Texas.

Cotton. From the soft flannel pajamas we wear to the blankets we snuggle under in excited anticipation on Christmas Eve, cotton plays a large role. Even the coffee filter—so vital in our wake-up routines on Christmas morning—is made from cotton fibers. The money we use to buy those Christmas gifts is 75 percent cotton. And we’re the top cotton-producing state, making cotton king in Texas. That’s a white Christmas, indeed.

As you gather with your family this Christmas season and count your blessings, be sure to count Texas farmers and ranchers among them.

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Don’t forget to give your landscape a steady amount of water, through irrigation or by hand, if there is not adequate rain.

Plan now for your spring flowering season with a mixture of annuals and perennials.

Don’t get in a hurry to prune woody plants. Late January through February is usually the best time to prune them.

Place orders for seeds this month so you will have them available when you are ready to plant. By ordering early, you will be more certain of getting the varieties you want. In addition to ordering seeds that you are already familiar with, try a few new kinds each year to broaden your garden contents.

Now through February is a good time to plant trees and shrubs. In the Panhandle, planting is often delayed until February or early March.

Bring in late-blooming plants such as decorative kalanchoes or Christmas cactus so they may finish flowering in the warmth of the house.

Reduce the fertilization of indoor plants from late October to mid-March. An exception would be plants in an atrium or a well-lighted window.

Drain gasoline from power tools and run the engine until fuel in the carburetor is used up.

Drain and store garden hoses and watering equipment in a readily accessible location. The lawn and plants may need water during a prolonged dry spell.

Continue to set out cool-season bedding plants, such as pansies, violas, stock, snapdragons, and dianthus.

Prepare beds and individual holes for rose planting in January and February. Use composted manure, pine bark, and similar materials mixed with existing soil.

Use good pruning practices when selecting Christmas greenery from landscape plants. Don’t destroy the natural form and beauty of the plant.

Prolong the life of holiday-season gift plants by providing proper care. Check to see if the pot wrap has plugged up the bottom drainage. Don’t overwater. Keep out of drafts from heating vents and opening doorways. Fertilizer is seldom needed the first few months.

Take advantage of good weather to prepare garden beds for spring planting. Work in any needed organic matter, and have beds ready to plant when needed.

Don’t forget tulip and hyacinth bulbs in the refrigerator. They can be planted any time in December if they have received 60 or more days of chilling.

Want to start cuttings of your favorite Christmas cactus? As soon as it has finished blooming, select a cutting with 4 or 5 joints, break or cut it off, and insert the basal end into a pot of moderately moist soil. Place it on a windowsill or other brightly lit area. The cuttings should be rooted within 3 to 4 weeks.

Don’t spare the pruning shears when transplanting bare-rooted woody plants. Cut the tops back at least one-third to one-half, to compensate for the roots lost when digging the plant.

Take advantage of bad weather and holiday time to study seed and nursery catalogs as well as good gardening books.

Burying plants, such as holly and yaupon, may be pruned now while they can be enjoyed as cut material inside the house

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Scott Anderson serves as the Texas A&M AgriLife Brown County Extension Agent and County Coordinator for Agricultural and Natural Resources. The Brown County Extension office is located at 605 Fisk Avenue in downtown Brownwood. To contact Scott Anderson, call: 325-646-0386 or email: [email protected]

The Brown County Office of the Texas AgriLife Extension provides effective, traditional educational programs and activities. They include livestock and forage production, 4-H club activities and health and family enrichment programs. Meeting the needs of the people is what Extension is all about.

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