Join us for the annual Chairman’s Banquet as we celebrate the area’s most deserving citizens and businesses! Live band, Will Lewis and the Sugarmoons catered dinner, cake auction, and awards! Tickets are $35 and are on sale now at the Jasper Chamber.
Date/Time Information:
Friday, January 26, 2023, at 5:30 PM
Location:
Harvest Church
When:
Thursday, January 18, 2024 9:30 AM thru 10:30 AM
Where:
Pat Dickey Coldwell Banker
115 S. 5th Street
Crockett, TX 75835
With Christmas behind us and a new year ahead, my mind is making plans for the upcoming garden. Now I’m not one for making resolutions, but I do love to take a look back and then make plans for the future.
I have a smaller-sized vegetable garden that fits what my wife and I need. But I’ve let it go. That rich soil is currently growing a fine patch of Bermuda grass. A gardening expert I follow said you never should let a portion of your garden go untended after a crop is complete. Even if you finish by late summer, you can plant any number of fall and winter cover crops to build the soil and keep unwanted weeds at bay. I let mine go during the drought last summer and fall and I am planning for a good year ahead.
Let’s run through a possible scenario for a year-round garden.
Early-season vegetables such as onions and potatoes will be followed by traditional spring plants such as peppers, tomatoes, and squash.
As the spring plants play out in the hot, mid-summer months, my goal is to plant heat-tolerant purple hull peas and okra. Even if I don’t get all the okra harvested, I’ll have blooms to enjoy. What I should really focus on is cowpeas. Locally called by their varietal name, ‘purple hull peas’, these are legumes that fix nitrogen in the soil and actually improve the soil’s nitrogen levels.
Lastly, as fall sets in, it will be time to plant greens and cool-season crops to carry me through the winter.
Now if you think this plan is a little too simplistic, I would agree. But at the very least, this scenario gives you an idea of where to start. Sit down and study the vegetable varieties that you want to have in your garden. Even with a certain vegetable, you will find shorter and longer “seed to harvest” varieties available.
Additionally, some plants can be let go to extend the season. I know many a gardener who will plant a six-pack of tomatoes as soon as possible in the spring and harvest from those plants throughout our growing season into the fall. Others insist that replanting a second, fall tomato crop is the best option.
A fun challenge for fall tomato growers is to see how long they can harvest and consume their own tomatoes. Harvesting all the green/unripe tomatoes just before the first killing frost of winter may allow you to eat your homegrown tomatoes into the winter. On years where we’ve had a late first frost, I have known some to eat their own garden’s tomatoes on Christmas day.
Building my soil is another big goal I have for my garden. I suppose I could get a dump truckload of compost delivered, but I’m more of a do-it-yourself kind of guy. We have an abundance of oaks at my house and consequently an abundance of oak leaves.
My goal is to use as many leaves as I can down the middle of my rows. This will serve two roles. First, rows covered in coarse leaves will keep mud at bay when the ground is wet. Second, the leaves in those middles should break down slowly over the growing year to be later tilled in.
In the rows and hills where I plant, I want to add as much composted manure as feasible for me. Bagged, composted manures are available at the better garden stores and make the task of adding it to the garden so much easier. If you know someone who regularly cleans out their manure from horse stalls, cattle pens, chicken coops, or from under rabbit cages, you may be able to get a lot of “product” for a lot of shoveling and very little expense.
Be sure to let any manure age before you add it to your soil. I’m not worried so much about it being too hot, as some would say, but of disease. As much as I’m in favor of manures as fertilizer, there is a very real and present disease factor when manures are not properly aged.
It is a sunny bright day as I write this. I can’t wait to put something in the ground in 2024. I think I’ll start with onions.
The year is quickly ending, marking an ideal time for business leaders to pause and reflect. As an entrepreneur, you have been grinding day in and day out, building your company. While the daily focus on operations, sales, marketing, and managing your team is critical, the last week of the year presents the perfect opportunity to set goals for the future.
Many entrepreneurs think of yearly goal-setting, but by waiting until January, you miss a valuable window. The end of December is unique because you have current business challenges and wins fresh in your mind that can inform goal setting. Plus, our minds naturally look forward to what comes next when we near the end of a cycle. Harness that momentum to clarify the goals that will drive impact next year.
Here are tips for entrepreneurs to make the most of the final week by setting ambitious yet achievable goals for your business:
Reflect First
Start by looking back at your metrics and KPIs from the past 12+ months and revisiting the trends in your market. What went well that you want to double down on next year? Where are the problem areas or bottlenecks holding you back that need addressing? Use data and honest self-evaluation to diagnose what propelled your successes and the pain points. That clarity will give you insight into the most effective goals to set for the future.
Define Your Big Picture Vision
Especially in a growth-stage business, you often get stuck in the weeds of day-to-day operations. Reconnect with your core vision for where you want the company to go. Get crystal clear on the essential metrics like revenue goals, customer acquisition targets, and team growth. Having this true north vision fuels the specificity of your defined goals so they ladder up to the big picture.
Break Goals Down Into Quarterly Chunks
While having an audacious yearly goal is essential, it also sets you up for disappointment if you fail to achieve it. According to Harvard research, you are 64% more likely to achieve goals when broken into smaller chunks, so define quarterly goals. It enhances accountability to have 3-month segments with metrics to hit instead of solely a 12-month lag time until you see success.
Prioritize Ruthlessly
As high-achieving entrepreneurs, you likely have plenty of ideas and opportunities competing for resources and focus. Resist that temptation. Instead of setting a laundry list of nice-to-have goals, operatively zero in on the 2-3 that will drive the highest business impact. Say no to all the other shiny objects so you can go all in on the goals that ultimately move core metrics. Recognize that more output does not necessarily mean more outcome, so selectively bet on goals with the most significant potential payout.
Communicate Expectations
You set the tone for your team, so align on goals collaboratively. Please ensure everyone has bought into key results you expect to drive collectively in Q1 so they own them. Especially with bold goals, transparency on expectations and progress made together breeds accountability. Ideally, your leadership team participates in the goal-setting process.
You start the new year with momentum by dedicating focused time to define measurable, time-bound goals that align with your growth strategy. As the business leader, approach goal setting as an opportunity to get strategic clarity on what matters most for driving your vision forward. Use the year’s final week as your launching pad to make a significant impact in 2023.
In a historic move, Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc., tracing its roots back to the Lufkin Telephone Exchange, has announced a definitive agreement to be acquired by Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P. and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $3.1 billion. This pivotal development is poised to reshape the telecommunications landscape in Texas Forest Country and beyond.
“We believe this transaction provides substantial value for our shareholders while also enhancing our flexibility to continue the execution of our fiber expansion strategy,” said Bob Udell, President and CEO of Consolidated Communications. His sentiment echoes a commitment to innovation while honoring a legacy that began as a humble telephone exchange service in Texas Forest Country.
The agreement, which is expected to close by the first quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals, offers a 70% premium to shareholders at $4.70 per share in cash. “This reflects the value of our business, taking into account both the growth opportunities of the Company’s fiber build-out, as well as the potential risks,” noted Robert J. Currey, Chairman of the Consolidated Communications Board and the Special Committee Chair.
For the residents and businesses of Texas Forest Country, this acquisition signals a promise of continued growth and enhanced services. The region, which has relied on Consolidated Communications for reliable connectivity, stands at the cusp of a technological transformation, with the company’s transition to fiber optics set to gain momentum.
Consolidated has navigated a challenging economic environment, marked by higher operating costs and limited financing options. “Several factors recently necessitated that we delay our estimated fiber build completion beyond 2026,” Udell admitted. The acquisition by Searchlight and BCI is seen as a strategic move to mitigate these challenges and ensure the company’s competitive edge.
A letter today to stockholders strongly urged a “FOR” vote in favor of the acquisition. “Consolidated’s transition from copper DSL lines to fiber is competitively critical, and there is significant execution risk, especially given the deteriorating financing and operating environment. We no longer have the liquidity to fund our original growth plan, and time to market is imperative. Those who are first to the market with fiber services will be able to take and maintain a significant market share.”
Upon completion of the transaction, Consolidated Communications will become a private entity, stepping away from the public stock market. This move is seen as a strategic pivot to better manage the dynamic telecom sector’s challenges, especially in a sector-wide shift to fiber optics.
Residents and business owners in Texas Forest Country have expressed a keen interest in the deal, recognizing its potential to enhance connectivity and service quality in the region. “It’s not just about the financials; it’s about ensuring our community stays connected with the best technology available,” shared a local business owner.
As Texas Forest Country Living continues to monitor this unfolding story, the emphasis remains on the impact of this acquisition on our local communities. In the words of Udell, “We believe this continued partnership will create an outstanding outcome for the Company, our customers, and our employees.” The region looks forward to a future of enhanced connectivity, rooted in a legacy of community-focused service.
Wrapping up this series on nutrients, we find ourselves dealing with the important nutrients that are needed in the smallest amount -micronutrients.
Also called trace nutrients in some literature, the essential micronutrient list consists of iron, chlorine, zinc, manganese, boron, copper, and molybdenum.
I was taught by a turfgrass professional that iron would give you the greenest turfgrass, without the extra growth that nitrogen gives you. Chlorine often surprises folks. I’ve never seen it as part of any fertilizer, as much of it is found naturally. Zinc is heavily used by pecan trees. To help pecan trees grow fully developed leaves, growers add zinc as a foliar spray. Most homeowners will try and put a fertilizer with zinc on the ground around their trees. Though some will be taken up, the foliar application is highly preferred.
Manganese should not be confused with magnesium. Manganese is necessary for photosynthesis. Boron is sometimes found missing for proper clover production. I once erroneously remarked that perhaps we should just add one pound of boron to each acre of clover we plant. Needed in such incredibly small quantities, adding that amount could prove disastrous. In fact, the only time I’ve seen ground-water kill gardens and lawns was when an old shallow well had too much boron in the water.
I have no interesting anecdotes for copper and molybdenum. I do often use molybdenum as an example in a sentence just to demonstrate how we don’t know all the inputs a plant may need.
All of these micronutrients are probably in your soil. You will certainly get them from the addition of organic matter, such as compost. I believe that one of the many reasons organic matter is awesome is because of the natural inclusion of these trace nutrients. You can also find molybdenum and the others on products such as Peters Plant Food and Miracle Grow. I think those products are “miraculous” because they do contain the entire roster of plant nutrition in their bottle.
New to my knowledge of plant nutrition are four more nutrients that research states are needed by just a few plants. These ‘new to me’ ones include nickel, cobalt, silicon, and vanadium. Nickel activates several enzymes and may even substitute for zinc and iron in some processes. Cobalt has been found through research to be beneficial to some plants though not essential in most species. Silicon makes this list, not as an essential nutrient, but as one that has been found in healthy plants as it aids with their structure.
Vanadium may be required by some plants, but a publication from 1999 by the United States Department of Agriculture also says it may just be “junk food” for plants. More recent research states it can be toxic to at high levels. Perhaps more studies need to be conducted, but I would not worry about vanadium in your garden.
The study of plant nutrients is heavy on chemistry, biology, and the research is ongoing. You listen to what your grandparents told you what they used to put in their garden or imitate what your neighbor does for their successful lawn. But if you really want to get it right, spend the $20 and send in a soil test. If you are waiting for any recommendation on how much fertilizer to put out from this series, you won’t hear any from me. To get it right, really correct, you’ll need to submit soil sample. Texas A&M and many other land-grant universities have a form online that you can download and print, or you can easily get the form from your local Extension office.
ANNOUNCEMENT
The Santa Run on Saturday evening will take place unless the rain is absolutely pouring!
3 Categories:
Adult- $20
Kids- $10
Dogs- $5
Date/Time Information:
Saturday, December 23, 2023, from 5 pm to 7 pm
Location:
Sandy Creek Gazebo
Angelina College officials and faculty members are pleased to release the names of 150 students named to the Dean’s Honor List for the Fall 2023 semester.
To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must have enrolled in at least 12 semester hours of college-level work and have attained a grade point average of 3.5 with no grade lower than a “C”.
The names of students who make the Dean’s Honor Lists are posted at the end of each long semester.
Following is the list of recognized students divided by town or city of residency.
Bay City
Adonaia Curtis.
Bellville
Isaac Yuna.
Brenham
Ethan Jezierski and Mason Lampe.
Bryan
Halee Hernandez.
Center
Emily Cervantes.
Chester
Cheryl Clack.
College Station
Christian Letendre and Mollie Morgan.
Corrigan
Gerardo Vera.
Crockett
Lauren Cyr, Landon Graham, Ryan Lane and Ruth Perez.
Deer Park
Lorelei Graham.
Diboll
Hilda Herrera, Deandrea Ikpe, Tiffany Jackson, Skyler Martin, Yulie Valdez and Shelby White.
Douglass
Nicholas Hunter.
Groveton
Juan Facio, Erick Hernandez and Lena Taylor.
Hemphill
Macy Holcomb, Briana Mitchell and Patricia Snodgrass.
Houston
Alicia Booker-Scott.
Hudson
Miller Clingamen and Jennifer Jimenez.
Huntington
Deysi Colon, Haley Drahos, Julia Garner, Edwena Gates, Troy Havard and Charity Napier.
Huntsville
Cooper Molnes.
Jacksonville
Frank Maldonado.
Jasper
Jessica Escalante.
Katy
Mark Henderson.
Kennard
Ava Barclay.
Kirbyville
Carmen Key.
League City
Jacob Townsend.
Livingston
Robin Assuncao, Heather Battise, Destiny Hancock, Leslie Johnson, Zane Kramer, Billy Lewis, Timothy Makuakane, Stephanie Olvera, Keirrah Ramirez, Crystal Reddicks, Craig Taylor and Jaylee Wilson.
Lovelady
Marlen Sandoval.
Lufkin
Elisabeth Acevedo, Leonardo Aguilar, Alondra Almaguer, Brenda Alvarado-Luna, Andy Barron, Candace Barron, Samuel Brockman, Kimberly Carbajal, Evelyn Castillo, Ke’Asiah Coleman, Kindal Conner, Fabian Cordero, Kelsi Davis, Chancy Dodd, Tasha Dodd, Nathaniel Encarnacion, Priscila Escobedo, Javier Flores-Garcia, Melanie-Garcia, Madeline Gipson, Maegan Gomez, Wyatt Greusel, Kaylee Guevara, Haley Guillen, Noah Havard, Tanya Head, Demi’Treanna Johnson, Sanvia Jones, Clara Keath, Kassidy Knapp, Joshua Little, Eliana Lopez, Damian Luna, Braysen Massie, Miley McHaney, Santos Mejia, Holli Minshew, Natalya Mitchell, Crystal Montoya, David Mullins, Lacilynn Myers, Joyce Olvera, Idaly Orta, Ashley Ray, Jacqueline Reyes-Gonzalez, Rudy Rios, Yamile Rios, Kiara Rodgers, Miguel Rodriguez, Samantha Saenz, Jesus Sandoval, Tanya Sexton, Avery Sullivan, Kristin Thacker, Jazlyn Thomas, Marco Torres, Matthew Townsend, Cecilia Vallejo and Guadalupe Villanueva.
Manizales, Colombia
Antonia Henao.
Medellin, Colombia
Ana Rendon.
Moscow
Natalya Soto.
Nacogdoches
Jose Almendarez, Bonnie Anderson, Emily Arriola, Omar Escamilla, Dylan French, Samantha Gresham, Yuan Huang, Jared Huber, Brittany Hutto, Cassidy Kelly, Banesia Payne, Jennifer Ramierez, Neftali Sauceda, Caleb Servin, Kristen Sisson, Ryleigh Swann and Avery Watson.
Pineland
Elijah Little.
Pointblank
Tiffany Carter.
Pollok
Kyle Coleman, Callie-Ann Kelsey and Harliey Womack.
Richmond
Samuel Hardcastle.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Luan Rangel.
Rusk
Daniel Perez.
Sweeny
Noah Pate.
Tomball
Makenzi Johnson.
Trinity
Nicholas Brazeil and Madalynn Morrow.
Drew Marshall.
Yokohama, Japan
Shota Tokuhisa.
Angelina College officials and faculty members are pleased to release the names of 87 students named to the President’s Honor List for the Fall 2023 semester.
To qualify, students must have enrolled in at least 12 semester hours of college-level work and have attained a grade point average of 4.0.
The names of students who make the President’s Honor List are posted at the end of each long semester.
Following is the list, divided by town or city of residency, of students named to the President’s Honor List:
Alto
Arlet Castro and Jaycie Richardson.
Apple Springs
Ashley Contreras.
Brenham
Hayden Hupe.
Brookeland
Marissa Blanton.
Chireno
Jack Kilmer.
Colmesneil
Eric Davis.
Corrigan
Zackery Purvis.
Crockett
Christopher Hernandez.
Diboll
Caden Chambers, Cristian Compean, Mayra Medina, Dhwani Patel, Myriam Plascencia, Anna Romero and Heidi Wilsie.
Etoile
Lexie Mooney.
Garrison
Jackson Ortiz and Madison Stokes.
Goodrich
Gabriela Silva.
Heredia, Costa Rica
Tannia Diaz.
Hudson
Jimmy Cassels and Aubraysha Lacy.
Huntington
Alan Markley, Zahra Martinez, Chase Phillips and Jazmine Santoyo-Arias.
Laoag City, Philippines
Mir Raciv T. Tayamen
Livingston
Brooke Pond and Christian Schanmier.
Lufkin
Kristina Aji, Julia Aleman, Spencer Alexander, Mark Jade B. Bagonoc, Alyssa Campbell, Alexis Chavez, Addison Chay, Whitney Cole, Ramiyah Cranford, Kassidy Denning, Adamari Escobedo, Isaac Estrada, Itzel Flores, Kathryn Gage, Naydi Gonzales, Jose Gonzalez, Marcus Hadnot, Robert Hansard, Maddyn Hartzog, Kanaan Holder, Elianna Jane B. Ilo, Madeline Johnson, Kallie Knierim, Chyenne Koller, Alexander Kuhne, Trinity Landin, Evelyn Maure, Taniya McCollough, Jesse McLain, Augustina Mezzano, Cy Ochoa, Mariela Palacios, Emily Sanchez, Teresita Santoya, Tess Scogin, Jordan Stringer, Khalil Sweats, Alexander Walker, Kaylee Washburn, John Weisenberger, Logan Wilkerson, Parker Winthrop and Emily Zheng.
Melbourne, Australia
Hatice Kahraman.
Nacogdoches
Joshua Garcia, Diego Guerrero, Tiffany Jeanfavre, Hailey Porter, Brandon Rowell and Anahi Vazquez.
New Ulm
Ryan Lewis.
Pollok
Leonardo Jacob and Sabrina Weathers.
San Augustine
Camden Boyette.
Somerville
Emma Kovasovic.
Spring
Kaetlyn Dunbar.
Warren
Phillip Thomas.
Zavalla
Antoinette Herberger.
The Drug-Free All Stars of The Coalition, Inc. recently completed a holiday-themed Project Sticker Shock, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, Brookshire Brothers, and other local businesses. In Texas, there is an estimated 95% increase in the number of alcohol-related crashes that occur during the New Year and holiday period in comparison to non-holidays. To combat this statistic, The Coalition and Drug-Free All Stars introduced a holiday-themed Project Sticker Shock focused on the prevention of drinking and driving. The Drug-Free All Stars placed stickers with information about the consequences of drunk driving on packages of alcohol at area Brookshire Brothers locations, Tobacco Barns, Walgreens (W. Frank location), and La Michoacana. The All Stars want to encourage responsible decision-making and make the community aware of the consequences of drinking and driving. “The holidays are all about family, friends, and sharing time with our loved ones, and Brookshire Brothers encourages our customers to celebrate as safely as possible throughout this festive season,” said Melissa Crager, Public Relations and Corporate Responsibility Manager for Brookshire Brothers. Thank you to all the businesses that participated in this year’s holiday-themed Project Sticker Shock.
Since 1988, The Coalition has focused on eliminating the use of harmful substances by affecting public policy, laws, attitudes, and behaviors, in order to foster healthy life-long choices for the local community. For more information about the Drug-Free All-Star program, contact Abby Baker at The Coalition at 936-634-9308.
Texas Forest Country Living is a digital online magazine featuring the lifestyle and community of the Texas Forest Country region. The Counties include Angelina County, Nacogdoches County, Sabine County, Tyler County, Newton County, San Jacinto County, San Augustine County, Jasper County, Houston County, Shelby County, Trinity County and Polk County
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