ANNUAL MESQUITE CONVENTION TO FOCUS ON RANCHING LINK
EDITOR'S NOTE -- PHOTO OP: A special field demonstration of a Texas A&M University-Kingsville mesquite bioharvester will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, off Corral Avenue in Kingsville, one half mile west of the Javelina football stadium. A wine and cheese reception will follow at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Bayfront Convention Center and will feature a variety of mesquite products, including hand-crafted furniture, flooring, works of art and rough lumber.
(KINGSVILLE, September 10, 1996) - Area ranchers, architects, designers, builders and buyers will have ample opportunity Friday, Sept. 20, to learn about the many productive uses and marketing strategies for one of Texas' most abundant wood products -- mesquite.
If one wants to be "chic" in South Texas when designing furniture for their home, mesquite is becoming the wood of choice, according to Robert Ohm, mesquite research associate with the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
Furniture, however, is not the hardwood's only claim to fame. The annual convention of Los Amigos del Mesquite, an organization of mesquite producers and users, will feature a series of technical programs aimed at other issues surrounding mesquite, including control and management, utilization and woodworking. The event will be held at the Holiday Inn Emerald Beach in Corpus Christi.
The conference, sponsored in part by A&M-Kingsville, is titled, "High-Grade Mesquite Conversion from Low-Grade Rough Lumber."
"Mesquite is a hardwood that has similar properties to the fine tropical hardwoods, like rosewood and mahogany," Ohm said. A popular attribute is the wood's resistance to shrinkage, which makes it a durable product for flooring and furniture.
Currently, only about 5,000 of 55 million acres of mesquite in Texas are being harvested. Many of the programs featured at the convention will focus on helping ranchers recognize mesquite's potential for supplementing their incomes.
This year's convention will also highlight several new programs which will have a positive and potentially far-reaching impact on the mesquite industry, according to mesquite expert Dr. Peter Felker of A&M-Kingsville's Center for Semi-Arid Forest Resources and the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute.
Dr. Carlos Rodriguez, Director General for Mexico's forest research, is currently initiating a program for mesquite management in Mexico and will be giving an 8:35 a.m. overview at the convention.
Dr. Robert Colbert of Lazarri Fuels in San Francisco, the largest importer of mesquite charcoal in the United States, will join Jerry Lawson of WW Wood Company in Pleasanton and George Wartsbaugh of Barbecue Wood Flavors in Ennis at 9 a.m. for a panel discussion on mesquite barbecue issues.
Colbert has initiated a program in Mexico where charcoal is only purchased from mesquite stands that have been carefully managed by pruning and thinning, according to Felker. Ranchers interested in selling firewood will have an opportunity to listen to Lawson and Wartsbaugh who, among them, have distribution accounts with HEB, Safeway, Target, Sears and Wal-mart, and buy roughly 4,500 cords of mesquite a year.
Experts will also be introducing equipment suitable for ranchers to do minimal mesquite processing on their ranches that can increase the value of the product almost five to 10 times, Felker said.
Included on the conference agenda are a woodcrafting techniques workshop from 11 a.m. to noon and a floor sanding demonstration from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. A mesquite bioharvester field demonstration will be conducted from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday at A&M-Kingsville, prior to the convention, off Corral Avenue in Kingsville, one half mile west of the Javelina football stadium. The demonstration will be followed by a wine and cheese reception from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Bayfront Convention Center in Corpus Christi, which will feature various mesquite commercial product exhibits.
-TAMUK-
-Mary McAdam