Fort Bend Regional Vegetable Conference set for Feb. 7

The 38th annual Fort Bend Regional Vegetable Conference has been set for Feb. 7 at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds, Buildings C & D in Rosenberg.

Registration is from 7:15-8:30 a.m., with the conference from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The cost with lunch included is $30 before Jan. 20, and $40 after Jan. 20. Due to preparations, registration at the door will be limited.

The conference is a celebration of vegetable production along the upper Gulf Coast region. Austin, Brazoria, Colorado, Galveston, Harris, Waller and Wharton counties join Fort Bend to stage this event  focusing on teaching sustainable practices to help producers maximize efficiencies and profitability.

To register, visit the website, the abbreviated URL for which is bit.ly/3X4tHkE. To register and pay in person by check or cash, visit Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, 1402 Band Road (Annex Building) in Rosenberg.

For more information, visit the website, the abbreviated URL for which is bit.ly/3CvEV9T, or call Lorraine Niemeyer at 281-633-7033.

Fort Bend Master Gardeners to host annual fruit tree sale Feb. 11

From citrus, such as grapefruit and lemon, to pome fruits such as pears and apples, Fort Bend County Master Gardeners will have plenty of fruit trees at their Feb. 11 sale.

The 23rd annual sale opens at 9 a.m. in Barn H of the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds, 4310 Texas 36 S. in Rosenberg, and closes at noon or until sold out. Last year’s sale sold out in less than an hour.

Citrus trees at the sale include grapefruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, pummelo, satsuma and tangerine. All citrus trees available at the sale are certified to be disease free.

Blueberry and blackberry bushes are part of the sale as are avocado, coffee, dragonfruit, fig, olive, peach, pear and plum trees. The lineup includes apricot, banana and loquat trees, too.

An estimated 75 different varieties of fruit trees, berries and tropicals/sub-tropicals will be for sale with approximately 1,000 different plants available. Fort Bend Master Gardeners will be available to answer questions about how to plant and care for your new tree or plant.

Proceeds from the sale are earmarked for the nonprofit Fort Bend County Master Gardeners Inc. The organization's goal is to provide research-backed horticulture advice to residents of Fort Bend County, in support of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Master gardeners will have a limited number of wagons to assist shoppers in transporting their purchases. Shoppers may bring their own hand-drawn wagon if they prefer not to wait for a wagon.

For more information, visit the website fbmg.org/fruit-tree-sale/.

Annual Boots & Badges Gala set for Feb. 11

The annual Boots & Badges Gala, which raises scholarship money for children of Fort Bend County public safety professionals, has been set for Feb. 11 at Safari Texas Ranch in Richmond.

“We’d like to thank our faithful title sponsor, Safari Texas, for their commitment to our mission,” Ben Simpson, Behind the Badge Charities board president, said. “Their contribution of the Infinity Ballroom allows us to give more of the money raised to deserving children of our public safety professionals.”

Each year, Behind the Badge Charities awards college scholarships valued at $2,000 each. Proceeds raised from the Boots and Badges Gala will be used to provide these scholarships.

“Raising money for college scholarships is our way of saying thank you to our Fort Bend County first responders who risk their lives every day for citizens they’ve never met,” Simpson said.

For more information about sponsorships and tickets, visit the website behindthebadgecharities.org/gala.

Meyers replaced as H-GAC delegate from Fort Bend County

Fort Bend County Judge KP George has replaced Pct. 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers as Fort Bend County delegate to the Houston-Galveston Area Council for 2023.

Commissioners approved the move, which was made at the Dec. 20 meeting, by a 3-2 vote. George, Pct. 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage and Pct. 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy, all Democrats, voted for the reassignment. Meyers and Pct. 1. Commissioner Vincent Morales, both Republicans, voted against the reassignment.

Meyers said at the meeting that he did not learn about his replacement until he saw the agenda. Meyers asked George why he was being replaced.

“We’re moving in a different direction and changes can happen,” George said. “At this point, that is my answer.”

Fort Bend County announces grant in support of family violence prevention services

Fort Bend County is now accepting applications for the Family Protection Fee Grant. The grant is open to Fort Bend area nonprofits that implement comprehensive domestic violence services, support family violence prevention, and help survivors of domestic violence and their children.

The amount of funding available for the fiscal year 2023 is $9,559.65. Last year, over $40,000 was awarded to four Fort Bend area service providers: AVDA, Child Advocates, Family Life Center, and FBC Women’s Center.

The grant funds are made possible by the family protection fee that the Fort Bend District Clerk’s office collects when someone files a suit for the dissolution of a marriage under Chapter 6, Family Code.

“With the help of our nonprofits, victims of domestic violence and their children can seek safety and get the support and assistance they need through our nonprofit partners,” Fort Bend County Judge KP George said. “The only way to end domestic abuse is to work together to rebuild the lives of survivors and their children, and the Family Protection Fee Grant will help support efforts to do so.”

Fort Bend County Commissioner’s Court adopted the $15 fee under Government Code, Title 2, which allows for the district clerk to provide funding to a nonprofit organization that provides services for family violence and child abuse prevention, intervention, mental health, counseling, and legal services including marriage preservation services to families that are at risk of experiencing or that have experienced family violence or the abuse or neglect of a child.

The fiscal year 2023 will see the end of the fee collection due to the passing of Senate Bill 41.

The bill consolidates civil court filing fees and establishes a streamlined system while remaining revenue neutral to the greatest extent possible.

The deadline to apply for the grant is Jan. 31. For more information and to apply for the grant, visit the website, the abbreviated URL for which is bit.ly/3IEHASB.

Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan elected Houston HIDTA vice chair

Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan has been elected as the Houston High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) executive board vice chair. Sheriff Fagan has been an executive board member since he took office in 2021.

The mission of the HIDTA program is to “disrupt the market for illegal drugs by dismantling and disrupting drug trafficking and/or money laundering organizations, and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of HIDTA initiatives.”

The Houston HIDTA executive board is comprised of 20 representatives including local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. The executive board assesses the drug trafficking threats found in the Greater Houston region, develops strategies to address the threats, and proposes funding needed to carry out the mission.

“It's been an honor serving as member of the executive board and representing Fort Bend in a greater scale,” Fagan said. “As vice chair, we will continue to put a stop to drug related crimes, in efforts to keep our communities safe.”

Houston HIDTA Director F. Mike McDaniel said having Fagan as a board member has been an asset.

“He's brought valuable input to the executive board, especially in light of his many years of law enforcement experience,” McDaniel said. “I am even happier, Sheriff Fagan was selected as the vice chair, with the chair position to follow next November.”