News

Dr. John Young, chairman of Inteplast Group, was at the Bauer Community Center in Port Lavaca last week for the company’s annual Manufacturing Conference and Exposition. Young gave the attending media a tour of all the products Inteplast Group and its affiliates manufacture.

Members of First Baptist Church, Edna, are planning their next Mission Jackson County service project. The group plans to make repairs to 40 homes in the community. The first Mission Jackson County was held in 2009. Along with numerous other projects, volunteers painted the exterior of this home in Edna.

Top spellers in the Jackson County Spelling Bee from left are Karen Lin, junior bee runner up, Christopher Robinson, junior bee champion, Jason Hessong, senior bee champion, and Delanie Skoruppa, senior bee runner up.  

Honorees at the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture annual membership banquet on Feb. 4 were Business of the Year, Premier Grains, owned by Keith Orsak and represented by Sam Hemphill, operations manager and Amy Fojtik, accountant; Citizen of the Year Dr. Gerald Boyd; and recipient of the Ag Award, Joey Bures. All received plaques and a certificate of Congressional Recognition from U.S. Congressman Blake Farenthold.

    If you’ve never used goat’s milk soap, you have a delicious treat awaiting you. Just ask Gail Lawrence. The Ganado native and her miniature goats at 4 Pound Ranch, are producing a wide variety of goats milk soap that is becoming very popular with the people in Jackson County.
    According to Lawrence, the difference is in the feel of the soap, its suds, and the way it moisturizes and scents the body. She said the quality of the soap is intensified because of the goat’s milk.
    Lawrence, owner of 4 Pound Ranch, came up with the name when she bought her first set of miniature goats and they all weighed right around four pounds. She got her first trio of goats in 2010, and started figuring out a market for them. 4 Pound Ranch also has chickens and rabbits roaming around as well.

Dale Allen won $2,500 through the Monsanto America’s Farmers Grow Communities and was given the opportunity to present it to a nonprofit group of his choice. He chose the La Ward 4-H Shooting Sports Club, and they intend on using the money for new equipment, like guns and supplies. From left are Monsanto Representative Tommy Bertling, Allen, La Ward Rifle Club Treasurer Devon White, and La Ward Rifle Club Leader Wayne Bubela. 

   The towns in Jackson County may be small, but there are people inside doing something big. Rhonda and Jim Long of Rocking 711 Ranch in Edna are slowly working on raising the best beef in America – Wagyu cattle. They own one full-blooded Wagyu cow, and are working on inseminating embryos into 500 heads of female red and black Brangus breeds.
    Wagyu (pronounced wag-yoo) literally means Japanese cow. Japan is the birthplace of this beef, which has slowly been making its way into America. Wagyu is known for it's nutrient-rich meat, marvelous taste, and is also coupled with a high price. The portions are much smaller, about five ounces, and have an intense marbling that isn't comparable because, according to Long, Wagyu has the unusual ability to create healthy fats. American-style Kobe beef is actually Japanese Wagyu crossed with Angus cattle.

Brothers Reyes and Josevis Jesus of Ganado begin to make bucket castles in the snow and wave for the camera.

United Way of Jackson County gave $25,000 to various non-profit organizations on Jan. 9 during their annual meeting. Shown in the picture are, from left, Bob Gentry of Boy Scouts; Debbie Ramirez of Golden Crescent CASA; Marcella Ramsbacher of Helping Hands; Jinny Stafford of Mid-Coast Family Services; Angelica DelaGarza of Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas; D.J. Bell of the Edna Volunteer Fire Department; Leslie Hatfield of Friends of Elder Citizens and Lance Smiga of UW of Jackson County.