In Karuna Kharel’s LSU AgCenter food microbiology lab, pecans are better protected, freeze-dried strawberries are safer and smoked and canned oysters are safely on the menu. The researcher focuses on improving the safety and quality of Louisiana commodities, with particular attention to low-moisture foods like nuts and freeze-dried products.
Read MoreLafayette chef Kris Allen has been crowned the 2026 King of Louisiana Seafood after winning the 19th annual Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off.
Read MoreResearchers and staff at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station recently held their 2026 field day for landscape industry professionals.
“This is an annual gathering of industry folks, and it’s a great time for industry people as well as AgCenter specialists to come together and share ideas,” said Hammond Research Station coordinator Christine Coker.
Read MoreLSU AgCenter horticulturist Joe Willis, also known as “Dr. Joe,” loves helping people grow plants. And the number of awards he’s won this year attests to how good he is at it.
Willis most recently won the National Garden Club’s Award of Excellence, their highest honor, in May, at the annual convention in St. Louis, Missouri.
Read MoreThe Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (BREADA) has announced a new Summer Culinary Series, sparked by growing community interest in interactive food experiences that highlight local agriculture, culinary learning, and meaningful connection.
Featuring chef-led classes, demonstrations, and tastings designed to showcase the freshest seasonal ingredients available at the Red Stick Farmers Market, the Summer Culinary Series will be hosted inside The Teaching Kitchen at Main Street Market.
Read More“Would you like regular or sweet potato fries with that?” is an oft-asked question to diners across America. And for those looking for a higher-fiber, nutrient-dense option to accompany their main course, the latter is often the way to go — especially if they are baked rather than fried.
Read MoreThe Becnel family has farmed Louisiana citrus for five generations, so when Ben Becnel was asked about the industry's current state, his answer was simple.
"It used to be profitable. Now, it's not," he said.
Read MoreAllison and Grant Guidroz woke up near midnight in September last year to a horrifying site at their Baton Rouge home and micro-farm — a fire rising from their detached garage.
The Guidrozes operate Fullness Farm, an organic micro-farm built on the old Longwood Plantation that amasses one acre of the 15-acre property. In the fire, the family lost their tractor, truck and stores of bottled-up honey and seeds. The family and farm were unharmed. Their younger two children, luckily, were staying at their grandparent's home.
Read MoreLouisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is now accepting applications for the 2026 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, funded through the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service.
Read MoreLiuzza Family Farm is more than 7,000 miles from Iran, but the war in the region is still hitting home in Tangipahoa Parish.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $1 billion in Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) Program assistance for specialty crops and sugar, commodities not covered through the previously announced Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program. These one-time bridge payments will help address market disruptions, elevated input costs, persistent inflation, and market losses from foreign competitors engaging in unfair trade practices that impede exports. Specialty crop producers have until March 13, 2026, to report 2025 acres to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).
Read MoreSouth Louisiana may not have gotten the ice and snow seen further north, but parts were blanketed in white.
In Tangipahoa Parish, strawberry grower Joey Liuzza has been working to protect his crop while continuing to harvest. White fields dotted with frost cover aren’t snowdrifts—they’re protective row covers used to shield strawberry plants from freezing temperatures.
Running one of Louisiana’s biggest mushroom farms is not for the weak.
Mushroom Maggie's Farm grows and sells up to 1,200 to 1,500 pounds of mushrooms every week. The St. Francisville-based business cultivates a variety of fungi, at least eight different kinds like lion’s mane, oyster, pink trumpet, shiitake and chestnut mushrooms.
Read MoreWith November coming to a close and the cooler winter months rolling in, it’s time to start planting.
Despite misconceptions, the prime time to plant fruits and vegetables is the late fall, not the spring.
“You want to get them out during this cold season,” said Denyse Cummins, an extension horticulturalist at the LSU AgCenter.
Read MoreHow would you like to look and feel your best, all while helping out your neighbors? That’s the premise behind the Lake Charles Farm to Table Market.
For many families like Catherine Ange’s in the Lake Area, this has become a weekly tradition, "I love eating fresh. I love eating from places that I know are taking care of their animals. I know the nutritional value is better than what we can get at the grocery store, and it gets my kids to come out and have a whole new experience.”
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