For those of you who keep a vegetable garden, it’s time to get those potatoes in the ground. Potatoes are easy to cultivate and provide many essential vitamins such as calcium, iron, vitamins B6 and C, and potassium. They also provide dietary fiber, some protein and prebiotic resistant starch to boot.
Read MoreThe impact of freezing temperatures (24oF) on wheat varies dramatically depending on the growth stage the crop is in when it occurs. Temperatures are projected to dip into the teens and 20s in central and north Louisiana for several days beginning February 11th
Read MoreThere are a handful of new rice varieties and rice hybrids that will be available in 2021 that will change the landscape of the rice grown in Louisiana. There are also a few rice varieties and hybrids that will virtually disappear in the coming season. I will do my best to cover the biggest variety and hybrid changes for 2021 in each rice class below.
Read MoreFungicides are important tools in rice disease management. All too often sheath blight, blast, grain smuts or Cercospora require a fungicide application to reduce damage below economic levels. Fungicides are specific to what diseases they control, along with the growth stage they are applied at to be effective.
Read MoreIn today’s industry, rice farmers need to consider pest management strategies well before rice is planted. Insecticidal seed treatments have become central to rice pest management programs in recent years, and deciding which product to select will determine how pest control is approached during the growing season.
Read MoreIt’s known as the Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative Sugar Mill, and in the 2019 harvest season, the facility took in year over 1.4 million tons of sugar cane.
Read MoreAn LSU AgCenter plant pathologist will use a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pinpoint the location of a gene in rice that could help farmers control a potentially devastating plant disease.
“Our goal is to characterize the resistance to narrow brown leaf spot at the genetic and functional level,” said Jonathan Richards.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter invites you to join the Beef Brunch Educational Series webinar “Weathering the Storm” on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at 10:30 am. This is a free, live event.
Read MoreConditions are good for the crawfish season that is about to kick into harvest season.
“It looks like conditions were all pretty good for what looks like a good crawfish season,” said Todd Fontenot, Evangeline Parish county agent.
Reports from farmers are coming in slow right now, he said.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter is participating in a series of sugarcane meetings to help farmers prepare for the 2021 growing season.
The Louisiana Division of the American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists will meet virtually Feb. 2 to 3.
Read MoreAt the LSU AgCenter, this time of year is livestock show season — the culmination of months of hard work for 4-H and FFA members who have been busy preparing their animals and themselves for their big moment in the show ring.
Read MoreAfter what has been called an average crop year, the annual meeting of the Louisiana Sweet Potato Association provided a better outlook.
Those in the industry were given a sneak peek at some potential new varieties as well as ways to improve growing conditions and increase yields.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter Healthy Communities program will host a free virtual training Feb. 17 for current and potential Louisiana farmers market vendors.
The training will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. via Microsoft Teams. Registration for the free event is available at fmvendors.eventbrite.com.
Read MoreDaniel Stephenson, an LSU AgCenter weed scientist, has been named to the Jack Hamilton Chair in Cotton Production effective Feb. 1.
Stephenson has been with the AgCenter since 2008 and is based at the Dean Lee Research and Extension Center near Alexandria. His work focuses on identifying effective weed control strategies in row crops, including cotton.
Read More4-H started with agricultural roots. It was a way to get young people in farming communities to experiment with new techniques and technologies.
It gave students a place to develop skills, learn about leadership and be recognized for their efforts.
Read More