Posts in LSU AgCenter
Evangeline Parish Recovers from Latest Round of Winter Storms

Just four months after reeling from back-to-back hurricanes that dealt powerful punches, Evangeline Parish was hit by another storm that caused different types of issues from the usual damage. This storm was a major winter event that hit the area over the Mardi Gras holiday.

The freeze has also impacted the livestock here in the parish. Ryegrass, a commonly grown winter forage grass, was severely damaged by the cold temperatures. This causes livestock producers to have feed supplemental feed which can get expensive. Producers also had to feed more to keep their animals warm. There are also reports of calves dying after being born in the frozen conditions.

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RIT Faculty Using Smartphones and Artificial Intelligence to Help Assess Crop Roots

A Rochester Institute of Technology faculty member is creating new artificial intelligence systems that could empower agricultural researchers, breeders, nurseries, and other users to analyze the roots of their crops with the power of their smartphones. Guoyu Lu, an assistant professor in RIT's Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, is receiving a $450,000 New Investigator grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct the research.

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LSU AgCenterkristen oaks
Black History Month 2021: Agriculture, Family and the Land

Every February, the APHIS community celebrates Black History Month and honors the many and varied contributions of African Americans to U.S. history. This year’s Black History Month theme is “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.” This feature, a personal narrative by APHIS employee Langston Hull, is the first in a two-part series recognizing Black employees at APHIS and their connection to agriculture, family, and the land.

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Forestry Forums to be Held Virtually

The LSU AgCenter state forestry extension team will host two virtual forums this year with two themes and held on two dates.

The first forum, set for March 9, will focus on hurricane recovery, while the second event on March 23 will cover forest management and tax advice. Both events will begin at 8:30 a.m.

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Program Teaches Sustainability Using Fast Food

Deep in Louisiana sugarcane country, there lies a giant hamburger. Or rather, a food plot in the shape of a hamburger. Not too far away there are similar gardens in the shape of a hot dog, a box of french fries and a taco.

This is the Fast Food Farm in St. James Parish, a non-profit educational farm started by Denny Hymel more than 20 years ago after realizing that children were increasingly disconnected from the farms where their food comes from.

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