Posts in LSU AgCenter
Challenge Camp Helps 4-H'ers Cope with Obsticles

About 150 4-H Club members in south Louisiana learned skills to help them deal with the challenges of growing up during a one-day Challenge Camp held March 5.

The seventh- and eighth-grade students met in their individual parishes, and they were connected with other parishes by the internet. Ordinarily, the camp would be a two-day event at Camp Grant Walker, but the virtual setting was used because of COVID-19 restrictions that would have complicated transportation and other arrangements at the camp, according to Lanette Hebert, 4-H coordinator for the Southwest Region.

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LSU AgCenterdon molino
Louisiana Ag Hall of Distinction Inducts Three New Members

The Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction inducted three new members during a ceremony March 4 at the L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge.

The new inductees are former Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation President Ronnie Anderson, of Ethel; sugarcane farmer John Gay, of Plaquemine; and Paul “Jackie” Loewer, of Branch, a rice farmer who has been a strong advocate for the rice industry in state and national organizations.

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Louisiana Ag Hall of Distinction Inducts Three New Members

The Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction inducted three new members during a ceremony March 4 at the L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge.

The new inductees are former Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation President Ronnie Anderson, of Ethel; sugarcane farmer John Gay, of Plaquemine; and Paul “Jackie” Loewer, of Branch, a rice farmer who has been a strong advocate for the rice industry in state and national organizations.

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Orgeron Awarded Ben Legendre Professorship

LSU AgCenter weed scientist Al Orgeron has been named the Benjamin L. Legendre Sr. Sugar Heritage American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists Professor.

Orgeron, an associate professor and integrated pest management specialist with the LSU AgCenter, is the first recipient of the professorship.

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LSU AgCenterdon molino
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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