Every year is unique when it comes to the challenges that we face in a rice growing season and 2021 is no exception. The first few weeks of March were somewhat normal, and we were able to plant a significant amount of rice in southwest Louisiana in a short amount of time.
The last week of March and the whole month of April were much more challenging. The weather across the state during that time was either wet, overcast with little sunshine, cold, or a combination of the above.
Read MoreThe recommended planting dates for Louisiana rice are March 10–April 15 for southwest regions and April 1–May 5 in the north. In an ideal world, all rice would be planted within those windows to maximize yield potential. In the real world, weather delays, equipment failures, labor shortages, or other factors can prevent timely planting.
Some farmers may opt to plant fields following crawfish production, pushing planting to well outside the optimum window. Yield is often reduced in late-planted rice by the stress from high summer temperatures. Insect pests and diseases are often worse in late-planted fields. Here are some considerations on how to approach insect management if you’re behind in getting the crop in.
Read MoreA piece of equipment recently donated to the LSU AgCenter will help advance crop research efforts, including projects on row rice, which has steadily gained interest among northeast Louisiana farmers in recent years.
Afton Groovers, a Tallulah business owned by Chase Noland and Kenneth Smith, donated a four-row groover to the AgCenter Northeast Research Station near St. Joseph. The equipment, valued at $25,000, is rolled across fields to create grooves.
Read MoreTea is a popular drink across the United States, but very little is grown in the U.S. Researchers with the LSU AgCenter are working with area growers to see if growing tea on a commercial scale is viable. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux has the story from Tangipahoa Parish.
Read MoreLouisiana 4-H held its annual state shooting sports event, and more than 650 youth participated in events ranging from archery to skeet. With a shot at nationals on the line, the competition was fierce, but everyone enjoyed the opportunity to test their skills. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux has the story from West Baton Rouge Parish.
Read MoreLSU Eunice is one of seven U.S. higher education institutions that have been selected to participate in a new Building Resiliency in Rural Communities for the Future of Work initiative.
The three-year initiative is led by Achieving The Dream, a nationwide network of more than 300 community colleges that works to help schools prepare students to be competitive in the workforce, with a particular focus on equity and institutional redesign.
Read MoreTara Smith describes her career in agriculture as serendipitous.
Director of the Central Region, Smith has been an integral part of the LSU AgCenter since she was hired as the state sweet potato specialist in 2006.
Growing up in Alexandria, Smith wasn’t involved in 4-H, and she thought little about farming. During her undergraduate and graduate school experiences, mentors and professors saw Smith’s knack for science and encouraged her to pursue a degree in entomology and, later, study sweet potatoes.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter has a new agent for East Baton Rouge Parish, and his name is Russell Harris.
If the name sounds familiar, it could be because Harris was the horticulture agent in New Orleans before taking a position in the landscape industry.
Read MoreOne year after a nighttime tornado destroyed several buildings at the LSU AgCenter Dean Lee Research and Extension Center near Alexandria, progress is being made to fully restore facilities.
AgCenter Central Region director Tara Smith said the storm heavily damaged the AgCenter DeWitt Livestock Show Facility and several other buildings on the research station.
Read MoreDespite having to prepare their animals in the middle of a pandemic, hundreds of young people from across Louisiana were named state champions during the 86th annual LSU AgCenter Livestock Show held at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center.
Read MoreWhat do you do with time on your hands? Survey says: gardening. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced Louisiana and the rest of the nation into a quarantine scenario in the spring of 2020, many people found themselves with extra time on their hands.
In the 2018 National Garden Survey conducted by Garden Research, 12 million Americans said, “I’m too busy to have much time for gardening.” With gyms, entertainment venues and restaurants closed and people no longer having to commute to work, a surplus of time remained.
Read MoreCurrent weather conditions may present Louisiana vegetable growers with great challenges to combat plant diseases.
Raj Singh, director of the LSU AgCenter Plant Diagnostic Center, said vegetables are susceptible to a wide variety of plant pathogens, including, fungi, water molds, bacteria and viruses.
Read MoreThe capability to host workshops, seminars, field days and other in-person events has historically been fundamental in demonstrating hands-on management techniques and fostering communication with livestock producers. However, when faced with the inability to hold these events during the COVID-19 pandemic, LSU AgCenter livestock specialists and agents turned to alternative platforms to ensure continued interaction with producers and industry members. Onset of the pandemic created turmoil in many aspects of life, including the beef cattle industry and markets.
Read MoreA member of a New Orleans restaurant family is brewing the Japanese rice wine called sake from grain grown at Louisiana State University, the LSU AgCenter says.
Brennan family member Lindsay Beard and business partner Nan Wallis say they want to change the image of sake (SAH-kee) from that of an exotic drink paired with Asian food, they said in an LSU AgCenter news release.
Read MoreIn 2020, Louisiana producers harvested 6,557 acres of sweet potatoes with an estimated yield of 480 bushels per acre. Production and packing fresh market costs were approximately $4,000 per acre to $4,600 per acre, while production costs for the processing sector were approximately $2,300 per acre prior to storage. Given this high level of production costs, there is little margin for error from movement of herbicide intended for target weeds in tolerant crops to sweet potatoes grown in close proximity, which is known as off-target movement.
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