Ted Gauthier Named New Head Of Agricultural Chemistry Department
The LSU AgCenter is pleased to announce that Ted Gauthier has been named the new head of the Department of Agricultural Chemistry. A native of Avoyelles Parish, Gauthier, who previously served as director of the AgCenter Biotechnology Laboratory,was asked to step into the role of interim department head when Mark Leblanc retired from the AgCenter to accept the position of state chemist and seed commissioner for Indiana late last year. After a search was conducted, Gauthier accepted the permanent position in May.
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Assumption Parish Holds 51st Cane Field Day
The LSU AgCenter hosted the Assumption Parish Sugarcane Field Day in Napoleonville Wednesday. It was the 51st time local farmers, researchers and others connected to the Louisiana sugarcane industry have gathered to learn about the latest in sugarcane research in this Bayou Lafourche town. LSU AgCenter agriculture agent Renee Castro put together the program that included two field stops and an indoor program.
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Meet The LSU AgCenter Plant Breeders
For decades the LSU AgCenter has built plant breeding programs to improve the crops that Louisiana farmers produce. These breeders have dedicated themselves to developing better plant varieties to advance the future of agriculture.
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Soil Heath Forum Set For July 15 In New Roads
All crop and livestock producers are invited to attend the Louisiana Soil Health Forum for Crops and Livestock on July 15 at the Scott Civic Center in New Roads. This meeting is one of several soil health events that the LSU AgCenter, the Louisiana Master Farmer Program and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service have sponsored in the past three years across the state.
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LSU AgCenter, African Agriculture,Inc., Partner For Training, Tech Transfer For Senegal
The LSU AgCenter has signed a collaborative agreement with African Agriculture Inc. to provide training and technology transfer opportunities to farmers in Senegal. African Agriculture is a United States-based food security and sustainability company that focuses on food security, educational development, environmental sustainability and investment opportunities.
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LSU AgCenter Scientist Elected to American Phytopathological Society
Rodrigo Valverde, a professor in the LSU AgCenter Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, has been elected a fellow of the American Phytopathological Society.
The society honored Valverde for his research in describing and characterizing many newly recognized viruses that cause disease in beans, citrus, pepper, sweet potato, tomatoes and ornamentals.
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Rice Researchers Highlight Variety Development, Growing Methods at 112th Annual Field Day
More than 400 rice producers and industry insiders gathered for the first post-pandemic field day at the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station on June 30.
Following a virtual field day in 2020, this year’s in-person event featured a field tour highlighting new developments in rice varieties, pest management and growing practices.
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Agricultural Policy And Market Situation Newsletter
The attached Agricultural Policy and Market Situation Newsletter (Volume IV, Issue 2) contains a summary of agricultural policy happenings from the recent quarter (April 1st through June 30th).
Newsletter topics include the following:
Recapping the market’s reaction to the USDA Acreage Report;
The White House’s broadband internet mapping tool;
Stepped-up basis proposal and its potential impact on farms;
Climate policy; and
Corn, soybean, rice, cotton, and sugar market commentary.
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LSU AgCenter Researchers Showcase Projects at Annual Field Day
The Louisiana State University AgCenter may have canceled its an in-person rice field day in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, but research on the station near Crowley continued with nary a disruption following proper safety protocols.
The annual event, now in its 112th year, returned to the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station with in-person tours June 30 as researchers showcased their latest fertility, pest control and breeding projects.
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LSU AgCenter Sugarcane Variety Performance Report
Because sugarcane varieties are the lifeblood of the Louisiana sugar industry, variety selection is one of your most important decisions on the farm. That decision has long-term consequences. The goal is to maximize profitability on every acre of the farm for each year of a long crop cycle.
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Field Day Highlights Grant Funded Conservation Research
Researchers discussed sustainability, farmland conservation and better water quality at the Cotton and Grain Field Day held at Somerset Plantation in Tensas Parish on June 24. Attendees took part in unique learning opportunities and hands-on demonstrations that highlighted the benefits of the best management practices that LSU AgCenter researchers are studying as part of a $1.4 million grant from the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation.
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An Eye To The Future: Plant Breeders Work To Improve Crops
As long as people have farmed the earth, they have adapted plants to fit their needs.
Today, plant breeders improve crops to resist disease and pests, adapt to the environment and produce greater amounts of food, fiber and fuel.
The LSU AgCenter funds breeding programs for most of Louisiana’s major crops, with researchers constantly seeking improvements to help the state’s growers by developing improved varieties.
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Soil Health Forum
A Soil Health Forum for crops and livestock will be held July 15th at the Scott Civic Center in New Roads, 1200 Major Parkway, with registration starting at 8:30 AM. Topics covered during the forum include basics of soil health, research project overviews of Best Management Practices, improving soil fertility in sugarcane systems, managing cover crops and weeds in sugarcane, cover crop economics/decision making tools, impacts of cover crops in pastures, management strategies for improving pasture soil and carbon sequestration/carbon credit markets.
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LA Cotton: Plant Bug Identification, Control
With Louisiana experiencing warm days and adequate moisture, much of the cotton has grown out of the thrips susceptibility stage (1-4 leaf cotton) and is beginning to put on squares. Square initiation results in an increased presence of a diverse cohort of plant bugs and below is an adult and immature guide to aid in the identification of plant bugs in cotton.
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Packing A Week Into A Day: On the Road With Camp Grant Walker
For decades, the highlight of many Louisiana 4-H participants’ summer has been their trip to the LSU AgCenter’s Camp Grant Walker, where they spend a fun-filled week learning new skills and making new friends.
The campgrounds in Pollock are empty this summer, though, as several buildings that were damaged during hurricanes in 2020 await repairs.
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