The orange, moist-fleshed sweet potato varieties developed at the LSU AgCenter have become the standard American perception of a sweet potato. Early on it was realized that mutations could occur in orange-fleshed sweet potatoes that resulted in roots that were off-type and light yellow in color. In the late 1940s, LSU pioneered the production of foundation sweet potato seed (storage roots) by developing a method to minimize such mutations.
Read MoreIn a sugarcane field just outside of Cheneyville in Rapides Parish, Stacia Davis Conger and Justin Dufour are drilling, assembling and placing moisture sensors in the ground under stifling conditions.
Conger, AgCenter irrigation specialist, and Dufour, area ag agent for Avoyelles, Rapides and Grant parishes, have started a project looking at irrigation efficiency of sugarcane, a crop grown in areas that typically receive plenty of rainfall. While 70% of Louisiana’s corn crop is irrigated, less than 5% of the state’s 500,000 acres of sugarcane are.
Read MoreNestled in the rich agricultural landscape of northeast Louisiana’s Delta region, Tensas Parish residents ironically find themselves in a food desert where 37% of the adult population is obese.
Thanks to a collaborative effort between Tensas Academy and the LSU AgCenter, new school nutrition guidelines and a focus on healthy eating will hopefully impact not only student meals and curriculum, but also community health outcomes related to nutrition.
Read MoreAttendees of the LSU AgCenter’s recent Agronomic Crops School got in the field with scientists for some hands-on lessons in pest control, crop management practices, new technologies and more.
The event, held Aug. 5 at the AgCenter Dean Lee Research and Extension Center near Alexandria, built on the concept of a traditional field day where experts provide updates on their projects and current issues in the industry. Instead of staying seated on the hay bale-lined trailers that carried them through the station’s fields, participants were encouraged to step down and take a look at the research and demonstration plots for themselves.
Read MoreBill Richardson, the veteran dean of the LSU College of Agriculture, is leaving his post, LSU's president said Thursday.
The change marks the second shakeup in LSU's leadership since President Wlliam F. Tate IV took the job last month.
Executive Vice President and Provost Stacia Haynie was removed from her job a few days after Tate assumed office and returned to teaching in the College of Humanities & Social Services.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter has been awarded $24,178 to fund the Extension COVID Immunization Training and Education (EXCITE) program from May 1, 2021, to April 30, 2022.
The program will target medically underserved minority populations in Caddo Parish. Abigail McAlister, AgCenter agent and Northwest Region family and consumer science coordinator, will serve as principal investigator for the grant.
“Our goal is to reach these communities through faith-based organizations, specific ZIP codes and in partnership with other organizations,” McAlister said.
Sharing the grant responsibilities with McAlister are Caddo Parish nutrition agents Grace Peterson and Elizabeth Martin.
Read MoreThe story of the past two years in Louisiana sugarcane production has been a tale of two very different seasons for farmers.
After tallying a bumper harvest from late September through mid-January, many producers may have expected something similar for 2021, but Mother Nature has dampened the outlook for the current growing season.
Read MoreCommodity field days are a normal summertime occurrence for LSU AgCenter agriculture agents and specialists, but a field day without growers is just different.
During “normal” years, the AgCenter brings together other state and federal agriculture agencies to discuss the condition of crops and livestock in the region.
Read MoreTwo newly released sugarcane varieties took center stage at the LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station’s first live field day since 2019 after the coronavirus pandemic forced a virtual version last year.
Attendees of the July 21 event included some from as far away as Seattle and the nation of Colombia as well as new LSU President William F. Tate IV. They braved hot weather and muddy conditions to hear about fertilization techniques, pest control, cover crops and the two new varieties.
Read MoreLSU AgCenter Flavors of Health nutrition agents from across the state were chopping, dicing, whipping and meal planning as part of a training to help enhance their cooking demonstration skills on July 15 on the LSU campus.
The agents regularly put on nutrition programs and demonstrations in their own communities, but the agents had spent the previous year doing programs virtually, so this was a good time for a demonstration refresher.
Read MoreTime change for the Soil Fertility & Nutrient Management Field Day at the LSU Ag Center Northeast Research Station in Winnsboro.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Master Farmer Program is celebrating 20 years of existence, and the program is getting a new “toolbox” that will help spread the message of conservation and environmental stewardship.
The program began in 2001 when the LSU AgCenter partnered with several agricultural organizations to develop a voluntary program that helped ag producers address environmental issues, such as water quality, best management practices and improving productivity on their farms.
Read MoreThe Dean Lee Research & Extension Center will host an agronomic Crops School August 5th, from 4-7 PM.
The event starts at the State Evacuation Shelter, adjacent to the LSU-A Campus near Alexandria. A sponsored meal will be provided.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter will host a soil fertility and nutrient management field day, July 29th at The Tom Scott Research, Extension and Education Center in Winnsboro, starting at 3:30 PM.
Read MoreAfter having to cancel its annual horticulture field day last year amid the coronavirus pandemic, the LSU AgCenter will once again welcome nursery and landscape industry professionals to the Hammond Research Station on July 23 to hear about plant trial results and research projects.
The station also will release a package of virtual content, including video tours of the trial gardens and research presentations. The videos will be accessible at app.lsuagcenter.com/hammondtrials.
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