Louisiana farmers, ranchers and professionals who work in agricultural outreach can apply for up to $15,000 in grant funding to support their efforts through the Conservation Champions program.
The funding is being made available through a grant the National Wildlife Federation recently awarded to the LSU AgCenter Louisiana Master Farmer Program, the Louisiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the Louisiana Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative.
Read MoreThe attached October Crop Market Update for Corn, Soybeans, Rice, and Cotton contains a discussion on USDA-reported supply and demand dynamics, export pace (sales and shipments), and farm price implications for the 2021/22 marketing year. In addition to a commodity recap, this report also provides an in-depth perspective on the ‘market reality’ of the dollar (plus) cotton dynamic.
Read MoreThe Louisiana 4-H Hall of Fame welcomed 24 new members to its ranks at a ceremony Oct. 9.
The Hall of Fame has inducted 256 members since it started in 2008.
Toby Lepley, LSU AgCenter associate vice president and 4-H program leader, said the work and sacrifices of the 24 honorees add up to thousands of years of service to Louisiana 4-H youth.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter plays a critical role in the breeding and development of new rice, sugarcane, sweet potato, wheat and oat varieties. Seven out of every 10 fields of sugarcane and rice in Louisiana are cultivated with AgCenter-developed varieties. For sweet potatoes, that figure jumps to more than nine out of 10. Although commercialized breeding programs dominate variety development for corn, cotton and soybeans, AgCenter researchers and specialists test these varieties extensively for their suitability to grow in Louisiana.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter wheat and oat breeding program serves Louisiana growers by providing them with regionally adapted, high-yielding varieties that have good disease resistance and favorable agronomic characteristics. The breeding program has developed and released 25 wheat and oat varieties since 1996, an average of one new variety per year. All releases were commercialized, and most were licensed to regional seed companies to increase the seed and make the variety available to producers.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service has released their annual look at the value of Louisiana agriculture.
The report takes a look at the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that constitute Louisiana's agricultural industry. They say that agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to the state's economy with the potential for increased economic benefits and job creation through value-added processing in urban and rural communities throughout Louisiana.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station recently shared its 2021 field day video presentations.
“We’re excited about the research and extension programs, many of which focus on foundation seed production, virus testing, production research, pest management and a world-renowned breeding program,” said Tara Smith, Sweet Potato Research Station coordinator.
Read MoreRelatively new, compared to many of Louisiana’s crops, the soybean was initially adopted in the United States more than 100 years ago as a forage crop. At the time, to find suitable varieties for forage production, university soybean breeders selected varieties out of introductions from Asian countries. Time marches on, and through the decades the LSU AgCenter has helped Louisiana soybean producers adapt to major transformations to production through breeding and variety testing here at home.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter will host a Sugarcane Field Day on Oct. 20 at Keith Dugas Farm in Assumption Parish.
The forum is supported by the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation and Natural Resource Conservation Service. The Foundation awarded a grant to the LSU AgCenter to fund a four-year research and demonstration project on reducing nutrient runoff from crop fields.
Read MoreSoybeans receive a quality grade of 1 through 5 as they enter the supply chain. That grade has implications for contract fulfillment and the price farmers earn for those soybeans – but that rating can be subjective.
Read MoreIn 2022, the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission will celebrate its 70th year representing sweet potato growers, shippers, processors and bankers by educating consumers on the yam’s many nutritional attributes and versatility.
“The alluvium soils of Louisiana produce a high-quality product and our growers have been doing it a long time,” said Rene Simon, director of the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission. “We also have the added benefit of the LSU Ag Center Sweet Potato Research Station, which is dedicated fully to sweet potatoes. Our growers have that knowledge available to them.”
Read MoreCultivating Your Consciousness: Raising Wheat and Saving Soil virtual field days will be held online Oct. 22, Nov. 3 and Nov. 30
The virtual field days will cover raising wheat and soil conservation tailored to three different growing regions.
Read MoreLouisiana's largest medical marijuana producer is expanding its growing operation to Ruston, where LSU AgCenter partner Good Day Farm is putting a 225,000-square-foot warehouse into production.
Good Day Farm President John Davis said Louisiana Department of Agriculture regulators are inspecting the facility Tuesday.
Davis said he expects the company to begin moving plants from Baton Rouge into the warehouse this month after the facility gets the green light from the regulators.
Read MoreBoxwood dieback disease caused by a fungal plant pathogen is spreading at an alarming rate in the United States. LSU AgCenter plant doctor Raj Singh identified it in Louisiana and first reported in the United States in 2015.
Singh will be leading a disease identification and management training on Oct. 19 in Forest Hill geared toward accurate identification and effective management of the disease in both nurseries and landscapes
Read MoreGet ready for fun for the entire family during Corn Maze at Burden 2021 happening at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens each Saturday in October.
Dates for the event are Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participants can choose from three sessions to attend. The morning session will run from 10 a.m. to noon. The afternoon session will be from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. And the evening session will run from 3 to 5 p.m.
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