Louisiana growers have not yet finished planting this year’s strawberry crop, and a disease called crown rot has already been detected in a commercial field.
This disease is caused by a soil-borne, fungal-like microorganism genus called Phytophthora. Sometimes it is called water mold.
Phytophthora is known as “the plant destroyer.”
Read MoreThe Louisiana Master Farmer Program is celebrating twentieth anniversary. The program was designed to lessen the environmental footprint left by agricultural operations and to ensure that future generations have an opportunity to farm the land. LSU AgCenter reporter Craig Gautreaux has the story.
Read MoreThis time of year, south Louisiana locavores usually begin shopping for local citrus to use in everything from brunch mimosas to sweet potato soufflé tucked in orange halves. But the lingering impacts of Hurricane Ida are going to make it harder to source those juicy naval oranges and grapefruits this fall, say agriculture experts.
Last month, the LSU AgCenter reported the loss of an estimated $584 million within the state’s collective agriculture industry due to Ida, a Category 4 storm that made landfall near Port Fouchon on Aug. 29. Louisiana citrus groves, some of which had already been damaged from Hurricane Zeta in 2020, saw significant damage from Ida’s continuing onslaught of wind and salt water intrusion, as well as from a thick layer of mud and sludge left after the storm.
Read MoreDozens of beef cattle producers gathered to hear about the latest developments in the Louisiana beef industry at the Acadiana Area Beef Cattle Field Day held Oct. 23 in St. Martinville.
Luke Laborde, interim LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the LSU College of Agriculture, addressed the crowd, stressing the importance of the beef cattle industry for the local and state economies.
Read MoreThe process of rebuilding LSU AgCenter facilities destroyed by a tornado last year is set to begin soon.
The tornado, which struck near Alexandria in April 2020, caused extensive damage to several buildings at the AgCenter Dean Lee Research and Extension Center.
Demolition of the damaged buildings has been completed, and bids for construction work will be sought in early 2022. Rebuilding is expected to take about 14 months
Read MoreLSU's AgCenter will soon grow and sell smokable medical marijuana to Louisiana pharmacies as a new bill goes into effect early next year, prompting the university's cannabis operation's expansion to a new facility in Ruston on Oct. 20. The university is partnering with Good Day Farm Louisiana.
Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill earlier this year that will enable patients to purchase smokable medical marijuana in January 2022 in addition to the tinctures, edibles, inhalers and other options that are already available.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter hosted a sugarcane field day at Dugas Farm, Inc. on Oct. 20 in Assumption Parish. The field day was supported by the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation.
The Taylor Foundation awarded a grant to the LSU AgCenter to fund a four-year research project on reducing nutrient runoff from crop fields. Forty-two event attendees were provided with unique learning opportunities and hands-on demonstrations that highlighted the benefits of the best management practices being researched on this project.
Read MoreThe Louisiana agriculture industry is valued at more than $12 billion. But with the state’s subtropical climate comes insects, diseases and weeds, which affect every facet of the business.
A three-year National Institutes of Food and Agriculture grant was recently awarded to a team of LSU AgCenter researchers and extension specialists who are combining their decades of experience to find solutions to a variety of harmful pests.
The Extension Implementation Program grant — valued at $110,000 for the first year and $106,000 each subsequent year, based on meeting certain criteria in year one — was awarded to entomologist Gene Reagan and plant pathologist Boyd Padgett.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction is now accepting nominations for its annual induction ceremony, which will be held March 24, 2022, in Baton Rouge.
Read MoreA few weeks of dry weather are giving St. Mary sugar cane farmers a break, although it's a working break.
After what experts called a great 2020 cane crop, farmers have worried their way through a hard freeze in February, pushed machinery through mud created by months of heavy rain and watched with trepidation while tropical weather approached.
Louisiana cotton farmers are past the halfway point of harvest. Despite less-than ideal growing conditions, yields have been better than expected. LSU Ag Center's Craig Gautreaux has a progress report.
Read MoreForestry landowners will have the opportunity to hear from experts on the options available to help them recover from damage caused by Hurricane Ida.
The meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Spring Creek Milling Building in Kentwood, Louisiana.
Read MoreIt’s strawberry planting time! Louisiana has a long history of strawberries dating back to the 1800s, and business really began to boom in the early 1900s. According to the LSU AgCenter’s latest data, the Louisiana strawberry industry has a gross farm value of $8.4 million.
Tangipahoa Parish is still the leading strawberry-producing parish, growing 75% of the total acres in Louisiana and accounting for 79% of the state’s total gross farm value.
Read MoreLSU AgCenter Soybean specialist Dr. David Mosely is conducting research with variety testing on farm demonstrations around the state.
“Thanks to support from the Louisiana Soybean, Grain Research and Promotion Board, the LSU AgCenter is able to conduct variety testing,” says Moseley.
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