While state gross domestic product (GDP) adjusted for inflation (real GDP) had only recovered to approximately 93% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021, several Louisiana parishes outpaced the statewide average — and many of these were in rural areas.

Animal sciences meets biological engineering through Ashton Dalton’s undergraduate research project.

Dalton is an animal sciences major conducting research in Kevin Hoffseth’s biological image processing laboratory. He is exploring new methods to enhance detection of microstructures in bone samples from livestock.

Farming, nursery and ranching operations are often threatened by newly introduced and unwanted insect pests or diseases. The origin of these invasive threats can come from within the U.S. or from outside the country. In a global economy, it is common for goods and services to cross borders. Many introductions of new plant or animal diseases are brought about simply by bringing in infected plants or items in small quantities without realizing the threat. An innocent looking plant could become a harmful weed or introduce a new disease.

The LSU AgCenter Camp Culinary, held Nov. 21 to 22 at the Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center near Pollock, introduced the youth participants to a broad array of introductory cooking skills and techniques, which also included many different types of kitchen tools and equipment, said Adam O’Malley, 4-H program coordinator.

Citrus is the most popular kind of fruit grown in Louisiana. This time of year, satsumas and other types of citrus are abundant — and delicious. Several biotic and abiotic stresses affect citrus yields, however, and may dishearten home gardeners when they cannot enjoy their harvest.

It may seem like we just finished the Fourth of July, but it’s time again to rearrange the furniture and find the perfect spot for this year’s Christmas tree.

Pretty much everywhere you look these days, there are trees being sold, hauled or trimmed. Taking proper care of a tree once you get it home could mean the difference between a merry Christmas and a disaster.

An invasive species is defined as a nonnative plant or organism that can be introduced into a new environment through a variety of means. Left unchecked, invasive species can cause tremendous, and in some cases irreparable, economic or environmental damage. Louisiana’s agricultural and natural resources continue to be under attack from a wide variety of invasive species. Some of these invasive species are new to the state, while others have been here for a long time.

Three years ago, Tara Sanchez and Eddie Cortez bought an abandoned trailer park outside New Orleans. The weed-choked shells of old mobile homes remained on the overgrown acreage, a 100-foot-wide parcel that stretched more than a mile to a bayou. When they saw the overgrown property in northern Plaquemines Parish, they envisioned a farm with beehives, berry bushes, olive trees and a greenhouse full of cucumbers.

It can be hard to believe that some children don’t know where their food comes from. But the LSU AgCenter is helping improve that knowledge around the state.

Students from 10 central Louisiana parishes got a lesson in how agriculture touches many areas of their lives during the AgCenter’s annual AgMagic Cenla event Nov. 16 and 17.

LSU horticulture students are learning practices that will stay with them for a lifetime, including how to battle food insecurity in the campus community.

Carl Motsenbocker’s Principles and Practices of Olericulture course teaches students about the science of growing, harvesting and marketing vegetables. A hands-on lab for this course takes place at the Hill Farm Teaching Facility, located on the LSU main campus in Baton Rouge.

With the holiday season, Americans prepare for family dinners, gatherings and neighborhood potlucks. As they shop, they’ll fill their grocery carts with delicious and nutritious foods developed by animal and plant breeders at land-grant universities — many from across the southern United States.

The annual poinsettia sale has been rescheduled, but the beauty of the holidays will still be on full display Saturday, Dec. 3.

The date is the only change, as the time remains from 9 a.m. to noon at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden as this year’s poinsettia crop is presented.

In Louisiana and across America, consumers have been coping with rising grocery costs all year.

With Thanksgiving approaching, there’s finally good news for local shoppers preparing for a big holiday meal. The average cost in Louisiana of ingredients for a Turkey Day spread for 10 people is $50.43, according to the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation.

In 2020, while summer activities across the state were slowly canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions, LSU AgCenter employees were determined to keep youths engaged in agricultural endeavors. They developed a pumpkin growing contest with the goal of providing children with an activity they could do at home that would teach them about farming. Many young people were stuck at home, so the extra time could easily be spent in the garden.