In every parish of Louisiana, groups of feral pigs roam the countryside.
The packs of pigs, called sounders, are extraordinarily destructive. They devour crops, dig up trees and eat food that other animals depend upon for survival.
“They’re omnivores,” said Dr. Jim LaCour, state wildlife veterinarian with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “They’ll eat anything with a calorie.”
Read MoreThe invasive Mexican rice borer (Eoreuma loftini) has become increasingly problematic in Louisiana in recent years and threatens both rice and sugarcane, the two most important crops in the southern part of the state. Adult moths lay eggs on grasses and larvae feed internally within stems hindering plant growth and damaging crop yields.
Read MoreThe apple snail, Pomacea maculata, is a global invasive rice pest. Within the past decade, the apple snail has established itself in Louisiana but has only recently begun infesting rice farms in the southwestern region. Adult snails have large brown-green or gold shells and lay large pink egg masses. Their fast-reproductive rate and voracious appetite allow the snails to reach high population densities in natural bodies of water as well as in rice and crawfish ponds.
Read MoreFFA members from across Louisiana gathered at the Central Louisiana Technical Community College in Alexandria for the annual State Leadership Development Events (LDEs), which focus on student leadership development.
Read MoreThe 2021 crop growing season presented many challenges for Louisiana producers, but none as remarkable as the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) infestations that occurred beginning in late June and extending through August. Although the fall armyworm has been a major pest of maize and other crops across North and South America for many years, problems with this pest were more severe and widespread in 2021 than almost any other year in memory.
Read MoreA severe freeze is forecasted beginning on December 23, 2022, and for a series of nights afterwards. At the time of the December 23rd freeze, the industry will be about 83% harvested. All sugarcane remaining in the industry will be damaged to some extent. Every freeze event is different and forecasting the extent that harvest can be completed is impossible. Deterioration following a freeze is temperature dependent – higher temperatures will increase deterioration and lower temperatures will reduce deterioration.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden and the Louisiana Stormwater Coalition finished the second phase of an Environmental Protection Agency-funded litter remediation and prevention program Dec. 14.
The Osprey Initiative, the organization contracted to remove and study aquatic trash from a borrow pit and wetland at Burden Museum and Gardens, has now completed its tactical removal process that began in June 2022.
Read MoreIt’s official — winter is here! And with it comes many questions about protecting landscape plants, pipes and pets during the cold months of December, January and February.
According to the National Weather Service, a considerable change in the temperatures can be expected by week’s end.
Read MoreForage producers heard about a new potential income stream during a recent Louisiana Forage and Grassland Council and Louisiana Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative meeting in Alexandria.
Producers normally assess their forage profit potential by what’s above ground, but carbon guidelines offered during the Dec. 2 annual forage conference shows that there’s cash underground as well.
Read MoreThe USDA WASDE report released late last week did not contain any major surprises for the markets. Traders have their attention on South American production-which will impact U.S. export competitiveness. Traders and Growers continue to monitor new crop price ratios and cost of production for 2023 crop acreage decisions. Input price volatility remains present, but recent weeks in the fertilizer and fuel markets seem to suggest that prices are on the decline.
Read MoreChallenging. Discouraging. Just plain bad.
These are some of the words that Louisiana sweet potato farmers and scientists who study the crop use to describe the 2022 growing season. From high input and labor costs to adverse weather conditions, this year brought a range of problems to an industry already struggling with declining acreage and fewer outlets for selling the flavorful orange tubers.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter is celebrating 50 years of advancing agricultural excellence in Louisiana.
In 1972, the LSU Board of Supervisors established the LSU AgCenter, requesting that agricultural activities have an identity separate from that of the existing campuses.
Read MoreWhen drought conditions set in across Louisiana this summer, many farmers resorted to irrigation to try to save their crops. While it helped preserve yields and quality in some cases, the sharp uptick in irrigation raised an alarm among those who monitor water usage in agriculture.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter and LSU College of Agriculture announced the winners of their annual faculty and staff awards during a joint ceremony with the Southern University Ag Center and Southern University College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences Dec. 12 at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter has named two well-established leaders to key director positions.
Michael Salassi will serve as interim executive associate vice president and director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station and Tara Smith as interim executive associate vice president and director of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service.
In these positions, Salassi and Smith will support the statewide efforts of research and extension.
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