The annual Morehouse Parish Farm Field Day continues to be a great place for young people who have limited knowledge of the industry to learn about careers in agriculture.

With the average age of American farmers nearing 60 years old, succession planning is high on the minds of many northeast Louisiana farmers.

Cattle producers face many complications to keeping their herds healthy. The LSU AgCenter partnered with the Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association to host an animal health summit July 21-22 on the LSU campus.

The two days brought together producers from across the state for demonstrations, lectures and tours.

To make new employees of the Natural Resources Conservation Service aware of their role in the Louisiana Master Farmer program, a training session was held. The session highlighted ways to improve and sustain Louisiana agriculture. LSU AgCenter reporter Craig Gautreaux has the story.

The LSU AgCenter is receiving $4.02 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the five-year High Obesity Program (HOP). The program funds universities working with local cooperative extensions in mostly rural counties where 40% or more of adults have obesity.

Preparing young people for careers in agriculture is the goal of the new LSU AgCenter internship program.

Tara Smith, executive associate vice president and director of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, said the idea is to allow college students to experience what the job of an extension employee entails.

The Dean Lee Research and Extension Center just south of Aleandrai will host an Agronomic Crops School August 3 from 4 to 7 PM. The program will be held at the state evacuation center, adjacent to the LSU-A campus.

Subjects include Commercially Available Seed Treatments and soybean nodulation…disease management programs in soybean, corn and grain sorghum…sprayer drone application in crops…the role of sprayer drones on insect pest management and field crops…weed control following Dicamba—or Glyphosate-based programs.

A sponsored meal will be provided.

For more information contact Dr. Daniel Stephenson at (318) 473-6520 or dstephenson@agcenter.lsu.edu.

For 15 years, the LSU AgCenter LaHouse Research and Education Center has been helping Louisiana build smarter, stronger and more resilient homes, and recover from storms. On July 20, the center celebrated its 15th anniversary of service to Louisiana on the grounds of its demonstration home on the LSU campus.

Volume 13, Issue 5—July, 2023

With his one-year anniversary of serving as LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture approaching, Matt Lee said agricultural research and education is entering a new era in Louisiana — one he hopes will be marked by unprecedented scientific innovation and a recommitment to helping the people of the state live better lives.

The Scott Research, Extension & Education Center in Winnsboro will host a soil fertility and nutrient management field day Thusday, July 27, from 8 AM until 1 PM.

This policy newsletter provides a summary of the recent ag-policy related developments from the previous quarter.

A field tour to display research being carried out at the LSU AgCenter’s St. Jo location is set for Tuesday, July 25, starting at five o’clock.

It will feature talks on row spacing, fertility, weed control, disease and insect control. There will also be one stop showing the difference between planting cotton into two different cover crops.