Posts in LSU AgCenter
LSU AgCenter Works to Introduce Young People to Outdoor Recreation in Northeast Louisiana

Over the next two years, young people in northeastern Louisiana will be introduced to swimming, bird-watching, fishing and other activities through a series of LSU AgCenter events and clinics designed to improve access to the outdoors.

The programs will include birding and fishing clinics and water activity days at lakes in the region that will introduce children and teens to activities and help them learn the best places to take part in outdoor recreation in northeastern Louisiana.

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Crop Market Update: June, 2024

The 2024/25 U.S. corn outlook is unchanged relative to last month. The season average price received by producers remains at $4.40 per bushel. USDA will release its Acreage report on June 28, which will provide survey-based indications of planted and harvested area.

The 2024/25 outlook for U.S. soybeans includes higher beginning and ending stocks. Higher beginning stocks reflect reduced crush for 2023/24, down 10 million bushels on lower soybean meal domestic use that is partly offset by higher exports.

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LSU Career Chats: Field Trip to the Dairy Store

They love the adventure and the atypical day.  Field trips are a fun and casual way to learn new things and create core memories. We’ve decided this will be the summer of field trips for the Career Center. We need to get out, see the awesome things happening around campus, and have a little fun as a team.

First up – The Dairy Store.

The LSU Dairy Store has been around for a LONG time but just got a glow-up with a new facility in the Spring. It’s no secret the ice cream is delicious, but we had no idea how big of an operation this was.

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Field Day Highlights Climate-Smart Rice Production Strategies

At first glance, it would be difficult to tell much of a difference between the rice fields sitting on either side of a dirt road running through Wyatt Hardee’s farm near Kaplan.

But as attendees of a recent field day heard while touring the farm with Hardee and a team of LSU AgCenter researchers, the two rice fields have been subjected to vastly different production methods.

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Mosquitos & Climate Change

While there are more than 60 species of mosquitoes in Louisiana, temperature and precipitation are most often the primary drivers of annual changes in presence and abundance. On the cold extreme of temperature, the entering and exiting of winter hibernation, called diapause, can be fatal to a mosquito if it’s not prepared.

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LSU AgCenterdon molino
LSU AgCenter Opens Application Process For Its Leadership Class

The LSU AgCenter Agricultural Leadership Development Program is now accepting applications for Class XIX, which is scheduled to begin in January 2025 with a completion date of February 2027.

“Developing leaders is essential to advancing agriculture, especially in areas such as finance, policy issues and regulatory matters,” said Matt Lee, vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture. “The graduates of this program continue to advocate for agriculture and help maintain a healthy and viable industry that plays a crucial role in Louisiana’s economy.”

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Corn Disease Update

Common rust has been reported in some fields in central Louisiana and on the Dean Lee Research and Extension Center. However, this disease has not been a major concern in previous years.

Common rust may be the first disease found in corn fields and usually occurs in the lower-to-mid-canopy. Disease development is favored when temperatures are cool (60-77oF) and leaf wetness of 4-6 hours.

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Analyzing World & US Sugar Price Dynamics

It is critical to consider the relationship between macroeconomic forces and the balance of global sugar supply and demand when examining sugar markets.

Global economic expansion, along with a world population that is growing at approximately 1% per year (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2024), supports strong sugar demand globally, which typically also supports world prices.

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'In Touch But Not In The Way,' Justin Dufour Is A Resource For Central Louisiana Farmers

When he first enrolled in college, Justin Dufour thought he wanted to become an athletic trainer. But a few classes into his coursework at LSU Alexandria, he realized that career path wouldn’t suit his interests very well.

Ultimately, it was Dufour’s part-time job at the neighboring LSU AgCenter research station that helped him settle on a degree in biology and led him to a career in agriculture.

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Beat The Heat With Tips From The LSU AgCenter LaHouse Research & Education Center

With the first heat advisory of 2024 being announced, the LSU AgCenter LaHouse Research and Education Center is offering advice to homeowners to keep their homes comfortable more efficiently this summer.

“Higher temperatures don’t necessarily mean higher energy bills,” said LaHouse director Carol Friedland. “There are many different projects for homeowners to improve their home’s energy efficiency to lower their spending this summer.”

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How the 2023 Drought Could Impact the Crawfish Industry Long Term

Although the U.S. The Department of Agriculture approved emergency financial relief for struggling crawfish farmers, the 2023 drought’s impact could linger into next year and beyond, an LSU AgCenter professor surmises.

“Louisiana’s crawfish aquaculture industry will experience impacts from the 2023 drought for several seasons before an economic recovery is complete,” writes C. Greg Lutz, a professor in the LSU AgCenter’s Aquaculture Research Station, in his latest column, The Lutz Report, on TheFishSite.com.

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