LSU AgCenter Researcher Helps to Secure $300,000 Matching Grant for Mass Timber Supply Chains
LSU AgCenter researcher Richard Vlosky has helped secure $300,000 in funding for a project to support a regional mass timber supply chain connecting underrepresented populations and communities in the South with consumers and developers along the Eastern Seaboard and Mid-Atlantic.
Vlosky, professor and director of the Louisiana Forest Products Development Center in the LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources, is part of a team that brought in the 2024 U.S. Forest Service Wood Innovations Program Grant.
Read More
Agricultural Policy and Market Situation Newsletter: July 2024
In a recent Supreme Court ruling, the Court severely constrained the power federal agencies have in interpreting the laws they administer, ruling that courts should rely on their own interpretation of am-biguous laws instead of leaving legal interpretation to the agencies themselves. The decision has been heralded as one that will have far-reaching effects across the country.
Read More
Sugarcane Ripener Recommendations for 2024
Chemical ripeners for sugarcane in Louisiana provide an important benefit. When properly applied, ripeners can maximize recoverable sugar and minimize cane yield (tonnage) losses.
In 2024, the following glyphosate formulation is recommended as a chemical ripener: Roundup PowerMAX 3. Roundup PowerMax 3 contains 4.8 pounds of glyphosate acid per gallon and is formulated as a potassium salt.
Read More
One Idea to Curb the Invasive Asian Carp: Eat Them
Midwestern states are spending millions every year to prevent a giant, goggle-eyed fish from invading rivers and lakes. But the Asian carp has firmly established a home in the Mississippi River basin, and experts say they are here to stay.
Now, researchers are hoping that creating new markets for the invasive fish could be part of the solution.
Read More
Updated Cover Crop Seeding Rate Recommendations Could Save Farmers $$$$
Gloomy weather forced the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station to move its July 23 cotton and grain field day indoors — but there were few complaints from station staff and farmers who attended the event. Their fields received a much-needed rain amid a dry spell in the area.
Read More
Staff, Counselors, Volunteers Are ‘Heartbeat” of 4-H Summer Camp
Reagan Fraze has spent much of the summer tooling around the Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center in a golf cart, crisscrossing the grounds to attend to the many needs that pop up when hundreds of fourth through sixth graders are in town for Camp Grant Walker.
Read More
Burgeoning Horticulture Research Program on Display at Hammond Field Day
As they drove into the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station under an overcast sky, visitors attending the facility’s annual horticulture field day passed bed after bed of colorful flowers and other plants.
Attendees of the July 19 event got their chance to explore the station’s trial gardens, where scientists evaluate the performance of hundreds of up-and-coming cultivars.
Read More
Iconic sculpture “In Our Hands” installed at LSU Vet Med
The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine has installed a stunning new sculpture titled, "In Our Hands" by DiBari & Associates. The sculpture is prominently positioned in front of the Stephenson Pet Clinic on Skip Bertman Drive, between the Mississippi River and Tiger Stadium, in Baton Rouge. Funded by the Percent for Art Program under Louisiana's Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, this artwork symbolizes the school’s commitment to the wellbeing of animals and people alike.
Read More
Minimizing Impacts Of Climate Change On Livestock
Recent weather extremes, which include record heat and cold as well as drought and flooding, have made it especially difficult to maintain the health and production of livestock in Louisiana. Predicting these weather extremes is nearly impossible at times, but advanced planning can help livestock producers minimize the impacts of these events.
Read More
Market Update for Corn, Soybeans, Rice and Cotton: July 2024
The 2024/25 U.S. corn outlook indicates larger supplies, greater domestic use and exports, and slightly lower ending stocks. Beginning stocks for corn were lowered 145 million bushels largely upon greater use forecasted for 2023/24. Exports were raised by 75 million bushels based on current outstanding sales and shipments to date. Feed and residual use is up 75 million bushels based on indicated disappearance in the Grain Stocks report for June.
Read More
U.S. Sens. Cassidy, Boozman visit AgCenter Sugar Research Station
Funding for agricultural research — which helps protect the livelihoods of countless American farmers, ensure national security and promote economic development — is critical, U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Boozman said during a July 12 visit to the LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station in St. Gabriel.
Cassidy, of Louisiana, and Boozman, of Arkansas, toured the station, where they saw the fields and facilities where scientists develop new, higher-yielding sugarcane varieties as well as strategies to help farmers manage pests and improve other aspects of production.
Read More
LSU Vet Med Reveals Food Animal Service Area Renovation
On July 10, the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine formally revealed its spectacular new Food Animal Service area in the large animal hospital attached to the LSU Vet Med building during a ceremony celebrating this state-of-the-art facility. This $4.125 million renovation began in October 2022. More than 9,000 square feet of space was renovated, and another 3,875 square feet were added.
Read More
LSU Launches Graduate Certificate Program to Strengthen Food Supply Chains
A long-held vision of Don Welge is now a reality. LSU has unveiled a new online graduate certificate in agribusiness designed to strengthen the resilience and efficiency of the national food supply chain.
The late Welge saw this as a need for the food industry. Welge earned a degree from LSU in agricultural economics and was the CEO and president of Gilster-Mary Lee Corporation — a private-label food manufacturing company.
Read More
LSU Vet Med Hosts Food Animal Renovation Reveal
On Wednesday, July 10, at 4 p.m. the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine will reveal its spectacular new Food Animal Service area in the large animal hospital attached to the LSU Vet Med building on Skip Bertman Drive in Baton Rouge during a ceremony celebrating this state-of-the-art facility. This $4.125 million renovation began in October 2022. More than 9,000 square feet of space was renovated, and another 3,875 square feet were added.
Read More
Tour Trial Gardens, Learn About Horticulture Research July 19 at Hammond Field Day
The LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station will hold its annual horticulture field day July 19, allowing visitors the chance to tour trial gardens, learn about top-performing plants and hear experts speak about their research projects.
Registration will begin at 7:45 a.m. with coffee and refreshments. The program will start at 8:30 a.m. with remarks from AgCenter administrators. Mike Strain, commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, will then give a state-of-the-industry update.
Read More
