As the cotton season progresses in Louisiana, there have been several reports of potassium deficiency. Potassium deficiency can weaken the plant, making it easier for plant pathogens to attack. It is very common to see fungal leaf spots on potassium stressed plants. Although pre-mature defoliation due to disease is possible, it is most likely the nutrient deficiency that is the leaf-dropping culprit.
Read MoreThe LSU AgCenter will hold a field day focusing on best management practices for rice production Sept. 26 in Kaplan.
The event will showcase work AgCenter scientists are conducting through a grant from the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation. It will take place at one of the four model farms taking part in the grant project — Richard Farms, located at 5632 Louisiana Highway 700. Registration will begin at 9 a.m.
Read MoreMany farmers already know cover crops provide a range of benefits. Planted in between cash crop growing seasons when fields would otherwise sit empty, cover crops help reduce erosion, enrich the soil nutrient profile and break up compacted areas.
Read MoreAs you are aware, the EPA existing stocks order resulting from the vacated labels of Xtendimax, Engenia, and Tavium herbicides in February of this year ended for soybean on June 30 and July 30 for cotton in Louisiana. Bayer (Xtendimax), BASF (Engenia), and Syngenta (Tavium) have each submitted proposed labels for EPA review and approval this summer 2024.
Read MoreAnna Ribbeck developed a love for archery while attending LSU. She participated in archery tournaments and became a bow hunter. Today she is a communications specialist with the LSU AgCenter, but is best known as “Anna the Archer,” one of the newer stars on the hit reality show “Swamp People.” Not only can she hunt her dinner, she can clean it and cook it, like her tasty swamp rat (nutria) pizza!
Read MoreLSU 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 MoreIn 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 MoreChemical 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 MoreMidwestern 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 MoreGloomy 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 MoreReagan 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 MoreAs 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 MoreThe 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 MoreRecent 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 MoreThe 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.
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