September marks National Preparedness Month, serving as a reminder that natural disasters can strike at any moment. Homeowners can take many simple steps to ensure they are ready for potential emergencies and natural disasters.
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The run of dry weather will allow for Louisiana corn producers to complete their harvest this week and yields are way up over last year when the state suffered through a historic drought. Last year farmers averaged 175 bushels per acre. LSU AgCenter Corn and Cotton Specialist Shelly Pate Kerns says production is higher this year.
“In northeast Louisiana, we’ve been cutting anywhere from 180 to 200 about. I went down to central Louisiana yesterday, and I got a report of 240, and that’s pretty much the highest that I’ve heard,” Kerns said.
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As many of you are aware, in 2022 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an Endangered Species Act (ESA) Workplan to address compliance with ESA through development of use strategies for herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides to reduce potential environmental impacts from their use on listed and endangered species and their designated critical habitats.
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Registration is now open for the Louisiana Farm To School Conference to be held October 2 from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. at the Pennington Biomedical Center in Baton Rouge.
The annual Louisiana Farm to School Conference will gather participants from across the state for an opportunity to learn, celebrate, share and inspire the movement of bringing healthy, local, sustainably grown foods to the minds and plates of students in Louisiana and beyond! The event is for all people who desire to increase access to local food and food education in their school communities.
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An LSU graduate student recently won an award from one of the leading professional organizations of food technology. The Institute of Food Technology awarded Ivannova Lituma first place in its Graduate Research Video Competition.
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The Dean Lee Research and Extension Center will play host to the Soybean Production School on September 10th from 4 to 6 PM with activities starting at the Sate Evacuation Shelter near the LSU-A campus.
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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.
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Inspiration can be found through a variety of situations, but sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of snacks and watching “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” might not be the first way one thinks of to start a business.
Yet this perennial Christmas favorite was the jumping-off point for young entrepreneurs, or “kidpreneurs,” Bailey and Harper Galloway and their mom, Ebony McCallister.
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Harvest season is officially underway, and early reports indicate a successful growing year for local farmers, according to Kylie Cater Miller, LSU AgCenter extension associate.
The corn crop was planted on time and benefited from ample rainfall, resulting in good yields this season.
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The LSU AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. The station’s upcoming annual field day will mark this milestone as well as share the latest news in sweet potato variety development, pest management and other aspects of research.
The event will take place Aug. 29. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m., with field tours to follow at 9. A sponsored lunch will be served at the conclusion of the program.
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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.
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Vickie Weeks joined 4-H when she was nine years old and has since been involved in the organization for six decades. Weeks was one of 12 honorees inducted into the Louisiana 4-H Hall of Fame during a ceremony held Aug. 10 at the Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center.
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The LSU AgCenter Agricultural Leadership Development Program will continue to accept applications for Class XIX through Aug. 23. Once the applications have been received, an interview process will begin in September to select the class members.
The program was established in 1988 and helps educate its participants on ways to be a voice for agriculture on local, state and national levels. Bobby Soileau, program director, said class members will be exposed to a variety of critical agricultural issues and strategies that can be used to inform the public how the issues affect agriculture and the general populace.
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Use of a herbicide as a desiccant in soybean has become popular to potentially improve harvest efficiency in Louisiana. Herbicides such as paraquat, Aim, Sharpen, and sodium chlorate are labeled for use in soybean as a desiccant, but paraquat is the most widely used. The paraquat label states at least 65% of pods should be mature (Figure 1) or moisture content should be 30% or less for indeterminate soybean varieties; and at least 50% of the leaves should have dropped and remaining leaves should be yellow for determinate varieties. Table 1 gives the harvest aid application timing label requirements for the labeled products in soybean.
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Join Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program and the LSU AgCenter for the eighth annual Louisiana Farm to School Conference at Pennington Biomedical Convention Center on Oct. 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will emphasize three main components of farm to school: education, school gardens and local food purchasing.
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