Louisiana Crops Newsletter: August 2025
As we move into August we expect to see looper numbers increase in soybeans. These insects do not feed on pods, but cause injury by defoliating the plants, so relatively high numbers of loopers can be tolerated compared with pod-feeding insects. Treatment is recommended between R1 to R6 when defoliation reaches 20% or when looper numbers reach 19 per 25 sweeps. It is often suggested to ignore smaller worms (<1/2 inch) in counts because many will be culled by predators and entomopathogens.
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Yellow Leaf Disease In Sugarcane
Yellow leaf disease was first reported in the Louisiana sugar industry in the late 1990s. It is caused by the sugarcane yellow leaf virus, which is transmitted by the sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari). Since then, the incidence of yellow leaf disease has remained low, primarily because of Louisiana’s healthy seedcane program.
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The Peggy Martin Rose: 20 Years After Hurricane Katrina
A quick glance at Peggy Martin’s Gonzales, Louisiana, home, and it’s clear she loves plants. Paintings and prints of flowers line her walls, tablecloths pop with colorful flora, potted plants fill corners and bouquets dot shelves and end tables. Her yard is an oasis of greens, pinks, reds and purples.
Growing along her garden gate is an extraordinary plant with a storied past, a prolific blooming vining rose that bears her name, the Peggy Martin rose.
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Farmers Seek Dry Weather for Corn Harvest
Farmers were attempting to return to the fields Monday after weekend weather events dumped one- to two-inches of rain on some parts of Concordia Parish, according to Kylie Miller, LSU AgCenter extension associate.
Unusual amounts of summer rain have helped corn during its growing period, but the harvest has been “stop and go, stop and go” due to continued afternoon and evening showers, Miller said.
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Local Corn Harvest Begins
Farmers are in their fields throughout Franklin Parish, busy harvesting their corn crop.
This year’s yields are expected to be good, barring any unforeseen weather events, according to LSU AgCenter Extension Agent Carol Pinnell-Alison.
“I think we are going to have a good year with both corn and soybeans,” she said.
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The First Meeting for LSU’s Presidential Search Committee is Set
The first meeting of LSU’s presidential search committee, which will select the university’s next president after former President William Tate IV departed earlier in the summer, will be Aug. 19.
The meeting will be held in the LSU Foundation Board Room at 9 a.m. It’ll kick off the process to select a new leader of Louisiana’s leading institution.
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LSU AgCenter Researchers Develop "Living Reefs" To Prevent Land Loss, Promote Marine LIfe
Right past the dock on Calcasieu Lake, Megan La Peyre stared at an ominous rain cloud she and her team were driving straight into.
On this boat, La Peyre, an adjunct professor at the LSU AgCenter and unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit, was joined by Seth Blitch, the director of conservation for the Nature Conservancy in Louisiana.
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Field Day at Model Sugarcane Farm Features Best Management Practice
LSU AgCenter scientists showcased conservation practices in sugarcane farming at a field day July 22.
The event was held at Keith Dugas’ farm in Assumption Parish, which is a model farm in an AgCenter best management practices program funded by a Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Project.
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LSU AgCenter Working With Strawberry Growers To Manage New Disease
Louisiana strawberry farmers regularly contend with a multitude of challenges, including labor costs, unfavorable weather conditions, insect and mite pests, and plant diseases.
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CHEF Camp Teaches Students How To Make Healthy, Responsible Food Choices
From June 23 to June 26, Southern University hosted the Creating Healthy Enjoyable Foods, or CHEF Camp, for Baton Rouge-area students. The camp taught participants how to find, prepare and cook healthy foods along with important safety and cooking tips in the kitchen.
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Seeds to Success Program hosts 2025–2026 Louisiana Farm to School Institute retreat
From July 15 to 18, Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program brought together four dedicated school teams for a multi-day educational retreat at the Wesley Center in Woodworth, LA.
This year’s teams represent the Diocese of Lafayette, Breaux Bridge Elementary School, Central Community School System and Einstein Charter Network.
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Field Stop Highlights Soil Conservation Practices
This year’s annual field day at the LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station featured a stop that highlighted several conservation practices.
Kenneth Gravois, AgCenter sugarcane specialist, joined Brenda Tubaña, AgCenter soil scientist, and Bruno Nicchio, AgCenter postdoctoral researcher, to explain how sugarcane farmers can benefit from implementing these practices. The July 16 event drew a record-breaking audience of more than 300 people.
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LSU AgCenter Field Day Covers Horticulture Innovations
From turfgrass to tea production and rain gardens to robotics, there was something for just about everyone at the LSU AgCenter’s annual horticulture field day July 18.
Cloudy skies and occasional mist provided a cool backdrop for the event at the Hammond Research Station, which is devoted to improving the horticulture industry through research and plant evaluations.
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New Variety, New Threat Take Center Stage At Record-Breaking Sugarcane Field Day
The announcement of a new variety and the arrival of a potentially troublesome weed highlighted the LSU AgCenter’s annual Sugar Research Station field day.
AgCenter breeder Michael Pontif announced a new U.S. Department of Agriculture variety release, HoCP 18-803.
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Louisiana Living: In The Garden
Today on Louisiana Living, Ashley Doughty is joined by Kerry Heafner discussing the Watermelon Interior Quality Contest.
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