(Distributed 11/30/15) New to the plant market a few years back, the great October Magic series of Camellia hiemalis was developed by Bobby Green of Green Nurseries in Fairhope, Alabama. These are in the Southern Living Plant Collection.

(Distributed 11/25/15) FARMERVILLE, La. – A group of Louisiana 4-H members competed at the North American International Livestock Exposition held in Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 7-20.

(Distributed 11/25/15) HAMMOND, La. – Plucking fresh fruit from your own orchard can be a delicious way to add beauty and taste to your home landscape. The best time to plant fruit trees in Louisiana is now through January. Plant now, and you can pick your own fruit at home later.

(Distributed 11/24/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The holidays are upon us, and scores of poinsettias are available in stores and garden centers throughout Louisiana.

(Distributed 11/24/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter has issued a call for entries for photographs for its 2017 Get It Growing calendar to give photographers an opportunity to have their photos selected for the next edition.

(Distributed 11/24/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – An LSU AgCenter aquaculture researcher has obtained a new $150,000 grant from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to find out the nutrient requirements of alligators.

(Distributed 11/23/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Professionals in the plant materials industry are invited to the Louisiana Plant Materials Conference at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden on Dec. 8.

(Distributed 11/23/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Families and friends gather during the holidays to share stories, laughter and, of course, food. LSU AgCenter food safety specialist Wenqing Xu said cooks also should make it a goal this year to share good food safety practices.

(Distributed 11/23/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Nominations for inductees into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction are being accepted now through Dec. 15. Selected individuals will be recognized during a banquet at L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge on March 17, 2016.

(Distributed 11/20/15) Ornamental kale and cabbage are becoming increasingly popular as fall bedding plants for Louisiana. These plants have feathery leaves of robust colors that make them well-suited for landscape and container plantings.

(Distributed 11/20/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Several Louisiana 4-H students placed in contests held during the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 18 and 19.

(Distributed 11/.20/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – For the fourth year in a row, costs for a traditional Thanksgiving meal for 10 people have increased on items such as pumpkin pie mix, pie shells, rolls and turkey, according to a supermarket survey of Baton Rouge retailers conducted by LSU AgCenter area nutrition agent Quincy Cheek. The survey was conducted Nov. 9-13.

(Distributed 11/20/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – As fall turns to winter, Burden Museum & Gardens offers many activities to help keep schedules for the holidays and beyond.

(Distributed 11/20/15) HAMMOND, La. – You can include in your landscape many trees and shrubs that will provide significant color in fall and winter year after year. Although decidedly less than spectacular this far south, late November and early December are when the leaves of some deciduous trees turn various colors as they get ready to drop.

(Distributed 11/18/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Morgan Richard, a senior in the LSU College of Agriculture from Elton, Louisiana, is the recipient of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board’s highest scholarship, the James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship.

(Distributed 11/17/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – As the 78th annual Block and Bridle Rodeo at LSU approaches, some student cowboys and cowgirls are spending this week practicing their roping skills. Others are working up the courage to ride a bull.

(Distributed 11/1/7/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter will host a poinsettia open house and sale from 8 a.m. to noon on Dec. 4 at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden, located at 4560 Essen Lane near the junction of I-10 in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 11/16/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana shoppers should find plenty of turkeys in grocery stores for Thanksgiving, said LSU AgCenter poultry specialist Theresia Lavergne.

(Distributed 11/16/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – A group of scientists from the LSU AgCenter and Southern University AgCenter received a grant of $480,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Foundational Programs to conduct research and outreach activities in the area of grass-fed beef production.

(Distributed 11/16/15) ALEXANDRIA, La. – The 2015 Louisiana soybean crop was not as good as in recent years, but the results were better than expected after weather extremes of flood and drought.

(Distributed 11/13/15) Leslie Ann camellia joins the list of Louisiana Super Plant selections this fall.

(Distributed 11/13/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter recently updated an online directory with current information about forest products companies in Louisiana.

(Distributed 11/13/15) HAMMOND, La. – Camellia season is here, and camellias are one of our popular evergreen shrubs. We typically think of azaleas for spring flowers, crape myrtles for summer flowers and camellias for fall and winter flowers in Louisiana.

(Distributed 11/12/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – After years of civil war and a struggling economy, farmers and entrepreneurs in Liberia are learning the skills they need for success with help from LSU AgCenter experts and others that are part of a federally funded project.

(Distributed 11/12/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Growing crops among trees in a managed forest can contribute to rural economic development, a group of LSU AgCenter researchers said during a presentation recently at the national convention of the Society of American Foresters.

(Distributed 11/06/15) Rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei) is a dual-purpose shrub for the landscape. Rabbiteye blueberries are LSU AgCenter Louisiana Super Plants.

(Distributed 11/04/15) BOSSIER CITY, La. – A devastating disease of roses called rose rosette disease caused by Rose rosette virus has been confirmed for the first time in Louisiana by LSU AgCenter horticulturist Allen Owings and AgCenter “Plant Doctor” Raj Singh.

(Distributed 11/06/15) HAMMOND, La. – November is prime time for cool-season bedding plants, and dianthus have been among the plants in this group gaining considerable popularity the past 10-15 years. Pansies have long been the most popular cool-season bedding plant, but many new dianthus varieties are making this great, under-used cool-season flower better known to home gardeners.

(Distributed 11/06/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter will hold workshops in Bossier City, Winnsboro and Marksville to educate farmers, crop consultants and other agriculture industry professionals about sustainable row crop irrigation practices.

(Distributed 11/06/15) CROWLEY, La. – Family, friends and former co-workers gathered Nov. 4 for the renaming of the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station for the late H. Rouse Caffey in recognition of his dedication to the rice industry and Louisiana agriculture.

(Distributed 11/06/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana gardeners and others have a chance to “Get It Growing” next year with the publication of the 2016 calendar from the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 11/04/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Every day for six weeks, Ariel Bergeron goes to the LSU AgCenter poultry research facility to feed and water quail. Bergeron, a senior in the LSU College of Agriculture, is studying nutrition requirements of quail less than six weeks old.

Figure 1: Witch’s broom symptoms caused by rose rosette disease on Knock Out rose in Bossier City. (Photo by Raj Singh, LSU AgCenter) Figure 2: Excessive thorns that are soft and green on infected new growth of Knock Out rose in Bossier City. (Photo by Raj Singh, LSU AgCenter) Figure 3: Thicker daughter cane (right) compared to parent cane (left) on an infected rose in Bossier City. (Photo by Raj Singh, LSU AgCenter) Figure 4: Reddening of new foliage and shoots caused by rose rosette dise

(Distributed 11/04/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter School of Nutrition and Food Sciences will conduct two food safety workshops for seafood processors in December.

(Distributed 11/03/15) BATON ROUGE, La. – Natália Antošová wants to help LSU students have a similar experience to the one she is having.

(Distributed 11/04/15) ST. GABRIEL, La. – When the sugarcane harvest in Louisiana started in late September, growers were harvesting upright stalks, enjoying exceptional sugar recovery levels and fighting dusty conditions in the field.

(Distributed 11/02/15) POLLOCK, La. – After years of wishing, planning and fundraising, the multipurpose pavilion at the LSU AgCenter Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center became reality Oct. 31 with a dedication and ribbon cutting.

Students learn the importance of agriculture to the Louisiana economy by touring AgMagic at the Louisiana State Fair.

(Distributed 11/02/15) SHREVEPORT, La. – It’s not just your normal walk in the woods where bugs and wildlife rule. It’s a journey through a world where youth can learn healthy eating from super heroes who teach about nutrition, watch chicks hatch, look at soil through microscopes, as well as learn about science, engineering and technology.