(For Release On Or After 05/13/05) Summer-flowering bulbs are a great way to brighten up your garden, and since most of them are native to tropical or subtropical climates, they will reliably bloom here for many years.

(For Release On Or After 05/06/05) Basil isn’t just great tasting; it’s also easy to grow and attractive. Grown and used in cuisines around the world, basil is indispensable to Louisiana cooks, so it’s also a great addition to your summer herb garden.

(For Release On Or After 05/27/05) “Layering” is an easy way to propagate plants – to create new plants from those you already have. And now is an excellent time to layer plants.

(For Release On Or After 05/20/05) Hydrangeas can bring color to your shady beds. Among the most popular summer flowering shrubs for shady gardens, hydrangeas provide flower clusters like fluffy balls of cotton candy.

(Distributed 05/09/05) "When in doubt, throw it out." That’s the food safety advice LSU AgCenter agent Alexis Navarro stressed during a recent food safety seminar. It’s the sort of advice that’s given by LSU AgCenter experts across the state, who teach food safety to everyone from individual homemakers to commercial food handlers.

(Distributed 05/05/05) The LSU AgCenter’s state livestock show will be held at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales next February based on the Ascension Parish Council’s decision to enter into a lease-purchase agreement to take over the facility, AgCenter officials said this week.

(Distributed 05/26/05) More educational opportunities will soon be available to people living in the Lower Mississippi Delta Region of Louisiana. College classes are expected to be offered this fall at the LSU AgCenter’s Delta Rural Development Center in Oak Grove.

(Distributed 05/20/05) With hurricane season approaching, Louisianians are becoming concerned about how to protect themselves from the strong winds that come with hurricanes and the tornados they spawn.

(Distributed 05/25/05) Nearly 100 members of the American Wood Preservers’ Association took time from their three-day convention in New Orleans recently to tour LSU AgCenter termite research sites near Port Sulphur.

(Distributed 05/09/05) While April’s weather might have seemed near perfect for some, the cooler-than-normal weather wasn’t welcomed by everyone.The mild, dry weather was ideal for most people – but not ideal for some crops, according to the experts with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 05/16/05) Coastal issues affect everyone, not just south Louisiana. That was one of the messages received by more than 100 members of a group of LSU AgCenter volunteers during recent workshops in Cocodrie.

(Distributed 05/06/05) Mother’s Day generally is considered the beginning of the swarming season for Formosan subterranean termites in New Orleans, and LSU AgCenter experts say Louisianians can expect to see the flying critters for the next couple of months.

(Distributed 05/05/05) Louisiana will return to a deer tagging program not practiced since the 1960s. But the computerized, point-of-sale licensing system will be more efficient and effective than the old carbon-copy, vendor-dependent method, according to David Moreland of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

(Distributed 05/19/05) Prolonged rains in early spring and unusually dry conditions now across the state are causing many farmers to wonder if they will be able to plant and grow crops this year.

(Distributed 05/26/05) An educational trail in the Alexander State Forest was dedicated to a former LSU AgCenter forester earlier this month – in recognition of his efforts in developing such educational endeavors.

(Distributed 05/26/05) LSU AgCenter agents are taking character education programs to youth offenders in detention centers in the state. In one example, LSU AgCenter 4-H agent Chantel Williams of Jefferson Parish recently was offering two different opportunities for character educational at the Bridge City Center for Youth near New Orleans.

(Distributed 05/05/05) Ag Leaders of Louisiana recently continued their tradition of making donations to support the LSU AgCenter’s Agricultural Leadership Development Program.

(Distributed 05/16/05) Cattle and forage producers learned about the latest techniques to manage their operations and remain competitive during a Beef and Forage Field Day May 5 at the LSU AgCenter’s Rosepine Research Station.

(Distributed 05/25/05) The Abbeville Daylily Festival is honoring Charles Dill Sr. for his love of plants and his community. The free festival will be under the oak trees of Magdalene Square in downtown Abbeville from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. June 4.

(Distributed 05/17/05) Even though 4-H’er Megan Cormier of Carencro now is in a hall of fame, she’s not sitting back to count her laurels.Cormier recently was inducted into the United Way of Acadiana Volunteers Hall of Fame, but she was almost immediately working on another volunteer project.

(Distributed 05/26/05) This year’s lack of rainfall offers both good and bad news for rice farmers.

(Distributed 05/16/05) Roses provide spectacular displays in home landscapes across Louisiana this time of year, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Allen Owings, who says there’s no exception to that rule now.

(Distributed 05/20/05) A group made up of nearly equal numbers of younger and older residents of East Feliciana Parish recently completed the second Community Leadership and Economic Development class conducted by LSU AgCenter faculty members in that area.

(Distributed 05/09/05) The LSU AgCenter and the Louisiana Sea Grant program recently completed a series of 10 training workshops across the state for shrimp producers who qualified for cash payments under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. Now it's offering more chances to shrimp producers who may not have been able to attend one of those session.

(Distributed 05/26/05) Dry conditions often persist in most parts of Louisiana this time of year and into the summer, but LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske says there are actions you can take to avoid the lawn problems associated with drought.

(Distributed 05/25/05) What to do with decommissioned, preservative-treated wood has become a burning issue. Well, not burning, actually. That’s one of the methods that can’t be used any longer, according to Dr. Todd Shupe of the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 05/20/05) Amanda Pittmon knows too well what it’s like to be in a hospital and not have a lot to smile about. But she’s using her personal experiences and what she is learning as an LSU AgCenter 4-H Club member to help others.

(Distributed 05/26/05) A group of 4-H’ers from Plaquemines Parish were able to show off their culinary skills during a recent field trip to Emeril’s Homebase, the headquarters for Emeril’s Restaurants in New Orleans.

(Distributed 05/03/05) Warm, homemade biscuits and mayhaw jelly adorn many Louisiana dinner tables starting about this time of the year, and the LSU AgCenter is helping producers learn how to grow and market the fruit that makes Louisiana’s official "state jelly."

(Distributed May 2005) With credit cards so easy to obtain and use, it’s easy to fall into debt. "If you have over-extended your credit cards, you need to take control of your finances," says LSU AgCenter family economics professor Dr. Jeanette Tucker.

(Distributed 05/03/05) An LSU AgCenter expert says unseasonably low temperatures and wet weather give this spring the right conditions for stripe rust to attack Louisiana wheat crops.

(Distributed 05/03/05) Cattle producers from the area and across the state are invited to attend the LSU AgCenter’s Forage-based Bull Test Field Day May 21.

(Distributed 05/03/05) LSU AgCenter representatives met Thursday (April 28) with the state Department of Environmental Quality officials to explain how farmers are voluntarily adopting best management practices through the Master Farmer program.

(Distributed 05/03/05) The LSU AgCenter will hold an educational session on recreational pond management from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. May 10 at sites across the state.Offered through the LSU AgCenter’s distance education network, the program will originate from Baton Rouge and will be available at facilities in Lake Charles, Calhoun, Pollock, Alexandria, Metairie, Bossier City, Rosepine, Winnsboro and Lake Providence.

(Distributed May 2005) The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are revised every five years, include exercise for the first time as part of a healthy lifestyle. LSU AgCenter food and nutrition expert Catrinel Stanciu says the guidelines emphasize nine key areas.

(Distributed May 2005) Adults often bemoan their lack of financial training, having had to "learn the hard way" about money management skills. A national program for youth, however, offers help that parents wished they’d had, according to LSU AgCenter family economics professor Dr. Jeanette Tucker.

(Distributed May 2005) Current recommendations for reducing hypertension emphasize modifying your lifestyle. That means you must do more than simply taking a pill to lower your blood pressure, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Heli Roy.

(Distributed May 2005) Weeds are unwanted plants that compete with your lawn for water, nutrients and light. Practically every lawn has lingering winter weed problems during spring, according to LSU AgCenter agronomist Dr. Ronald Strahan.

(Distributed May 2005) "Nearly all Americans consume much more salt than they need," says LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames. Using more salt (sodium chloride) increases the risk of high blood pressure, and using less salt reduces the risk of high blood pressure.

(Distributed May 2005) Why should you use food and cooking thermometers? One of the most important factors in slowing down bacteria in food is controlling the temperature, according to LSU AgCenter food and nutrition professor Dr. Annrose Guarino.

(Distributed May 2005) Some unscrupulous lenders are using misinformation and high-pressure tactics to prey on vulnerable homeowners. There is no clear-cut definition of a predatory loan, but LSU AgCenter family economics professor Dr. Jeanette Tucker says that it is the result of a lender misleading, tricking and sometimes coercing someone into taking out a home loan at excessive costs and without regard to the homeowner’s ability to repay.

(Distributed May 2005) High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard and contributes to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke and kidney disease - the first, third and ninth leading causes of death in the United States, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames.

(Distributed May 2005) Americans need to be more active, says LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames. Surveys have shown that about 25 percent of American adults report doing no significant amounts of physical activity.

(Distributed May 2005) May and June are critical for Louisiana athletic turf. You have to grow your Bermudagrass field in late spring and early summer to have a field for August play, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske.

(Distributed May 2005) "Eating healthfully is one of the most important things women can do to achieve and maintain good health," says LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames, in observance of National Women’s Health Week, May 8-14.

(Distributed May 2005) Hypertension or high blood pressure is often called the silent killer, because it may cause no symptoms. "The condition may not be so silent after all," says LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames, citing new research.

(Distributed May 2005) Crop planting season for summer vegetable gardens usually lasts one month from the average frost-free date. "Then there are those of us in May who are only now getting around to planting a vegetable garden," says LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske.

(Distributed May 2005) Recognizing the proper stage to pick a peach to obtain its highest quality is important, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. John Pyzner. Ripening dates of peaches vary with varieties.

(Distributed May 2005) Literacy activities are an important part of any early childhood curriculum, stresses LSU AgCenter child-care associate Cheri Gioe, who says introducing children to literacy occurs in many ways.

(Distributed May 2005) Building blocks can serve as a major foundation in helping children to learn important skills, says LSU AgCenter child-care associate Cheri Gioe. Gioe explains that child-care and early childhood educational programs most often arrange their classrooms into a series of "learning centers," and she says the area involving blocks is one of the most important.

(Distributed May 2005) Each of us will face key financial decisions that will dramatically affect the resources we have to enjoy in retirement, according to LSU AgCenter family economics professor Dr. Jeanette Tucker.

(Distributed May 2005) Louisiana State University students excelled in every event against 11 other institutions at the 58th Annual U.S. Poultry & Egg Association National Poultry Judging Contest April 7-8 at LSU.