(Distributed 10/31/07) The LSU AgCenter’s 4-H Outdoor Skills program featured a new exercise in gun safety for youth at the recent Outdoor Skills Field Day at the AgCenter’s Southeast Research Station.

(Distributed 11/01/07) After more than two years of sharing office space with employees in Jefferson, St. Charles and other parishes, nearly 20 LSU AgCenter employees from Orleans Parish will soon be back working from their own office.

(Distributed 11/01/07) Louisiana agriculture shifted gears in 2007 as growers moved almost 300,000 historically planted cotton acres to corn. Initial estimates from LSU AgCenter economists show the net effect of this shift in production to be only $700,000, or 0.57 percent above what the Louisiana economy would have earned had the acreage remained in cotton.

(Distributed 11/01/07) An educational and certification program for individuals raising goats will be held Monday, Nov. 12, at the LSU AgCenter’s Calhoun Research Station, 321 Highway 80 East, in Calhoun.

(Distributed 11/01/07) Learning comes to life at Papa Simpson’s Farm in Arcadia.

(Distributed 11/05/07) Although Louisiana’s domestic swine are free of brucellosis, the feral swine population is not. Hunters should take precautions when handling their quarry.

(Distributed 11/08/07) The LSU AgCenter’s Southeast Research Station in Franklinton will hold a field day on Nov. 13 to update dairy producers of ongoing research at the station.

(Distributed 11/08/07) Harvesting is the most expensive part of producing crawfish, so reducing that cost can mean the difference between profit and loss, according to Dr. Robert Romaire, LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist, who spoke at the 2007 Crawfish Farmers Association 2007 Expo.

(Distributed 11/08/07) Sweet potato harvest conditions in Louisiana have been more cooperative in 2007 than in 2006, when late season rains caused several acres to go unharvested. And though the acreage is down slightly – 15,000 acres compared to 16,000 acres – the yields should more than compensate, according to Tara Smith, LSU AgCenter sweet potato specialist headquartered at the Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase, La.

(Distribtued 11/20/07) Pet owners should be cautious of purchasing animal drugs on the Internet. The products may not be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and pose a health threat to the pets.

(Distributed 11/20/07) An annual tradition in the South is the opening of most "choose-and-cut" Christmas tree farms on the Friday following Thanksgiving.

(Distributed 11/20/07) The Louisiana 4-H Poultry Judging Team came home with first place honors in the national 4-H poultry judging competition held Nov. 14-15 in Louisville, Ky.

(Distributed 11/30/07) The LSU AgCenter has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and others in the wood products industry to determine which insulation systems effectively prevent moisture problems in houses with raised floors.

(Distributed 11/30/07) Six more scientists have been inducted into the LSU AgCenter’s Patent Club, an elite group that now includes 52 researchers who have received patents or plant variety protection certificates. The new inductees are first-time receivers of patents or plant variety protection (PVP) certificates during the past 12 months.

(Distributed 11/27/07) Butterfly gardening is a rewarding hobby that creates a calming effect, Wendy Babiak of Shreveport said as she observed a butterfly garden at the State Fair of Louisiana. Babiak, a Master Gardener who has a “wildlife oasis smack in the middle of Broadmoor,” a Shreveport subdivision, helped put together an LSU AgCenter fair exhibit on how gardening can be used to attract butterflies.

(Distributed 11/21/07) Louisiana pecans are plentiful for holiday cooking – just not quite as many as last year’s recording-breaking yield, according to Dr. John Pyzner, pecan-fruit specialist at the LSU AgCenter’s Pecan Research and Extension Station in Shreveport. This year the total harvest is expected to be 10-12 million pounds, down slightly from an average of about 14 million pounds. Last year’s yield shot up to 21 million pounds.

(Distributed 11/21/07) Good Provider winners from across the state were honored on Nov. 20 at LSU’s Lod Cook Conference Center.

(Distributed 11/19/07) Keeping our food supply safe was the main topic for speakers and panelists at a recent national conference in New Orleans.

(Distributed 11/19/07) More East Feliciana Parish students are receiving tutoring and enrichment programs after school through a cooperative effort between the LSU AgCenter and the East Feliciana School District.

(Distributed 11/29/07) The LSU AgCenter’s 2007 Poinsettia Open House is set for Dec. 14 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Burden Center in Baton Rouge. This event, which is being held for the 13th time, provides poinsettia growers and the public with an opportunity to view some of the latest poinsettia varieties.

(Distributed 11/19/07) Milk prices are up, but feed prices are, too. That was bittersweet news at the LSU AgCenter’s dairy field day Nov. 13 at the Southeast Research Station in Franklinton.

(Photo gallery) The LSU AgCenter provided judges for the competitive educational exhibits in the Agricultural Building of the State Fair of Louisiana. They judged canned goods, needlework, arts and crafts, photos and leaves. The AgCenter renewed and expanded its partnership with the fair. The dates of the fair, held in Shreveport, were Oct. 25-Nov. 11, 2007.

(Distributed 11/20/07) Realizing that the many programs offered by a variety of agencies are powerful tools to address poor diet and inactivity, the LSU AgCenter brought together state and regional nutrition and health organizations for a Nutrition Connections Summit on Nov. 15.

(Distributed 11/01/07) Learning comes to life at Papa Simpson’s Farm in Arcadia.

(Distributed 11/01/07) Louisiana agriculture shifted gears in 2007 as growers moved almost 300,000 historically planted cotton acres to corn. Initial estimates from LSU AgCenter economists show the net effect of this shift in production to be only $700,000, or 0.57 percent above what the Louisiana economy would have earned had the acreage remained in cotton.

(Distributed 11/01/07) An educational and certification program for individuals raising goats will be held Monday, Nov. 12, at the LSU AgCenter’s Calhoun Research Station, 321 Highway 80 East, in Calhoun.

(Distributed 11/05/07) Although Louisiana’s domestic swine are free of brucellosis, the feral swine population is not. Hunters should take precautions when handling their quarry.

(Distributed 11/08/07) Sweet potato harvest conditions in Louisiana have been more cooperative in 2007 than in 2006, when late season rains caused several acres to go unharvested. And though the acreage is down slightly – 15,000 acres compared to 16,000 acres – the yields should more than compensate, according to Tara Smith, LSU AgCenter sweet potato specialist headquartered at the Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase, La.

(Distributed 11/08/07) Harvesting is the most expensive part of producing crawfish, so reducing that cost can mean the difference between profit and loss, according to Dr. Robert Romaire, LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist, who spoke at the 2007 Crawfish Farmers Association 2007 Expo.

(Distributed 11/08/07) The LSU AgCenter’s Southeast Research Station in Franklinton will hold a field day on Nov. 13 to update dairy producers of ongoing research at the station.

(Distributed 11/19/07) Keeping our food supply safe was the main topic for speakers and panelists at a recent national conference in New Orleans.

(Distributed 11/19/07) More East Feliciana Parish students are receiving tutoring and enrichment programs after school through a cooperative effort between the LSU AgCenter and the East Feliciana School District.

(Distributed 11/19/07) Milk prices are up, but feed prices are, too. That was bittersweet news at the LSU AgCenter’s dairy field day Nov. 13 at the Southeast Research Station in Franklinton.

(Distributed 11/20/07) Realizing that the many programs offered by a variety of agencies are powerful tools to address poor diet and inactivity, the LSU AgCenter brought together state and regional nutrition and health organizations for a Nutrition Connections Summit on Nov. 15.

(Distributed 11/20/07) The Louisiana 4-H Poultry Judging Team came home with first place honors in the national 4-H poultry judging competition held Nov. 14-15 in Louisville, Ky.

(Distributed 11/20/07) WINNSBORO – Realizing that the many programs offered by a variety of agencies are powerful tools to address poor diet and inactivity, the LSU AgCenter brought together state and regional nutrition and health organizations for a Nutrition Connections Summit on Nov. 15.

(Distribtued 11/20/07) Pet owners should be cautious of purchasing animal drugs on the Internet. The products may not be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and pose a health threat to the pets.

(Distributed 11/20/07) An annual tradition in the South is the opening of most "choose-and-cut" Christmas tree farms on the Friday following Thanksgiving.

(Distributed 11/21/07) Good Provider winners from across the state were honored on Nov. 20 at LSU’s Lod Cook Conference Center.

(Distributed 11/21/07) Louisiana pecans are plentiful for holiday cooking – just not quite as many as last year’s recording-breaking yield, according to Dr. John Pyzner, pecan-fruit specialist at the LSU AgCenter’s Pecan Research and Extension Station in Shreveport. This year the total harvest is expected to be 10-12 million pounds, down slightly from an average of about 14 million pounds. Last year’s yield shot up to 21 million pounds.

(Distributed 11/27/07) Butterfly gardening is a rewarding hobby that creates a calming effect, Wendy Babiak of Shreveport said as she observed a butterfly garden at the State Fair of Louisiana. Babiak, a Master Gardener who has a “wildlife oasis smack in the middle of Broadmoor,” a Shreveport subdivision, helped put together an LSU AgCenter fair exhibit on how gardening can be used to attract butterflies.

(Distributed 11/29/07) The LSU AgCenter’s 2007 Poinsettia Open House is set for Dec. 14 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Burden Center in Baton Rouge. This event, which is being held for the 13th time, provides poinsettia growers and the public with an opportunity to view some of the latest poinsettia varieties.

(Distributed 11/30/07) The LSU AgCenter has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and others in the wood products industry to determine which insulation systems effectively prevent moisture problems in houses with raised floors.

(Distributed 11/30/07) Six more scientists have been inducted into the LSU AgCenter’s Patent Club, an elite group that now includes 52 researchers who have received patents or plant variety protection certificates. The new inductees are first-time receivers of patents or plant variety protection (PVP) certificates during the past 12 months.