(Distributed 04/09/09) Want to know why bugs rule or help kids learn where their food actually comes from? Or how about exploring the inside of the brain? All that and more are possible during AgMagic, the LSU AgCenter’s fun, interactive and educational journey through Louisiana agriculture and much more April 20-26 at Parker Coliseum on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 04/30/09) NEW IBERIA, La. – Ag Awareness in Iberia Parish will give third-graders the chance to learn about farming and the source of their food May 6-7 at the SugArena.

(Distributed 04/29/09) OIL CITY, La. – Wearing nametags featuring their “personalitree,” 135 Oil City Elementary Magnet School fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders learned about forestry at Jeems Bayou Hunting and Fishing Club on Caddo Lake on Earth Day, April 22.

(Distributed 04/29/09) SHREVEPORT, La. – About 600 4-H’ers from 18 elementary schools learned how to stay safe at the 2009 Caddo 4-H Extravaganza April 24 at the Bill Cockrell Community Center.

(Distributed 04/27/09) Unfavorable weather and increased costs didn’t stop Louisiana agriculture from contributing billions to the state’s economy in 2008. Commodities in the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife industries racked up more than $5.3 billion at the farm gate and “value added” in excess of $4.1 billion – for a total economic contribution of nearly $9.5 billion in 2008.

(Distributed 04/27/09) You can’t get swine flu from eating pork or pork products, says an LSU AgCenter extension nutritionist. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no evidence that a person can get swine flu from touching raw pork or from eating pork that has been properly prepared, says Beth Reames.

(Distributed 04/24/09) BATON ROUGE – The LSU AgCenter’s dairy farm was the site of a special day camp for military kids and their families on April 17.

(Distributed 04/24/09) The LSU AgCenter announced the appointment of Dr. Mark LeBlanc as head of the Department of Agricultural Chemistry effective April 1, 2009.

(Distributed 04/22/09) Louisiana will likely have a large soybean crop this year, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 04/22/09) MONROE, La. – 4-H’ers learned that staying within a budget, reading the label and comfort are the most important considerations of deciding what clothes to purchase.

(Distributed 04/21/09) Agricultural organizations across the United States are intently watching developments in a federal court case that could add more regulation to pesticide applications.

(Distributed 04/21/09) What does it take to become a more effective leader for agriculture? Many of the answers to that question are part of the LSU AgCenter’s Agricultural Leadership Development Program. Applications for potential participants in the program are available for its 12th class, which will begin the two-year program of study in January 2010.

(Distributed 04/21/09) WINNSBORO, La. – Louisiana farmers planted less wheat than last year, but early herbicide applications and disease control can aid producers, LSU AgCenter experts said at the annual wheat and oat field day at the Macon Ridge Research Station April 15.

(Distributed 04/17/09) NEW ORLEANS – Area youth learned the importance of Louisiana’s wetlands at a crawfishing clinic recently held at the Bonné Carre Spillway.

(Distributed 04/14/09) Schools can be a haven for mice, roaches and a host of other creepy-crawlers. They can take refuge in nooks and crannies behind cubby holes and desks while subsisting on the crumbs kids leave behind. Three schools in Ascension Parish are taking a new approach to pest management with the help of LSU AgCenter entomologist Dale Pollet.

(Distributed 04/13/09) NEW ORLEANS – For the first time in more than 20 years, every parish in the state is helping support LSU AgCenter programs.

(Distributed 04/09/09) Volunteer leaders from across the state will gather for the 20th Louisiana Community Economic Development Seminar May 13-14 at the Louisiana Emerging Technology Center on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 04/08/09) NATCHITOCHES, La. – Natchitoches Parish Tax Assessor Rick Hargis proposed a three-quarter mill property tax to support the LSU AgCenter at a meeting here on April 7. About 55 people attended, including school board members, police jurors and 4-H volunteers. Dr. Paul Coreil, LSU AgCenter vice chancellor for extension, explained the dire consequences on educational services if the proposed budget cuts to the AgCenter are implemented

(Distributed 04/07/09) JEANERETTE, La. – Sugarcane farmers got a look at LSU AgCenter statewide wheat variety trials and nearby demonstration strips on April 6 to see what varieties are best suited as a rotational crop in the south Louisiana soils.

(Distributed 04/07/09) Dairy producers from Mississippi joined Louisiana producers at the LSU AgCenter’s Southeast Research Station in Franklinton March 31 to discuss strategies for surviving the current economic situation.

(Distributed 04/06/09) CROWLEY, La. – The 2009 USA Rice Leadership class toured the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station on April 2 during a two-day swing through Louisiana.

(Distributed 04/03/09) RAYVILLE, La. – Organizing symposiums and identifying best practices in four areas that affect poverty are part of an action plan the Louisiana Delta Initiative presented to community and governmental leaders here April 2.

(Distributed 04/03/09) Corn acreage reached record levels in Louisiana several years ago, but the acres dedicated to this feed grain will drop again this year, an LSU AgCenter specialist predicts.

(Distributed 04/03/09) Saltwater effects on rice-growing fields may keep farmers from planting as much as 14 percent of the acres they normally devote to rice production in southwest Louisiana, according to an LSU AgCenter report.

(Distributed 04/02/09) Two LSU AgCenter nutrition educators have been named the state’s outstanding paraprofessionals in their respective nutrition programs.

(Distributed 04/02/09) Helping inmates make the smooth transition back into society is the goal of a partnership involving the LSU AgCenter, the Louisiana Department of Corrections and nonprofit organizations in Ascension and East Baton Rouge parishes.

(Distributed 04/01/09) Recent wet weather has caused fairly heavy losses for strawberry growers in south Louisiana.

(Distributed 04/01/09) When you go on a Web site, you need to be a detective and do a background check before shopping.

(Distributed 04/01/09) BATON ROUGE, La. – The lingering effects of years of hurricane damage and the current economic downturn are dampening Louisiana agriculture, a group of industry observers told an Agribusiness Leadership Summit Forum recently.