(Distributed 05/30/09) LSU AgCenter 4-H will seek for the first time this year a school in Louisiana with outstanding character education practices to submit for national recognition through the Character Education Partnership, a youth advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.

(Distributed 05/29/09) Eating only 1 teaspoon of salt a day is a challenge for many Americans. This is the amount recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

(Distributed 05/28/09) FENTON, La. – Rice growers heard advice from a range of LSU AgCenter experts Tuesday (May 26) during the southwest rice field day.

(Distributed 05/27/09) Having an “evacuation box” packed and ready to go with important papers and other items can prevent financial disasters and hardships if a serious storm comes your way, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter. LSU AgCenter family economist Dr. Jeanette Tucker says there often isn’t time to gather up such items when you’re rushing to evacuate, so she recommends packing them up now and refreshing them as needed.

(Distributed 05/28/09) Food is a necessity for life, and as a result, a three-day emergency food supply is something you hear a lot about when hurricane season approaches. But just what is a three-day emergency food supply? LSU AgCenter nutritionist and food safety specialist Dr. Beth Reames says it involves more than just the food.

(Distributed 05/27/09) The LSU AgCenter will offer a course on “Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners” June 2-3 at its Louisiana House Home and Landscape Resource Center.

(Distributed 05/26/09) During a hurricane, you need some supplies just to survive. But many of those supplies are hard to find if you wait until a storm is approaching. So it’s better to make sure you’ve got some of the essentials now, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 05/26/09) The LSU AgCenter’s Red River Research Station will hold a field day June 18 at the station in Bossier City.

(Distributed 05/26/09) The LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station will hold its annual landscape horticulture field day for industry professionals on June 25.

(Distributed 05/26/09) For the past five years, the LSU AgCenter has hosted the annual statewide Livestock Show at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. But because the status of this facility has been unknown, the location for 2010 show, to which nearly 3,000 4-H and FFA members bring their award-winning animals to compete for the best-of-the-best, has been up in the air.

(Distributed 05/25/09) KENNER, La. – Although he may be known to the culinary world as a leading New Orleans chef, John Besh also is a leading proponent of serving locally grown foods in his four restaurants. “Our restaurants spend $8 million to $9 million a year on groceries,” Besh told participants at the Louisiana Master Gardeners’ state conference here May 21.

(Distributed 05/25/09) Are you ready for a hurricane? LSU AgCenter housing specialist Dr. Claudette Reichel offers a 20-question quiz to help you determine just how prepared you are.

(Distributed 05/25/09) The LSU AgCenter Pecan Research-Extension Station in Shreveport will not be affected by the alignment of Interstate 69 in southern Caddo Parish after all, according to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD).

(Distributed 05/21/09) Every year, new shrub varieties are introduced for landscape use. At the same time, some varieties debuted in prior years are new in that they’re just catching on.

(Distributed 05/21/09) Do-it-yourself homebuilders in Louisiana have recently encountered problems with local parish building inspectors when attempting to get their structures approved if the house was built with lumber missing a grade stamp.

(Distributed 05/20/09) A Louisiana 4-H Centennial scavenger hunt has been a success at finding memorabilia and artifacts to be used in the new Louisiana 4-H Museum, according to museum officials.

(Distributed 05/20/09) MAMOU, La. – Two new long-grain rice varieties could be released by the LSU AgCenter this year if they continue to show solid results, according to Dr. Steve Linscombe, LSU AgCenter rice breeder.

(Distributed 05/19/09) The LSU AgCenter’s annual Northeast Research Station field day will be held June 17 at the station in St. Joseph.

(Distributed 05/19/09) BOSSIER CITY, La. – The stormwater that runs off lawns, streets and driveways contains dirt, motor oil, fertilizers and pesticides that will eventually end up in the nation’s waterways, an LSU AgCenter environmental scientist said at the Lunch and Ag Discovery program May 14 at the LSU AgCenter’s Red River Research Station.

(Distributed 05/18/09) The LSU AgCenter will open its Louisiana House Home and Landscape Resource Center June 13 for a daylong series of educational programs designed to help you and your family prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. Dubbed “Hurricanes, Homes and Yards,” the program will be conducted from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, June 13, at the Louisiana House on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 05/18/09) A workshop for economic development professionals, elected officials and community leaders will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 10 at the LSU AgCenter’s Scott Research and Extension Center in Winnsboro.

(Distributed 05/18/09) With what some are calling “swine flu” being a major topic of conversation in many circles and in the news, it’s a good idea to reassure your children you’re going to keep them as safe as possible. Officially known as H1N1, this flu outbreak has captured attention across the country and could result in children being fearful about it, LSU AgCenter family life and child development specialists say.

(Distributed 05/18/09) FENTON, La. – The LSU AgCenter announced its 2009 Southwest Rice Tour will be held May 26.

(Distributed 05/15/09) A Management Intensive Grazing Workshop will be held at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center on May 27 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The workshop will include visits to two farms where management intensive grazing is practiced, according to Emily Neustrom, assistant with Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) at the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 05/15/09) Joe and Diane Beatty of Heflin, La., recently donated $25,000 to the Louisiana 4-H Foundation to create an endowed scholarship for 4-H’ers from Webster and Bienville parishes.

(Distributed 05/14/09) Paul Coreil, vice chancellor of the LSU AgCenter, and Marybeth Lima, professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, received the 2009 top awards from the LSU Kiwanis Club.

(Distributed 05/11/09) CAMERON, La. – Newly built-to-code houses that have already survived one hurricane will be featured in this year’s Cameron Parish Tour of Hurricane-resistant Homes.

(Distributed 05/14/09) Older adults and those who care for them should take precautions to guard against the flu, says LSU AgCenter family life specialist Dr. Diane Sasser. Reasonable precautions will not only help to prevent the spread of the flu but may also save lives in vulnerable populations such as the elderly, she stresses.

(Distributed 05/13/09) LSU AgCenter Assistant Vice Chancellor David Morrison recently received the Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors Excellence in Leadership Award.

(Distributed 05/12/09) MAMOU, La. – Rice farmers can get the latest information on new varieties and agronomic practices at the Evangeline Parish Rice Field Day being held May 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The LSU AgCenter-sponsored event will be held at the farm of Kody and Larry Bieber, one mile west of La. Highway 13 on Bieber Road.

(Distributed 05/11/09) POLLOCK, La. – Twenty children and their military families participated in an overnight camp at the LSU AgCenter’s Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center April 25-26 as part of an Operation: Military Kids program.

(Distributed 05/11/09) HOMER, La. – About 200 fifth- and sixth-graders from six Claiborne Parish schools learned about water conservation and water quality at Lake Claiborne State Park east of Homer May 7-8.

(Distributed 05/11/09) BATON ROUGE – The LSU AgCenter will conduct a short course for landscape management professionals June 16-17 in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 05/07/09) CLINTON, La. – White-tailed deer were the focus of a wildlife field day May 2 at the LSU AgCenter’s Bob R. Jones Idlewild Research Station.

(Distributed 05/07/09) BATON ROUGE, La. – Due to demand, the LSU AgCenter is hosting a second two-day advanced workshop on how to make your own biodiesel fuel from used vegetable oil on June 2-3 at the Callegari Environmental Center. “Like the one in April, this is an advanced workshop and different from the workshops we offered in 2008,” said Bill Carney, LSU AgCenter environmental educator.

(Distributed 05/05/09) The LSU AgCenter will host the third Louisiana Natural Resources Symposium July 16-17, 2009, at the Lod Cook Conference Center and Hotel on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 05/05/09) SHREVEPORT, La. – The LSU AgCenter can help people with managing their ponds, Dr. Greg Lutz, an AgCenter aquaculture specialists, said April 27 at the AgCenter’s Red River Research Station.

(Distributed 05/01/09) Rice farmers are welcoming warmer, drier weather to help their young crop, but they would like to see relief from the wind, too.

The LSU AgCenter’s Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Unit, together with Calcasieu and Cameron parish officials, will present a free Community Rebuilding and Flood Protection Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 16 at Grand Lake School.

(Distributed 05/01/09) May is high blood pressure awareness month. LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames says high blood pressure or hypertension is called the silent killer because it usually has no symptoms.

(Distributed 05/01/09) The All-America Rose Selections garden at the LSU AgCenter’s Burden Center in Baton Rouge recently was recognized with an "Outstanding Rose Garden Maintenance Award" for 2009, according to AgCenter officials.

(Distributed 05/01/09) Mother’s Day launches the 10th annual National Women's Health Week to educate women about steps they can take to improve their physical and mental health and lower their risks of certain diseases.