(Distributed 09/14/12) With fall approaching and football season getting into full swing, garden mums become one of the popular plants available for home landscapes. These plants are also known as chrysanthemums, and some folks in north Louisiana and other parts of the state refer to this popular plant as “pinks.”

(Distributed 09/28/12) Shrubs make up the main background plants for most home landscapes. Many home gardeners plant shrubs during spring because that is when most of us think about gardening and that is when garden centers have the best availability. But, fall is the best time to add shrubs to the landscape.

(Distributed 09/24/12) An LSU AgCenter researcher is in the forefront of a worldwide effort to protect domestic livestock from the threat of brucellosis. He is continuing a program that has focused on researching the Brucella bacteria for more than 30 years.

(Distributed 09/20/12) Residents in 18 Louisiana parishes where broadband is underused or unavailable are learning the value of broadband, high-speed internet access with help from the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 09/20/12) BATON ROUGE, La. – Even though school has already started, students wishing to participate in 4-H can still join a club, according to Mark Tassin, 4-H youth and family development department head at the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 09/20/12) Petunias are one of the most popular flowers in Louisiana. They can be planted in fall for cool-season color or planted in late winter or early spring for warm-season color. As with almost all bedding plants these days, you can find a wide assortment of petunias at local garden centers.

(Distributed 09/20/12) Louisiana pecan crop estimates for 2012 ranged from 13 million to 13.5 million pounds before Hurricane Isaac struck, according to industry experts.

(Distributed 09/19/12) The Windrush Gardens at Burden will host Storybook Time on Saturday, Oct. 13 for children ages three to eight.

(Distributed 09/18/12) BATON ROUGE, La. – Farmers have harvested most of the soybeans in north Louisiana, and the yields have been outstanding, according to LSU AgCenter soybean specialist Ronnie Levy.

(Distributed 09/14/12) The LSU AgCenter is releasing its 2013 Get It Growing Lawn and Garden Calendar – the annual publication that offers a mixture of beautiful garden photos and advice targeted specifically to Louisiana gardeners. Among the 32-page, full-colr calendar’s features are monthly gardening tips from LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill, as well as information on Louisiana Super Plants, gardening terms, how to control snails and slugs, and more.

(Distributed 09/14/12) Teachers, bankers and other community leaders met at the East Baton Rouge Parish School District Development Center in Baton Rouge on Sept. 12 for the 2012 Financial Education Boot Camp.

(Distributed 09/14/12) The LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station will hold its annual landscape horticulture field day for nursery, landscape and garden center professionals on Oct. 11.

(Distributed 09/13/12) Louisiana has the infrastructure and expertise to participate successfully in the emerging process of turning biomass – plant material – into energy, according to experts who spoke at the Louisiana Biofuels and Bioprocessing Summit Sept. 11-12 in Baton Rouge.

(Distributed 09/10/12) Health officials are advising people who show pigs that a new swine flu virus can be spread by direct contact wit infected animals.

(Distributed 09/07/12) Louisiana’s individual agricultural commodities escaped major damage from Hurricane Isaac, according to analyses from the LSU AgCenter.

(Distributed 09/07/12) Perennials are plants that live for three or more years and often require two or more years from seed to flower. Gardeners are showing renewed interest in herbaceous perennials because they often need less maintenance, less water and fewer pesticides than annual bedding plants.

(Distributed 09/06/12) Damage from Hurricane Isaac may have you out shopping for a new roof. LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel says you should make your investment last with roofing that will both protect your home and withstand storms.

(Distributed 09/06/12) After a flood, mold colonies can start to grow within two to three days. The key to preventing mold is to act fast and get things clean and dry, according to LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel.

(Distributed 09/05/12) Now that Hurricane Isaac has passed, restoration is on the mind of many residents of south Louisiana. There are some considerations to take before tackling the job, according to LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel.

(Distributed 09/05/12) Hurricane Isaac’s winds and flooding dealt landscapes a major blow across coastal and southeast Louisiana, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturalist Allen Owings.

(Distributed 09/04/12) After a severe storm, the most common wind damage is to roofing, which often results in water leakage that can lead to interior water damage and the potential for mold damage, according to LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel.

(Distributed 09/04/12) Floodwater left behind by Hurricane Isaac is providing the nearly perfect environment needed to increase the mosquito population, which could also increase the cases of West Nile virus.

(Distributed 09/01/12) LSU AgCenter specialists are in the process of collecting information about the damage to agricultural commodities across the state as a result of Hurricane Isaac. But to a large extent, the actual dollar losses will depend on weather conditions over the next few weeks.

(Distributed 09/01/12) Hurricane Isaac has dropped a significant amount of rain this past week in some parishes. Although it may be tempting to hold this water as a means of flooding crawfish ponds early and for free, this is the wrong thing to do, according to LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist Greg Lutz.

(Distributed 09/04/12) Wildlife across the state seemed to have weathered Hurricane Isaac with no large-scale fish kills or animal drownings, according to preliminary reports from LSU AgCenter specialists.

(Distributed 09/05/12) David Constant has been named head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, a joint position shared between the LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Engineering.

(Distributed 09/04/12) Poultry growers in Louisiana can learn proper techniques for in-house pasteurization of broiler litter by watching a 6-minute video on the LSU AgCenter website or YouTube.